Why are so many fields left barren and open to direct ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation from the sun? When the entire field is cleared of trees and all other forms of life, the soil is exposed to the sunlight. The UV-B radiation is killing the soil microbes that play an important role as decomposers and nutrient recyclers. The dry air of the San Joaquin Valley furtheres wind erosion as dry soil particles are being removed from the surface and carried into the atmosphere as particulate dust..

Farming for profit and economic market forces beyond logic are responsible for this irrational practice. Mass production of crops via large machinery is the excuse for clearing away all trees. The oaks native to the San Joaquin Valley are important for holding the mycorrhiza fungal network that forms the symbiotic relationship with their roots. Acorns from the oaks are also a potential food source for squirrels and humans..

Black walnuts, cottonwoods and oaks are all native to the San Joaquin Valley and benefit the ecosystem of the valley. European immigrants have altered the valley by diverting streams that previously deposited mineral rich matter on the flat valley during flood times. Floods are important to soil restoration by adding humus (topsoil) to the surface. These new minerals and organic matter is then made available to the plants by the actions of the soil microbial community. The prevention of flooding through canals and waterway diversions compounded by the clearing of land and exposure to UV radiation is increasing conditions of mineral/nutrient defeciency in the soils..

Chemical fertilizer, the supposed solution of big business does not fix these problems, it gives us a temporary bandaid that will soon peel off with a pile of oozing puss as the underlying cancer below is still growing in magnitude..

http://archive.greenpeace.org/ozone/radiant/15rad.html

"The burning rays of UV-B radiation will first affect those trees most directly exposed to it: the crowns of the tallest trees, trees growing at the edges of clearings and rivers and seedlings in clear-cut zones. But they will also penetrate deeper as time goes on to the lower layers of the forest canopy until ultimately reaching the soil. There, UV-B will influence the production of the soil itself through alterations in soil chemistry and impacts on the lives of the soil biota, microbes, fungi, plants and invertebrates which transform forest litter to a nutrient-rich humus capable of sustaining many forms of life. "

We can prevent this by realizing our potential as traditional farmers, letting the oaks, walnuts and cottonwoods regrow, letting the natural streams overflow their banks and deposit their mineral rich topsoil on the land once again. The areas currently left barren by big business farms can be reclaimed by the people and nature whenever we desire..

Comida no bomba!!