Small family farmers (the majority) cannot afford what’s good for the planet and good for the soul.
Did you know that queen bees can suddenly start laying eggs that make drones instead of worker bees? So instead of a colony of industrious females busily making honey to feed the hive, you have nothing but useless drones. All the bees starve to death. That was our first lesson in organic farming. Then, full of self-righteous zeal, we planted an apple orchard with trees in danger of extinction because no one plants them any more. Now I know why. No one in their right mind would plant trees bearing fruit too small to peel, scabby (no pesticides allowed), misshapen and too sour to eat. Good only for apple jelly. And how much of that can you foist on your friends? Next, a wildflower meadow. Easy. You just chuck the seeds about and up they come like the picture on the packet. No? Definitely no. First you have to get...
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