The Random, Meaningless Announcements Thread 3!

[Dan From Smithville]

Thinking about how we treat ourselves and each other during a pandemic, has me realizing oh my god how are we going to treat our crops if anything happens to them? A crop epidemic will be ugly. And America has proven it doesn't get, understand, or comprehend the basics of infections, and as per the norm has shown a reluctance to learn.

You are very perceptive and food security is an important issue. Not only from natural diseases and pests, but human population growth, distribution, space, resource availability (water is a big one) and climate change. Crops and livestock are also good potential targets for biological weapons.

Fortunately, many farmers are much more educated in agricultural science and practices than the general public they feed. Also ag companies think about these things. Still, it is a potentially devastating possibility with severe repercussions and no magic bullets.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

You are very perceptive and food security is an important issue. Not only from natural diseases and pests, but human population growth, distribution, space, resource availability (water is a big one) and climate change. Crops and livestock are also good potential targets for biological weapons.

Fortunately, many farmers are much more educated in agricultural science and practices than the general public they feed. Also ag companies think about these things. Still, it is a potentially devastating possibility with severe repercussions and no magic bullets.

Crops are so frighteningly mono-culture that if a disease were to be able to infect one crop, it will be capable of infecting well over 90% of the crop supply. There is basically "crop bareness" when it comes to crop diversity, thanks to modern farming, pressures for volume, and commercial food demands that strong armed "lesser volume" means, crops, and livestock (along with smaller family farms) out of the picture. They way we allow covid to spread, when it comes to crop failure from disease extensive mono-cultured crops has basically marched us up to and knelt us before the guillotine.

 

[sun rise]

Crops are so frighteningly mono-culture that if a disease were to be able to infect one crop, it will be capable of infecting well over 90% of the crop supply. There is basically "crop bareness" when it comes to crop diversity, thanks to modern farming, pressures for volume, and commercial food demands that strong armed "lesser volume" means, crops, and livestock (along with smaller family farms) out of the picture. They way we allow covid to spread, when it comes to crop failure from disease extensive mono-cultured crops has basically marched us up to and knelt us before the guillotine.

We see that happening today with, just to name one example, threats to bananas.

 

[sun rise]

 

[Wu Wei]

Rose you say.....

or if you prefer

 

[Stevicus]

 

[Wu Wei]

And there is always Axel Rose

 

[Shadow Wolf]

And there is always Axel Rose

A fine example of a jerk-face loser Hoosier.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

This is a lovely rose:

And a rose for a goddess:

 

[Wu Wei]

rose you say.....

 

[sun rise]

 

[Wu Wei]

 

[Revoltingest]

 

[Dan From Smithville]

We see that happening today with, just to name one example, threats to bananas.

Our natural rubber source is predominantly from plantations in Asia containing trees that were derived from 20 original seedlings. A couple of severe climate, disease or pest issues and the rubber industry would collapse.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Oooohhhh!

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Crops are so frighteningly mono-culture that if a disease were to be able to infect one crop, it will be capable of infecting well over 90% of the crop supply. There is basically "crop bareness" when it comes to crop diversity, thanks to modern farming, pressures for volume, and commercial food demands that strong armed "lesser volume" means, crops, and livestock (along with smaller family farms) out of the picture. They way we allow covid to spread, when it comes to crop failure from disease extensive mono-cultured crops has basically marched us up to and knelt us before the guillotine.

Monoculture is one of the big weaknesses of our crop agriculture. However, I am not sure where you get the 90% infection rate from. The big four crops are corn, cotton, soy and wheat. Two different species of monocot and two different species of dicot. A single disease or pest is not likely to attack all four. However, within those crops a single disease or pest could be devastating.

On the plus side, we have a much better gene pool for each crop than those rubber plantations I mentioned and there are technical means used to enhance within crop diversity for disease and pest management. Still, the weaknesses of monocropping are a serious issue. Monocropping to such a scale is a factor in driving the development of some species to pest status.

 

[sun rise]

The preceding has been censored for being non-meaningless.

Oook ook the ball dribbles glass water fall into the lake of superior vision.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Crops are so frighteningly mono-culture that if a disease were to be able to infect one crop, it will be capable of infecting well over 90% of the crop supply. There is basically "crop bareness" when it comes to crop diversity, thanks to modern farming, pressures for volume, and commercial food demands that strong armed "lesser volume" means, crops, and livestock (along with smaller family farms) out of the picture. They way we allow covid to spread, when it comes to crop failure from disease extensive mono-cultured crops has basically marched us up to and knelt us before the guillotine.

The US grows about 95 million acres of corn and half of that goes to animal feed. Problems with corn would leap over to problems for livestock producers. Those connections are further vulnerabilities on our dependence on a small number of crops to provide us with large quantities of food.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

However, within those crops a single disease or pest could be devastating.

That is specifically what I meant. It's been a few years since I've seen the total estimated mono crop within those types of crop, but it over 90% at least. But, even at 50%, the loses would still be far beyond crippling, devastating, and possibly fatal to us, be it livestock feed or people feed. It would be ugly. And America wouldn't care.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

The preceding has been censored for being non-meaningless.

Oook ook the ball dribbles glass water fall into the lake of superior vision.

I am rambling. Does that count.