Farming Practices

 At one of our Laudato Si sessions, Fr. Mike Schaab had us break into small groups to identify what we perceive as an environmental issue that we have observed around us.  The people gathered were "traditional Catholics" and were more likely drawn by the speaker than by the topic.  The topic of church social teaching and Pope Francis' presentation of our common home was new to them.  Surprisingly (to me) and definitely not prompted, multiple groups independently came up with the issue of farming practices.  One group identified the rapid growth of pattern tiling and the problems it led to water quality and quantity.  Another group identified the use of farm chemicals and specifically how it hurt neighbors who were attempting to practice organic farming.

As we move forward in our farming communities, addressing more sustainable and more environmentally friendly farming practices would be great to work on.  Teaching and implementing changes in farming practices is probably the highest voltage of any third rail in policy or regulatory discussions.  The use of fossil fuels is another third rail.  We are seeing major changes there with the closing of coal plants, construction of wind and solar capacity, and electric vehicles.  These seem to be happening because of both regulatory and financial factors.  We need to help agribusiness transform in similar ways.  Sustainable agriculture and respect for biodiversity, water quality and the environment needs to be adopted if our common home is to survive.

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