Posted by Matt from CT on May 16, 2011 at 19:47:41 from (173.125.143.84):
In Reply to: disposable farmers posted by old fashioned farmer on May 16, 2011 at 07:17:33:
You'd hurt a lot more farmers if you took the one action that would do more then anything else to reduce flooding today:
Plug all the tiles. Tell the drainage districts to fill in their ditches.
Let the soil act like a sponge and slowly release the rain waters.
Yes, there's some issues with city storm drains, but my bet is there is far more drained farmland then city streets. Just look at a satellite photo of the midwest.
Plugging the tiles will have big impacts -- later planting, roots that don't grow deep so crops are more susceptible to summer drought, etc. We'd need to clear more forest land, and spend more in fuel and fertilizer to make up production since our yields per acre would drop.
But hey, look! We're not opening up spillways as often!
When you talk about 100 year floods, I think the real question is whether the rainfall is increasing or just the floods are worsening. My money is on the simple answer -- our floods are worsening, the precipitation remains the same. We drain the land faster today then we used to.
Do I have empathy for the farmers in Missouri or Morganza? Sure. Sympathy? No more then I had for folks who lived in the 9th Ward of New Orleans below sea level. (The old section -- French Quarter -- is slightly above sea level and came through Katrina just fine; other areas like the 9th have always been below the water.)
The farmers in Missouri knew they farming in an area protected by levies. Common sense would say when you have a choice between buildings and cropland, you flood the farmland and the fewest buildings.
Down in Louisiana, those folks in the path of the Morganza spillway, for the most part, are only there because the spillway even exists. Between it and the Old River structure up river, the Mississippi is kept flowing towards to New Orleans -- by Congressional mandate. If it wasn't for the Army Corp levees, the main channel of the Mississippi would have already changed course and be flowing through the area the Morganza spillway dumps water into.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Product Review: Black Tire Paint - by Staff. I have been fortunate in that two of my tractors have had rear tires that were in great shape when I bought the tractor. My model "H" even had the old style fronts with plenty of tread. My "L" fronts were mismatched Sears Guardsman snow tires, which I promptly tossed. Well, although these tires were in good shape as far as tread was concerned, they looked real sad. All were flat, but new tubes fixed that. In addition to years and years of scuffing and fading, they had paint splattered on
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
2022 John Deere 5045E, 4wd, front end loader and 3rd function with grapple. 120 hrs, 55k new, must sell
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
