Can farmers be trusted?

[woolybanana]

Judging by the way that nitrogen based fertilizers are slopped around the fields here, I wonder if farmers can be trusted to reduce the quantities they use? Call me sceptical!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13025304

[cooperlola]

Sceptical, I am with you.  Fat chance, I'd say.

 

[Pierre ZFP]

I disagree, I think far less fertiliser will be used from now on not because of any rules or regs but because of the rise in the price of oil.

Fertiliser is made from oil-based products so the price to the farmer is bound to go up steeply and  thereby only the minimum possible will be applied.

Mind you, how does the song go....

'I never seen a farmer on a bike? .......[;-)]

[andyh4]

Pierre

 

while I agree that the usage wil go down, I have to correct you on one point.  Fertiliser is NOT made from oil based products.

 

It is however a high energy process and as energy prices rise so does the cost of fertiliser.

 

I also found the scientific accuracy of the BBC report rather more than wanting.

[Pierre ZFP]

Well actually I disagree.

Most fertiliser is ammonium nitrate which is produced from ammonia which is created mostly by the Haber-Bosch process.  Now whilst I agree that a lot of this ammonia comes from natural gas as a starting place, which is a fossil fuel also rising rapidly in price,  some methane comes from oil  which is used in the production of ammonia

Just Google 'Oil based fertiliser' and there's thousands of hits

[andyh4]

Pierre

I suppose it is a bit of a mute point.

 

the HB process uses Nitrogen and Hydrogen - so no oil input there.  But most Hydrogen - including that used to power our next generation green cars - comes from Methane - natural gas.  Some is produced as a by-product of oil cracking.

[Rabbie]

As a farmer in the UK I can reassure you all that we are cutting down on fertiliser due to the increased price.

[cooperlola]

Great to hear, Rabbie - do you get the same impression over here?  Sorry about the sweeping generalisation earlier.[:$]

[Patf]

I notice the BBC article mentions animal manure as a source of polluting nitrogen.

 The farmers here re-cycle the manure - good old muck spreading from cows and pigs. Produces wonderful crops of wheat and maize.

[suein56]

[quote user="andyh4"]I suppose it is a bit of a mute point.[/quote]

No it isn't; it's a moot point - which is entirely different.

Apologies if this interruption might, on first glance, seem overly pedantic; but in this case it is necessary as the difference in meaning between the two spellings is enormous.

Moot: meaning.

Sue

[brianagain]

Not sure why anyone would want to pollute nitrogen - perhaps it's a mute point that people want to keep quiet about.[:D][:D]

(I've just been reading the thread about correct grammar elsewhere on this forum)

Brian (again)

[suein56]

[quote user="brianagain"] - perhaps it's a mute point that people want to keep quiet about.[:D] [/quote]

[:)] [:)]

Sue

[idun]

In northern Brittany, there is a lovely little town called Plestin les Greves and we have holidayed there a couple of times. Unfortunately the beach can stink, lots of seaweed due to the nitrates from the local farms. I think that that was the first time that I had actually encountered how bad nitrates can be for the environment, although I had heard of it before then. If memory serves properly then  I think that there was some sort of toxic emergency there a few years back.

So can farmers be trusted? It would be nice for them to do the 'right' thing, but we, the public want cheap food and so they need to produce a lot and cheaply. I don't know how this will play out. It is easy for me to say now that I'll pay more for food, but I do remember when we had a young family to feed and money was tight and purchases were all 'considered' even the cheap food.

So yes, be sceptical, I am too.

[andyh4]

[quote user="suein56"][quote user="andyh4"]I suppose it is a bit of a mute point.[/quote]
No it isn't; it's a moot point - which is entirely different.
Apologies if this interruption might, on first glance, seem overly pedantic; but in this case it is necessary as the difference in meaning between the two spellings is enormous.
Moot: meaning.

Sue
[/quote]

 

Thanks fro the correction Sue - I've been out of the UK for too long and now speak and write 3 languages badly!

[Chezstevens]

Andy,

Same with 3 yrs in Italy. Funny thing about languages ... you only need to understand 30% to get the gist of the discussion. I can spell pedant tho' :)