Moloch
The end of the human race is that it will eventually die of civilization.
Archive for 2026
Biochar is a Sponge
My last article on biochar was in March 2023. You can read about Bigtime Biochar on Barreca Vineyards.com, but the project at Avista’s Waste to Energy Facility in Kettle Falls did not happen. There has been a lot of hype about biochar over the years and that project is a good example. Myno Carbon wanted… (read more)
Under the Microscope
Diversity and abundance are the hallmarks of a healthy ecosystem. They are apparent when you are out in nature. But what about the ecosystem underground? A pretty sure indication of health is an abundance of earthworms. If those are not visible, how do you check for diversity and abundance in your soil? To answer that… (read more)
Food Fight
Both my mother an father grew up in large families, 7 kids each, on small farms in Missouri and Oregon. Both of them left their farms to fight in World War II, never to return to the farm. They went to college on the GI Bill after our triumph in the war. America went big… (read more)
It’s the Biology
Take advantage of your disadvantages. Rachel Leiken In the beginning of winter weather forecasters tell us about El Niño and La Niña. This year we got La Nada, an entirely open winter with record warm temperatures. This portends another very dry summer, record heat and high fire danger. Amidst that bad news it is a… (read more)
Podcast
This Podcast with Adam Huss of Beyond Organic Wines explains a lot about our approach to wine and soils. https://recording.zencastr.com/beyondorganicwine/joe-barreca