Sir:
Your recent posts on seed varieties sparked some thoughts on my recent reading. We’re going to find fellowship and learning opportunities within the “Authentic Agriculture” movement. Since living at the retreat is ideal, perhaps “Authentic Agriculture” is how to make it happen.
About halfway down the page in this link the farmer describes breeding a plot of open pollinated corn in order to maximum the desirable expressed phenotypes for his soils and micro-climate. By hand selecting seed over generations he is increasing his protein content for his animals. A 3,000 acre Farmerus maximus miserabli just can’t compete with a homesteader clipping open his seed corn samples to check on starch-to-endosperm ratios.
Somewhere else I read recently (cannot find the link) that by saving seed and selecting characteristics, a homesteader was able to increase corn yield 10% over ten generations. It’s not just the right thing to do; there’s profit in using heirloom and open pollinated varietals. In His Service, – BH
Letter Re: Heirloom / Open Pollinated Seeds
