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clude insecticide-resistant pests, falling yields sidewalls and doors, either by command from afar or based on the data
and human health risks, have been recognized the sensors provide. Such is the power of technology to help farmers of
for decades. 16,17 It is the combination of tradi- all shapes and sizes, even if it is just the ability to get away to the lake
tional techniques and technological innovation for the day during the growing season or go catch a movie.
that is likely to create better and more multifac- Technological change is coming to food and farming. For those of
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eted approaches to dealing with a wide range of us in regenerative agriculture, the question is whether we can embrace
farm problems. and help push the best of these opportunities. The ultimate goal should
Modern technologies not only are provid- be to help break our nation’s dependence on dangerous, toxic chemicals
ing new tools to deal with pests and weeds but to grow food, while increasing our food’s nutritional value and healing
also are changing other facets of farming. For our soils at the same time.
example, what used to take a large crew of
workers a full day to plant by hand can be done REFERENCES
in an hour by new transplanting machines that 1. “Battle of the bugs—vacuum option.” Apr. 12, 2012. https://beauregardparishcountrylife.
wordpress.com/2012/04/12/battle-of-the-bugs-vacuum-option/.
require assistance from as few as two or three 2. Environmental Working Group (EWG). EWG’s 2017 shopper’s guide to pesticides in produce.
workers—and some even allow one person to 3. https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php#.WnJs8HxOm1s.
Robbins J. Farmers find organic arsenal to wage war on pests. The New York Times, Nov. 29,
plant completely solo. Similarly, what used to 2010.
take a day to harvest now takes half the time 4. Kuepper G, Thomas R. Bug vacuums for organic crop protection. National Center for Ap-
propriate Technology (NCAT), 2002. https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=128.
with simple tools like undercutters that allow 5. O’Donnell C. Vacuuming up one tough bug. The Californian, Apr. 19, 2016.
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farmers to free root crops without turning or 6. Farmers create vacuum in a war against harmful insects: devices lift bugs off crops, reduce
need for chemicals. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 13, 1989.
negatively disturbing the soil structure. 7. “Thermaculture treatment services.” https://agrothermalsystems.com/thermaculture/.
In 2016, our farm completed construction 8. Manduri A, Sarkar D, Fischer M, Vargas C, Shetty K. Instantaneous heat shock treatment in
of a high tunnel. High tunnels are a wonderful, grape during pre-harvest stages enhances phenolic-linked medicinal properties in red wine.
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Journal of Medicinally Active Plants 2016;5(2):36-46.
low-tech way to extend the growing season in 9. “Chad Vargas creates Agrothermal Systems applications service for the Willamette Valley.”
Oregon Wine Press, Jan. 17, 2017.
our state to almost year-round. At the same time, 10. “Agrothermal Systems introduces Thermaculture to New Zealand.” Oregon Wine Press, Aug.
a high tunnel is worse than a five-year-old, need- 20, 2015.
ing a near-constant babysitter because of our 11. “New steam weeder helps organic and sustainable growers.” https://www.winesandvines.com/
features/article/51849/New-Steam-Weeder-Helps-Organic-And-Sustainable-Growers.
state’s mercurial weather. If we are gone for the 12. Dobbs T. Farms of the future will run on robots and drones. NOVA Next, Jul. 9, 2013.
day and the weather changes—even something 13. “Lettuce-weeding robots, coming soon to a farm near you.” https://www.inc.com/sonya-mann/
blue-river-technology-ai.html.
as simple as going from cloudy to sunny—the 14. “Meet Tertill™, the solar powered weeding robot for your garden.” https://www.indiegogo.
plants inside can freeze or fry, depending on the com/projects/tertill-the-solar-powered-weeding-robot#/.
configuration we left the tunnel in at departure. 15. Ackerman E. Bosch’s giant robot can punch weeds to death. IEEE Spectrum, Nov. 12, 2015.
16. Burros M. A growing harvest of organic produce. The New York Times, Mar. 29, 1989.
This can cause the loss of thousands of dollars 17. Bale JS, van Lenteren JC, Bigler F. Biological control and sustainable food production. Phil
Trans R Soc B 2008;363:761-776.
in plants and produce. Some growers we know 18. https://ussmallfarm.com/product/undercutter/.
have married things like Raspberry Pi comput- 19. https://www.leopold.iastate.edu/files/pubs-and-papers/2010-01-iowa-high-tunnel-fruit-and-
vegetable-production-manual.pdf.
ers to sensors and other systems that will au- 20. https://www.raspberrypi.org/.
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tomatically open and close their tunnel’s vents, 21. Downs C. This farm has no farmers. CNET, Oct. 3, 2017.

RAW MILK CHEESE STUDY: DOES RAW MILK CHEESE PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS?

WAPF will help sponsor a study at Johns Hopkins University on raw cheese and its effect on osteoporosis. The
research will be conducted by longtime WAPF supporter Stephen Belkoff, PhD, MPH, a biomechanical engineer who
has been investigating osteoporotic fractures for over 25 years. He became intrigued by the potential health benefits of
probiotics and the microbiome when his seasonal allergies abated after he started drinking raw milk.
Milk builds strong bones, but raw dairy may also prevent bone loss (osteoporosis). Researchers at Johns Hopkins dis-
covered that the bacteria in raw dairy (probiotics) cause the immune system to produce potent natural anti-inflammatories.
Chronic inflammation causes diseases including osteoporosis. They want to test whether eating aged raw milk cheese
reduces inflammation and blood markers of bone breakdown, suggesting that cheese may be a non-pharmacologic,
natural treatment for osteoporosis.
You can help! We wish to support this research with a donation of $100,000. If every member donates just $10-$20,
we will easily reach our goal. For more information and to donate: westonaprice.org/support-study-raw-milk-cheese/

SPRING 2018 Wise Traditions 75