Category Archives: Agriculture

Dirt igloo door (sweet potato curing mound)

The slideshow of the building of the dirt igloo for the sweet potatoes ended before the adding of the door. So here’s the door, in place, with reference yellow dog:


Pictures of sweet potato curing teepee
by John S. Quarterman, 8 September 2011,
Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Yellow Dog was busy tracking something, so didn’t stay to pose.

The door is on the north side. It’s six pieces of 2×6″ pine, each 18″ long, three vertical and three horizontal, screwed together, and set inside the doorposts. Here’s a closeup: Continue reading →

Banking sweet potatoes

Why would we want a doorway to a dirt pile?


Terry Davis and John S. Quarterman banking sweet potatoes at Okra Paradise Farms.
Pictures by John S. Quarterman, Lowndes County, Georgia, 25 August 2011.

Watch the slideshow and see:

-jsq

SEC investigating Monsanto’s Roundup tactics

Somebody oughta.

Tom Philpott wrote for Mother Jones 19 July 2011, SEC Investigates Monsanto’s Roundup Biz

The SEC is investigating Monsanto’s tactics for defending the market for its herbicide, Roundup. The news emerged just before the July 4 holiday weekend, during Monsanto’s press conference about its quarterly financial earnings. Company execs boasted of a 77 percent increase in profit before dropping a mini-bombshell, The Wall Street Journal reported:
Monsanto said it was cooperating with a previously undisclosed US Securities and Exchange Commission probe into its customer incentive programs for herbicides in fiscal years 2009 and 2010, and had received a subpoena to provide related documents.
A subpoena sounds like a start. If they do a real investigation I wouldn’t be surprised if they find enough evidence to pull some licenses.

-jsq

Skeeterhawk guarding the okra patch

Who keeps an eye on the okra patch while Gretchen’s selling okra at Downton Valdosta Farm Days?


Picture by John S. Quarterman at Okra Paradise Farms,
Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 July 2011.

Skeeterhawk, that’s who! Eat them skeeters, skeeterhawk!

-jsq