Re: cost of a vegetarian lifestyle

[Guest guest]

>

> Heidi

>

> I agree with you that most Americans are living in " Disneyland "

>concerning many issues facing this country. However, I disagree with

>everything you wrote in your post. Vegetarians and PETA folks

>are " not " divorced from reality. First, vegetarians have

chosen a

>diet that works for them and the added benefit to the world is that

>these vegetarians " do not " place high demands on our

environment to

>consume animal products – animal products take enormous energy

to

>bring to the market for human consumption.

*CAUTION*

<contentious mode on>

Do you know about the " peak oil " concept?

Do you have any idea how much petroleum is used to produce and ship

in all those veggies? I'm especially curious if you know how much it

costs to ship in those nonseasonal fruits and veggies that come from

outside the country.

Do you have any idea how much petroleum is used to produce nitrogen-

based fertilizer for our current industrial farming model of food

production?

Do you know how much it costs a farmer to buy that nitrogen-based

fertilizer these days, since the recent petroleum price increases?

Do you have any idea how much diesel fuel is consumed per hour by a

tractor that is used to produce the huge amounts of grain that we

have been depending upon so heavily?

Do you know how much it costs the farmer to BUY that tractor and the

implements he uses with it? The Chinese are putting such a large

demand on scrap iron that even low-end implements are bringing much

more in resale at an auction than they did only 2-3 years ago.

Do you know how much it costs to truck in exotic fertilizer like kelp

and other mineral-rich concoctions from the parts of the country

where the ingredients are plentiful to the parts of the country where

the land can be used for crops?

Do you know how much exotic (non-nitrogen-based) fertilizer costs?

(I call is " exotic " because it is generally UNavailable from our

local feed-and-seed store, and I live in a major ag area.)

Do you have any idea how much people are spending on doctors and

supplements to make themselves feel better on their fat- and protein-

deficient, starch-heavy diets?

Do you have any idea how unfriendly bankers are to ag now, and how

many small farmers have been forced into bankruptcy due to excessive

debt load and low farm prices?

Do you want *more* factory farming to provide your vegetarian diet,

or do you want to buy your veggies from someone who raised them with

care and pride? If I restricted my food purchases to only those

available at the local farmer's market, I could only buy food from

March through October. Local farmers mainly raise only hard red

winter wheat and animals during the winter.

I am assuming you are not in a position to raise all your own food.

Let me know if that assumption is incorrect.

<contentious mode off>