The Spider Dance

Every time I walk the woods

I have to break a trail

Even though I take

The same path without fail.

It seems that there's a creature

Whose worldly task must be

To weave a web across my way

Just to torture me.

Spiders, spiders, everywhere;

Some large and some so small

That you must look quite closely

If you would see them at all.

Their artistry with silken thread

Is something to behold,

But stringing them across my path

Is getting kind of old.

Sometimes I can see them

And take a different way

Or, maybe break them with a stick

Used like a sword to slay,

But, there are times they catch me

Right across my face

And thoughts that race there in my mind

Are not so full of grace.

If you could see me as I flail

About there in the wood

You'd wonder what was going on

And think I'd lost my mind for good!

The photo is of a Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) which is common in our area.  

Mills, Music and Movies

It pays to keep your eyes open as you drive around the country.  Not too far from where I live is the small town of Wolfe City.  If you happen to be passing by on Highway 11 you might spot this old building sitting off in the trees on the south side of the road.  The signage on the side (which you can barely see) says, "Texo Feeds."  It appears that it might have been an old feed dealership.  I have never walked out to the building and taken a closer look, but the height of the porch/dock at the larger door appears to be about right for a wagon loading dock.  I can just imagine an old farm wagon, pulled by mules, being loaded with bags of oats, or other feed.

Texo Feeds is interesting because it is associated with "Light Crust Flour."  If you happen to be north of Fort Worth on I-820 around I-35, you will see a large concrete grain terminal on the BNSF railroad tracks off in the distance.  On the side are printed the words, "Home of Light Crust Flour and Texo Feeds."  It is the old Burris Mill which was originally dedicated in 1936.  It is great advertisement for the small, but fast-growing city of Saginaw.*

Light Crust Flour was known far and wide because they also had a radio station which featured the "Light Crust Dough Boys."  The band was made up of Bob Wills, Herman Arnspiger and Milton Brown.  They later became the Texas Playboys and Bob Wills brought Texas Swing music to the world.

The Governor of Texas from 1939 to 1941 was W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel.  He later became a U.S. Senator in the controversial 1941 race in which he defeated Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson.  O'Daniel had previously been an official at the Burris Mill prior to being fired in 1935 after a series of disputes.  It was then that he formed his own band called the Hillbilly Boys and his own flour company.

Although their name more closely resembles that of the Foggy Mountain Boys, known for Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, the band from the hit film "O Brother, Where Art Thou," the Soggy Bottom Boys, is loosely based on the Hillbilly Boys band of "Pappy" O'Daniel who entertained likely voters in his quest for political office.  Although based in Mississippi, you may recall that the Governor in the hit movie was also named Pappy O'Daniel, who bolstered his popularity by offering a pardon to the members of the Soggy Bottom Boys.

I suppose my post this morning is a bit circuitous in nature, but there are plenty of dots to be connected.  There is a lot of interesting history just waiting to be discovered; it's almost covered up by trees and a bit out-of-the-way, but it's out there if you just look.

* Light Crust Flour

** O Brother Where Art Thou?

Productivity and Potential

Out in our pastures we have several different types of soil.  Some of it is thin and some of it is much deeper.  Some is clay-based and some of it has a lot of sand.  In the creek bottoms there is a lot of silt that has built up over the years and is fairly deep.  The photo is of a patch of native Bermuda grass that caught my eye yesterday.  It is in an area that is fairly flat, but sloping slightly toward a pond.  I should have captured a photo of some of the nearby areas that don't look this way, but instead, I was drawn to this patch of grass that is virtually flawless.

It has been "rested."  There have been no cattle on it for a couple of months and it is seeded out.  It is weedless as far as I can tell.  It is not extremely tall and "rank" like some Bermuda can get.  It is just right.

It made me think of people.

I thought of people in the context of the grass.  Some people are rooted in good soil -- they were "raised right" as the folks where I grew up like to say.  Their roots are sunk deeply into a heritage that provides an advantage for them to grow and prosper.  As they do so -- as they flourish -- they are able to keep out the weeds that rob moisture and nutrients.  They remain strong.

I also thought of people in the context of the soil.  Some people are nourishing -- they lend strength to others.  Some are shallow and with little substance.  Some are hard and treat others in ways that are harmful.  Some are full of "weeds" that rob them of the joys of life.  I guess I'm reminded of the Biblical parable of the seeds and different types of soils.

Soil can be built up over time.  Weeds can be controlled by pulling or, spraying.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we don't have to be stuck in the circumstances we may find ourselves in.  Growing up disadvantaged doesn't mean you have to remain that way.  I know plenty of people who started with all the advantages you can imagine that went the other direction.  Unlike with the grasses growing in our pasture, we can improve ourselves and we can improve our circumstances.  We can work to dig out the weeds that rob us of our productivity and our joy.  By nurturing those things that we can, we can build ourselves -- just as a growing plant helps to build new soil.

My thoughts this morning may be poorly stated, but perhaps they can be deciphered from this brief commentary.  I hope everyone who reads this will allow good things to take root in them and that they will invest the effort to nurture those good things so they produce even more.  Whatever talents or, resources may be available to you, don't waste them.  Build with them and let them build you.

Release and Renewal

Then, at the end of my walk

I came to the place

Where the waters meet the land,

Incessantly moving

In their restless quest

To reduce it to sand.

It was a place of peace

And the sound of birds

Permeated the light breeze,

Wafting scents of salt air,

Replacing the heat of day

With coolness of night.

Without shoes I paced

The damp, fine grains,

Soothing the tiredness

Which drained into the

Surging waters lapping

About my feet.

Cares, unwinding from

My shoulders and my heart,

Fell unbidden into

The frothy waves

To be carried away

And devoured.

Release became

Renewal.

Sometimes we just need to get away to a place that allows us to forget the cares of the day and the burdens of work.  We need to be renewed.  I'm not a fan of a hot sandy beach with the sun beating down, but to me, there is nothing more relaxing than walking along the shore as evening approaches, or early on a cool morning when there are few people about.  Very rarely have I had such experiences because I have lived my life far from the ocean, but the few I have are anchored in my mind in such a way that I can call them up and remember the peaceful feeling.

(Photo taken at Marco Island, Florida, a few years ago.) 

Vision Requires a Compass

When there are no tracks to show the way

How do you find the trail?

Do you just set out and hope for the best

Or, is that the way to fail?

First you decide where you wish to go

Then keep your compass true

On the path you would take across uncharted seas

To places bold and new.

(Photo taken off Portland Head on the Coast of Maine a few years back.)

Some Things Last

Monument Rocks, on the Smoky Hill River in Kansas, is a little off the beaten path today, but it was once an important marker for travelers headed west.  The formations are also known as the Chalk Pyramids.  They are made of Niobrara Chalk and are the remains of an ancient seabed formed during the Cretaceous Period.  I made a side-trip to them a number of years ago and was happy that I did.  They are an interesting remnant of a time long ago.

I was browsing through old photographs on my computer and came across these.  They made me think about how some things, and some people, manage to weather the onslaught of time much better than others.  These have managed to stand for roughly 80 million years.  I don't think I will make it that long.

These formations make me think of the things that endure no matter what fad may come and go -- things like integrity and honesty.  They are anchors to which we can hold fast -- or, be held fast -- in times of storm.  When all else fails, they remain.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do every thing in love." -- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Focus and Squirrels

Have you ever noticed that when you really want to focus on something important, a dozen distractions seem to pop up out of nowhere?  A good friend of mine describes it as, "Oh, look, there's a squirrel!"  I know where he gets that descriptive comment; he's a dog lover and nothing can change the focus of a dog faster than the sudden appearance of a squirrel.

I like squirrels.  I also like distractions when I'm in the middle of some boring task that has lulled my mind into a semi-stupor that causes my eyes to go into auto-close mode.  There are times though, when a distraction is the last thing I need because I am in hot pursuit of some brilliant thought that is running like crazy and if I don't stay on its trail it will get away from me.

Redbone Hounds are probably my favorite dog.  They can focus about as well as any creature I have ever seen.  If one has a scent in their nose their head will be down, tail up and they will be loping along the faint trail of volatile chemicals wafting just above the surface that only they can smell.  When that happens, look out truck because they will run right in front of you without so much as looking up.  We lost one that way.  I suppose focus can have its downside.

For me, the best way to get time to focus on a problem that requires it, is to instill the discipline of no e-mail distraction, no phone distraction, door closed, "KEEP OUT" sign that creates a momentary sanctuary of self-imposed isolation.  That's hard to do in the business world.  Sometimes it is necessary, but it is something that shouldn't be abused.  I also am a firm believer in accessibility.  Being available and open to the needs of others is an extremely important aspect of being effective in the world.  There must be balance.

I know the CEO/Owner of a substantial company who is highly accessible.  He frequently answers the phone if everyone else in the office is busy.  He freely gives out his cell phone number.  He isn't much on chit-chat, but he is accessible for business; however, there are times he will close his door and tell the receptionist to hold all calls.  It usually isn't for long, but if he needs focus-time, he will do it.  Then, of course, he spends the next however-long-it-takes returning all of the calls he missed.  I have never known him to not return a call.  Those two attributes are part of his success formula.  He does occasionally "chase squirrels."  He loves airplanes and helicopters and owns a few.  If you want to get him "off subject" just bring up flying.

As in so many things, I relate my work life back to nature.  It's all about balance.  Sometimes we need to focus, but there are other times...."Look!  There's a squirrel!"

Teamwork is Learned

We all know that teamwork is important.  When a team is functioning as it should, it is a thing of beauty.  Each member knows what their job is and performs it flawlessly in conjunction with other members of the team.  A team may consist of several, or it might just be two individuals that work well together like this pair of Redbone Coonhounds.

I don't recall what these two were focused on when this photo was made, but I suspect it was an opossum.  There was one that lived in a thicket of trees just across the fence you see in the background.  The hounds would raise a ruckus whenever it made an appearance -- unless they were in stalking mode such as in this photo.  Then they would go silent, muscles tense, poised to pounce at the first opportunity.

One day as I worked from my home office, the noise of their frustration made it difficult for me to concentrate on the project on which I was working.  I walked out back and found the opossum hissing at them from the top of the fence.  I decided to end the stalemate and found a stick with which to knock the snarling varmint from his perch.  When he hit the ground, the dogs pounced -- one to the head, the other to the middle -- and the stalemate ended.

The way the dogs worked together was a thing of beauty.

I'm sure there will be people who take offence to the fact I aided the dogs in their quest to end the earthly sojourn of this tick-eating marsupial.  To them I would argue that I only sped the inevitable.  Those dogs were bent on making it happen if they had to learn how to climb that fence to complete the task.

For a number of years I spent a good deal of time on the road making sales calls.  We had a primary vendor whose Rep worked closely with me to build the business since we were introducing new technology into a somewhat reluctantly accepting industry.  Over time, we became a very effective team.  We learned to work together, much like those two hounds.  We each learned to utilize the other's strengths to offset our own areas of "less polish" -- I refuse to use the word weakness in this case, because we each were learning to strengthen those areas by adapting the techniques of the other.

We made a good team.

We all need to build teams -- relationships -- in which each knows their role and fills it in concert with the other(s). 

Small Steps

Sometimes you just have to admire the neighbor's...ahem...uh...fences.  Yeah, their fences.

Of course, it sometimes takes really good fences to keep in the livestock.  It's a trade off, I suppose.  Oh, and his pasture looks to be in good shape too!

There are cattlemen, there are grass farmers, mechanical whizzes and occasionally, truly good ranchers that seem to put it all together.  It doesn't usually work that way, though.

I shouldn't be talking.  There are plenty of opportunities for improvement on our place -- like my gates.  It seems no matter how hard I work at it, I can't keep the gates hanging straight.  Maybe I should blame it on the soil.  We have a clay pan underlying our pastures and it tends to swell and shrink depending on moisture and heat.  When the ground moves, so do fence posts.  It means constant adjusting, or in time, some gates will drag and some will rise up.  It's a never-ending battle.

I've been told my brace posts are too close.  I've also been told they are too far away.  I just ignore it and let them be until it gets so bad I have to deal with the problem.  Really, that's not quite true; I am constantly working on things and the improvements show.  I just take it in little bites -- one small thing at a time.

My fences really aren't that bad; they just aren't quite perfect.  They remind me that I'm not either, but I'm working on it -- a little at a time.

We all have areas where we need to improve.  When we recognize them, we need to begin the process of correcting them.  Small, incremental steps are usually the best approach. 

It's a Balancing Act

We have a couple of ponds on our place that were built to catch water for the cattle.  They were already there when we bought the place.  One was dug much more recent than the other.  The photo of what I believe to be a juvenile Snowy Egret was taken at what we call the Old Pond.  It is surrounded by much more growth of tall grasses and a few trees than the New Pond.

Note how muddy the water appears to be.  This is because the cattle like to wade down into it to cool off.

We provide separate sources of cool clean water for the cattle in water troughs hooked to the county water supply.  We believe it is important for the cattle to have access to clean water at all times, although their nature is such that they will drink muddy water.  Their digestive system is designed to handle it.  The problem is that they can pick up diseases from the water -- either parasitic or, bacterial -- because feral hogs and other wildlife also will drink from those same water sources.

This particular pond is surrounded by many acres of grassland which provides a good filter for most of the water running into it.  It is filled with frogs, turtles and fish.  One thing the cattle do is to eat many of the plants that would choke the pond.  They wade along the edge eating the succulent water weeds which tend to spread across the surface.  As you can see from the photo, though, there is still plenty of healthy plant growth along the edge which is critical to wildlife.  It provides shelter as well as a filter for things that might wash into the pond during a rain.

We love to see the wildlife on our small place.  I think most people in agriculture do too.  Grazing animals are part of a balanced ecosystem.  They harvest the grasses and convert them to protein.  Without them, the danger of fire would be high when those grasses dry each season and become highly combustible fuel.  Grazing animals also help to maintain open spaces in areas that would otherwise become forest.  Those open spaces are critical to wildlife.  They provide diversity in plant species as well as create "edge" along the margins which is where wild animals are often found.

Most people don't realize that the environment around us is a system that needs balance.  We can't "preserve" the environment -- we can only work with it.  It fluctuates seasonally and annually in the natural processes that swing pendulum-like in a continual movement toward that balance.  The presence of the Egret in our pond is gratifying because it is an indicator that there is health in the land that can support such creatures.  That health is a part of sustainability.  It is only one aspect, but it is a positive indicator.

Hang In There

Sometimes a photograph doesn't really need much explanation.  I suppose it seems a strange subject in a way, but I was impressed by the tenaciousness of this tree and couldn't resist memorializing the image.  Notice how the roots on the side next to the water are stubs.  Debris brought down by raging torrents in time of flood have severed those roots and left nothing but knobby remains.  Yet still the tree clings to the bank and its roots penetrate the soil and hold it in place.

Those same roots also help to stabilize the bank and keep it from caving into the waters as they rush by.  Rather than allowing that precious resource, built over hundreds of years, to be washed away and turned into silt as it mixes with plant detritus before being deposited somewhere down stream, that soil remains in place to nourish plants that provide food for the wildlife harbored there.  This tree literally gives root to an entire community.

I know a few people like this tree.  They have been battered and torn by life, yet still they hang on.  They anchor families and sometimes entire communities because of their tenaciousness.  In this year of floods across the Midwest there are many farmers who would fit that category.  In spite of the rushing waters that stripped the soil and covered the land with debris, delaying planting long past the optimum, they have persevered in their quest -- no, their calling -- to grow food for the world.

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." -- 1 Corinthians 15:58

Make Hay While You Can

Cut it.

Dry it.

Rake it.

Bale it.

Round bales.

Square bales.

Horse hay.

Cow hay.

Hot summer day.

Dust in the air.

Sweet scent of grass.

It's that time of year.

Make hay while you can --

There's rain a comin'.

Sales Gymnastics

Sometimes surprises drop in on you at the most inopportune times.  It happens at home, in business and life in general.  Just when you think everything is under control something pops up that says, "Nope.  It ain't that easy!"

A few years back I was clearing some brush away from a barbed-wire fence that kept the cattle from wandering down into a creek that crossed our place.  The creek was deep and had steep banks, but there were places where the cattle could get down into it and find their way out a watergap to the neighbors.  I don't really like cattle standing in the creek -- I don't think it is the best way to treat our water resources -- and I certainly don't like them straying, so we put in a fence to keep them out.

The creek was bordered by a band of trees and brush that acted as a filter zone for water running into it and served as a wildlife sanctuary.  Many times I flushed a number of deer from there.  We made sure the fence was deer friendly.  Keeping the Greenbriar, honeysuckle and other vines from climbing on the wires required regular attention.

Growing up in the Plains country of the southern Texas Panhandle, I was unfamiliar with some of the denizens of the woods of northeast Texas.  One of them that I never imagined existed was a little tree-climbing snake called the Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus).  They blend in splendidly with the vines and leaves and are rarely seen -- unless they happen to drop down on your shoulder as you are clearing vines off of a fence.  Fortunately, my heart was in good enough shape to take the shock.  My gymnastic response was enough to send him flying onto the nearby wire where he silently wrapped himself and looked at me like, "What's the big deal?"

Once my heart had slowed back to normal and I realized it was just a harmless critter whose abode I was disturbing, I went on about the business of clearing the fence.  I left our little green friend to find his way back to a more comfortable shady spot.  My level of vigilance for his kin was raised considerably after the encounter.

For some reason, this morning, I relate that encounter to things that happen in sales.  It seems to never fail that even with deep preparation and planning, the unexpected has a way of showing up at the worst possible time.  It tends to throw less seasoned sales people off of their stride and causes them to falter and fumble.  There really is no way to plan for such things, it is a matter of learning to control our reaction.

Me jumping around like I was being attacked by Ninjas wasn't the right reaction for the slender green visitor to my shoulder; calmness would have been better.  They are harmless reptiles and all I had to do was gently pick it up and place it back in a more suitable location.  That is also the best response to the surprises that jump up in a sales call.  Take them calmly, smile if appropriate, or commiserate if necessary and then set them into their proper place.

Sometimes it means you start over, but usually it is just another obstacle that needs handled.  Controlling ones own reaction to surprises is something that comes with experience.  It comes faster, though, when you go in expecting something unplanned.  Part of mental preparation is to expect the unexpected.

Dust-covered Memories

Flour-fine dust floats in the air from my quiet footsteps into this space where the smell of horses and manure once dominated.  The glory days are gone and the stalls are empty.  Dried clumps scattered along the way indicate a bovine presence has recently partaken of the shade which once sheltered more stately beasts.

My mind drifts to sweat-soaked saddle blankets and creaking leather sliding off the slick back of a four-legged friend in need of a curry comb scratching to ease the itching hide after hours under a heavy load bent on searching out the cows who didn't want to be found.  The gentle nicker conveys impatience to be rolling in the dust instead of standing patiently while the necessary is accomplished.  It is the same dust.  The same smell.

Gnawed ancient pine, sagging hinges, the faint scent of mouse droppings and loose feathers from the sparrows and swallows and pigeons that nest in the rafters steal the image and turn it to regret for days past and unfilled dreams.  A yellow jacket, walking circles around some invisible attraction, draws my attention and remembered burning, swelling, reddened welts in times past bid caution against the gold and yellow winged demons of childhood nightmares.

Allergies -- to the dust and dander and pollen and yes, the venom of the yellow jacket were my nemesis, yet still I pursued.  Love and passion overcomes all enemies.

A cockle burr, ungerminated and half covered by the fine dust, brings memories of hoof knives cutting into the tangled mats while a stamping hoof signaled it was time to be done with this.  Slack reins, lowered head, thumps in time to my steps and the rattle of the chain against the rock-hard wood of the gate signals the day is done.

The stiffened skeleton of an old set of reins hangs from a nail -- spliced together with a couple of slits and end-through-end ran through each other -- a cowboy patch in a pinch. Dried and cracked.  No longer useful.  Age and white speckles of bird droppings turned Appaloosa instead of the supple, weak coffee and fresh smell of their working days.  More sadness.

I think of Grandpa and his horses.  Bugger Red.  Bonnie B.  Ginger.  Joe.  A dusty barn and a wall of tack.  I was a wanna be, he was the real deal.

Do You Hear the Grasshopper?

I wonder how many miles I ran as a kid chasing grasshoppers, trying to catch them?  It was like a sport to me.  Maybe that's a little crazy, but I was fascinated with them and enjoyed the challenge.

I've baited quite a few fish hooks with grasshoppers.  There are different theories as to the best way to hook them; do you slide it under the pronotum, that shield-looking thing on their neck or, do you stab them through the thorax just in front of the back legs?  Then, do you let them float on the surface, or do you use a weight that causes them to sink?  I've caught fish with every one of those techniques.

My grandchildren like to chase them too.  Usually, it is for the purpose of baiting a hook, but one granddaughter in particular just likes to catch them and might come up with a handful.  I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't end up in some biological field some day.  If it isn't bugs in her hands it is flowers.

I remember a television show from many years ago called Kung Fu*, starring David Carradine.  In the series, Caine has flashbacks to his childhood training where Master Po calls him "Grasshopper."  That is what I remember most about the series.  I searched the Internet and found why -- it comes from a scene in the pilot series of a conversation between Master and student:

Master Po: Close your eyes. What do you hear?
Young Caine: I hear the water, I hear the birds.
Po: Do you hear your own heartbeat?
Caine: No.
Po: Do you hear the grasshopper which is at your feet?
Caine: Old man, how is it that you hear these things?
Po: Young man, how is it that you do not?

Now, as a rancher, grasshoppers are a nuisance.  They eat the grass that I want available for the cows.  I wonder how many grasshoppers it takes to eat as much as a cow?  Grandpa always told me 5 jackrabbits ate as much as a cow.  Oh, well.  I just know they can swarm across a pasture and strip the leaves from the grass, leaving hard stems which are not particularly palatable or, nutritious.

There is much to be learned about the role of grasshoppers in the environment.  Historically, we have looked at them simply as a pest because our primary concern is with massive outbreaks that devastate large swaths of plant life.  Now, we are learning they play a critical part in nutrient cycling and the control of certain plant species that might take over an area otherwise.  They also are an important food source for wildlife.  Some folks even think they could be a food source for people.  I have eaten chocolate-covered grasshopper before; I wasn't impressed.  It was a little crunchy and reminded me too much of it being a, well, grasshopper.  In spite of their nuisance value, they fit into an ecological system in ways that we don't fully understand.  

Chemical control has been the primary way we combat major outbreaks of the flying hoppers.  It apparently isn't very effective or, we wouldn't have to repeat the process every few years.  Monoculture agriculture may be one factor that contributes to those outbreaks.  Strip-cropping might help to break the continuity of plant species and mitigate some of the impact.  Deny the food source and break the outbreak.  Most things have management solutions rather than the more drastic reactive measures normally taken.  Prevention is always preferred over dealing with crisis.

It reminds me of Franklin-Covey Time Management -- spend time on the "important" and much of the "critical" goes away....

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_(TV_series)

A Little Cow Science in a Poem

There are some things in nature

That are marvelous to see;

When you truly think of them

Astounded you will be.

Take a cow for instance,

How she wanders on four feet,

Just harvesting the grasses

When she wants something to eat.

Her tongue is long and rough

And perfect for the chore

Of gathering her sustenance

And going back for more.

It passes to her rumen

Where it is broken down

In a place so full of microbes

That really go to town

Breaking down the fibers

In this fermentation vat,

Releasing fatty acids

Where the nutrients are at.

And she has this strange reticulum

That looks like honey-comb

Where heavy objects lodge

Instead of passing on.

If you've seen her chew her cud

As she lies there in rest

It's because she's breaking up the lumps

And then she'll re-ingest.

And yes, microbial action

That is breaking down the grass

Produces lots of methane

And carbon dioxide she must pass.

Then passing from the rumen

The feed just marches on

Into what's called Omassum

Named for its many folds

That provides surface for extraction

Of the nutrient-laden juice.

Then into the Abomassum

Where it finds further use

From what is found in what once

Was grasses, leaves and weeds

And maybe here and there

The grains of all ripening seeds.

In the Abomassum, like your stomach,

There are acids and enzymes

That further break the feed right down

And I'm running out of rhymes

But, we'll keep going 'cause

It's interesting to see

How this mobile fermentation vat

Is made especially

For taking energy that's captured

In the leaves of growing plants

That came from the sunshine

Which excited chloroplasts

Which manufactured sugars

And other carbohydrates

From molecules within the air and soil

That end up on our plate

As something quite nutritious

And more tasty than a leaf;

And nothing beats the smell and taste

Of freshly grilled beef!

Chemical Trails, Snakes and Agriculture

The photo is of a Speckled Kingsnake (Lampropeltis holbrooki) taken in one of our pastures a few years ago.  Most people have a strong aversion to snakes.  Their immediate reaction is to kill them without thought about how they are often beneficial.  The Speckled Kingsnake is known for killing and feeding on other snakes and their eggs.  They are best known for attacking and eating Rattlesnakes.

After the posts of the last few days, I thought snakes would be a great followup, since I have been talking about chemical signals in nature.  Snakes tongues are used to gather chemical signals from the air around them.  They flick in-and-out gathering air samples which are laden with the chemical trails of plants and animals in the vicinity.  The chemicals are deposited onto the floor of the mouth.  From there they are sensed by the Jacobson's Organ in the roof of the mouth which converts the different chemicals into electrical signals that are then transmitted to the brain.  Those signals identify the source of the chemicals and allow the snake to follow them to prey, or to avoid things such as humans.

The fact that the snake's tongue is forked is important.  Each of the tips gathers chemicals from the air and deposits them in separate areas of the mouth.  By quantifying the amount of chemical sampled by each tip, the snake can determine direction of the source of the signal based on which tip carried the greater or, lesser amount.  It allows them to zero in quickly on their target.

Chemical processes -- reactions -- cause electrons to move.  The movement of electrons is what we call electricity.  Nature uses electrochemistry continuously as a means of communicating various signals and processes from one point to another.

As technology allows us to become better at sensing the chemical and electrical processes occurring constantly in nature, we will be able to target areas needing fertilizer, or water, or help fighting insect, bacterial, or fungal infection with very high specificity.  Imagine a "mechanical" snake wandering through the field of ripening tomatoes.  It's "tongue" is flicking in-and-out, sampling the air when suddenly it detects an early infection of tomato blight in a few plants.  It converts those signals into an electrical impulse which informs its "brain" of the problem which it then relays to a computer designed to monitor for such alarms.  The computer then dispatches a robot to the area where it scans the diseased plants and is able to either remove the few infected leaves, or take more drastic action depending on a set of decision parameters programmed into it.

Science is kind of cool if you ask me....

Birds, Agriculture and Chemical Signals

Yesterday, it was butterflies, today, it is birds.  I enjoy watching birds.  The photo above is of a Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus).  It was taken in our backyard a few years back.

Wrens are insectivores -- they eat bugs.  They are beneficial to us because of that fact.  They are common throughout the eastern part of Texas and across the southeastern United States.  Notice the long beak with the slight curve; it is built specially for taking it's prey.

Birds that feed primarily on seeds usually have a short, thick beak that is better able to crack open the hard kernels.  They are beneficial too because they spread seeds -- those that require passage through the alimentary canal which scarifies them and breaks the outer layer so they can germinate and grow.  But, seed-eating (granivory) birds also are often seen as a nuisance.  Starlings are a prime example in that they are often seen in huge flocks that land in fields of ripening grain and take a share of the harvest.  They will also raid feed troughs to eat the grains that are part of many livestock feeds and leave behind their feces which may contain harmful pathogens that infect the animals.  One of those diseases is coccidiosis which can cause internal hemorrhaging and death.

In agriculture we have a love/hate relationship with birds.  The methods used to control some of the nuisance species are detrimental to the beneficial species.

A couple of days ago when I wrote about The IoT and the IoN, I mentioned chemical signals being passed through the mycellium of fungi.  Yesterday, when talking about butterflies, I mentioned chemicals being passed into the butterfly from the flowers on which it fed.  The anti-GMO folks won't like this approach, but perhaps there is a way to add a chemical signal to feed grains that would make them repellent to the granivory birds which can be so destructive.  It might alleviate the need for chemical controls.  Just thinking....

Just Butterflies....

I've always been attracted to butterflies.  It probably says something about my nature.  When I was a kid I spent time chasing butterflies with a net one of my uncles had made for a high school insect collection.  I learned how to mount them on a board for display and at one time had quite a few.  I used to be able to identify a large number of the ones common to the area where I grew up.  The one in the photo is a Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae).  The photo was taken at our home in northeast Texas a few years ago.

At that age -- maybe 6 or 7 years old -- I wasn't aware of their role as pollinators; no one had given me the speech about the birds and the bees.

Sometimes I find myself distracted by a butterfly flitting across my vision.  On our small piece of the countrside we have a hay meadow bordered by woods.  Along the edge (a very important area for wildlife) there are wildflowers and flowering trees/shrubs that attract pollinators.  We also have allowed the milkweed to grow, relatively unchecked, as an attraction to the Monarchs which we find are using our meadow as a resource.  (I posted about them last year - link here.)  There have been many times I stopped my work and paused to watch a butterfly dancing among the flowers nearby.  Whatever noise I was making didn't seem to deter them from their task.

Photo of a Monarch cocoon I spotted in the meadow last year.

Did you know that some butterflies are attracted only to a single species of plant?  They have evolved a symbiotic relationship in which the chemicals in the flower of the plant create a scent that attracts the pollinator.  The butterfly absorbs those chemicals into its body and it may make them bitter tasting, or some other flavor that repels predators which might otherwise attack them.

Think about it; a bright, showy flower is just saying, "come to me" -- like a siren song -- so it will be pollinated.  The bright, showy butterfly pollinates the flower and floats off toward the next opportunity.  Why are they bright and attractive colors?  If I wanted to be unobtrusive to predators I would be wearing camouflage.  The secret to their sauce is that they taste bad and their bright colors quickly signal potential predators to leave them alone.  Being easily identifiable as tasting bad can have advantages.

The Monarch and the milkweed are complementary symbiotes (I'm not sure that's the correct scientific term used by wildlife biologists, but it conveys the thought).  What it means is that both species benefit from the relationship.

Obviously, I find all this stuff fascinating....

The IoT and the IoN

It is easy to be a bit overwhelmed by what is being called the Internet of Things (IoT).  Computing power has enabled engineers to design virtually any type of equipment to include tiny computers that allow us to program the device but, also for the device to collect information about how we use it and to relay that information elsewhere.  That connectedness allows us to change the programming remotely such as from an application on our cell phone.  It is truly amazing once you get past the fear that your machines are watching you -- which they are in a way.

The natural world already does something similar to the IoT.  It happens to a large extent beneath the soil.  The mushrooms in the photo are a good example.  Beneath the soil is a network of something called mycelium, thin threads that are part of the mushrooms.  When you dig into soil in an area where there are mushrooms have you ever noticed white fibers (not roots of plants) running through it?  Those are the mycelia of mushrooms and they interact with the roots of plants such as trees and shrubs or forbs.  They share nutrients drawn from the soil and in the process, transport chemical signals between plants.

The fungi (mushrooms) draw carbohydrates from the roots of the plants to which they are connected and in exchange, transport key nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen from the soil to the plants.  It is something of a fair-exchange trading system -- an "underground economy" if you will.  Interestingly enough, in spite of this mutually beneficial relationship, when the fungi "attack" the plants roots it triggers an immune response, just like your own body would fight off a bacterial infection.  That response bolsters the plants ability to fight off other more nefarious enemies.

The connections, through the mycelium, between plants also allows the passage of chemical signals from one tree to another if, for instance, there is an infestation of insects attacking. The tree will release chemicals in response which are transported through the network of fungi to other trees and act as a "warning" that those particular insects are back and they should prepare to defend themselves.  Essentially, the "scout" discovers the enemies and sends a message back to its comrades that the enemy is coming.

This type of plant/fungi interaction creates interesting possibilities for agriculture.  Can you imagine tapping into that information network as a source of "intelligence" that is then communicated to robots that can respond to whatever situation is sending ripples through the network?  We could respond almost immediately to insect or bacterial infestations, nutrient shortages, etc. on a highly targeted basis -- to the specific plant in trouble.

Just imagine, an IoT connected to the IoN (Internet of Nature).

Treating Symptoms, Finding Cures

One of the things that attracted us to the house in which we currently live was a huge Willow Oak tree that filled the backyard.  I've no idea how tall it was, but its canopy spread over the yard in such a way that there was very little area not shaded.  It made a tremendous difference in the temperatures during the summer and there were few days that were not bearable in the backyard simply because of that tree.

Shortly after moving into the house we began to experience falling tree limbs.  I'm not talking about the small bits and pieces you find on the lawn that simply require picking up and disposal, I'm referring to fairly large limbs that require cutting up with a chain saw before they can be moved.  The photo above is of the first one that did any real damage.  It is difficult to estimate from the photo, but it was about 4 inches in diameter at the base and around 10 to 12 feet in length.  When it fell, we were sitting in the living room and it sounded like someone had lobbed a grenade at us.

There was no apparent reason for the limb to break off and fall.  It appeared to be perfectly healthy.

As time went on, more limbs fell; some larger and some smaller.  The worst was a massive piece, larger than most trees, which fell onto the garage, punching half a dozen holes through the roof.  To give some perspective, at the base of it, my 16" bar chain saw would not reach across it to cut it up.  I measured the longest piece protruding into the work room at the back of the garage and it was over 10 feet long -- that was after the smaller pieces were stripped off as it went through the roof!

Again, there was no apparent reason for the limb to fall.  I decided it was a combination of old age, a few minor spots of disease, but most of all, the tree was so massive that when filled with water, the limbs became too heavy to maintain structural integrity and simply broke from their own weight.  I became tired of patching roofs and decided the tree must come down -- which it did -- several thousand dollars later.

For some reason, I woke up thinking about that tree.  In a way, it symbolizes how we spend lots of time, energy and money addressing symptoms while ignoring the root causes of a problem.  We put bandaids on the cut, but fail to wear protective clothing the next time we are dealing with thorns.  We don't find a cure for the headaches, we just take aspirin to alleviate the immediate pain.  Okay, I've belabored that point a bit, but you get the picture.  We treat the symptom and avoid the cure.

Sometimes the cure is expensive.  It requires taking out the beautiful tree that provides shade and cooler temperatures to the back yard.  The cost is real.  The question I had to face was one of a slow trickle of expense and labor over years with the risk of a catastrophic event such as a limb crashing down and taking out a large portion of the roof, or the sizable, but manageable, expense of removing the tree.

It was a hard choice and I miss that tree.  Did I mention that if I stood and embraced the tree, my arms would not reach half way around it at chest height?  When removed, the stump was over 5 feet in diameter and the rings indicated the tree was about 120 years old.  It was a sad day, but I haven't had to patch the roof a single time since.

This post goes back to some of the time management commentaries I have made previously.  The urgent issue was dealing with a limb when it fell.  The important issue was figuring out why they were falling and addressing that problem.  Once the cause was determined and a cure effected, the urgent issue of falling limbs was no longer adding to my "to do" list.  I suspect we all have similar things in our lives that need a cure.

Storm Trooper Weather Forecasting

Yesterday morning we went out to check cattle before the heat became unbearable.  It was actually quite pleasant and a few unexpected clouds were popping up to produce brief showers.  The one in the photograph was blossoming to the west and reminded me of a Storm trooper from Star Wars.  As I look at it though, it might have been a white gorilla -- hmmm...I suppose in some minds that would be the same thing.

I have always been fascinated with clouds and weather.  Where I grew up on the southern edge of the Texas Panhandle, watching the weather was sometimes a matter of survival.  Thunderstorms there often produce large hail, high winds and tornadoes.  The advantage there over many other places is that you can see the clouds coming for miles -- some might say, for days.

Weather is critical to agriculture.  I frequently find myself looking at weather app's on my cell phone to see what the local temperature might be, or whether a shower is expected.  Radar images are just a click away.  Some app's show rainfall totals, soil reflectivity and many other things useful to agriculture.  Weather satellites circle the earth and provide a tremendous amount of data that makes forecasting much more accurate each and every year.  The availability of those forecasts and other information gleaned by those "eyes-in-the-sky" is becoming increasingly important in precision farming.

Beyond things like rainfall, heat stress and weather risk, some app's even provide tools to help evaluate the likelihood of disease based on weather conditions and patterns.  If the outbreak of a disease is unlikely, spraying is probably not necessary or, conversely, if the risk is high, timely application of fungicides can prevent heavy losses or damage to a crop.

In my part of the world it would be helpful if we had something to predict an outbreak of army worms!  Last year they came just as the grass was recovering from a drought-stressed summer.  The new growth was quickly reduced to leafless stems.  Hope turned to dust overnight and hay became an extremely precious commodity.

After thinking about it, maybe that wasn't a Storm Trooper in the cloud yesterday morning.  Perhaps it was the weather guy taking a look to see what could be expected.  I was just thankful for the brief coolness before the heat began to bake us.  On a similar front (pun intended), we suddenly went from no rain in the 2-week forecast to a good chance, starting on Sunday, for a few days.  It will probably change again between now and then.  That's one of the frustrations of all of this new weather information being so readily available -- there are lots of different models designed to predict what will happen and as conditions change, the forecast changes -- sometimes multiple times a day.  In spite of all of these new tools, the "storm trooper" in the sky doesn't always get it right.  Storm Trooper just seems to be such an appropriate name for the weather guy....

Morning Sounds

There is something about the early morning light

To delight

The senses

As fluttering wings hint

At the source

Of cheerful sounds filling the air

In notes that

Override

The background drone

Of insects buzzing their constant

Tones.

Heavy,

Humid,

Warm

Air saturated with the scents

Of blooming trees

Mutes

The stirring sounds of neighbors

Waking.

Even in this neighborhood where people surround --

Hidden

Within their caves

Of brick and wood,

Protected from that which would

Overtake them

If not for the constant battle

Against --

Is life;

Thriving

In a world of concrete

And asphalt.

Fixing What is Broken - and Climate?

Sometimes you've got to fix what is broken.  We've had an amazing year of rain which began last Fall and has lasted until about a week ago.  It is time to turn on the sprinklers to keep the lawn healthy and green.  Yesterday, we ran a test on our yard system and found that one emitter near the driveway was a gushing fountain rather than a nice, pop-up spray as it was supposed to be.

Since I seem to have spent a large amount of my life working on irrigation systems of one kind or another, and being frugal, I dug it up and found the break.  It seems one of us managed to get an automobile wheel off of the driveway and run over the sprinkler.  With the damp soil, the weight apparently caused the tire to sink in deep enough that it snapped the line at the "T" beneath the sprinkler.  It will be a fairly easy fix, but takes time.

It's a good thing we tested the system before merely setting it and letting it run.  We operate our sprinklers late in the evening, after dark, to reduce evaporation.  We don't worry much about fungus on the lawn since the humidity is so extremely high most of the time that the grass is usually wet from dew anyway.  The test revealed the break, allowing me to repair it rather than to find all of the water from that section had flooded the driveway.

Why do we water our lawns?  Lawns are quite a drain on water resources.  Restrictions on watering lawns are one of the first things cities do in times of shortage.  I suppose we just crave the green space and are willing to expend the resources for our small piece of "nature."  As I think about it though, I believe there is more to the story.

I am not a meteorologist, but I have always been intrigued by the subject.  Yesterday, I watched a brief video of radar showing the outflow boundary of a pop-up thunderstorm over Lubbock, Texas.  The storm released its energy when almost exactly over the geographic center of the city.  Think about that for just a minute.

Cities are a complex of asphalt, concrete, rooftops and other surfaces that affect reflectivity.  If you don't believe me, take off your shoes and socks and walk on a street in August, then hop on those blistered soles to the sidewalk before tumbling onto the grass that is hopefully growing in a narrow band to the side.  Wow!  The grass is cool!

Urban development affects local weather.  I suspect the heat over Lubbock caused the thunderstorm to blossom through any strata that was capping its energy causing it to release the rain.  The cooling effect of that release created the visible outflow boundary seen on radar.  Sometimes that isn't the case.  Frequently, those heat domes over cities will cause clouds to "slide" around them and release their moisture over other areas.  The heat creates a barrier.

Now, to jump back to lawns.  I believe we need more "green space" in our cities.  We need lawns and parks and other areas covered with trees and water that help to mitigate the effects of the man made structures.  We also need to re-think how we build so that we change the heating effects -- perhaps with different materials.  We also might consider how to capture that heat when needed -- such as in the winter.

Maybe, the way we build cities is broken -- just like my lawn-watering system.

There is another piece to the puzzle that has to be considered.  It is well-documented that particulate matter in the atmosphere also affects reflectivity and therefore, heating of the air.  With the concentration of automobiles in cities, the exhaust adds to the heat-building effect of summer sunshine by helping to trap it rather than allowing the energy to be reflected into space.  As much as we hate giving up the independence of operating our own automobile, in the city environment, some form of public mass transportation is needed to reduce emissions -- it will improve the air quality as it changes the heat-trapping effect.

City dwellers often point to agricultural practices as the source of a warming climate.  They outnumber those in agriculture -- especially in highly developed countries.  The power of their voice and their vote is difficult to counteract, but they -- just like all of us -- need to look in the mirror before pointing fingers when it comes to "climate change."

We don't need to eliminate animal agriculture, or stop farming the Midwest and turn it back into a buffalo prairie, we need to figure out better ways to build highways and parking lots and skyscrapers and how to move people to-and-from their work without filling the roadways with automobiles.  It doesn't work so well out in the country where food is produced and people are spread over wide areas, but where people are concentrated into urban and suburban megalopolises, much could be changed that would make a difference.

Maybe what we need are strips of grass instead of sidewalks and gardens on the roof of every high-rise building.  Vertical greenhouses could be mounted to the sides of those same buildings.  High-speed trains might move people through green spaces of tree-lined spokes and concentric circles.  Sigh, I suppose I'm dreaming, but dreams are the stimulus for creativity.

Feeding the World and Complex Issues

Sometimes the weather cooperates.  The photo above is of a field of grain sorghum (I grew up calling it milo) near Amarillo, Texas, that was taken late last summer.  It is one of the most uniform fields I have ever seen.  If you look closely, there are no signs of disease, or insect damage on the leaves.  The field was planted using minimum-tillage equipment that leaves the remains of the previous crop of wheat stubble intact.  The plant stubble on the field helps to hold moisture in the ground rather than opening it up to evaporation.  The field appears to be weedless as you look across it.

As I view this field I am impressed with what I see.  The crop is extremely uniform.  I recall growing up how there would frequently be odd varieties of plants sticking up here and there in a field of grain sorghum.  The seed in this case must have been very clean with no stray varieties mixed in, or someone spent a lot of time manually removing any that grew.

Fields like this lend themselves easily to automation.  The uniformity is important for utilizing the economies of scale in large equipment that can cover many acres quickly.  The product (grain) will be of the highest quality as long as weather cooperates through the harvest.

This field is also likely home to many hundreds of pheasants.  After the harvest, the birds will be able to easily access seeds that may have fallen to the ground.  The field may also be either grazed by cattle, or the stubble harvested for hay.  Milo butts, if supplemented with protein, can be a good source of energy for cattle.

So, what are the downsides of this type of massive scale agriculture?  One is that the monoculture crop places the entire field at risk to adverse events such as weather, insects, or disease.  Another is that the removal of this much plant material (if the stalks are utilized for hay) means a greater need for the addition of fertilizers.  If grazed, the organic material in the manure adds back to the soil as a rich source of highly available nutrients.

As evidenced by the wheat stubble covering the ground, this crop is part of a rotation system employed by the farmer.  Changing the crop grown on a regular basis helps to mitigate disease and insect risk.

This type of farming requires huge capital investment, but it is highly efficient and part of the reason that U.S. farms are so productive.  In spite of that productivity, due to the capital requirements, the farm is likely only marginally profitable in most years.  It is the result of tremendous scientific advance, although most of that advance is not obvious to the casual observer.

Industrial scale farming is probably not the answer for many parts of the world -- yet.  Perhaps someday.  It is the result of many years of a slow process of advance from subsistence to scale and requires massive amounts of capital to achieve.  As we look at growing populations throughout the world, we need to be cautious about focusing on this single model to resolve the food issues we will face in coming years.  It is my opinion that we should consider a phased approach to move less-advanced agricultural economies by stages into this level of production and we must remain mindful of the social and environmental impacts it will have.

Where the field in this narrative exists was once a prairie ecosystem of short grasses adapted to low rainfall.  The primary large animal was the American Bison.  In a way, what we have described is similar to the way it was 200 years ago -- a field of grass (yes, grain sorghum is a grass) grazed by ungulates.  Today, we add the additional step of harvesting the grain for human consumption.  The natural ecosystem tended to build soil, whereas the current one tends to deplete it.  That is one of the pieces we need to figure out -- how can we have industrial scale agriculture without the need for artificial fertilizers?  Livestock, also utilized for food, may be part of the answer.  They are highly efficient converters of plant material to usable protein.

I've rambled a bit this morning.  The answers to how we produce our food are complex.  Sustainability must include profit in order for there to be advances, but it also must balance the long-term factors such as soil health, resource depletion, capital requirements, labor vs. automation, impact on water and air and myriad other things.  The future of agriculture is bright and attracting some of the best minds to solve these types of issues.  It will be interesting to see the advances just over the horizon.

Ancient Knowledge, Big Data and Robotics in Agriculture

I think we all should be concerned about the loss of genetic diversity in agriculture.  The photo above was taken several years ago as I was crossing the Oklahoma Panhandle.  I stopped because it was an exceptional group of cattle and they weren't black.

There are several reasons the cattle industry has become dominated by black cattle -- notice that I say black and not Angus.  One is that Certified Angus Beef has done an amazing job at promoting the quality characteristics of the beef produced from Angus cattle.  A second is that the Angus breed truly does typically marble more easily and therefore, the beef is more flavorful and tender.  Because the market favors those characteristics, ranchers are often paid more for black-hided cattle that exhibit the phenotypic Angus traits.  Less profitable breeds tend to fade away, or become extremely small niche opportunities for breeders seeking uniqueness and finding profit in a boutique market -- or the they find more effective ways to market their product.

The same thing has happened in almost every aspect of agriculture.  We now see only a few basic types of most species dominating their market -- whether it be corn, soybeans, fruits, vegetables, pigs, chickens, or whatever.  Agriculture moves toward the most profitable.

The narrowing of the gene pool comes at a price.  Along with more productivity based on market-driven factors we often see susceptibility to disease or, weather-driven factors such as drought or extremely wet conditions.  That susceptibility adds to the use of chemicals, drugs, or other high-cost inputs to combat the problems.

A different approach, especially in countries that are less industrialized in their techniques, might be through the utilization of multiple strains of a plant across a field, or the varying of strains based on specific conditions unique to a location.  Ancient civilizations did this through a collective wisdom garnered through trial and error and close observation.  Today, with the information gathering capabilities we have, data banks could be designed with a focus on what I might term "species intelligence" that allows the farmer to better match genetics to current conditions of soil, weather and other factors at his specific location.

We need to re-think species diversity.  Uniformity is not always the answer.  We have moved that direction, to some extent at least, to accommodate industrialization of the farming processes.  It is easier to plant, cultivate and harvest the crop when it is uniform.  Varying species across a field would mean that the needs of the plants would not all occur simultaneously.  Diversity might add to the necessity for robotic farming.

It is interesting to me that in order to gain efficiency we moved away from ancient knowledge and techniques but, in order to reinstitute that ancient knowledge we may be challenged with developing even higher forms of technology in order to reap the benefits of that knowledge and wisdom.  Have you ever noticed that we seem to "evolve" in circles?  The pendulum swings....

The Agricultural Impulse

My favorite photograph from a trip my wife and I took to Kenya in 2011, was of this young man selling carrots by the roadside.  I thought of it as entrepreneurship at its finest.  The location was a speed bump in the highway as we were traveling west across the country from Limuru to Kakamega.  Because the speed bumps caused traffic to slow down, roadside vendors had set up and approached travellers with their wares.  I didn't get a photo, but on the opposite side of the vehicle a young lady was carrying a basket of plums, also for the purpose of selling to passersby.

Most of the homes we saw were on small plots of ground.  Areas not utilized by the structure were often intensely "farmed" as the family garden.  Any excess produce was sold in the local market, or as opportunity provided, to anyone with the means to purchase.  It was a clear demonstration of how foundational agriculture is to the economy.

As we consider agriculture around the world we must always be mindful that it is a source of income to the poorest of the poor.  Many would farm on a larger scale if they had access to land.  Control of land varies from country to country, but often it is in the hands of a few who have political connections.  Frequently, foreign investors control large swaths of the most productive land.

Flourishing agriculture goes hand in hand with good governance.  If allowed the means and access to productive soil, most people find a way to grow food.  Even in refugee camps, gardening is seen.  Many of the issues related to food are in the areas of governance, infrastructure and the concentration of people into ever larger cities.  Governance and infrastructure are closely related while the movement to cities is a highly complex issue involving governance, infrastructure, concentration of capital and trade.

Solving the challenges of food supply among exploding populations will require multiple approaches, all of which must consider the social and governance factors which compound the difficulties.  When governments recognize the value of feeding their own citizens -- not through a concentration of power, but by a diffusion of the productive impulse into the hands of the people -- the task will become easier.  The young man from Kenya stands witness.