Excellent article! I first became aware of biosludge around 1990. In Maryland, we bought this lawn fertilizer called "Compro" which was composted sewage sludge. The label explicitly warned not to use Compro for food production. We were dumb back then and didn't understand it was a bad idea to use composted sludge at all (it did make the grass grow, though). Fast forward to today: I've noticed that nearby farms in Virginia receive sewage sludge (I was told it's free) and use it to fertilize their fields. The whole area smells like a toilet when we drive by. The smell is so bad I thought a sewage treatment plant was nearby. I can't imagine why the farmers continue this toxic practice when it obviously ruins their air (and presumably soil) quality.
“Biosolids protect landfills, offer free fertilizer”. Who wrote that headline? If the landfills need to be protected from biosludge, why is it okay to dump it on farms that grow our food?
It’s disappointing, but unfortunately people like Joel Salatin are still a very small (albeit growing!) minority.
Yes, I'm in Virginia and I've gotten meat from Joel in the past, as well as other organic farmers. Sadly, one of the organic meat farmers near me was just driven out of business after 2 years of engineered drought and an incompetent meatpacker who ruined his hamburger by mixing 50% meat with 50% fat. The farmer couldn't sell it to customers and was forced to sell it at a loss as pet food. He just couldn't make ends meet.
Personally, I thought quite a lot about the pollution we're facing. But reading your work, I feel I've only finished kindergarten :-D
What I like most is that at the end of your articles you're giving very actionable advice on how to make your life healthier and free.
Once you finish writing the series, I strongly suggest that you spend some time figuring out how you can get the most people to see it. That might mean packaging it up as an e-book, maybe a special website, etc.
Let me know if you need help with this, and I can help you brainstorm ideas. Because I feel like everyone should read this. Since this is not an afternoon tea conversation. We're talking about the survival of the human species.
Thanks! Yeah, this is serious stuff. The more people that see it the better so as many people as possible can protect themselves and exit and build alternatives. I’m finally getting around to planting a proper garden this year. We’ll see how it goes.
I’m definitely no marketing expert though, haha. Any ideas or suggestions would for sure be appreciated. The eBook idea is interesting!
Excellent article! I first became aware of biosludge around 1990. In Maryland, we bought this lawn fertilizer called "Compro" which was composted sewage sludge. The label explicitly warned not to use Compro for food production. We were dumb back then and didn't understand it was a bad idea to use composted sludge at all (it did make the grass grow, though). Fast forward to today: I've noticed that nearby farms in Virginia receive sewage sludge (I was told it's free) and use it to fertilize their fields. The whole area smells like a toilet when we drive by. The smell is so bad I thought a sewage treatment plant was nearby. I can't imagine why the farmers continue this toxic practice when it obviously ruins their air (and presumably soil) quality.
I feel like most American farmers these days operate on auto-pilot. It doesn’t help that agriculture magazines post insane articles like this https://www.agweek.com/business/biosolids-protect-landfills-offer-free-fertilizer
“Biosolids protect landfills, offer free fertilizer”. Who wrote that headline? If the landfills need to be protected from biosludge, why is it okay to dump it on farms that grow our food?
It’s disappointing, but unfortunately people like Joel Salatin are still a very small (albeit growing!) minority.
Yes, I'm in Virginia and I've gotten meat from Joel in the past, as well as other organic farmers. Sadly, one of the organic meat farmers near me was just driven out of business after 2 years of engineered drought and an incompetent meatpacker who ruined his hamburger by mixing 50% meat with 50% fat. The farmer couldn't sell it to customers and was forced to sell it at a loss as pet food. He just couldn't make ends meet.
That's brutal - farming is a tough business, for sure.
Wav! This series is beyond impressive!
Personally, I thought quite a lot about the pollution we're facing. But reading your work, I feel I've only finished kindergarten :-D
What I like most is that at the end of your articles you're giving very actionable advice on how to make your life healthier and free.
Once you finish writing the series, I strongly suggest that you spend some time figuring out how you can get the most people to see it. That might mean packaging it up as an e-book, maybe a special website, etc.
Let me know if you need help with this, and I can help you brainstorm ideas. Because I feel like everyone should read this. Since this is not an afternoon tea conversation. We're talking about the survival of the human species.
Thanks! Yeah, this is serious stuff. The more people that see it the better so as many people as possible can protect themselves and exit and build alternatives. I’m finally getting around to planting a proper garden this year. We’ll see how it goes.
I’m definitely no marketing expert though, haha. Any ideas or suggestions would for sure be appreciated. The eBook idea is interesting!
Can we share contacts? I've reached out to you via Substack chat.
Just responded, thanks for reaching out!