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No-Till & Minimum-Till NO-TILL & MINIMUM-TILL ORGANIC VEGETABLE AND FRUIT PRODUCTION TRIAL AND ERROR Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center Winter Scene—Farm Stand OUR FRONT YARD IN WINTER WORLD-WIDE, AGRICULTURE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FROM 40% TO 50% OF ALL CARBON EMISSIONS EVERY YEAR.* AND A LARGE PART OF THAT IS DUE TO TILLAGE. *ACCORDING TO WORLD BANK RESEARCHERS. Carbon Sinks OCEAN FOSSILIZED ATMOSPHERE FARM FORESTS FOREST AND FARM SOILS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT SINKS AND THEY ARE MOSTLY EMPTY, HAVING OFF-GASSED ALMOST 75% OF THEIR CARBON IN THE LAST 400 YEARS. AN ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF 0.4% IN SOIL CARBON, OR 4% PER YEAR, COULD STABILIZE CARBON EMISSIONS FROM ALL SOURCES. FRENCH PROGRAM OF 4 PER 1000, PARIS COP,2015 Since photosynthesis and tillage are lead actors in climate change, we felt that we could make a difference by reducing tillage and increasing photosynthesis. But, we didn’t really know how to reduce Tillage! We studied Elaine Ingham’s videos and Walter Jehne’s lectures and found that tillage was rapidly accelerating the breakdown of organic matter and: Increasing erosion rates Reducing Nutrient holding capacity Increasing emissions of CO2 and other GHGs Destroying the soil food web Fracturing soil aggregates Damaging the soil water sponge On our farm we estimated that we were off-gassing about 40% of our carbon each year from Tillage CARBON LOSS PER TILLAGE OPERATION KG C (CEQ) EMISSIONS PER ACRE MOLDBOARD PLOW. 6.3 CHISEL HARROW 3.3 HEAVY TANDEM DISK 3.5 STANDARD DISK 2.4 SUBSOILING 4.7 FIELD CULTIVATION 1.6 ROTARY HOE 0.83 DATA IS FROM RATTAN LAL, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Vern Grubinger NE SARE Dir., prompted us to begin experimenting with no-till in 2012. The horse farming Nordels from Pennsylvania – introduced us to their no-till system. We farmed some ground with Belgian horses & we tried to duplicate the Nordel’s success. Our First experiments with Horse and Tractor no-till Total Failures! PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS • NOT DENSE ENOUGH MULCH COVER • NOT APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT FOR THE JOB • WE NEEDED NO-TILL TRANSPLANTERS AND SEEDERS FOR OUR SCALE OF FARMING—60 ACRES. Challenges: Mulch Cover Failure in 2013: 110#s Rye Change is hard! After such failures we argued constantly about changing to no-till. And, it was difficult! Some of our local farmer colleagues also argued passionately for and against organic no-till IN 2015, WE VISITED A NO-TILL FARM IN COSTA RICA THAT USED KOREAN NATURAL FARMING STRATEGIES. WE STUDIED THEIR TECHNIQUES, AND VISITED RODALE AND OTHER FARMS USING NO-TILL SYSTEMS. WE BECAME CONVINCED WE HAD TO CHANGE! IT WAS NOT THAT WE WERE FARMING BADLY, WE JUST FELT THAT WE COULD IMPROVE! WE FORMED A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE IN 2016, TO: • EVALUATE OUR WHOLE-FARM SOIL/NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM • PRIORITIZE OUR COMMITMENT TO NO-TILL AND MINIMUM-TILL RESEARCH • • HAVE A MANAGER DEDICATED TO R&D PROJECTS • STUDY KOREAN NATURAL FARMING SYSTEMS After 6 years of research trials, and some success, we decided In 2018 to begin converting the farm to no-till and minimum-till. We now have 9.5 acres converted to or in a conversion program to no-till and minimum-till “Current” No-Till Transition Phases • PHASE 1 • Weed Suppression (smother crop) and soil nutrient balance • PHASE 2 • Rebuilding the Nutrient Cycle: Brazilian cover crops, Korean Natural Farming preps • PHASE 3 • Cash Crop Production: Brazilian cover crops, Korean Natural farming to fit nutritive cycle Phase 1 WEED SUPPRESSION AND SOIL NUTRIENT BALANCE • Smother crops 200#s Winter Rye, year 1, Solarize after roller-crimping • We often add legumes in 1st smother mix. • Soil Nutrient Balance to enhance CEC • Plant Brazilian nutrient mixes after solarizing, take two cuttings or make two plantings (Spring/Summer). Plant 130# Winter Rye in mid-September • Korean Natural Farming preps on smother and nutrient crops • Switching to permanent beds and minimum-till for small seed crops The University of Vermont and Dr. Bronner’s helped us upgrade our equipment. 7 years ago, UVM donated a community-shared roller crimper. We adapted it so we could roller-crimp with a front mount and plant right behind. Phase 1: Cover Crop Crimping/Planting. Crimper—UVM. No-till grain drill—Dr. Bronner’s. Community-shared equipment. Roller crimping at 70% pollen. (200#s winter rye) After roller crimping ½ one direction, ½ in other direction. Always plant in direction of crimp. Mulch Cover with perennial weeds 2 weeks after roller-crimping Solarize Weeds: in rare cases we used black plastic on difficult weeds. Cooler under the plastic for 2 or 3 days than when soil is exposed to sun, so we are not damaging soil microorganisms. Planting: 2nd Year smother, 130#s Rye on weed free 1st year smother Phase 2 REBUILDING THE NUTRIENT CYCLE: MICROORGANISM FARMING • INCREASING THE NUMBER AND DIVERSITY OF SOIL MICROORGANISMS • PROTECTING AND FURTHER SOLIDIFYING SOIL AGGREGATES & ENHANCING THE SOIL WATER SPONGE BY NO OR MINIMUM TILLAGE • GRADUAL INCREASE IN SOIL ORGANIC MATTER VERSUS ROLLERCOASTER • INTER-SEEDING BRAZILIAN COVERS, USE OF MICROBIAL-RICH COMPOSTS, TEAS, AND KNF PREPS Phase 2: Collecting Indigenous Microorganisms & making KNF preps and/or buying Effective Microorganisms for composts and teas. Contacts: Chris Trump, Natural Farming Co., Michael Phillips, herbal apple Guru, NH. Phase 2: Gabe Brown/Brazilian Cover Crop Mixes: Berseem Clover, Crimson Clover, CowPeas, Sudangrass, Pearl Millet, Diakon Radish, Flax, Sunflower, Phacelia and Buckwheat. Seed Rate 30lbs/Acre—Contacts: Roland Bunch, Ademir Calegari, Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, Green Cover Seed Phase 3: Gabe Brown /Brazilian covers inter-seeded with cash crops Phase 3: Planting: RJ No-Till rotary plug transplanters, Dr. Bronner’s. Community- shared transplanter. Plants Veg. and fruit plugs: corn, melons, squash, strawberries, kale, peppers, eggplant, lettuce, okra, chard, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, etc. • that Dr. Bronner’s bought – turned it into two planters 1st Year Planting: Mulch layer importance. • Planted kale and broccoli on the other sPlanted kale and broccoli on the other side of field • Notice the weed pressure – even on bare mulch Mulch layer is nearly ground – none! as clean as the • Planting window from June to November, once mulch layer is built adjacent tilled field • et us plant three crops with no weed pressure Planting window from • ide of field June through • Notice the weed pressure – even on bare mulch November ground – none! Let us plant three • Planting window from June to November, once mulch crops with literally no layer is built weed pressure No-Till Strawberries: No irrigation, no fertilizer, no cultivation, no weed pressure, no disease. Fair yields on poorest ground. No amendments! Year 2: No irrigation, no purchased fertilizer, no plastics, no plowing, no weeds! Good to very good yields on kale, broccoli, butternut squash, corn, watermelons. 2019 Year 2: No-Till yields 2019--brix in watermelons equal to tilled, fertilized and irrigated organic melons. Solarizing Spring Brazilian cover for No-till, bare-root organic strawberry trial in May, 2020. Control on the right. Next Phase 3: Bare-root Checchi & Magli transplanter: strawberries, onions, leeks, etc. Dr. Bronner’ community-shared transplanter. Minimum-till Experiments at Willing Hands w/Rinaldi power harrow & drop seeder—Earth Tools Evaluation: On-site and off-site evaluation: Microscope evaluation—on-farm. Backup microbiology lab—Earthfort, Oregon Cornell Comprehensive Soil Health test Soil tests: Modified Morgan—University of Vermont (UVM)-Reams Mehlich—Logan Labs, Ohio, soil mineral balancing-Albrecht Nitrogen sampling—UVM/Magdoff, pre side dress nitrogen Leaf and petiole sampling—UVM Carbon sampling—Didi Pershouse, Shawn Grenier Nutritive evaluation of crops—Bionutrient Food Association Contact Us Info www.cedarcirclefarm.org Phone 802-785-4737—Farm 802-369-9133—Will 802-369-9652—Nic Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected].
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