RODALE INSTITUTE Farming For Healthier Soil Changes & Challenges By Jeff Moyer Executive Director
Our Broken Food System When Only Yields Are Considered
Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People Written on a blackboard in 1942 J.I. Rodale
Organic Farming is Modern Agriculture, using modern tools, modern science, state of the art biology, agricultural engineering, seed breeding, and allowed material inputs!
Same Resources Different Philosophy
FST Soil Results organic conventional organic conventional Soils of the organic systems have a more active soil biological community higher levels of glomalin (a glycoprotein that acts like glue, binding organic matter to mineral particles), greater populations of mycorrhizae (a fungus that forms a symbiotic relationship with its host plant: the fungus receives carbohydrates from the plant, which in return gains access to water and nutrients). This leads to improved soil structure and enhanced carbon sequestration.
Replace Chemistry & Bio-Technology
With Biology
Changes in Soil Based on Management
Impacts of Those Changes On Water Management Conventional Soil Wheat After Rain Organic Soil Wheat After Rain
Soil Microorganisms Group Average Number per Gram Of Soil Live Weight per Acre Plow Depth (pounds) Bacteria 1 billion 500 Actinomycetes 10 million 750 Fungi 1 million 1,000 Algae 100 thousand 150 TOTAL 5,000 to 20,000 Pounds per Acre
RODALE INSTITUTE Let s Talk Compost
Compost basics Compost is the controlled decomposition of organic residues into a humus-like end product. 25:1 / 40:1 mix of brown (C-based) materials and green (N-based) materials 50-65% moisture Temperatures 131-170 F or more during active decomposition (15 Days) Made in windrows, piles or containers (large or small) Usually requires repeated mixing (5 times in 15 days) Takes 8 weeks to 2 years (depending on the above factors)
RODALE INSTITUTE Animals on My Farm?
RODALE INSTITUTE Rotations?
Crop Rotations Rotation of crops is the most effective means yet devised for keeping land free of weeds. No other method of weed control, mechanical, chemical, or biological, is so economical or so easily practiced as a well-arranged sequence of tillage and cropping. C.E. Leighty. 1938 Yearbook of Agriculture
Weed Impacts on Corn by Variety
RODALE INSTITUTE Cover Crops; Why & How
Cover Crops The Key To Any Successful Soil Health Improvement Strategy Crimson Clover Hairy Vetch/Rye Hairy Vetch
Evaporation Life Death Moderate Temperature, Evaporation, and Microbial Health Burleigh County SCD
Effects of planting and termination date on cereal rye biomass (Penn State University, Rock Springs, PA; Aroostook cereal rye) 14000 Cereal rye biomass (kg ha -1 ) 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 Photographs taken on April 1 Termination Dates May 20 May 30 2200 kg ha -1 0 26-Aug 5-Sep 15-Sep 25-Sep 5-Oct 15-Oct Planting Date Mirsky, S.B., W.S. Curran, D.M. Mortensen, D.L. Shumway, and M.R. Ryan. 2011. Timing of cover crop management effects on weed suppression in 2008 no-till Rodale planted institute soybean using a roller-crimper. Weed Science. 59:380 389.
3 bu ac -1 rye seeded on mid-september 50% broadcast 50% drilled (Picture taken in late November)
Root nodules housing Rhizobia bacteria Tap root
December 8 th, 2011 Fungi: Another Tool in Bacteria's Belt? Fungi and Bacteria Help One Another Stay Mobile, Say Researchers Bacteria and fungi are remarkably mobile. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered that the two organisms enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship to aid them in that movement -- and their survival.
Sod/Livestock Impacts on Conservation Farming Systems University of Florida, Auburn University, National Soil Dynamics, National Peanut Laboratory, UGA, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M The Nature Conservancy, NRCS, Cotton Inc., NWF Water Mgt. District, and others
Sod-based Peanut-Cotton Rotation Tri-State Project (GA, FL, AL) Sod System: (B1-B2-P-C) Conventional System: (P-C1-C2) oat Bahia oat Peanut oat Cotton Bahia oat oat Cotton oat Cotton Peanut Oat Winter Cover Crop Following Peanut and Cotton in Both Systems Strip till was used in each year with best management practices
2 year old bahia Peanut 1st year bahia The Rotation- September Cotton Perennial grass rotations impact the farm economically, biologically, environmentally, and sociologically
Peanut Plots on 7/30/07 Twin Rows Conventional Peanut Sod-based Peanut
Peanuts grown in soil without Bahia roots Peanuts grown in soil with Bahia roots Soil was the same cultivated soil in both cases with roots added
RODALE INSTITUTE The Pluses and Minuses Of Tillage
Tillage has it s Drawbacks
Tillage Opens the System Up to Damage
Weed Biomass History Weed Biomass Across Time 7000 Weed Biomass (kg/ha) 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 Livestock Legume Conventional 1000 0 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 C C S C S C S S C S C CS S C S C S S C S
Several Secondary Tillages
We Can Mulch Out Annual Weeds In The Garden
A Different Way of Farming
Tools That Make it Possible
16 Drum, (10) 4 Blades
Corn PLOW TILL PLOW DISC PACK PLANT ROTARY HOE ROTARY HOE CULTIVATE CULTIVATE HARVEST (143 Bu/A) NO-TILL ROLL/PLANT HARVEST (160 Bu/A) A two step organic production system Plant and Harvest!
2013 Corn into Hairy Vetch
This is what we want to see
Production budgets for corn Organic Tilled vetch+ corn Organic No-till vetch+ corn Conv Tilled corn Conv No-till vetch+ corn Expenses fertilizer 0.00 0.00 118.04 90.44 herbicide 0.00 0.00 108.19 144.56 seeds 139.40 139.40 88.15 148.35 custom haul 30.00 30.00 30.00 30.00 labor 39.35 18.61 15.78 16.14 fuel 47.60 23.96 23.76 20.67 repair & maintenance 17.56 10.35 8.42 8.97 interest on op.capital 6.35 4.54 11.50 13.50 fixed expenses 52.02 30.98 27.31 27.46 Total Expenses ($/acre) 332 258 431 500 Profit ($/acre) * @ 100 bu/a yield 504 578-16 -85 @ 150 bu/a yield 922 996 191 122 @ 200 bu/a yield 1,340 1,414 399 330 Break-even price ($/bu) @ 100 bu/acre 3.32 2.58 4.31 5.00 @ 150 bu/acre 2.22 1.72 2.87 3.33 @ 200 bu/acre 1.66 1.29 2.16 2.50 These production budgets were calculated using the free on-line Mississippi State Budget Generator (MSBG), developed by the Department of Agricultural Economics at Mississippi State University, (http://www.agecon.msstate.edu/what/farm/generator/). When available, input and price data were taken directly from data collected at the Rodale Institute (2008-2010), otherwise default values from the Budget Generator were used. * The 3-year average price for organic corn was $8.36/bu, for conventional corn $4.15/bu.
Average Biomass (lbs/a) of Cover Crop Mixtures: 2003 Corn Cover Crop Trial 10000 9000 8392 Biomass (Lbs / Acre) 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 3111 4837 5344 6669 6978 1000 0 Oats HV Plow 5/12/03 BuWh HV 6/9/03 Oats HV 6/9/03 Barley HV 6/9/03 Wheat HV 6/9/03 Rye HV 6/9/03 Cover Crop Treatment & Date Collected
Spring Types Winter Types
Mis-Planted Seed
Yetter Residue Managers
2014 Planter Setup
2013 Corn into Hairy Vetch
Treatment #14 Planted May 23 rd w/oshark Teeth Cover Crop Removed Yield 17 Bu/A
Treatment #11 Planted June 1st w/shark Teeth Yield 38 Bu/A
Treatment #2 Planted May 23 rd w/shark Teeth Yield 59 Bu/A
NO-TILL SOYBEANS 2007
2008 plant date: June 2 nd (drilled beans) June 19 th (row beans) plant population: 250,000 and 225,000 seeds/ac respectively July 22, 2008
NO-TILL SOYBEANS 2008 harvest date: November 4 th yield: 32bu/ac (average) overall farm soybean yield: 24 bu/ac September 11, 2008
Rivera Farm Argentina
Doudlah Farms; LLC
Doudlah Farms; LLC
Doudlah Farms; LLC
Doudlah Farms; LLC
Clove Oil: Application
High Residue Cultivator
High Residue Cultivation
Relay Cropping
TWO CROPS ONE FIELD
Two Crops Same Field Same Time
Why is soil health Important The soil is the great connector of our lives the source and destination of all Wendell Berry
Rodale Institute Thank You! Jeff Moyer jeff.moyer@rodaleinstitute.org 610-683-1420 Rodale Institute 611 Siegfriedale Road Kutztown, PA 19534
BOOK NOW AVAILABLE Organic No-Till Farming Author - Jeff Moyer Publisher - Acres USA Call: 610-683-6009 Available at Amazon.com Price : $28.00