[soilman]

I've brought this up before. I believe we need to organize. Create "vegan power" in numbers. Not to "save the earth" a la earthsave, but simply to help each other be vegans -- provide the kind of support for each other's vegan lifestyles, that non-vegans don't want to be bothered with. This means some of us going into vegan-trade careers -- making and selling vegan food, and vegan clothing. And my personal area of interest, growing our own food, in commercial quantities, rather than being dependent on farmers who are not vegan. We need to have vegan farms. I'm not saying huge agribusiness farms, but nevertheless, commercially viable farms. Where we know that there is no involvement, no participation in animal slaughter, by using blood meal and bone meal and other "by products" of animal slaughter such as animal waste, feces. This is not only an animal well-being issue, but a human well-being issue: food grown in composted plant matter is a better nutrient for us, than food grown in soil with added feces. (1) less disease transmission (2) less heavy metals in the soil and taken up by the plants. Also -- **** adds flavor. It has long been noted that plants grown in, say, chicken ****, taste different than in plants grown in cow ****.

We also need more vegan business like shoe manufacturing and soap-making. And water resistant shoes that use treated natural fibers, or other natural substances, rather than using the plastic resins used in so many vegan-suitable shoes.

I am urging those of you with real estate knowledge to join with me to buy and run a vegan farm. I have the gardening know-how, and the electro-mechanical knowhow to buy and maintain power equipment -- we need people with real-estate know-how, and people with the ability to learn gardening-farming skills. Also people with knowledge of land -- what makes good farmland -- drainage, proximity to markets, non-proximity to harmful things like polluting industries. I am good at actual gardening, but not good at evaluating land for all these things (until after gardening on it for a year or 2). Evaluating it before buying it and farming it -- I'll need some help.

[soilman]

I need help from someone who knows a bit about buying and selling real estate, land, esp farmland. I can do gardening, but I am terrible at researching where land is being sold, and at buying real estate. It is very expensive. If I make a mistake, it could be an economic problem.

Also someone who can write business plans. So we can find some land, get a mortgage on it, come up with a business plan to balance income and expenses -- that, I know, is what has to be done to stay "in business."

I just want to be in charge of the food production. Food production is understandable to me; finding and buying land is confusing to me.

[1vegan]

Quote

Most vegan shoes are made with tons of chemicals and stuff.

a bit off topic, but I've read that vegan shoes are often less taxing on the environment then leather shoes.

There's quite an amount of chemicals involved in the tanning process.
and the environmental burden when the hides have to be transported refridgerated to other country's for tanning and such

[girl2beaver]

Wow, soilman. This thread just gave me a reminder of why I went vegan in the first place. It's easy to lose sight of the true reasons for a plant-based food source among all of the label-reading and honey debates. I'm afraid I can't help with your farm because I'm young and I know nothing about business or real estate, but I really admire your dedication to veganism and I hope that everything goes as you hope.

[nkace]

Have you tried talking to people like organic farmers? They or people involved w/ CSA's can probably give you some good advice.

[soilman]

girltobeaver

Quote

I'm afraid I can't help with your farm because I'm young and I know nothing about business or real estate

Err.... you can turn soil where machinery won't reach, plant seeds, pull weeds, turn and aerate compost piles. There is a tremendous need for this very simple kind of help. Pulling weeds (if you know how to do it properly) -- I find it relaxing, enjoyable, recreational.

[soilman]

goatee

Quote

i'm in as soon as I get over my illness. I can't agree with you more. I can't wait to move onto land some day.

Then don't wait. You don't need to be free of fatigue to do as much work as you can, given how well you are. Certainly, pulling weeds (before they get very big) is fun, relaxing, and productive. You don't have to do it in a big hurry either. You just sit on the ground, in warm weather, and pull out weeds. If you know how to do it properly, and have the right hand-tools (which are not at all expensive) they come right out. You don't need any "muscle." And if you just relax and enjoy the outdoors, it isn't stressful.

Freshening the soil's surface (while simulataneously cutting thru weeds just below the surface -- shallow surface cultivation) is relaxing also. Needs to be done so that water penetrates the soil instead of runs off, and it also helps keep the soil more biologically active, so that decaying plant matter is converted to materials that the plants can eat, more rapidly. If you confine it to just a few inches of surface, it doesn't mess up the natural soil layers too much. You can do it sitting down or standing up, with a sharp hoe. Not the hoes sold in Home Depot -- but one of several properly designed, yet inexpensive hoes that you can order.

Plus turning and aerating compost piles is not all that hard if you aren't in a major hurry -- which you don't need to be if you have enough people for the job. You pace yourself.

Perhaps, just perhaps, if you have a simple (but necessary) job like this, you may find that doing the work, at the proper relaxed pace, actually makes you feel more energetic, rather than tires you out.

[soilman]

nkace -- what's a CSA?