Peters Creek Farm: Sustainable Agriculture

Playing a little catch up here today. First, today was the first Countryside Conservency winter market at its new location at Old Trail School. Mike said it was very well attended and they had a good day. The cold tolerant crops in the garden are still doing well so we had beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower to take the market. Steve had a lot of winter squash, broccoli, potatoes and popcorn among other things. It is very nice to see the winter market well attended. Mike will probably be missing most of the markets as soon as the ground freezes, but so far that hasn't happened yet. We still have some wheat flour and that will probably go to some of the winter markets and perhaps to a couple people who run wintertime CSA programs.

I spent most of the day catching up and doing chores around the house. Finally had time to make a loaf of bread. Making bread is definitely a wintertime activity for me. Summer is usually way too busy. Plus with Mike going to market every weekend, he is able to purchase bread from one of the vendor's at the market every week. Of course, I forgot that Mike buys a loaf at market even though he has bought a loaf every single week all summer long. So now we have two loaves of homemade bread sitting on the counter. Still, it was nice to have the smell of fresh baked bread coming from the kitchen today.

Last month, Mike wrote a blog posting about sustainable agriculture. Well, I am finally getting around to posting it along with some pictures he (and I) took over the last couple months. Take it away Mike ...........

The license plate on my pickup truck is one of the special plates one can purchase from the BMV that cost extra. The extra money goes towards a state program that supports the driver’s pet cause. Mine supports sustainable agriculture. I would think all people in Northeast Ohio would support sustainable agriculture. Who has not seen a picture of slash and burn farming in the rainforest and cringed? But what is sustainable agriculture and what are some of the things we do to sustain our farm?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines sustainable agriculture as farming that:

1. satisfies human food and fiber needs;

2. enhances environmental quality;

3. makes the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources;

4. integrates natural biological cycles when appropriate;

5. sustains the economic viability of farms and

6. enhances the quality of life for farmers and society.

I recently planted cover crop on some fields where I had early crops planted. Cover crops are often called “green manures” for their use in improving soil quality. They can be used to add organic material to the soil, add nitrogen to the soil in the case of legume cover crops, improve soil microbe activity, nutrient recycling, soil aeration, weed and pest suppression and erosion control. I planted a mixture of hairy vetch, tillage radishes, rye grass and crimson clover. All add organic material, the vetch and clover will add nitrogen and the radishes have very deep roots to loosen any soil compaction. These will tolerate the cold and be incorporated into the soil next spring. Taking care of our soil is just one of the things we do to practice sustainable agriculture.

Here's Mike disking up the area of the garden where cover crop will be planted. I must have taken this while out walking the dogs around the pasture because Mike and his tractor look so far away.