Occasionally Loud

We first moved to our current location, at the Genuine Faux Farm, in 2004.  The first neighbor to approach us was an older woman, Ruth Bergmann, who "only lived a half-mile away."  She brought us a dessert and invited us over for a dinner when we were ready.  It was a kind offer that we were, honestly, a bit startled, but still grateful, to receive.  You see, in all of our other places of residence, we had not been welcomed by a neighbor - so we did not expect anything different this time around.

While we did not spend a great deal of time over the years with Ruth and her husband, Loren, who had lived there for many years, we did do our level best to offer assistance when their garden needed tilling.  And, we tried to be good neighbors to them, even when the farm and jobs made it difficult to carve out the time.  Perhaps we could have done more.  No.  We certainly could have done more to befriend them.  But I don't think we did anything to be bad neighbors.

Today, her grandson lives in the house down the road and we're pleased to say that we also get along with them just fine.  In fact, we were gifted with this sign that had come into their possession.  This sign had once been Sparky Zander's.  You see, Sparky and Kent Harms were two people who introduced themselves to us early when they learned we intended to do farming - and be Certified Organic.

Perhaps we'll get into that history at another point in time - for today, I wanted to share the sign.  You might notice that it does all sorts of things to be "loud."  Exclamation points!  Capital letters!  Underlining the word "NO!"  Bright colors and even a neat little trick with a pair of eyes.

Sometimes, those of us who wish to raise food or work with the land in a way that is not reliant on chemicals find ourselves needing to be loud - because otherwise, it feels like too many folks seem to believe it is okay if they infringe on the practices of growing that we are dedicating ourselves to following.  In fact, we can sometimes become downright unpleasant if we find ourselves having to try to defend the small parcels of land we steward over and over .... and over again, with no discernible changes in behavior that might indicate we've been heard at all. 

There was a reason both Sparky and Kent were vocal and, sometimes, bitter, about the situation.  Kent spoke passionately against the "aerial terrorists" that were becoming far more common in Iowa in the years just prior to his premature death in 2010.  He and Sparky both encouraged us to hold our ground and do what we needed to do.

Well, we've tried and are trying.  Maybe we're not the same kind of loud - but sometimes we can get a few people to listen.

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

We put up a website for our farm almost as soon as we decided we were going to farm - and one of the first things we did was figure out how to communicate what was important to us when it came to how our farm works.

At the time, the buzz-word was "sustainable."  Since that time, we've watched while that term has been co-opted or taken over by some who just want a nice term applied to them so they can enjoy increased sales.  That, in itself, can be pretty frustrating if your own farm took the time to define what it meant to be sustainable and then worked to share that with potential customers.  What made it worse was the revelation that just using the hot "term" was all it took - people were not generally going to look closely at the "manifesto" a farm might write to guide its own operation.

Well, we still use the word "sustainable" to describe our farm simply because it is accurate, not because we're looking to be part of the cool club.

Today, I wanted to share a slightly updated version of what has been on our website for years.  Why updated?  Well, part of the our definition for a sustainable farm is that the farmers LEARN.  If the write-up never changes, there is no evidence of learning.  

But, I will say this - the foundations are the same, the mechanics and the details have changed as we adapt and grow.

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What is Sustainable?

One of the buzz-words in the media was 'sustainability' when the Genuine Faux Farm started doing its thing in 2004/2005.  Of course, media or popular recognition is a two-edged sword. On the plus side, a broader segment of the population was more ready to learn about sustainable practices.  Unfortunately, the concept became prone to corruption as it got misused and abused. We first shared our farm's definitions for a sustainable operation in 2007.  It received editing updates a few times on the website over the years.  Now, I provide the most recent update - which will reside on the farm blog, rather than the old website that will soon be defunct.

1. Food with Integrity

Consumers are easily able to see who raised the food, what methods they used and can confirm that the farmer avoids exploiting resources (labor, environment, etc). In short, there is no "smoke and mirrors" here. We grow using approaches that we believe are best for your well-being, the well-being of our environment, our community, our workers, and our farm. As we learn and gain experience, we have made, and will continue to make, adjustments. We constantly ask ourselves if our choices are the best we can make and we constantly challenge ourselves to improve.

Interaction with the community is important. This is where the 'connection to our food' component of sustainable agriculture comes into the picture. Everyone who eats should be concerned about their connections to the grower and how they do their job. The participation of the public - your participation - encourages responsible farming methods. Why would any of us want to support businesses that willfully mistreat workers, pollute the environment, or sacrifice quality to acquire every last penny possible?  And, why would a farmer want to do things that might make you displeased with their work?

For that matter, why would you want to put anything but the best fuel into your and your family's bodies? You should want food that is fresh, tasty, and healthy. If you know the farmer, you have a better idea as to how it is grown and whether it is being produced in a way that makes you feel that you are doing the best you can to provide excellent food for your table.

2. Sustainable Agriculture operations work to optimize their inputs.

We often look at farming from an input/output standpoint. We believe that an operation that provides many of its own resources is more likely to be sustainable - built for the long haul. For example, if a farm can develop its own composting operation, it can maintain soil fertility without relying on other sources exclusively.

It is equally important that we identify things that would be too much for us to expect from our operation.  After all, there are limits to our resources (money, land, skills, and labor).  A sustainable farm needs to carefully consider what needs to come from the "outside."  And, once those things are identified, effort is made to find the best partners to fulfill that need.  For example, our farm has only fifteen acres to work with, so we cannot expect to grow grain crops to make sufficient feed for our poultry.

We do our best to find sources that match our own farm mission as closely as possible.  And, we prefer to deal with local providers when it is possible.  It is important to us that most of the local dollar you give to us will stay in the community as we use it to pay for inputs that are supplied from off-farm sources.

This also links back to food with integrity.  How we secure the necessary inputs for our growing can impact the transparency of our operation.  If inputs come from the farm, then it is easy to assess its quality - and it is equally easy to trace all the steps that led to the production and use of that input (such as compost). If the farm cannot provide the input on their own, then a sustainable farm does due diligence to check the source.  Because, in the end, we are held responsible for the product we offer - even if a problem arises due to a situation caused by an off-farm source.

We work hard to select inputs, whether they take the form of an action or addition of physical item(s), that are more likely to do good than harm. For example, we believe that reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides will impact long range health and productivity of the land where we grow our food, so we opt not to use these things. We agree with organic practices, so we make ourselves go through the certification process every season.  Not necessarily to achieve access to the label - but more so we hold ourselves accountable for a solid and sustainable farm plan each year.

3. Sustainable Agriculture stands on three legs: Community, Environment and Profitability.

What I like most about this is it makes no bones about the business and social sides of sustainable agriculture. If there is to be a sustainable agriculture system, it has to be attractive to new and existing farmers, otherwise, very few people will fill food production needs. What we want are healthy, prosperous farms with people who love what they do.

For some reason, many people believe that profitability comes at the expense of ideals. And, frankly, if it were a matter of starving or being fed, I might agree. But, when did we decide that having enough wasn't enough? There is a difference between healthy profit and exorbitant growth and income. We believe that we can provide for our food needs AND pay the farmer fair prices AND the farmer can use practices that are environmentally sound.

While this may sound too idealistic to work, we'd like to point out that the Genuine Faux Farm has been running since 2004. We have had our share of challenges and successes. Weather patterns have changed, economic climates are different than they were when we started, and our own perspectives have been altered as we learn and gain experience. We are a living farm. We experience, we learn, we adapt. With every change, we do our best to find the balance that best meets the principles we set for ourselves. In the end, we find that we are still here, striving to do our best to be a positive force in the local and sustainable foods movement.

It can be done. But we cannot do this alone. Sustainable agriculture needs the support of the community to work. Let's make it happen - together.

Steward of the Soil

One of the key tenets for organic agriculture/horticulture is that the health of the soil is important and should be maintained.  The simple logic behind it is that healthy soil makes it easier to grow healthy plants.  But, of course, keeping soil healthy is one of those things where our desires to cultivate the land is at odds with what is actually the most healthy thing for the soil - let nature do its thing and leave the soil alone. 

Cover crop seedlings emerging just five days after seeding.

Since we do need to grow food to live and we must disturb nature to do it, it is our responsibility to do our best to find strategies and compromises that balance our needs with the needs of the soil.  There are numerous ways for each of us to do this and many possible answers.  I am hopeful that if I share some of our successes and failures it might encourage others to find their own balance as well.

Cover Crops

One of the things we like to do and wish we could be even more successful at is establishing cover crops.  A cover crop is essentially a vegetative crop that is intentionally seeded for the health of the soil and the surrounding ecosystem and is not intended to be harvested as a cash crop.  Typically, the cover crop is incorporated into the soil at its conclusion so its biomass can break down and replenish nutrients and feed the microbiology that lives on the surface of the Earth.

Sunn hemp cover crop after a few weeks.

The hardest part about cover crops is finding a way to include them AROUND our cash crop growing schedule.  There is a tenuous balance between our need to grow a certain amount of produce so our farm can be financially successful and the need to use growing time and field space to grow cover crops. 

In recent years, the bigger issue has been the available time and labor needed to prepare, sew, and establish these covers.  Cover crops require some effort and need to be scheduled into the work load.  When your slate is already full, it can be difficult to want to spend time on a crop that you're just going to till in eventually.  It's even worse when you are having trouble just finding any time to do the farm work in the first place.

And then, you have to factor in the weather.  If you can't prepare an area for planting a cover crop because the field is saturated there's not much you can do.  Or, perhaps you managed to plant the cover crop but the rain stopped falling.  If you can't manage to get to setting up some overhead irrigation (for whatever reason) the seed may not germinate.  If they don't germinate in a timely fashion, the schedule that you so carefully figured out so you could have your cash crops and your cover crops gets disrupted.  So, now what do you do?

Sunn hemp at full size.

The good news is that every year on our farm, we have some cover crop successes.*  The bad news is that every year on our farm, we have some cover crop failures.  But, the best news is that we do not intend to give up on using cover crops.  Our tools change, our knowledge grows and our success rate improves.

*As a side note, we actually did NOT plant any cover crops in 2021 - something we don't even want to admit to ourselves.  But, we had other things taking priority this season.  We'll get back on it in 2022! 

In 2015, when this blog post was initially written, we had poor germination for our clover cover crops.  We know part of it was simply a timing with the weather issue.  There is always more to it than that, but we have ideas about how to address it in future years.  We had fantastic success with buckwheat, but ran out of seed at an inopportune time.   We missed on the japanese millet and just never got the area prepped.  But, the sunn hemp trial went extremely well.  You win some, you lose some.  For the most part, we'll admit that most of the failures were probably 'operator' error.  We just missed our opportunities.  

But, the good news is that we didn't give up and we didn't miss ALL of the opportunities.  As good as you can do is as good as you can do.  You just strive to get better after that.  And that has been true every for every season at the Genuine Faux Farm

Structure of the Soil
Without getting too technical here, we are also concerned with the structure of the soil and the soil aggregates.  We harm the structure with any type of tillage or soil disruption, so it is important to limit destructive behaviors including leaving bare soil (with no plant life), frequent tillage, compaction from excessive traffic and the application of chemicals that specifically harm the microscopic life forms that live there.

There are processes that aid in forming healthy structures.  Among these things is the natural cycles of wetting/drying and freezing/thawing.  So, simply allowing soil to be exposed to these natural processes without interruption can help.

Another process that aids in the building of healthy soils is the activity of root systems and animals that live in the soil (such as earthworms and other invertebrates).  So, if we do things to allow plants with good root systems to grow while supporting a good environment for soil organisms, we help to rebuild soil structure.  Now cover crops seem like an even better idea!

But, the cycle is furthered when you let the residue of a cover crop break down.  The microbial activity that works on organic matter also helps rebuild soil structure.  And a healthy soil structure has better water holding capacity and a better nutrient balance for future crops.  Sounds like a good plan to me!

And hey!  It's nice when you write something and then find that a course on that topic agrees with you.  There is always more to learn, but it feels like I am still heading the right direction.

Maintaining Untilled Areas

We'd love to have more delphiniums

The temptation of any farmer is to start thinking about each and every acre as something that must have an easily traceable income stream each and every season.  If you can't point to a yield number and a corresponding dollar amount, it may feel like that land is not pulling its load for the whole farm.  But, this is one-dimensional thinking that gets us into trouble and bad habits.  Not every piece of land is meant to be cultivated, just like every person is not meant to be a farmer.

We regularly question whether we are doing things in the best way we possibly can to support untilled areas on our farm.  We have perennial flower and vegetable plantings, buffer strips and path areas, pasture areas for our poultry, bush lines, new trees, lawn areas and areas where we disturb things as little as possible.  

Sometimes our efforts to maintain certain areas fail, sometimes they succeed and most of the time, we're not entirely sure if we're doing the right thing.  This is made all the more difficult when you consider that the 'right thing' may differ based on perspective, goals and surrounding environs.

In order to keep things simple for myself, I consider this.  If I leave some areas untilled that are adjacent to my tilled areas, that means I have a safe harbor for all of the soil organisms that are important for good soil structure/aggregate and soil health.  That means, when I harm the soil structure and organisms in the tilled area, but keep the destruction as low as possible, there is a bank of soil organisms just next door who can move in and help rebuild.  If I do things in my tilled fields that help make that area more attractive, they will be more apt to move in and repopulate.

And now you know some of our motivations and thinking as we continue to learn how to be good stewards of the soil. As I reflected on these topics, I am amazed by how much we have learned and changed in how we do things on our farm.  I am pleased by a significant number of our choices over the years and I am equally dismayed by others.  Yet, I fully realize that we continue to operate in good faith - we are doing our best with the knowledge and tools we have at any given time.  

As always, we're looking forward to continuing to learn and improve what we do as stewards of the soil.

Cardinal Sins

I have probably regaled more people than I can recall regarding the agonizing choice I had to make as I looked towards selecting classes for my 9th grade year in the Newton public school system in Iowa.  Every student had to take either Speech or Debate.  As a person who was EXTREMELY uncomfortable with the idea of talking in front of people, there was no winning option for me.  So, I took debate - because it would have far fewer people in the class.

Four years of debate and well over 50 speech and debate tournaments later, I graduated - feeling perfectly confident that I could give a presentation in front of audiences of all sizes.

One of the side effects of this training was the fact that I learned how to critically select information sources, find basic factual data and analyze it, and see how there are almost always more than two sides to every issue that had at least some reasonable support in fact.

Let's start with this meme that was created several years ago and shared with me.  Of course, the person who shared it with me figured I would be all for it because our veggies ARE certified organic.  But, I wasn't entirely on board.  Why is that?

Cardinal Sin #1 - Only One Reason

Every time I see one of these graphics that make a claim by implying only one action will solve a problem OR there is only one cause for that problem, I discount it.  In fact, I often get offended by it when it is something I know a bit about.  Why?

Well, it sure is nice that you agree with me that Certified Organic is usually better than a chemical-intensive system.  But, in your zeal to make your point, you oversimplified and completely ignored a whole host of things that severely limit our food systems.  What about monocrops?  What about short and non-diverse rotations?  What about the public's love for convenience?  How about we talk about distribution systems that cannot adjust in crisis (see the pandemic for evidence)?  Could we consider how poorly many large processors and farms treat their workers?  I could write a blog on this one all by itself and have talked about some of this in several others.  

It's a BIG topic and I find it offensive that someone would try to make the claim that a broken food system is caused by the presence or absence of a label.

Cardinal Sin #2 - Only Sort-of Correct

First, I must destroy the myth that certified organic growers are "non-chemical."  That is an outright untruth.  Now - our farm is both certified organic and committed to not spraying chemicals to control pests.  But, I could maintain certification as long as I only apply pesticides and other chemicals on a very short list of approved products.  Yes, these are not synthetically derived products - that much is true.  

If you use a broad-spectrum insecticide, such as a pyrethrum product, it still kills beneficial insects as well as beneficials.  A certified organic grower could potentially be just as bad as one that is not with their reliance on pesticides to solve problems.  

However, this is where they miss a second time by only being partially correct.  To be certified organic, you must have a whole system plan.  This includes dealing with soil health, crop rotation, water management and a whole host of things.  Typically the simple act of planning to care for natural resources will improve a farm's practices.  In other words, it is harder for a farmer who has gone through the organic system plan process to abuse pesticides because they must consider all aspects of their operation and how it impacts the natural world.

It is true that a farmer must pay to be Certified Organic.  It is also true that there is a fair amount of record keeping.  But, they make it sound like punishment rather than a part of a worthwhile system.  

Frankly, I like getting the gold star on my work instead of seeing an absence of a gold star.  I EARN a Certified Organic label for what I do.  The others fail to earn it.  THAT is a good reason to support a Certified Organic grower.

Cardinal Sin #3 - My Way or the Highway

First they fail to recognize that life and the issues in life are complex.  Then, they fail to even have the most basic bits of information correct.  And it is capped off by pronouncing that there is only one solution to the problem that is our broken food system.

If people wonder why I am sometimes very critical of efforts to promote things I actually believe in, they should wonder no more.  

You do me and the causes I support no favors when you promote those causes with misinformation and poor understanding.  You make it worse when you then try to make a claim that this is THE right answer.  Not only do you insult me with your unwillingness to check a few facts, you make me, and others like me who are Certified Organic growers, look bad.  

In short, you hurt my cause when you share things like this.  So, knock it off.

Do You Really Want To Help?

First, don't pretend you know as much as those who have some expertise (or at least a little bit of skill) in the subject.  If you really want to help and you see a meme you think might do some good - though I haven't seen many social media graphics that have succeeded in making much, if any, positive difference in the world - ask someone who has some expertise if it has any of these cardinal sins.

Second, take a moment and actually identify some facts and get a little understanding of the subject.  There is such a thing as knowing only enough to be dangerous.  But, you need to figure out the difference between becoming informed, being competent, and knowing that a trigger makes things go boom.

Here is a start for you.  Our blog has a number of posts that discuss what it means to be Certified Organic.  Read those and you will have something to start with.  Take a few of the links given in those blogs and you might even be informed enough to make your own meme - one that might be accurate and supportive at the same time.

The Joys of Being Different

 

When we moved to the farm in 2004, we had already lived in a couple of 'work-in-progress' houses.  While it is true that every building requires maintenance and home ownership implies work to be done, I suspect that not everyone is as willing as we have been to take some of these properties on.  For example, our farm house had all of one.... count it... one plug-in for the entire upstairs floor.  

Tammy and I do not pretend that we are the best at fixing up old houses, but we can hold our own.  Over time we have recognized that we will just be too slow at some projects and it is better to hire some help once we build up the funds.  And, other projects just go.... slow... because that's the way it is when you do it yourself.

In any event, one thing that has not been completed is the light for the back entry of the house.  To be perfectly clear, there never was a working light for this back entry that we know of... so it's not that we took one down and never replaced it.  Our solution has been a couple of battery powered lights that hang on the railing of the back deck.  They look pretty nice and give a little bit of light on the darkest nights.

And they also look pretty cool when they get covered in frost!

We are also, apparently, a bit odd in our choices for how we grow things.  You see, we have this tendency to want to add diversity to our plantings even though we have been trying to grow commercially since 2005.  

Simply put, adding diversity adds complexity.  Added complexity usually adds labor or introduces inefficiency.  And when labor is your premium resource, that would often be considered a poor choice.

Yet, we make that choice year after year, growing season after growing season.  

Why?  Because we believe that there are ways we can efficiently incorporate a diverse set of crops without completely giving up a reasonably efficient operation.  In fact, we have been willing to try things because we want to find some of those approaches and encourage others to do them as well.

One example of this is shown in the picture at the left.  This is in Eden (our smaller high tunnel), showing a path between two tomato rows.  If you look towards the base of the plants you will see sweet alyssum flowering.   This actually seemed to be a fairly good way to get a little diversity into the high tunnel's ecosystem without creating direct competition for the cash crop.

In fact, once these flowering plants were established, they actually helped to hold down any additional weeds that might want to get started later in the year.  There was more pollinator activity in the area and we kind of liked the fragrance as we harvested tomatoes.

The downsides?  Well, once they got into the path, they did have a tendency to try to trip us up.  But, that was handled by cutting them out of the way - or even pulling a plant or two if necessary.  The real issue was the following season when all of the volunteer sweet alyssum came up and competed with the non-tomato crops that went into these beds.  That was our fault because we suddenly had even less time this summer to do work on the farm.  A normal year and we would have handled it just fine.

Sometimes it is good to be different.  And in our case, I don't think we would have it any other way.

Why Certified Organic?

I was recently honored by a request from the Iowa Organic Association to be part of a farmer panel during their virtual Annual Meeting on Deember 1st.  I was able to join my good friend, Andy Dunham (Grinnell Heritage Farm and Tallgrass Prairie), and two other people I respect - Kathleen Delate of ISU and Nelson Smith of Springtown Ranch near Brighton.

Each of us was asked to speak for fifteen minutes, covering everything from a bit about what we do and how the year has impacted us to discussing why and how we "do organic farming."  If you wish to view the whole meeting, you can go to this link.  The nice thing about this recording is that you can look at the timeline and see that it is segmented to allow you to jump to different parts of the presentation.  If you want to skip some of the business side of the meeting, you can - for example.  It's recorded and available - your choice!  Isn't that nice?

I felt compelled to talk about the good reasons WHY I feel it is important for our farm (and other farms) to grow crops with organic practices.  And I realized - hey!  I have a farm blog!  We can use it to say more if we want!

This is a typical view of vegetable crops in one of our high tunnels (Eden in this case) for any given year at the Genuine Faux Farm.  If you look carefully, you can see tomatoes, peppers, green beans, carrots, beets, onions, melons and maybe even the stubble of lettuce that has been harvested.  There are even some flowers interspersed that are not readily apparent from the photo.

A significant part of the concept of organic agriculture is the idea that a healthy natural system is one that maintains a diversity of organisms.  That is why importance is placed on crop rotations, integrated pest management, and natural areas.  

Let's be honest now.  Not every certified organic operation is as committed as every other operation in its pursuit of diversity.  And, our farm is, in fact, probably more willing than many to accept the extra labor costs and potential losses that come with diversity at such a fine level.  Part of this is our own personal choices and preferences.  

And the rest has always had to do with our desire to try to find ways that we can achieve diversity without forsaking too much efficiency.  We figured that we were willing to give up some of our bottom line in the hopes that we would find ways that would translate to other farms without hurting THEIR bottom line.  Sometimes, I think we made a difference or two.  Other times, I am not so sure. 

I do know that we have made (and will continue to make) a valiant effort.  And I am still convinced that diversity is a key to a healthy farm.

This is one of my absolute favorite farm pictures.  I try to tell people that a successful field for a farmer is one they want to spend time in.

That is a successful field.

Ok, yes.  If you are a row crop farmer or a veggie farmer that has more land than we do, it might seem small.  The overall space is about eight thousand square feet.  The area is dedicated to melon/watermelon production as our cash crops and the amount of space taken is consistent with the years prior to the one shown above (I think it was 2015).

We decided to intentionally reduce the number of melon plants put into the field space by 30% and use that space for more pollinator support plants.  There are zinnia at the left and borage on the right.  Not easily seen in the picture is buckwheat, sunn hemp, basil, calendula and... of course, more melons.

It looked great.  There were all sorts of bees, toads, frogs and other useful critters.  It felt great to go out there.  I was proud of that field and how it looked.  

And I expected to harvest about 1/3 fewer melons because we had that many fewer plants.

Instead.  I harvest 30% MORE melons.  Nature wins.  Again.

Certified organic farms are encouraged to work with nature instead of in opposition to natural processes.  We humans are sadly mistaken when we think we are able to do better in spite of nature.   That moment when we think we are doing so is the one where we need to look carefully at where the hidden costs might be.

Once again - does every certified organic grower push this hard to support natural processes?  Of course not.  But, the culture of organic production encourages cooperation with nature and the services it provides (such as pollination services).

For those of you who are not familiar with the organic certification process.  Each year, we are required to develop an organic system plan for our operation.  That plan may be very similar to prior years, but we should review what we are doing each and every season and make adjustments.  That plan is then viewed by an organic certifying agency (in our case it is IDALS - Iowa Dept of Ag and Land Stewardship).  They will compare our plan with organic standards and highlight any possible problems in that plant.

Once that plan is approved, an on-site inspection is scheduled.  And if you pass the inspection (or address any issues that arise as a result), you can achieve certification for the year.

The process supports a positive system for critical evaluation of how you go about growing.  You have a structured opportunity to think about what you are doing and why.  You are then forced to articulate it in some fashion to someone else who can give you feedback.  

Please note - organic certification agencies WANT organic operations to succeed in achieving certification.  This does not have to be an adversarial situation!  Pure and simple - it is a fantastic opportunity to learn and refine your own processes with some built in resources for feedback.  I have found that if I want more from the certification process - I can get it.  And on years when I just don't have the energy to get more from it, well - we do what we must to earn certification and then find ways to improve the next time.

I have heard it said many times that record keeping for organic farms is a real trial.  Why?  Well, they do require that you keep track of things and sometimes it can get annoying when you are not convinced that a particular data point is worth your time to track.

Still, one of the biggest reasons certified organic products are often safer products is because we are required to track product carefully.  If there is a problem with one of our lots of spinach, we should be able to rapidly (in moments) be able to trace that spinach from planting, cultivation, harvest, cleaning, packing and delivery - showing dates, involved workers and enough of the process to determine if there was a problem that needed addressing.

The simple act of keeping those records encourages us to follow safety protocols.  Good enough.

The added bonus is that we are then blessed with data we can use to make decisions about future crops and future processes.  You can't collect data after the event has passed.  But, if you have a system that encourages consistent record-keeping, you will not have to bemoan the loss of important information that you could have used.

And here it is.  The root of it all.

The Genuine Faux Farm uses organic practices and goes through the certification process because it is a key component to how we attain personal satisfaction in our farming.  It is also an important part of how we maintain our own well-being.

I want more fields that I love being in - because those are successful fields.

It is important that we continue to improve from season to season - and the organic certification process supports that goal.

We want healthy soil and a diverse system of organisms on our farm.  Sometimes, we fantasize that the migrating birds and butterflies see our farm as an oasis in a vast desert of corn and soybeans.  Other times, we despair that our little patch is not enough to support them as they pause, exhausted on their way north or south.  But, we still reap rewards when Mr. Bunting sings, the Bull Snake slithers by and Cucumber Frog jumps and startles us.  We see the benefits when green beans taste fantastic and the fresh spinach is heaped on our plates.  

Why do we grow organic?  

We do it for us.

And we do it for nature.

And we do it for you.

Is Organic Better For You? - Look Back

Welcome to our Throwback Thursday series of "reposts" from prior years on our blog!  The rules are simple - it has to be from the same month, but a different year from our blog.  This one is from Oct 24, 2014 and it looks at research investigating whether organic foods are better for you or not.  

The funny thing about this post is that I learned how many people DO NOT read a post but still think it is important that they sound off.  No... I was NOT asking you if organic ag is better for you - it was the question being asked by research that I am reporting on.  Uff da!  Even worse were the people who proceeded to illustrate that they had no clue exactly what being certified organic meant - all while trying to tell others how it was (or wasn't) better for you.

No, the reactions were not entirely as comments on OUR blog or our social media accounts.  It had more to do with the content being shared elsewhere.  Seriously, we rarely merit that much attention on our posts!

Without further ado - here is the original post with a few edits for clarity, updates, and formatting.

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A post by Earth We Are One (in 2014) was being shared by persons who believe organic produce is the way to go.  Before I celebrated, I thought I'd better do a couple of things.  First, I wanted to learn a little about the organization that was sharing these results.  As I viewed their website, it was clear that there would be some definite biases.  That does not mean information found there is incorrect or not worthwhile.  It simply means that there is a definite agenda.  Agendas are not inherently evil, but a person needs to be aware of them when 'facts' are being reported.  This group clearly would want to support these results being claimed by this study.  So, right or wrong, I decided I would not just simply take their word for what they were reporting.

So, the second thing I did was look for the root of the information being given.  What led them to report what they reported?  My next stop was this LA Times article.  Here is an independent media source that is reporting on this meta-study.  I'll leave you to debate all you want about media, agendas and the like.  But, the reality is that I was now able to start checking more links and the flow of information back to the source. 

The Environmental Working Group is another organization that pointed at this meta-study.  I was impressed by how easy it is to learn about this organization.  They put their financial statements and annual reports on their "about us" page I linked to for all to see.  They also display an impressive ranking by the Charity Navigator, which they proudly include on their "about us" page.  These folks weigh in with this report on their pages.

All of this led me to the original journal article that is here:

US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
Published in the British Journal of Nutrition
Baranski et al. - Sep 2014
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24968103

What was this study?

If you are not a researcher, this might sound a bit silly to you.  But, let me tell you about it and why it is useful.

This was a "meta-study" - or a study about studies on a given topic.

The problem is this: there have been many studies of varying quality that try to show that organic foods are better OR no different from conventionally grown foods.  Persons who have an agenda that are served by showing organic foods are better are likely to seize on any study that shows organic products in a positive light.  Unfortunately, they might be attracted to studies with the most dramatic results but with the poorest study designs.  On the other hand, those who are not inclined to favor organics will either find studies that show no difference (again, potentially ignoring study quality) OR they will attack the weaker studies selected by proponents of organic foods.

The net result of this is that there is confusion and disagreement about the facts of the matter.  This leaves us subject to our own preconceived notions and we learn nothing in the process.

The other problem is the fact that it is impossible to study all aspects of food production and quality at once and in one study.  By their very nature, highly focused studies are more likely to produce clearer results, but are also less likely to give us a clear picture of the entire situation.  A meta-study attempts to connect results within certain parameters.

My best example is this.  Let's say Rob did a study on whether or not plants need potassium to grow and he found that they did.  With that study only, should we try to grow plants purely in potassium?  What about all of the other things required to have healthy plants?  Perhaps it would be a good idea to gather the results of studies about plant growth in an effort to come up with a complete picture of what it takes to grow a plant?

I realize I am over simplifying things a bit.  But, my point is that it is important to gather relevant research and try to summarize what is learned on a subject THUS FAR.

This study identified over 300 studies with pertinent results.  After reading the British Journal of Nutrition article, I feel comfortable with the approach to the meta study.

Eat your broccoli!

What did the meta study conclude?

If you are able - read the abstract that resides at the last link above.  If it only confuses you, I found both the LA Times and the EWG's summaries to be clear and concise.

I boiled it down to a few things.

1. fruits, vegetables and grains grown using organic practices has less chemical residue
2. fruits, vegetables and grains grown using organic practices have more antioxidants - which are good for you.
3. there is so much more to learn.

And, in the end, one of the best quotes I found can be found in the LA Times article.  One of the study authors, Charles Benbrook (Washington State U) stated, "The first and foremost message is people need to eat more fruits and vegetables. Buying organic is the surest way of limiting exposure if you have health issues, but by all means, people need to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables whether it's organic or conventional." 

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And here we are in 2020 - still debating the question.  Or, more accurately, we are ignoring the question for the most part. As near as I can tell, if a new meta-study were to be undertaken that would consider any research since the last meta-study, we would come up with similar results.

The USDA regularly tests food for pesticide residues and that data is freely available.  Organizations such as PAN and Consumer Reports have provided tools that can give you information as to how much and what types of pesticides can be found on our foods. 

And, of course, when you consider how much better organic practices would be for our soil, for our environment and for our farmers, you would think we would be happy to support certified organic practices even IF they were not found to be "healthier" than non-organic.  Why?  Because the whole system would be healthier.  And when the whole system is healthier, so are we.

Organic Seed Choices

The Genuine Faux Farm has been certified organic since 2007 and passed its organic inspection again for the growing season.  We realize that the process for organic certification likely seems like a mystery for many.  We also understand that most people only have a high-level (and likely inaccurate) idea of what it means to hold organic certification.  What certainly does not help is that there have also been incidents where people who know better have abused organic rules and certification for their own profit. 

We would like to try to make a real difference by improving understanding regarding the practices that a producer, such as ourselves, must consider for organic certification.

We hope you take a moment and learn something new (and perhaps interesting) today.  Perhaps that new thing has to do with organic certification! 

If you have interest, we have a post with links to older posts that address how we farm.  If you want something more recent, this recent post includes a section on how we make choices to leave crop residue in the field. 

It Starts With the Seeds

If you want to grow veggies, you either need seeds or starter plants.  And, if you have even done a little bit of growing and have chanced a look at a seed catalog, you realize how quickly you could get overwhelmed by the choices available to you.  I remember, in the days prior to the Genuine Faux Farm, that Tammy and I typically made choices based on how 'interested' we were based on a quick read of the text in a catalog.  Over time, we started to identify a few favorites based on their performance in our gardens.   But, really, the process was far from scientific.  In fact, we admit that we were often swayed by a good name as much as anything!

Oh look!  Supersmeltz!  That sounds like fun! Let's get a packet of that.

Once we became 'commercial' growers of vegetables, our perspectives started to change.  We needed seed that resulted in plants that performed for us.  And, by performance, I mean we needed to get a decent yield of product that looked good enough for people to buy AND it had to taste good.  And that, is the simplified version of what we were looking for as our farm evolved.

Sometimes we were looking for plants that held themselves more upright than other varieties of the same vegetable.  Sometimes we wanted smaller plants.  Sometimes, we wanted more leaf cover. Smaller fruits.  Bigger fruits.  Sweeter taste.  Tangier taste.  Single harvest.  Multiple harvest.  Holding capacity of ripe fruit.

You get the picture.

But, when you are certified organic you have a little bit more to consider as well.

Seed Considerations for Our Certified Organic Farm

I thought we would start with part of our Organic System Plan from 2020.  This is a form provided to us by our organic certifier.

The first thing to remember is that these forms are created for all types of growers.  A row crop farmer may only have five to ten seed types to document.  Our farm, on the other hand, included a list of 214 different seed types in 2020.  And, that was a year where we were cutting back.

Ideally, a certified organic grower would identify a supply of certified organic seed for each and every crop to be grown during a given year.  In and of itself, this is not so terribly hard to do if you have a limited number of crops and you are looking for some of the basic characteristics for success in a given crop.  But, what happens if you grow multiple varieties for an extensive list of crops?

The Case of the Bunte Forellenschus Lettuce

One of the lettuce varieties we have selected for repeated use on our farm is Bunte Forellenschus from Seed Savers.  We like the taste, the growth habit and we have found the proper growing time slot to be successful with this particular variety on our farm.  We are also attracted to heirloom varieties that produce well for us because we feel that it is important to maintain our heritage seeds and crops.  Successfully growing them out and putting them into the market helps maintain this diversity.

As you might guess, finding Bunte Forellenschus in seed catalogs is not always easy.  Seed Savers has carried it ever since we started growing this variety.  But, the seed for this variety has not always been certified organic.  

So, what does our farm do then?

Step one is to do a seed search to see if this variety is offered elsewhere as certified organic.  If we DO find that it is, we need to purchase that seed instead.  When that happens, we aren't always completely satisfied because different strains of a variety can actually exhibit numerous differences.  In other words, Bunte Forellenschus might not be the Bunte Forellenschus we are used to growing.  For that matter, not all seed houses produce the same quality of seed, so germination levels may not be the same.  We usually do not have too much of a problem with this if the seed comes from one of the houses we are used to dealing with.  But, when we find certified organic seed from a seed house we don't usually deal with - buy some of the non-organic seed from a seed house we trust more in case there is an issue with the new supply.

As you might guess, Bunte Forellenschus is not commonly offered by other seed houses other than Seed Savers.  So, it is unlikely that an organic option exists.  At this point, we can technically use the non-organic seed in our operation because there is not an organic option.  However, the spirit of organic certification tells us we should also continue to explore whether there are other speckled varieties that meet the needs of our farm that Bunte Forellenschus does.  Thus, if a certain variety doesn't seem like it will move to certified organic status in following years, we find ourselves trialing other varieties with similar characteristics to show that we are looking for an organic seed source to meet that crop need.

What happens if that fails?   Well, we can keep sourcing Bunte Forellenschus from the seed source as long as it has proper Safe Seed Pledges (as Seed Savers does) and most certifiers will allow this to continue.  However, another option if to start growing the crop out for your own seed supply.  

That sure does sound easy, doesn't it?  Well folks, that opens up a whole new set of record-keeping and processes for a farm that is already busy.  So, while I won't say it isn't a viable option - since we have done this a couple of times.  It isn't as simple as just collecting a few seeds and being happy about it.  Remember, it is not just a garden for our own use - there is a bit more at stake here.

A Quick Summary

If you didn't want to read all of that.  Oh. ups.  You already did?  Well, here's your review.

To be certified organic, a grower must:

1. Source organic seed whenever it is available
2. If it is not available, they must show that they did due diligence in searching for organic options
3. If, a seed variety is not available as certified organic over a period of time, the conscientious organic grower will look for varieties to substitute or will look to produce their own seed if either is possible.
4. The grower must document their searches and be able to justify their choices to the organic inspector or organic reviewer at the certification agency.
5. The grower must maintain sufficient documentation to show the chain of acquisition for seed used in a growing season.  Things like invoices, seed tags and packets, organic certificates and safe seed pledges need to be available.

And now you know.  Thank you for taking a moment to learn more!

Have a good week everyone.

Learn Something New (Again)

A week or so ago, we put a post out that was titled "Learn Something New" and I got some positive feedback that more of these were desired.  I certainly understand why!  If you are a curious soul, like I am, it can be quite enjoyable to dig into something and learn.  I will also admit that learning new things can be a comfort.  And, after the post just prior to this one, I think we all (those of us who write the blog and those who read it) could use a little comforting.

So - let us dive in to a little learning!

Singing a Night Song

They are out in force!  The katydids and their family make up the lion's share of the soundscape each evening on the farm these days.  Yes, sure, there are crickets and there have been some cicadas.  An owl will occasionally make itself known as well.  We have been scaring up some Killdeer when we walk out to do the chores in the evening as well.

There is a 'click-click' type of noise that we associate with the katydid is an Oblong-winged Katydid - but we have not heard quite as many of those this year as we have in recent Summers.  Most of the noise is coming from critters known as the Slightly Musical Conehead.  But even that song is a bit less than it has been recently.  We also have a significant population of Nebraska Coneheads.  While we haven't laid eyes on them personally, their singing is pretty clear at night.  This also should not surprise us because Nebraska Coneheads use the strategy of dropping from their more  prominent perches in 'weedy patches' into the litter at the base of the plants when they are disturbed.  They make their escape from there. As you can see from the picture, the Slightly Musical Conehead can be found and held for the camera.

I've always thought the sound Round-Tipped Coneheads make was a cricket.  But, if you visit the link, you might understand the confusion.  I am still not certain I will be able to tell the difference between the two when I hear them, but it is interesting to know.  I am also pretty sure I won't be able to tell these and the Nebraska Coneheads apart if I should see them.  And, if I do see them, how should I greet them?  What is polite to a Conehead?  I'm not sure I'll ever know that.

There are around 200 different types of katydids (coneheads are katydids) in North America.  If you are interested in learning more, you can go here to learn more about their calls.

What Does it Mean to Be Certified Organic?

I took the liberty of taking a screen shot of one of the parts of our Organic System Plan for our farm that was submitted for review this past Winter.  The section I 'grabbed' for you all to see highlights the things our farm does to support biodiversity.  When we first started certifying, things were not put together in a checklist like this - instead, I provided text describing everything we were trying to do to promote diversity on our farm.  

The National Organic Program includes guidance for all aspects of an organic operation, including guidance for natural resource and biodiversity conservation.  I need to stress that this is ONLY one part of being a certified organic operation.  But, I think it is an incredibly important part.

It would be natural for those who are not growers to assume these are all 'easy choices' to make.  But, the reality is that there is some conflict for each farm and every farmer when it comes to the actions taken (or not taken) on a given farm.

For example: "leave crop residue in the field for wildlife"

On the surface, this sounds like it isn't so hard to do.  And, in fact, it isn't.  But, it is never that simple, is it?  Some crops will have pathogens that can be stored in the residue and the soil.  Even if you do not grow that crop there the next year, those pathogens can be moved by wildlife, wind and water.   Sometimes the litter from a crop is a host for the very pest that gave that crop problems this season.  If you leave it in the field, you create a better environment for that pest to return.  In other words, there are always choices to be made for each succession of every crop.  Sometimes you leave the residue, sometimes you don't.

And, when you leave crop residue, it is highly likely you will leave some weeds behind as well.  This is where it comes in handy to know some things about weed seed predation by rodents and insects.  A healthy population of seed eating critters can reduce an easily accessible seed source by 7 to 22 percent during the growing season depending on conditions, type of seed and the population of interested seed eaters.  The trick, as we have learned too late over time, is to make sure that seed is available and not buried by fall tillage AND that there is sufficient cover for the seed eaters to want to be in place to predate on the seed.

And now you know more about why one single item on the Organic System Plan means so much more than the eight words and a checkmark.

Is this type of Genuine Faux article to your liking?  Keep encouraging and you'll see more of them!

Mulchable

One of the biggest 'knocks' on organic agriculture is the idea that organic fields rely on cultivation, which is not good for promoting organic matter and supporting micro-organisms in the soil.  It can also be argued that constant tillage increases erosion.  However, if you are certified organic, the list of herbicides you can use are extremely short and if you have any kind of scale beyond 'big garden' most allowed applications fail to control the weeds.

Winter squash soon after planting into paper mulch.

 Like so many arguments that are used to discredit (regardless of what the topic is), they make so many assumptions about what it takes to steward a certified organic crop/field/farm that I would be tempted to laugh.  EXCEPT...  People actually listen to these short and to the point arguments without looking any deeper.

Soil Health is a Key to Certified Organic

First and foremost, it becomes clear to me that many people who blindly support the 'organic is bad because they till/cultivate too much' argument have no idea how much territory a certified organic operation has to cover to be certified.  It's not just 'don't spray these things.'  Certified organic farms must have plans on how they will maintain and improve soil health on their farms.  They must also consider how they will control or respond to diseases, pests and weeds, among other things.

 Use of a Broader Set of Tools
Another common argument people use to defend their choice to NOT convert to a certified organic operation is that the toolset is so restrictive and they don't see how they can use a limited tool set and succeed.  Ok, I'll grant that the fact that we can not use synthetically derived chemicals (which includes most herbicides, fungicides and pesticides) does limit the toolbox.  But, this is the equivalent of cutting the number of screwdrivers in your toolbox - they are all the same class of tool.

I tend to argue that those who sell themselves out wholly to using the chemical applications to solve all problems on the farm have limited their toolbox more than I have with my organic certification.  They've got every screwdriver known to the world, but they got rid of all of their saws, hammers and wrenches.  On the other hand, a certified organic operation is encouraged to explore the use of all types of tools available to them

One of the tools we are using more than we have in the past is mulch.

Two kinds of mulch, do you see them?  Keep reading and you will learn what they are.

What is "Mulchable?"
The first question we have to ask at the Genuine Faux Farm is "Is this crop mulchable?"

We grow enough crops with different requirements that we actually have to consider if the growing process for each crop will actually benefit from the addition of mulch.  Then we have to ask ourselves what kind of mulch will be the best choice.  And, after we've figured that out, we have to decide if we can actually implement this as part of our mulch plan and overall farm plan for any given season.

the Winter squash are starting to show some size.

What Type of Mulch Will We Use?
There are actually numerous mulching options available to us at our scale and there are others available to those who are either larger in scale or smaller in scale.  For example, you can use an organic based mulch such as straw or grass mulch.  The issue with these is that you must acquire the raw materials and then you have to spread it where you want it to be.  If the raw materials don't come from your farm, you have to ascertain that they did not have any chemical applied to them that will cause problems.   We have grass mulch in some of our green beans and in a bed of our potatoes.  We use straw mulch for our garlic.

And, we use dirt mulch on our potatoes as well.  If you can cultivate properly, the topic inch or so of soil will deplete the weed seeds in its seed bank.  That soil can become a 'dirt mulch' that could get hilled up against the base of the cash crop to help prevent further germination of weed seeds in the area that is hardest to weed.  So, there is your answer for picture #3 - there is grass mulch and dirt mulch there!

Larger scale operations often find that spreading grass would be far to labor intensive, though we are seeing some tools that could help automate spreading.  These operations also often find that straw mulch is also too labor intensive.  In fact, we (and other farms we know) have found that those who work on our farms tend to dislike spreading straw.  If you add in the fact that most farms who use straw as mulch do not have the space to grow their own, that adds an expense and all of the extra worries that come with sourcing off the farm.

Most operations of a decent scale will tend to use plastic mulch that is laid down by a mulch layer.  We fully understand this decision because the area in row with the cash crop is the hardest area to control weeds and it will often take more labor than the farm has in its resource pool.  However, we also made the decision that plastic mulch is not for us, which means we need to look elsewhere.

This year, we are using 3 foot wide paper mulch that comes in 500 foot rolls.  We have a mulch layer (the same tool that can lay plastic mulch).  The paper is put down in the bed, then we punch holes and plant into that mulch.  We increased the use of paper mulch this year and we are now using it in most of our vine crops, out tomatoes and much of our brassica.  These are all crops that are in the field long enough to warrant a mulch (whereas lettuce is not) and they are all crops we transplant.

So far, mulching has been working for us this year.  In other words, the plan has been a pretty good one for how this season has turned out.  The real test is in the next two weeks.  Can we keep up with the weeding cultivation of the crops that were not mulchable?  

We shall see!

Sustainability by Doing

In our prior post, we talked about how we try to maintain the three pillars of sustainability by NOT doing certain things.  Quick!  What are the three pillars of sustainable farming?  What?!?  You forgot them?  Good thing we're here to remind you:  Environment, Community and Financial (or Economic)

Some folks seem to equate sustainability with only environmental matters, which we understand.  After all, it feels like the environmental cost is too often the one humans are most willing to ignore.  And, of course, the financial costs are the one we are most likely to pay attention to.  The Genuine Faux Farm, if anything, tends to make the mistake of placing the economic factors lowest on the list simply because we ARE trying to make a point.  But, that doesn't mean it doesn't come into play.

In any event, we discussed things we have opted (or are opting) NOT to do and here we thought we'd mention the things we are consciously doing to make our farm more sustainable.

Re-Using and Re-Purposing
The idea of re-using and re-purposing has never been foreign to farming.  The old saw about on the fly farm repairs relying on chewing gum and baling wire is simply a reflection on the necessity of innovating when things break.  On the other hand, there are other ways we can planfully re-use and re-purpose - such as the intentional purchase of seed starting trays that are sturdier and able to last several years.

I know some home gardeners will act like this is a simple thing, but it is not so simple when you are talking about many hundreds of trays being used every season.  We can't spend time being gentle with every tray as we remove plants to be put into the field.  That means they start to show wear as we work with them.  And then there is the matter of cleaning them to prevent the potential spread of pathogens from one planting to the next.  When you have ten to twenty trays, that's no big deal.

Still, we would prefer not to fill our landfill up with single use plastic every season, so we opt for these trays - and they work well for us.  We could move to soil blocks, but our starting system does not support that at this time.  We really need a dedicated seed starting building and then we could move that far.

We also find ourselves re-purposing many items on the farm as our operations changes.  The building at the left was initially purchased several years ago as a semi-portable chicken building  After five or six years of service, the wood frame we put on the bottom started to fall apart and a wind storm bent a couple things up.  We put it in a stationary position and covered it in plastic so it could help with seedling production, but it was a short roof and we had to squat to get in and out of it.

So, now we are working to make it a small seedling building by making it a bit taller and putting semi-permanent sides on it.  This should have been done a month ago - but, that's how things go sometimes.  We still have our hearts in the right place - right? 

We've re-used windows and wood others have discarded.  Useful lumber from old farm buildings that have come down has shown up on hayracks, poultry rooms and other projects.  The hardest part is usually trying to find a balance between working with previously used resources (that take more time and effort) with new resources (when time is short) - all the while having to consider the money factor.  You can argue that time is money all you want, but saving two hours of time on a project doesn't actually result in a check arriving in your mailbox to compensate you directly for that time - no matter how much you might want it to.

Natural Resources
On our farm, we usually get our fair of sunshine and our fair share of wind.  So, we use both.  We like to line dry our laundry so our reliable electric dryer gets a rest through most of the months from April to November.  This is actually a big deal simply because we generate a great deal of laundry for two people.  Farmers sweat.  Farmers get mud and other things on their clothing.  It's normal.  But, we do like to clean up at least a little bit - I am sure you appreciate that.  After all, you all look more attractive when you aren't wrinkling your noses at that smell that seems to be accompanying the farmer today - so I appreciate it too!

We rely on poultry netting that is charged using a solar panels connected to batteries.  We also use shorter netting to protect young plants from rabbits and woodchucks (it works much of the time - but is not foolproof).  We're thrilled with the staying power of the Premiere One fencing as most of our fencing sections have multiple years of use.  We are starting to see some wear on the chargers that is needing more attention and we have been rotating out batteries as they end their useful life.  It's things like this that cause us to keep asking if we are doing the best thing.  Solar sure sounds good, doesn't it?  Yep.  But, how much does this need for new batteries reduce the positives?  Thus far, we'd say it's an overall positive, but we are always watching to see if there is an improvement to be made.


And then there is drip tape.  We like it and we hate it.  It reduces our irrigation water use significantly over delivery systems that spray water over the top of the field.  The water is placed right at the root zones of the plants we are growing and doesn't waste water through evaporation and application to areas where we don't want the water.  But, it only lasts for one season in the field and then we have to throw it away.  In our minds, the net effect is still a positive, but we are looking for alternatives as well.

And, of course, there is the soil.  We compost weeds and cash crop residue along with the manure and bedding from our poultry.  This is the ultimate in re-use and re-purposing - since all of that becomes nutrients we can put back into our soil.   But, that's not all we do for our soil.  We incorporate cover crops into our growing plan and we use a power harrow for most of our tillage instead of a roto-tiller.  We limit our deep tillage to very specific situations where more of our plots might have a deep tillage process once every three or four years if needed.

Balancing Farm Use with Natural Use
We remind ourselves that we need Mother Nature more than she needs us on a daily basis.  So, we do things to invite Mother Nature to be kind and provide us with workers who help us in the long run.  We do not graze or till every square inch of our fifteen acres.  Instead, we try to leave some areas alone to provide habitat for snakes, toads, frogs and other critters that control populations that would like to decimate our vegetables crops.  We want our native bees to have good places to live so they might come and work for us by pollinating our melons and squash. 

We do mow a decent part of the farm, but we actually try to time our mowing to avoid disrupting pollinators and we often leave clover patches un-mowed until they are past peak bloom.  Then, we mow them to encourage another, later bloom.  We leave clover/grass paths between each of our plots and we are happy to have dandelions on the farm.

In the end, we find that nature is supporting our decisions to never use pesticides, herbicides and fungicides by providing some of those services without the help of synthetic chemicals.  It doesn't always work perfectly (from our perspective) but it works better than relying on the chemicals.

We are also big proponents of intercropping and planting annual pollinator crops as part of the intercropping plan.  Not only does it make parts of the farm look nicer, but it provides habitat for beneficial critters that end up working for us. 

Local Sales and Local Connections
Once again, you can see that much of our focus might seem to be on the environmental side of things - even though each has a component for the other two pillars.  That doesn't mean we don't expend effort elsewhere as well.  For example, we have opted for local sales of our product so that we can maintain a positive connection with the surrounding community.  We host visiting groups from area schools, colleges and universities and go to speak to classes about some of the things we try to do.  We do our best to source the things our farm needs from sources closer to home.  For example, we purchase our poultry feed from the Canfield family by Dunkerton and our hen and turkey chicks come from Hoover's Hatchery by Rudd. 

As always, there is more to say on this, but perhaps more words won't make the point any better than spending more time doing.

Charging What Food Is Worth
All of these things are probably worthy of their own post, but sometimes we just do what we have time for! 

The economic factors still come into play because our farm cannot be sustainable if it doesn't make enough money for us to keep doing what we are doing.  One way we work towards sustainability is to be very mindful of what production of the food costs us in terms of time, money and resources so we can charge a fair price that gives the purchaser a good value without requiring a complete sacrifice on our part.  This actually leads us to an interesting result for our farm.  We are certified organic, so we could potentially charge more because we are certified organic assuming we could connect ourselves to the proper markets.  But, we don't do that.  We simply charge what we need to charge.  Sometimes our price is higher, sometimes it is not.

The other components of the financial side of things are producing the product for sale and then making sales (of course).  Neither of us is particularly fond of promoting ourselves, so the latter can be difficult sometimes.  Assuming the weather goes back to something approximating the old 'normal' we think we have a history that shows we can do the former.

Always Looking to Improve
At the end of the day, we feel like we are doing a reasonably good job at maintaining the three pillars of sustainable farming. But, perhaps the most important thing of all is this:

We do not believe we have all of the answers.  We have no illusions that we have found the perfect balance.  Instead, we are still seeking more complete answers and a better balance.  And, perhaps that is how you can identify a truly sustainable operation.