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Joshua Kingsley
ParticipantYES! you are correct. you are not able to replant any of the seeds from the “infected” plant. I did a lot of research on this topic of genetic engineering plants and food stuffs when I was in school. Some of the stuff they do is really twisted and has unknown side effects.
Scary stuff, JoshuaParticipantJimb, I think you are on the right track, there is the issue of having problems with the neighboring farms planting “the common” seed.
One of the other big issues I have with teh cross pollination is the terminator gene. If your neighbors are planting Monsanto seeds in thier garden and you have heriloom varieties you need to be aware that your seed may not grow if you save any. There is a gene that will cross onto your crops easily. This is a case where the monopoly is trying thier darndest to put everyone else out of the game.
Just my personal rant, Joshua
ParticipantI have been working off and on at thinning a semi-wooded pasture area. There is a bunch of dead elm in the 6 to 14 inch range. I am using this for firewood, I am working with the steers and trying to get them ready to work some in the woods. They are about 230# each so I am hoping that they can start pulling some of the smaller stuff. I should be able to get the shetland ponies into the stand soon if the weather breaks and the temps rise a bit or the wind stops.
Dad’s keeping the cows milked and the fires burning, along with doing some needed repairs we are keeping our heads above water.
Joshua
ParticipantI think that they assumed as we never ended up paying them… we had some other friends that also got a letter and one was a high power lawyer. The end result was that I was unable to save any seed. So we have to buy seed instead.
JoshuaParticipantOne thought on this is are we all going to have to pay Monsanto for our Alfalfa crop every year???? When the crop is cross pollinated you have to pay for that crop when it comes to corn ect. Our neighbors planted with RRCorn and we planted open pollinated, we got a Bill for the “genetics” in our corn due to cross pollination.
Just a question that is running through my mind about this whole thing.
JoshuaParticipantIn response to the dairy industry. It is ILLIGAL for the farmers in the USA to dump thier milk or to refuse to allow a government set milk price. In the UK there was a display by farmers with tractors and milk being dumped in the streets and the government over there allowed the farmers to set milk prices. My question is what would happen to all the cows and such if they did put the farmers in Jail???
Joshua
Participant@mitchmaine 14850 wrote:
hey carl, that reminds me. up here at the university, they worked at and bred a four legged chicken for more meat production. but in the trials, they discovered no one could catch it. it didn’t catch on.
Isn’t that called a rabbit????
ParticipantAs I read all the posts and reflect on the current status in agricultural policies I wonder what it really would take to make an impact on the national level.
It is a sad commentary on our current world condition when we can spend billions in bailing out the big businesses and yet the price of milk is set by the government a year ahead of time! With the current system the American dairy will be hard pressed to stay afloat in the coming years. All in the name of “cheap” food. Unfortunately the public has not seen the truth in the agriculture to economy link since the great depression. The modern policies were established then to help get the economy stimulated, with little or no provision for the future.Just some humble thoughts on our current state of dairy in the USA.
Joshua
ParticipantCrap like that is why people think that training an animal to work is cruel. I guess there really is a lot of ways to get a job done but I think there had to be a better way.
JoshuaParticipantHi all and thanks for all your encouragement.
I am working Buck who is black and white and Bear who is red and white. They are getting along well in yoke, they are even in pace most of the time though the other day they encountered water and were unsure, Bear walked into the puddle and Buck stopped. Jt who is 5 was “working” the steers with me and decided he could splash and kick at the water. Once the boys figured out it was the child making all the noise out of no where and running and splashing they went across the water.
The team is starting to really do about anything on command and I am wondering at what point would you all suggest adding somthing for them to pull?
I was thinking of dragging a chain and starting with that but was wondering if I should have somthing hooked to it in order to keep the chain from being tangled around legs?I am hoping that I will get dexters again in 2010 with some luck.
Thanks for all the advice, Joshua
ParticipantPatrick,
I owned dexters till I lost my cow in 05 to gangreen, I still have a dexter/ jersey cross hefier. I have had plans to have dexters for the last 12 years or so and also suffolks. I now have the suffolks and just need to get back into the dexter game. I never had much problem with the dexers. I used to handle them alot though and I have to say that I don’t care for the holstines as much as I did my dexters. If you want to have some nice steers that will be bigger drop me a line I would be willing to let them go so I could find what I really want. JoshuaParticipantThanks, I would really have liked to have a pair of dexters for a team but that was not an option at the time. Dad owns and opperates a commercial dairy so I have choice of some decent dairy bull calves. Best of luck to all with thier teams. Joshua
ParticipantI don’t intend to show them and I don’t think it would be good for a show animal that likes to be dirty, they tend to need alot more prep for the ring…. I used to show cattle in 4-H and some just liked to find the most muck possible.
Dad and I have made the decision to go with the mis-matched team based on attatude and workablility. The other steer to be will be tasty in the spring or some time in the next year or so. The other concern was the red and white is about 10 days older and at this point is about an inch taller than the black. I am hoping that they will even out or will still work alright.
As has been said before an Ox is a mistake that you can eat so I’ll give it a go with my dad. though it is hard to want to mess with the steers when I have the horses to play with. There is a suffolk mare and foal and a pair of ponies that are begging for more attention as well. some say you can never have to much power on the farm.
JoshuaParticipantThey just have to work. I have been leaning toward the red / black team. The guys that work steers locally want the teams to match perfectly or they are out. of course they like to show so that may be thier motivation. If I had my choice I would rather have started a team that was what I wanted for a breed. I would like to get Dexters so this is just a play with them for a while..
JoshuaParticipantHave your neighbor come by and look at ther hooves, they are typically longer on a donkey than on a horse. I would get her better feed as soon as she is home and then work on getting to know her ect. R- Check your PM as I will send you a note. Joshua
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