Best Of The Best Share Discussion Threads

[traderabc] 16/1/2011 16:17

On the Edge with Gregor Macdonald – 14 January 2010

[traderabc] 16/1/2011 15:56

Skip the first 5 mins for Schiff, but they hardly let him speak, gets more intresting in min 20

Peter Schiff on FXBIZ (14-Jan-11)





Peter Schiff - Freedom Fest Interview

[traderabc] 16/1/2011 14:44

Don't laugh, it could happen..

Future Of Food For 9 Billion? Edible Insects Proposed To Replace Meat; EU Investigates Bug Farming for Protein
07/01/2011 12:11:10


Do you prefer the grasshopper to the ants? What kind of grubs do you have? How about some fried lice? The future of chatter over the dinner table?

[traderabc] 16/1/2011 14:29

Peter Schiff: Washington a parasite to economy

[the bounty hunter] 16/1/2011 12:43

A lot of catching up to do on my reading. thx guys

[traderabc] 16/1/2011 10:50

Landkom (LKI). Anyone follow this one?
I see that it has been a bit of a disaster for anyone who got in early, the concept is sound and at least theoretically this could become a very profitable company at some point. I guess it all boils down to management, who appear to have failed their investors so far. One to keep an eye on, strong support is just 0.7 p away from where it's trading presently (approx 95% down from it's highs)

Its advfn thread has gone quiet recently (a good sign)





Jim Rogers Is Right.flv

[michaeld] 15/1/2011 22:06

Many thanks for the info coincall. Yes; I am sure that plenty of organic matter is much better for the soil structure than year upon year of chemical fertiliser applications.

[coincall] 15/1/2011 19:43

sorry for O/T guys.

michaeld, Your clay soil contains all the essential minerals necessary for good plant health, it is just locked up because of the fineness of the particulate conglomeration which locks tight as it dries out. What you suggest by adding mearl sand to lighten the soil is exactly the course I took with the heavy clay soil here. I used cracker grit with a grain size up to 5mm, this helped but still locked up to a slightly lesser extent in dry spells.

The answer to the clay problem is additions of high amounts of organic matter (anything you can get your hands on, paper, leaves, straw, spent hops, rotted wood). Even if you leave it on the surface as a mulch it will be dragged down by the worms, this will assist in better drainage as well as maintain a level of moisture during dry weather. If you are preparing the area for vegetables rather than crops, you can take this a stage further by using hugelkultur...



This system creates a raised bed which, if made deep enough, will not need watering in dry spells and can be used in the first year for potatoes,squash, melons, and a number of different species of berries or a cover crop for the first year to improve the fertility even more before adding vegetables or other plants.

[traderabc] 15/1/2011 19:30

Cheers apdi71

[traderabc] 15/1/2011 19:18

Rogers starts at min 15.

Edited I get the feeling that Rogers doesn't like Soros, he hasn't seen the guy in 30 years, that kind of tells you everything. Beck is a rambling fool as usual, his 'history' lectures are quite amusing, it does appear that his interest in these topics is genuine, but I still struggle to take the man seriously.
If Ron Paul runs in 2012 it will be interesting to see who Beck endorses, if he is genuine, it has to be Dr Paul, if he is the fraud I suspect him to be, then he will endorse Palin or some other like minded globalist tool.

[apdi71] 15/1/2011 14:20

Glenn Beck interviews Jim Rogers FWIW:



Dont think Glenn understands oil - "China gets nicer oil than US" - uh?
Daft as Keiser claiming BP blew up Macondo on purpose.

[michaeld] 14/1/2011 15:04

Yes, good idea Trader but it might be easier to make an area of hardstanding above high tide level and just let rain do the job.

[michaeld] 14/1/2011 14:59

Thanks coincall; I doubt that there would be much of a salinity problem if the seaweed is mixed with FYM but it might be safer to wash it out first, especially as salty winds blow over the land. Am also thinking off adding mearl sand to the mix to help lighten the soil which is clayish and sets like rock after a dry spell.

[traderabc] 14/1/2011 14:52

michaeld, if there is a freshwater stream running into the sea nearby, would it be possible to dump the seaweed into it for a day or two, then retrieve it salt free?

[michaeld] 14/1/2011 14:49

Excellent Trader, that is the best short description of unbridled capitalism I have seen. Our great financial services industry has gotten rich by squeezing producers or worse still, selling them off to foreign competitors for a quick buck. Trouble is, there is not a lot left for them to sell off in Britain and so they will probably soon concentrate elsewhere in the World. Good riddance I say; bunch of greedy traitors.

[coincall] 14/1/2011 14:40

michaeld,

"Many thanks for the information coincall. I am wondering if it is a good idea to stack the seaweed on shore for a while to let rain wash the salt out of it before composting?"

It is an important point and not mentioned in the information from the link given earlier by traderabc (see point 4.4.1 SWOT Analysis)



It really comes down to your soil type and usage, there are other methods to increase fertility sustainably - I mention one below using biochar.

The heavy layer of seaweed I put down seems not to have affected the ground but I would not recommend adding such large amounts on a regular basis. There were immediate problems with gelling? when the seaweed rotted down and caused a mixed slurry with the soil, but this did not last long as the rain gradually broke it down. The bioactivity is now far greater on this patch than enywhere else and I use part of it as a nursery for new trees.

You sound very aware there are serious consequences with the build up of salts in the ground. This is particularly associated with increases in irrigation and the history of farming and the loss of large swathes of land and civilisations due to salinity is made clear in this link



One other observation from the permacultural offerings may be to use biochar, this is basically charcoal soaked in liquid manure. This is then turned in either by ploughing or spade in reasonable quantity. Advantages with this method of fertilising are greater moisture retention and reserve of plant feed.

In the Amazon jungle, areas of extremely fertily were found - something not seen in forest areas as there is generally too much competition and leaf litter is not a high provider to fertile soil. On close examination, it turned out the soil was nearly black, and on testing, contained high levels of nutrients in a mix of charcoal grains with the usual soil content of the area. It was estimated that "biochar" had been added to the soil by tribes some 2 centuries before and it was still active!

The problem with this "sustainable" form of adding fertility to the soil is that it takes time and material to build the soil health. Unfortunately, with the amount of mouths to feed we do not have the time or money and turn to the quick fix and chuck PPK at the situation which over the years will do completely the opposite and rob us of good quality farm land. Yet another disaster waiting in the wings.

[049balt] 14/1/2011 11:12

Farm gate prices are exploding, only a matter of time until we see inflation take off.

[michaeld] 14/1/2011 11:06

Many thanks for the information coincall. I am wondering if it is a good idea to stack the seaweed on shore for a while to let rain wash the salt out of it before composting?

[coincall] 14/1/2011 01:46

michaeld - 13 Jan'11 - 14:25 - 2285 of 2291


Soon be a case of having to recycle waste Trader as crude oil becomes too expensive; forcing up the price of fertliser etc and the cost of food. Im looking into the use of seaweed on our Scottish farm as we get mountains of it washed up onto the beach after a storm. High in Potash and containing all of the elements apparently. Should be excellent for growing spuds (and onions).
-------------------------------------------------------

I have been using seaweed for many years - adding it in layers to compost with spent hops and horse muck - its fantastic! I used a 150-200mm layer of seaweed on an area of the vegetable garden and grew 8ft high broadbeans, lots of growth but few beans as too much nitrogen but after a year it grew fantastic crops. The seaweed composts very quickly as there is no strong cellulose structure to break down and the compost heats up very rapidly, but choose times to collect carefully when the seaweed is clear of other debris.

I am going to try a compost tea using seaweed, horse muck and a few other goodies. See link below about Jody Scheckter (ex F1 racing driver) who now has about 2500 acres of organic/biodynamic farm at Overton in Hampshire, and is the leader in compost teas (aeration of liquid composts over a given number of hours, these are either sprayed direct onto the plants or trees or onto the ground. It enhances the bio activity, strengthens the plants against disease and is far more beneficial to plant growth than ordinary composts. The reason Scheckter is using compost teas is because it has cut the cost of fertilisers and takes far less energy to apply as you use far less material.

Hope this link is helpful michaeld

[traderabc] 13/1/2011 22:47

This is worth finding on the torrents if you can, the first book was excellent, well worth reading.

Freakonomics - Official Trailer [HD]




Freakonomics Featurette



Steven Levitt: Why do crack dealers still live with their moms?

[traderabc] 13/1/2011 19:23

[KR112] Keiser Report with Steve Keen – Schizo-Psycho-Bermudaflation!

[michaeld] 13/1/2011 15:55

Excellent link about seaweed Trader thanks; I have printed a copy off for future reference. I know that the seaweed industry used to be big business along the Scottish coast and Islands but is now barely viable. However times can change and it undoubtedly is a valuable source of nutrients to put on the land and as a supply of trace elements for animal consumption (including humans). I sometimes use it in our own food preparation etc and it does seem to make one, feel good. The Japs certainly love it in their sushi concoctions etc.
Mixed with farm yard manure it should make excellent compost.
Ps re bureacratic intervention; they might say that you can't take it as it belongs to the Queen or 'The Crown Estates'!

[traderabc] 13/1/2011 15:04

2286

lol!

[traderabc] 13/1/2011 15:03

I saw an episode of countryfile, where they boiled up some type of seaweed on the Kent coast, strained it and created a kind of nutritions jelly. It has many properties apparently, very abundant and 'organic'.




michael probably better to collect it at dusk when there are no council busybodies around to tell you that it's 'illegal' to take the stuff.