This past fall Folks Farm participated in the 1000 Farms Initiative. The goal was to study soil on 1000 farms across all scales and production systems and evaluate soil health. Our results were eye opening both where we can improve and where our soil is thriving.
One metric is the Haney test. The Haney Soil Health test provides a score (0-50) to estimate soil health. The score is based on more than a dozen individual tests of soil in organic nutrients (both macro- and micronutrients), nutrients that are plant-available, and microbial activity in the top six inches of soil. In general, the higher the Haney test score, the healthier the soil. Folks Farm scored a 29.10 almost double the national average. We are also markedly higher than our region and vegetable field averages.Â
We farm differently than other producers and it has been a learning process getting to this point. Years of trial and error have led us to practices that invest in soil health and pay dividends when the growing season arrives.Â
Instead of leaving our fields plowed and dormant all winter long we provide food, housing, and jobs to billions of soil microbes. These critters help our farm sequester carbon, build soil health, retain moisture, limit topsoil loss, and eventually produce exceptionally healthy food.Â
Winter kill and hardy cover crops are intentionally planted in the fall to cover the soil in plant life throughout the winter. The plants are taking advantage of any extra sunlight and storing energy in their roots. As soon as the soil warms they begin growing again, pulling carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil.Â
Mulches such as straw and leaves help retain moisture and provide easy to access nutrients for the soil. Upon turning them into the ground they will provide a large boost of carbon.Â
I was astounded last year when trialling a mulched patch of garlic to the rest of the crop. Where the mulch was I could easily push a finger through the ground compared to the open rows where barely a finger nail got through.
Leaving plant debris in the field is one of my favorite tactics. Tall plants, like flowers, act as windbreaks and catch snow drifts. Snow is stored for longer creating a type of mulch that slowly releases moisture into the soil, thus helping soil microbes. The more going on above ground means more happening beneath the soil. Plant diversity and crop residue hint at all the activity below in our soil.
All these practices are paid for through the CSA program. Your purchase of a share immediately enters this system to create a habitat where humans and other creatures benefit. I have found these practices to be transformative in improving crop production and lowering weed pressure. The increased habitat helps manage pests through further diversity.Â
We are offering a 10% bonus to those who sign up by New Year’s Eve!
You are what your food eats. These practices have created exceptionally healthy soil, which equates to exceptionally healthy food. The process is ever changing, the growth non stop, and there is still so much to learn.