I found this piece that I think originated from Ray Archuleta in the Grazing News. It goes right with what I am working on and have seen on various farms this summer.
With improved soil health, production will increase. Not all at once, but within 3-5 years, soils that had been farmed with heavy use of chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) will be more productive with fewer inputs, cycling nutrients more effectively, and protecting crops against pests and diseases.
Here are seven, simple steps we can take to increasing production by farming for soil health instead of yields.
This enlarged picture shows all the creatures living in the soil with the roots. Plant roots send exudates (sugars and other polysaccharides) into the soil to feed microorganisms. Root material and cover crop residues also feed worms.
1. Keep the soil covered.
Cover crops are a must. Only a small percentage of farmers use them, and that’s a shame. Cover crops’ roots provide exudates that feed microbes, and microbes keep the soil alive. Not to mention that cover crops lead to increased yields and reduced fertilizer costs. It’s a win-win, we might say.
Here are some On Pasture articles about cover crops:
• Science Backs Profits from Grazing Cover Crops• The $200 Cover Crop Bump
2. Avoid Tilling.
Tillage provides some benefits, and is sometimes needed. But although it may aerate lower soils, it reduces aggregation, speeds up organic matter decomposition, and reduces microbial populations in the surface, where most of the action is.
Here’s what we’ve found about the results of one form of pasture tilling:
Keyline Plowing: What Is It? Does It Work?Keyline Plowing Gets You 522,270 Worms for $280
3. Inoculate.
Another idea may be to inoculate your soil with biological inoculants to increase the number and diversity of soil organisms present. Be careful, though, because there is plenty of snake oil out there. Make sure that you are reaching for biologically-based products, and try them out on a small area first to see if they are worth the money and time.
Inoculation is good when you’re introducing a new plant/crop and can be as easy as adding a cupful of inoculant to a whole bag of seed.
4. Reduce Toxicity
Avoid applying all chemicals that might kill microbes. This may include chemicals designed to target one pest species, but may unintentionally harm other species as well. Prophylactic use of antibiotics can mean that livestock are excreting antibiotics that then harm soil organisms if they don’t break down completely.
Here’s a well-managed, diverse pasture courtesy of UVM.
5. Avoid Monocultures
Diversity is key for soil biology. Diverse crops mean that you are feeding the soil organisms a diverse menu of carbon. Diversify your hayfields, your pasture, your cover crops. Your soil will be healthier and your operation will be more resilient in the face of drought, or other weather problems. Have fun with it, and try new things.
6. Practice Better Grazing Management
Avoid overgrazing (and increase diversity). Jeff and Ray do a lot of traveling across the US, and both have seen so many pastures that are straight tall fescue, and so many places where the herd should have been moved- last week! Overgrazing can mean waiting a year to recover, or five years or more in more brittle environments. Manage grazing efficiently, to take what is there, and to give land time to recover. Try seeding in some crops for fall or spring grazing to add diversity, legumes for nitrogen, and to provide a grazing option that might not have been there.
7. Innovate
There are so many things to try. Read about them, or ask your NRCS, Conservation District or Extension staff about what’s new on the horizon. Find out about about overseeding with new plants, try new cover crops. Try out chicory, radishes, clover, turnips. Add peas to the mix. There are many new hybrids with valuable traits that might be worth the extra cost of the seed. Keep on trying new things, and keep adding diversity, pay attention to outcomes and keep notes so you can figure out what works best, and you’ll find new ways to be successful.
It works!
Ed Winkle
