Alternative farming systems potentially can cut production costs and conserve soil and water
Excerpt
A poverty-stricken farmer…entered a local, small town hardware store to buy three hammer handles at the price of $1.00 each. The next week he was back to purchase eight more at the same price, and two weeks later 20 more. The hardware dealer, who had not sold more than 10 hammer handles in any one year since he had opened business, finally was compelled to ask the farmer what he was doing with the handles.
He replied, “selling em.”
“Well, I haven't sold that many handles in the past three years,” the shopkeeper said in wonder. “How much are you getting for them?”
The farmer answered, “Fifty cents each.”
“But that's less than you're paying for them. You're losing 50 cents a hammer handle!”
The farmer shrugged with resignation, “That …
Footnotes
Martin N. Culik is coordinator of agronomic research at the Rodale Research Center, RRI, Box 323, Kutztown, Pennsylvania 19530.
- Copyright 1983 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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