[Terrapreta] Question

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Lou,

It seems to me that if land can be made more productive in terms of plant nutrition that is grown per hectare, then this should benefit a cattle operation.  Less land needed to raise each beast to maturity ... more head per hectare ... less time fattening them up on the feedlot before slaughter.  Less land cleared to make way for grazing land.  Maybe Terra Preta soil would allow graze land planted in amongst some trees and etc., leaving the forest somewhat more intact, rather than clear cut.  Perhaps Terra PReta soils could make the production of forest crops more profitable ... TP could enable sustainable logging.

I think that in general Terra Preta soils could provide better, more productive and/or sustainable land and therefore land use would be more efficient, requiring less land for conventional cattle/logging, or perhaps other land use possibilities.

Regards,

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: lou gold<mailto:lou.gold at gmail.com> 
  To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:29 AM
  Subject: [Terrapreta] Question


  Hi All,

  I need some help working through a puzzle.

  As you know, my highest priority is saving the forest, especially the Amazon forest. I have been investing a lot of hopes in the possibility that terra preta might somehow show the way. But I have not been able to figure out the benefit of soil improvement (etc, etc) for cattle ranching and it is the expansion of cattle combined with logging that is the front line of deforestation.

  I know that switching from slash-and-burn to slash-and-char will be helpful. But cattle are going to expand as the world gains more and more people who want to eat meat. Please, let's not go into the protein efficiencies or ethics of this trend. I'm trying to deal with the world as it is.  Can anyone see a way that terra preta might be helpful here?

  Thanks.

  lou

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