davsab,
"cotton farming requires a-lot-a-lot-a H2O."

Depends what you compare it too. About the same as grapes, less than citrus and lucerne and on par with the average lawn.
But in reality does it matter how much water it uses if that water's return is maximised. The same amount of water would be used on other crops, not necessarily to the same financial benefit. The seed from the cotton is part of the food chain.

"Cotton farmers really do it tough when there ain't any."
Very true, just like graingrowers with no rain and graziers with no feed. There are few winners in such a severe drought.

http://www.themeatrix.com/

The poem is for the farmers.

We help the Real Farmers of Australia. How dare you suggest we support the corp lot with their cruelty.

Thats NOT farming and they are not! farmers.

What a huge insult to every real farmer in this country.

Somebody mentioned global warming and green house gasses. I can hardley respond to that without mentioning intensive farming now can I.
I cant believe that you dont know that intensive farming creates hugegreen house gasses.

Intensive farming has slipped under the carpet here. Its a big thing in the USA. Common knowlege with its citz that its a huge cause of gaases.
Actually I was sure you were aware of that because wasnt it yourself who posted on green hoses gasses on another thread./

Possibly it was another persons name I read.

Its good however that you have raised this very important issue.

The best thing to do would be to start a new thread tittled -Does Instensive Farming Cause Green House Gasses?


Its awful when you think of those poor animals that are not even able to stand.

Lying in their urine not even able to stand.

Have you seen some of the pictures with them biting, biting into the metal bars screaming and shaking at the bars to get out.

Animals "are" intellergent.

Actually that farmer that sent me the poem mentioned intensive pig farming .

Great bloke. Amoungst all his own problems when I told him the work we did he said- mate when I get back on me feet the missus and I will give you a hand.

You see our work is to educate the people about animal cruelty.

It doesnt matter which animal or where.

God doesnt give restrictions.

By the way its against forum rules to use more than one identity.

For those good people who wanted to help "REAL FARMERS "- what did you think about my sisters idea of asking Australia All Over to kick off the Schools adopt a farm progect?

paleif,

"We help the Real Farmers of Australia. How dare you suggest we support the corp lot with their cruelty."
Taking your comprehension skills into account even I don't see how you come up with this one.

I'm also perplexed as to why you think I post under other names. I have no reason to do so, and consequently don't. I recall you saying something like this before. Are you suprised more than one person questions your agenda?

You are right, I have a general understanding of global warming and know methane is a greenhouse gas, some 20 times more potent than CO2. What we don't hear about is the concentration of CH4(methane) is about 1000 times less than CO2 in our atmosphere.

It is the logic behind linking intensive farming to GW that irritates most. If demand dictates a certain number of say cattle for meat or milk production, why does it matter whether they are intensively farmed. The same number of animals is required free range or intensive. They all burp, flatulate and defeacate.

You may also be aware that, particularly in Europe, intensive farms are harnessing these gases for energy production. This isn't as easy in the open. Wouldn't you think that is a environmental positive?

Rojo

I think you should stop complaining about a group of Australian cits working to help Animals.

I dont hear you offering to help farmers. Four of our people have just retuned from working twenty two hours straight! - Without pay- and supplying hay and water to farmers- supplied from their own donations.

What are you! doing to help farmers?


I also think you had best turn your TV on and watch about bird flue.
Guess where `that ` comes from??

When ever, you put animals in small cages in unhealthy conditions you have new virus.

Because of the huge amount of anti biotics pumped into intensive farming animals world wide the virus builds up to the point nothing stops it.


We know it comes from people who keep poultry in tiny cages often just in their back yards.
We know it comes from birds being kept in large poultry intensive farming.'
We know other virus also comes from other animal intensive farming.

I am not even going to bother to comment on your ignorance [ or pretend ignorance] of gasses created by intensive farming.
I will open a thread regarding intensive animal farming later- but for now we want to leave this thread for people to suggest ways of helping farmers.
To others, I will say the AICOL School has offered to kick off the adopt a farm school project.
Its a start and we will contact Australia All Over.
If you know a farmer in need of feed or water for stock please contact us.
Perhaps everybody could consider contacting one local shire council in regional areas.
A thread could be set up to register anybody wanting to help.
I think other poems would be welcome.
Most people seem to really relate to the one the lucerne farmer sent us.

Pale, I commend you for your suggestions in offering ideas to assist farmers. Fact is, the writing's on the wall. Agricultural activities must change quickly. Michael Paton, on OLO gives an excellent account of how our forefathers brought unsustainable farming practices to this arid land. The results are now evident and the farmers are suffering. The consumers are next in line!

Those farmers who lobby for an urgent national plan for a drastic re-assessment of current practices will be better off. Our environment can no longer withstand the devastation of salinity, desertification, clearing, chemicals, pesticides and herbicides and the degradation of land to grow crops to feed an overload of commercialised animals.

Many of us accept that the inhumane treatment of farmed avian species in other countries has resulted in the outbreaks of bird flu and SBS warned only last night of the real prospect of a pandemic.

4000 wild birds tested for the virus in the UK since last year revealed no trace of the bird flu.

We need to consider whether we can continue farming sheep and beef in the current manner. Who wants to eat unhealthy animals which have struggled to survive on so little water and depleted grazing lands? And who wants to continue eating intensively farmed pigs, force-fed toxic chemicals to fatten them for market?

The idea of moving the food bowl to new lands in this country, where water is more plentiful, has some appeal, providing more sustainable practices are put in place. Is consideration be given to the building of infrastructures to pipe water to drought stricken farming areas?

However, offering short-term solutions to maintain the status quo will not resolve the critical situation in the long-term.

We have learnt the hard way that it is extremely imprudent to continue arguing with Mother Nature who will always have the last say.

Note: Methane's effect on global warming is purported to be 21 times stronger than CO2. The lesser volume of atmospheric methane compared to CO2 is hardly relevant.

Dickie I beleive your interpretation of methane concentration to be incorrect. On the same ppm basis methane is 21 times more potent than CO2. Our atmosphere does not have similar ppm concentrations.

Carbon emitted as methane will have a 21 times greater effect than as CO2 and so it definately is an issue. It will take a lot more methane to have the same effect as increasing CO2 by 50% as has occured over the last few hundred years.

If paleif reads my posts properly, I am not denying animal methane emissions, but that free range animals donate gas too. Since the required number of animals will be the same then the emissions will be so too. She finds it easier to attack than answer hard questions.