Mycorrhizae: The Plant Messiah

by Jared O'Loughlin on October 26, 2009 There are countless articles on blogs and in magazines ranting about organic fertilizers or “the next big thing” in sustainable agriculture. But what is sustainable agriculture all about? Pardon the pun, but I feel it means a return to our roots.Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mycorrhizae (pronounced my-core-rye-zuh), a little fungus that could be a messiah for farmers all over the United States–but most just don’t know it yet.Invading the roots of mor

Lies, Deceit, Fraud, Falsehood and Misrepresentation.

hoax n. An act intended to deceive or trick, either as a practical joke or as a serious fraud.Last Monday, the wire services, cable news stations and Web sites reported that the U.S. Chamber fo Commerce had recanted its opposition to climate-change legislation. Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal wrote:It was a hoax. Incredibly (well maybe not so incredibly), the hoax was perpetrated by an activist group in a room at the National Press Club in Washington in front of reporters who’ve ri

My pet duck: Why does fate smile on some but not others?

Three weeks ago, Bernadette was a training duck, destined to give her life to teach another generation of working retrievers how to do their jobs. Now, she’s living in my chicken pen. And she was the one who changed her own fate. Before I tell her story, I must insert my views about meat and about hunting, which are, um, fairly unusual among self-identified animal lovers, the majority of whom are just fine with cruelty to food animals as long as they don’t have to watch the living and the

Growing blueberries

If it were up to me every part of my landscaping would be edible. Though my homeowners association may disagree with me but blueberry bushes looks just as nice as any ornamental plant/bush when you visit the nursery with the obvious bonus of free food. When selecting a blueberry bush, unless you are very patient spend about $10 a plant and get some more established ones (about 1/2 inch stem) You can get the two for $10 plants from your local Home Depot but you won’t be eating blueberries for

Settlers Bemoan Naalin Tear Gas

Osnat Gilad enjoying her garden between bouts of inconvenient IDF tear gas (Emil Salman) Thanks to Amir Terkel for pointing out one of the most egregious examples of settler chutzpah for many a moon. The settlement of Hashmonaim (”Hasmoneans” or Maccabees, in English) sits hard by Naalin, a Palestinian village, much of whose agricultural land has been stolen by the Separation Wall. Each Friday, there are protests joined by villagers, international peace activists, and Israelis, against the

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