Reducing Off-Farm Inputs - Farm as Organism

Reducing Off-Farm Inputs
Farm as Organism
21 March 2019

The Farm as Organism
There are a lot of things about Rudolf Steiner that fascinate me – and one day I hope to investigate them all. But the topics that have grabbed my attention most are his ideas surrounding a closed-loop fertility system and approaching the farm as a unique organism. Not that these concepts in principle were new to me, it’s just that the way he phrased his ideas and thoughts hammered home how important approaching farming like this really was. We need to approach it as a closed-loop system, maintaining and utilizing resources and energy within itself - in essence leveraging the first law of thermodynamics for its full value.

Reducing Off-Farm Inputs
For a long time I’ve been intrigued by the possibilities of reducing off-farm inputs. Today, with organic and biodynamic farming growing like never before, the possibilities for achieving these goals seem to expand exponentially. Not because these ideas didn’t exist before, but the energy for and behind them has reached a critical mass and our collective consciousness for a new farming paradigm is demanding them. As well, our understanding of nature and the tools we have for reducing off-farm (or purchased) inputs have increased. Nature has pretty much everything we need, usually right in front of us, if we have the insight and patience to look for it.

Here are a few ideas I’ve had on my mind that will allow anyone to move in a direction of reducing off-farm inputs and leveraging the power of on-farm nature to grow better food and heal the planet.

Indigenous Micro-organisms (IMO) – biological farming is all the rage these days and there is no end to the different microbial materials you can shell your hard earned cash out for. To be fair, many of these products are pretty good and useful if are not a DIY kind of farmer. But did you know you can usually grow your own without leaving the farm (or going very far)? The process is pretty simple and doesn’t require much except for some basic materials to get the process going. Yes, these ingredients will come from off the farm, but they allow you to then capture and propagate your own on-farm microbes in a self-perpetuating microbial eco-village. Do tell, you say?

My IMHO IMO Recipe
The simplest approach (the one I use) is to i) par boil about 5 lbs of rice, ii) place the rice in a small cedar box that can breathe, but has a wire cover to prevent critters from eating the rice and loose fitting plastic cover to prevent moisture from getting in, iii) bury this in the woods (not too deep) and cover with leaves and forest debris, iv) come back in about 2 weeks and the mass of rice should be alive with life, v) mix this in a plastic bucket with about 1 lb of molasses (or brown sugar) for the microbes to feed on and leave for about a week or so, vi) put this mixture into a large vessel with 50 or 100 lbs of grain bran, mix well, and allow to ferment, vii) finally, take the mixture and mix with large compost pile that has a C:N ration of about 30:1 and again let the fun begin! It may take a few turns to get everything fully inoculated. Once the compost pile in fully inoculated you can apply directly to the orchard floor beneath the trees. There are numerous variations on this theme, mine is just one.

Compost Teas – again, another simple process that can yield huge benefits in the way of mineral nutrition and biological boosts. Depending on your objectives – which will in part define your ingredients – these can be made from many common plants as well as the aforementioned IMOs when ready. Some favorites are comfrey, nettles (seeded and unseeded), horsetail (Equisetum arvense), any of the other biodynamic herbs (nettles, yarrow, dandelion), or pick some others like plantain or Echinacea. Basically, you need to shred or cut up the plant material and place in a large vat of water (an ICB or plastic drum will work), place a cover on it, and let it heat up and soak. You will want to punch it down or stir every few days so it doesn't putrify. You could also aerate it, but that would require a small air pump. After a week or two you can add some of the inoculated compost or other ingredients, strain, and apply with a sprayer. Another alternative is to fill a pillow case with a small amount of either the raw inoculant or the inoculated compost and soak like a tea bag in 55 gallons of water to achieve a wonderfully rich bio-spray. After straining these teas so they don’t clog your sprayer, they can be applied to your plants and trees through foliar sprays or ground drenches. I’d love to hear some of your favorite compost tea preparations.

Wood Mulch – the demand for wood chips and mulch has skyrocketed these days. It used to be that you could flag down any road crew cleaning up after a storm and get yourself 20 yards of free wood. These days though, everyone recognizes the importance of a carbon base for microbes. Getting free wood chips or mulch is nearly impossible anymore. But another concern I’ve had about road crew “cleanup” is that you never knew what was in it. Typically, you didn’t want too soft wood (i.e., conifers) or anything that might have allelopathic properties (e.g., walnut). Coniferous wood does not tend to break down as easily as hard wood because of its high lignin content. I usually tell folks that up to 20% soft wood is ok, but beyond that could be problematic. As well, allelopathic plants like walnut or tree of heaven produce compounds that inhibit or outright kill other plants to reduce competition in the wild. In a farm setting, you certainly don’t want this to happen to your own plants. Solution? Make your own. You can do this in a variety of ways, but one is to buy a small wood chipper and make your own from trees growing right on your farm. Depending on where you live, this could be a good way to recycle so-called yard waste and constantly replenish your carbon base. You’ll know what goes into it and so you’ll know what comes out. And it keeps it all on farm.

BioChar – if you have more small branches or limbs than you know what to do with – or you don’t want to chip them – then you can make Biochar. Biochar is basically charcoal that you make on farm, but that has so many benefits beyond just the obvious. Most importantly, it provides a carbon base and physical space for sequestering nutrients and biology with its micropores. Once its made, you can soak it in compost teas to absorbs the goodness and then redistribute like a time-release fertilizer. Last summer, Autumn Stoscheck of Eve’s Cidery had an afternoon workshop that demonstrated how to make biochar. Not only is it lots of fun, but its pretty easy, too. First you’ll need a modest cone shaped hole about 4’ in diameter and 3’ deep. Place some high flammable material like old pallets (untreated wood) in the bottom, something to get the fire going. Then pile on a significant amount of woody debris (in this case she used dried vine prunings), but nothing green – it needs to burn. As the fire gets going, but before the woody debris burns to ash, you want to keep adding more material in order to smother it by reducing the oxygen supply. You can also use water to cool it down and smother the fire if it gets going a little too well. Once you’ve added all of your material, then you can extinguish the fire completely. One it all cools you should have a pit of uniform charcoal. At this point, you can put it into the orchard directly, soak in compost teas, or store for later use. Some folks I know have added biochar directly to the planting holes for trees and vines or incorporated into the soil prior to planting for annual crops. Biochar, like activated charcoal, can also absorb excess nutrients or toxins if mild bioremediation activity is needed. The video link was made by another friend of mine, Sean Dembrowsky, from Edible Acres in Trumansburg, NY.

Johnson-Su Bioreactor (Composter) – this is one idea I came across recently that really peaked my interest. I’ve long been fascinated by on-farm composting, but was deterred because of the volume of raw material required and the need to turn large compost piles for full decomposition. The Johnson-Su composter does away with the need to turn and accelerates the decomposition process to the point that I can make many small batches of compost in short periods of time and in continuously with parallel bioreactor. Make more than one and you have compost going all year long as long as you have enough raw material. I haven’t actually started one this year, but as soon as spring gets here……

We’ll keep updating on these topics and may even have a workshop or two illustrating the processes behind each throughout the summer. Have fun. Spring will be here in 3, 2, 1 ………Peace!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

25 May - Asparaganza at Finger Lakes Cider House, Interlaken, NY*

1-2 June - The Promise of Biodynamics (Trumansburg, NY)

7-9 June - International Herbal Symposium, Wheaton College, Norton, MA*

15 June - 9th Annual Herbal Hoedown (Trumansburg, NY) - CANCELLED*

10 August - Biodynamic Workshop: Focus on the Preps (HJ Wiemer)

Look here for other upcoming
Know Your Roots
orchards and herbs events and workshops.

* NOT a Know Your Roots event.

The Promise of Biodynamics - 2019
*PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE*
1-2 June 2019, 9am-3pm
Know Your Roots, 6031 Brook Road, Trumansburg, NY
* Last year we discussed the Promise of Biodynamics broadly as it applies to orchards and vineyards. This year we’ll delve deeper into specific practices and aspects, including the planetary influences on plant and preps, the nature of a closed system farm, and energy systems. Of course, we will cover the basics on Day 1 to give everyone a background on the history and practices of biodynamics. However, we will quickly move to a detailed discussion of specific concepts and practices. This year’s course will be divided into two days and lunch will NOT be provided as part of the cost.

COST: $100 for both days, includes cost of all materials.
For more information: https://knowyouroots.com/index.html or call 845-674-5124

The Promise of Biodynamics – 2019
6 Apr 2019, 9am-3pm
Midsummer Farm, 156 Ridge Rd E, Warwick, NY 10990
* Last year we discussed the Promise of Biodynamics broadly as it applies to orchards and vineyards. This year we’ll delve deeper into specific practices and aspects, including the planetary influences on plant and preps, the nature of a closed system farm, and energy systems. Of course, we will cover the basics to give everyone a background on the history and practices of biodynamics. However, we will quickly move to a detailed discussion of specific concepts and practices.

For more information or to register: http://www.midsummerfarm.com/ or call (845) 986-9699

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