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Thread: Is organic rice worth the cost?

  1. #11
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    Check out the Land Institute's website:
    http://www.landinstitute.org/

    Wes Jackson has been researching perennial grain grasses for over 30 years. It's what the prarie originally was before the sodbusters came through and ruined it. His work is amazing.

  2. #12
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    Maybe I should try a different costco in town, because ours didn't have any organic rice. There's one in a very yuppy, trendy neighborhood in downtown. I bet they'd be more likely to have it if any Costco does.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by treehugger View Post
    I was just reading about perennial grain crops this morning in National Geographic. What a fascinating topic. The article asserted that the first farmers chose to cultivate annual crops instead of perennial crops, probably because of the fact that it's a lot easier to modify/breed annual crops. So, it was a fork in our evolutionary road; perennial grain cultivation is the road not taken.

    It will be very interesting to read about MSU's research.

    Kara
    http://www.kbs.msu.edu/people/facult...erennial-wheat

    http://shaunkenney.com/2011/02/the-s...rennial-wheat/

    I have to guess annual grains pump out a lot more yield than perennials. At least, I would think they do now as they've been cultivated for that aspect for 10,000 years now. I'd gladly take a lower yield, especially if it maybe didn't grow so high that I could replace my front yard with it (and the neighbors probably already thing we're over the top!)

    Now it's just a matter of conning/cajoling/hopping the fence to get some to try in my yard

  4. #14
    Senior Member Sissy's Avatar
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    I live in the very heart of rice farming country (AR). I won't eat it. Even the irrigation water is suspitious (sp?) since many farmers that live near rivers (we have 5 that converge in the area) have gotten clearance to pump from the rivers. They are sprayed for weeds, fertilized, sprayed for bugs, and if it doesn't ripen fast enough, it is sprayed with a chemical to hasten the process.

    Oh, and it is started with genetically modified seed.

    Our water table has dropped dramatically, but that is another story............

    Yum!

    Sherry

  5. #15
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    See this book on growing perennial vegetables. I don't think it talks about rice though. Yea there's artichokes, rhubarb and asparagus, but most of the vegetables are not things you have heard of, and he is all about home breeding (trying to create perennial tomatoes for a cold climate say). Now this is just breeding that a backyard gardener can do and not, for any minor risk breeding may carry, gene splicing in a GMO laboratory.

    Perennial Vegetables (from Artichokes to Zuki Taro a Gardener's Guide to over 100 delicious easy to grow edibles):
    http://www.amazon.com/Perennial-Vege...dp/1931498407/

    There are more perennial food crops in tropical areas. From the book "Remarkably Europeans actually took some perennial wild edible plants and bred them into annual crops such as beans and brassicas. In contrast, ancient Andean people domesticated the perennial rather than the annual forms of arracacha. In fact, a strikingly high number of perennial vegetables originated in the tropical Americas like chayote, chaya, and perennial beans".

    GMO rice is starting? Ugh it make me sick with dread. I know they'll do wheat as soon as they can I guess. So EVERY major crop that the world relies on as a staple is going to be GMO before long (soy and corn already are of course). Buy organic, this battle is worth a few dollars! (plus your health is of course). Because it's getting harder to even keep up with what is GMO and is not these days. Organic is a line of defense.

    Water tables have dropped dramatically near everywhere (and no it's not mainly due to global warming but it doesn't help), we are major screwed! But that's apart from the organic versus non-organic debate, organic still does less harm.
    Last edited by ApatheticNoMore; 7-12-11 at 3:41pm.
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