Talk:Monoculture

Anthere,

Thank you for your excellent edits to this page.

However, I did note that your removed the statement that the term "monoculture" is pejorative. I believe that it is, based on the fact that I have not encountered any nonpejorative use of it either in literature or in spoken English. Those who use growing techniques involving a single-species crop do not use the term.

Kat 17:28 13 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Interesting. You probably are right more than me. That is interesting because it is a very commonly used word in french, and not pejorative in the least. Curious.

OK :-) Ant

Officially, we use "monoculture" for one species culture, "polyculture" or "multiculture" for several species but no animals, and "polyculture-élevage" for a farm dealing with crops and cattle/pigs/sheeps...official terminology, used by farmers as well as govt agencies or corporations.

Which words do you use then ? In particular, which word do you use to describe monoculture if monoculture is not the one used ?

User:Anthere

The term continuous corn is used where corn (maize) is planted more than one year in a row in the same location. Permanent pasture is used for pasture areas that are not plowed down and planted to grain crops periodically.

would continuous crop be right for a general terminology then ?

These are the only two land uses that are common in my area that do not involve periodic rotation (except perhaps timber production, orchards, and other woody agriculture).

A farm that raises only grain (no animals) is usually called either a "cash grain farm", "cash crop farm", or sometimes just "crop farm" or "grain farm". Grain farms that raise only corn are rare, since the practice is usually accompanied by dairy cattle.

oki

There is no special term in common use for farms that have both livestock and grain.

this explain why I never found it :-) It is very curious. We use that way to differenciate farming system a lot. In particular for economical studies.

There are some examples of the terminology in the farm business management page at http://www.mgt.org or at http://www.nass.usda.gov

In my area, Corn-soybean rotations are the most common, followed by corn-soybeans-oats-alfalfa, where the alfalfa is underseeded with the oats and harvested for several years following the seeding year. Some operators leave out the beans and rotate corn-oats-alflafa. There is some continuous corn, mainly by dairy operators that need the silage, and there are a few corn-soybeans-oats rotations used for erosion control on sensitive sites. There is some permanent pasture and some more or less permanent grass hay, and a little bit of rotational grazing on alfalfa that is in rotation with corn and soybeans. There is some sweet corn, green peas, and edible green beans that are grown for commercial canning and freezing, that is fit into the rotation wherever it works.

Areas with less rainfall are more wheat-oriented, and there are a variety of three year and four year rotations used for that.

Kat 18:17 13 Jun 2003 (UTC)

We don't grow much soybeans here. Not the good soil/climate. My country main crops are wheat, corn, barley and rape. Wheat everywhere, with some hard wheat for italian pasta in the south. Silage corn in the north and east, grain corn in the center and south. Barley and rape everywhere except south. We also grow continuous rice (with bulls for corrida) in the south west. Potatoes and beets in the north. Sun flower in the south. Leguminous everywhere I guess. A lot of intensive dairy cattle about everywhere except in the center and north, where a lot of continuous cropping is practiced (wheat/wheat or corn/corn). Pigs and poultry in the west (very intensive, hence all the rivers around are polluted by nitrogen). Meat cattle in the east and center.
Around here, we have the 4 classical crops in the plain. Wheat mostly as winter crop. Barley as winter or spring crop, for cattle and beer, Rape either for grain (cattle feed, oil and green diesel) or for winter cover to limit nitrogen runoff (a major issue in the whole country), and silage/grain corn (irrigated).

we also grow chestnuts, apples, lentils, garlic and vine (?) though in truth the wine is not very good :-)

As you climb the mountains, the corn disappears and you find many permanent pastures and forests. The main production of the area is very extensive livestock on grass, for meat and cheese mostly, not milk. You may find cattle races named Aubrac [1] (http://www.animal-services.com/sites/race_bovines_aubrac.php3), Charolaise [2] (http://www.animal-services.com/sites/race_bovines_charolaise.php3), Limousine [3] (http://www.animal-services.com/sites/race_bovines_limousine.php3) et Salers [4] (http://www.animal-services.com/sites/race_bovines_salers.php3), sheep and goats. Ref your comment about animal feed, these are outside in the pasture most of the year. Very rustic races. The farmers in the mountain buy the silage and the rape of the farmers in the plain. We are not self sufficient for protein though, hence we buy your soybeans :-). Very little monoculture around, but this is maybe one of the last place in the ecoregion. Your picts are good. The landscape around the jeep suits me :-)

defend the nexus!

destroy the monoculture! mnemonic 05:19, 2004 Jun 20 (UTC)

Forests

This seemed somewhat out of place and debatable (forests are very diverse compared to monocultures):

• Some native areas, such as climax forests, show remarkably little species biodiversity. These areas are the exception rather than the rule, however.

--Erauch 01:41, Mar 27, 2005 (UTC)

Agreed, considering that Climax community is, according to its article, "an outdated ecological term," and does not describe any decrease or limitations in diversity. Hyacinth 02:06, 27 Mar 2005 (UTC)