AgChat session 7/06/2010

Discussion on Conventional Agriculture

Question 1:

How do you define conventional #ag when it is so diverse-organic, natural, local, GMO, sustainable, family owned?

Question 2:

Is ‘conventional ag’ tied only to crop #ag? Is there a ‘conventional ag’ point of view for animal #agriculture?

Question 3:

Do farmers feel like conventional practices degrade their own soil?

Question 4:

Is there a move out of farming and into bigger #farms and does it cause a need for new types of farming?

Question 5:

The definition of monoculture-what makes thousands of acres of potato/beets/vegatables etc. different from a grain crop?

Question 6:

Why is perception that conventional ag can’t be sustainable? Isn’t > production on < land definition of sustainable?

Question 7:

Is there a monopoly over one portion of agriculture, such as claims made Food, Inc.?

Question 9:

How to build bigger tent for all ag, when organic promo seems to cut down/promote myths of conventional ag?

Question 10:

Efficient animals = lower carbon footprints, per research. Is greater production always more sustainable?

Question 11:

Executable ideas

Thanks to Truffle Media for archiving this week’s chat