An opinion column on sustainability

Just when you think you have it all figured out something new comes along and totally blows your mind.  This is a good thing.  I believe that we should keep an open mind and always be willing to learn.  Sometimes a humbling experience hurts, but it is the only way that we can improve what we are doing.  I mention this because sometimes in my quest for knowledge about sustainable agriculture I tend to get a little self-destructive.  It’s easy to feel like you are creating too much of an impact or that what you are doing is not TRULY sustainable.  I feel like the most important thing is to recognize the steps that we have taken while not ignoring the things that we know we could improve.

I learned about permaculture from someone recently.  The idea behind it is to create an environment that is as close to nature’s cycles as possible while being loosely contained in order to harvest it.  That is the basic idea that I took from it at least.  No one is suggesting that we go back to being hunter gatherers, just that we observe what nature really wants to be and that’s perennial and poly-cultural.  These very thought out designs recreate the guilds that are found in nature.  Guilds are groups of plants, animals, insects, and fungi that form a symbiotic relationship.  I guess the hope is that we can somehow regain our lost place in one of these guilds.

As modern humans I think that it is sometimes very difficult for us to think off ourselves as part of the fiber of nature.  So much of what we do seems only to solidify our position as observers and manipulators.  So where do we go from here?  If we choose to keep our total dominion over nature there is a good chance that it will eventually lead to our downfall.  Permaculture clearly seeks to rectify this, but there are many out there that wonder if such a thing is feasible on even  a small-scale without significant lifestyle changes.  It’s easy the feel defeated by with this mindset, so try looking at it another way.  Those of us who consider that we live a “green” lifestyle should look with excitement, not cynicism, to these sustainable pioneers.  Even if we can’t achieve all that they have we can at least glean a little knowledge and make ourselves a little MORE green.  They can help us see things that we never did before.  Even if it’s just recognizing that putting food in a garbage disposal instead of composting it is a waste of valuable nutrients.  And if these things start to seem overwhelming sit back and take stock of your knowledge.  Make a list and decide what you can comfortably change about your lifestyle.  Then implement it.  One thing will lead to another and another.  You don’t always have to act immediately on something that you know is wasteful or unsustainable, but you don’t have ignore it.  Be mindful.  Always be aware of the impact that you are creating, and eventually the pieces will start to fall into place.

Vermicomposting (composting using worms)

One of my latest projects was building a vermicompost bin.  Vermicomposting is composting using the aid of worms to speed up the process.  It is a great way for an apartment dweller to do some composting without the turning or the smell.  If done correctly the worms turn the compost for you, and you are left with their castings which are a highly sout after fertilizer for gardens.  I used the design from this great web-site.  I would highly recommend visiting it and building one of these very simple bins using rubbermaid containers.

I have to admit that I tried this a little over a year ago and it was a horrible failure.  I did not do nearly the research that I should have, and I was never able to harvest the castings without taking the worms along with it.  I wish that I had found this website before then.

The kind of worms that you use for composting are called “red wigglers” .  They live near the surface and are typically found in things like rotting manure.  We found the ones that we used in an area off the horse paddock where there was lots of rotting manure.  But if you don’t feel like digging through poop to get the worms you can always order them.  Just search the internet.  There are several suppliers that will ship you worms.

The worm bin is propped up to allow ventilation through the holes in the bottom and to catch the worm “juice” which can be used as a very potent fertilizing spray.

The worms in their new home ready to feast on our food scraps

Shredded newspaper makes a great bedding for the worms. They will eventually turn this and the food scraps into high quality fertilizer.

Worms, just dug out of some horse manure.

High Brix Foods: Going Beyond Organic

I have been doing a lot of reading recently about the concept of producing food that is not only organic, but has been biologically grown to feed the soil and produce foods that are very high in nutrients.  I was very astonished to read that many of the “healthy” foods that we eat (even organic ones) have very low levels of nutrients.  In other words, they are just a lot of water.  Many growers are now testing the nutrient content of their produce using brix meters.  This relatively simple tool, usually used by wine makers and brewers, allows them to measure sugar content by the refraction of light passing through a sample of the plant’s sap.  The brix reading tells them much more than just how much sugar there is though.

The brix reading correlates with the level of many other minerals in food.  A high brix reading always means a higher level of calcium.  Something that industry has led us to believe is only available in high levels from dairy foods.  High brix levels also indicate higher levels of trace minerals such as copper, iron, and manganese.  These trace minerals aid and stimulate the enzymes that are essential for digestion.  High brix foods also have superior taste, disease resistance, and insect resistance.  More on this can be found on a great website called highbrixgardens.com.

Achieving higher brix levels is done by working with the soil’s biology to promote the life of the soil.  Having soil tested and then making the proper amendments like compost tea  helps to feed the living organism that is our soil.  The beauty of using organic inputs that work with the biology of the soils is that unlike chemical inputs that require more and more each year biological inputs build soil fertility and thus demand LESS and LESS input each year.

With the pasture raised poultry model that we use we have gone beyond the requirements of the national organic standards by raising them on fresh grass all the time, not simply allowing access to the outdoors.  Many organic poultry producers still operate much like a confinement operation with a little more square footage per bird and the use of certified organic feed.  I take pride in knowing that the access to quality pasture for the chickens creates a product of higher nutritional quality.  As eaters we need to seek food that goes beyond this “faux organic” and demand not only the omission of chemicals but food that is dense with nutrition.

With the lambs coming this spring I am looking forward to monitoring the brix levels in the pasture and taking steps towards raising its quality.  After all if the animals are consuming better quality, nutrient dense foods, they are passing that on to us as well.  It’s always fun to discover another piece of the puzzle on our quest to produce a product that is as high in nutritional quality as it is in ethics.

The Grazing Conference

The Grazing Conference.

Lambs: My Intro To Management Intensive Grazing (MiG)

As I mentioned in the last issue I will be getting some lambs to pasture for the summer. Grazing animals is really where my heart lies. I want to continue to do pastured poultry along with large livestock when I can get access to the land that I need. I have been reading a lot about grazing and talking to many farmers whose entire operation is grass based. Many call themselves “grass farmers” because the way that they see it, their livelihood depends on the health of the soil and grass that feeds their animals. Management intensive grazing (MiG) revolves around constantly moving a mob of animals in tightly controlled paddocks so that they never completely destroy and area of pasture. This allows it to recover, and be grazed again. MiG turns pastures into highly efficient solar panels capturing the energy of the sun and converting it to energy that nourishes the animals and us in turn. It is truly amazing how an animal like a cow takes something like grass, that is completely inedible to humans, and turn it into a nutrient dense protein source for us.
Many of the farmers that I have been talking to have encouraged me to start with lambs, because they will be a lot more forgiving when I make those beginners mistakes I am likely to make. Yet, they are mostly like a small version of a cow. They are both ruminants which means that they have a digestive system that is designed to turn grass into energy. They will let me hone my grazing skills as I am introduced to the world of MiG.

Counter-top Gardening: Growing your own sprouts

Sprouts are a great way to get some of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs when fresh local vegetables are not in season.  Best of all, it’s a lot easier than you would think.  You basically soak the seeds overnight in a jar with some screen or netting banded around the top, then drain them and let them sit.  You rinse and drain them twice a day for about 3-5 days depending on the seeds.  When they are ready you can simply transfer them to a container and put them in your fridge. There are all kinds of different seeds that you can sprout.  

Winter Project: Wood Working

I decided that with the downtime that I have this winter that I would try to improve my carpentry skills. Simple building skills come in real handy around the farm, and I’ve saved a lot of money by building things myself rather than buying it pre-made or paying someone to build it. Some simple woodworking projects seemed like a good way to hone some of those skills. So here’s my first project: a carpenter’s tool box.

This seemed logical since everyone said that one of the best things to start with in woodworking is building a box. Since I got some new tools for Christmas and am in need of more space I figured I would start with something that I actually really needed. It was not as easy as I thought.

First I tried making the angled cuts for the end with a jigsaw just following my drawn line. It didn’t turn out that well. So I switched to the good old-fashioned hand saw and the rest of the cuts turned out OK. Then, I had altered the plans to make the box bigger but only used the altered dimensions for the sides, and forgot when I did the bottom. The other challenge was putting in the finishing nails straight. There wasn’t much room for error, and I split the boards in a couple of places from being too close to the edge. Also, I somehow made a side about a 1/4″ too short, and had to use a shim to make up the difference. What’s that they say? Measure twice cut once? That will be my mantra for my next project.

All in all I had a great time doing it.  And even though it didn’t come out just the way I expected it is very functional.  I learned a lot too!

Certified Organic!

  Well, we had our inspection way back in July, but we finally have been certified as organic producers.  We have been abiding by the organic production standards all along we’ve just been waiting for the paper to make it official.  It came too late in the season to put the organic seal on the broilers, but we will be able to put it on the turkeys that we raised for Thanksgiving though.    We had to be certified for both production and handling since we process the poultry on the farm.

It’s been a great season for us and we’ve put in a lot of hard work.  This is just the icing on the cake for us, and it makes us even more excited about next year.  Thanks to all of you that helped to make this possible!

Free organic fertilizer using free-range turkeys

Now that the growing season is slowing down there are some beds in the gardens that have been harvested for the last time this year. We have let the turkeys range in it. They will eat the stems of the harvested greens, and they will also lay down a nice layer of manure. The manure will provide soil fertility for the next season. Since these fields won’t have anything harvested from them until late spring or summer of next year this is an excellent way of using animal husbandry to add soil fertility without compromising food safety.

Thanksgiving Turkeys Have Arrived!

The turkeys for Thanksgiving arrived on Friday morning.  As you can see by the picture they look almost just like the baby chicks except for that little bump just above the beak.  It’s really a treat to watch these guys grow up.  They seem to be much more curious than the chickens are.  They take much longer to grow too.  That’s why we just got them now even though Thanksgiving is still so far away.  The Hatchery called me on Thursday and informed me that I had to take all Toms (boys).  I had originally ordered a “straight run” which is a mix of Toms and Hens, but they ran out of hens.  Hatching birds isn’t an exact science, and there really is no way for them to know how much of each sex they will have.  I like getting a straight run because the hens grow to a smaller size which is good for a smaller family that doesn’t want a large bird.  Needless to say I was a little disappointed.  I will be watching their weight like a teenager now because I don’t want to have only 25 lb. turkeys to offer people!