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Intermediate wheatgrass as a dual use crop for grain and grazing
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Table of Contents: Land Report (Number 11, Fall 1980)
Page 2
The Fall 1980 Term
An introduction to the new and returning students and research associates, detailing their backgrounds and the semester’s daily schedule.
Page 3
Visitors and Tours
An update on recent and upcoming visitors to The Land Institute, including a schedule for the annual Visitor’s Day program.
Page 4
What is a Good Idea?
Dana Jackson responds to a reader’s criticism of the newspaper house, defending the project as an invaluable educational experiment in appropriate technology.
Page 6
Perspectives of the Food Cooperative Movement
Pam Ellinghausen explores the historical evolution of cooperative movements and discusses the modern challenges and ideologies of food co-ops.
Page 9
American Politics and the Populist Movement
Jim Peterson examines the late nineteenth-century Populist movement as a farmer-led revolution against corporate monopolies and economic hardship.
Page 10
SUMMER 1980
A poem by Laura Jackson vividly captures the relentless heat, dust, and physical toll of the severe summer weather.
Page 11
Deserts on the March
Aaron J. Sharp reviews the updated edition of Paul B. Sears’s book, emphasizing its enduring warnings about the misuse and depletion of natural resources.
Page 12
The Kansas Cherry
Kelly Kindscher looks back at the historical abundance of cherry trees in Kansas around 1900 and shares early growers’ enthusiasm for the fruit.
Page 13
Lessons in Organic Gardening
Dana Jackson recounts the struggles of maintaining the organic garden during a record-breaking heatwave and shares practical lessons learned for future seasons.
Page 15
Seeds of Strife
Michael Chapman warns about the dangers of plant patenting legislation, arguing that it encourages corporate monopolies and accelerates the extinction of genetically diverse seed varieties.
Page 18
The Herbary Blossoms
A brief update on the thriving native prairie plants in the Herbary and the ongoing efforts to weed, water, and classify the species.
Page 19
Research Plots Survive Hot Summer
The installation of a new irrigation system successfully sustained the 160 experimental plots of Eastern Gamagrass through an intensely hot and dry summer.
Page 20
Living Nets in a New Prairie Sea
Wes Jackson contrasts the destructive nature of annual monoculture farming with the sustainable, soil-building root systems of perennial prairie polycultures.
Page 22
“Man is Just a Little Bigger Pest”
Dana Jackson highlights the severe consequences of aerial pesticide spray drift and reports on a local meeting organizing to enforce safe pest control laws.
Page 25
Prairie/Plains Resource Institute
An introduction to a new Nebraska-based organization dedicated to preserving, restoring, and educating the public about the grassland ecosystem.
Appropriate Technology Resource Center
A volunteer-staffed center in Lawrence, Kansas, has opened to provide the community with information on alternative energy, conservation, and organic gardening.
Small Farm Energy Project Training Institute
A Nebraska project offers training and consultation to help other rural organizations establish low-cost energy innovation programs for small farms.
Page 26
The Windcraft 2500-Power to the People
Dana Jackson discusses the development and economic viability of a new, locally manufactured induction wind generator that connects directly to existing electrical grids.
Page 28
Changing Wind Energy Systems
A brief note on the storm damage to the institute’s Wincharger and plans to replace it with a new Windcraft interconnect system.
Page 29
Consumer Information Board
Ivy Marsh reports on her role advising the Kansas Corporation Commission on load management, utility rate designs, and encouraging energy conservation.
Page 31
KCC Generic Rate Design Hearings
Ron Henricks urges citizens to participate in upcoming state hearings to reform electric utility rate structures toward more efficient and equitable energy use.
County Energy Planning Update
Mari Peterson highlights the progress of community-based energy planning groups in Wabaunsee and Harvey Counties as they gather data to project future energy needs.
Page 32
Hydroelectric Potential Studied
A summary of an engineering report assessing the potential for small-scale hydroelectricity generation from existing privately-owned dams across Kansas.
Page 34
The Worst Environmental Problem
Dana Jackson urges environmentalists to confront the ultimate ecological threat of nuclear war and the escalating arms race.
Page 35
Land Institute Recognized for Sustainable Agriculture Research
The Land Institute continues to gain national recognition, contributing research on perennial polycultures to the U.S. Congress and the Solar Energy Research Institute.
Friends of The Land
The Institute invites supporters to contribute financially to its educational and research programs.
New Roots for Agriculture
An announcement for Wes Jackson’s newly published book detailing the inherent problems of till agriculture and his vision for sustainable perennial polycultures.
Page 36
Nuclear Power and Nuclear Bombs
An announcement for a free public lecture by Amory and Hunter Lovins on the dangers of nuclear proliferation and its ineffectiveness in displacing oil.
