July 2019 - 20

GROWER'S POSTCARD
Producing soil above the soil counters weather shifts
SAM HITCHCOCK
TILTON
rcvcfarm@gmail.com
established instead (sound familiar?). At
other times there was insufficient rain for
the early fungous stage.
" In exceptional cases, however, it is
Dear reader,
Greetings from a wet and cold May.
Although the sun has shown sufficient
to coax out narcissus, lilac and apple
blossoms here on the eastern shore of
Wisconsin, most of this month has not
shown May to be the queen of spring, but
rather its annoying cousin.
I have been dismayed by the protracted
rains here in the Midwest. This winter at
the organic grain conference in Madison
I learned from a University of WisconsinMadison
professor that our weather
patterns are shifting, and shifting quickly.
Many fascinating graphs and facts were
shared about our region's historic and
recent weather that all illustrated a few key
points for farmers; in the Midwest humanmade
climate-change is producing:
Warmer average temperatures (with the
greatest increases in winter, spring and
evenings), more intense rains and longer
periods between those rains.
There is something that we all can and
we all MUST do to prevent these worsening
weather patterns and the many upheavals
that they initiate. But I will save this
discussion and my soapbox for a winter
issue, when we both have more time.
In the meantime, there are practices
that we can do in the long term to
improve our soils' resilience to water,
such as deep-rooting cover crops,
increasing the organic matter, promoting
soil biology and reducing tillage. And
there are short-term practices, such
as using raised beds, deep tillage and
altering field layout. But this climate
we are creating means shorter windows
Using raised beds can improve soils' resistance to water
for everything - from planting and
harvesting to applying amendments and
soil building.
These are crucial operations and we need
to find ways to still achieve them in a wetter
climate. But this is a lot to figure out. Say,
what is the best way to eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
With that in mind, in a measly one-page
article let's just consider the question of
how we build soil in a wetter climate. I
would like to recall a farmer whose piercing
powers of observation and consideration
make his thoughts worthy of our notice.
What follows is a short discussion by Sir
Albert Howard from " An Agricultural
Testament, " wherein he discusses a method
for producing soil above the soil.
" An Agricultural Testament "
(first American edition, 1943) is
Howard's best-known publication,
and remains one of the seminal
works in the history of the organic
farming agricultural movement.
The production of humus
" The production of humus, by means
of a green-manure crop, is a much
more difficult matter than the use of
this method for immobilizing nitrates.
Nevertheless, it is of supreme importance
in the maintenance of soil fertility. The
factors involved in the transformation of
green manure into humus in the soil are
the same as those in the compost heap.
All factors must operate together. Failure
of one will upset the process entirely. If
this occurs the next crop will be sown
in soil which has been placed in an
impossible condition.
" The land will be called upon to
complete the formation of humus and
to grow a crop at the same time. This
is asking too much. The soil will take
up its interrupted task and proceed
with the manufacture of humus. It will
neglect the crop. The uncontrollable
factor is the rainfall. It must be just right
if humus manufacture in the soil is to
succeed. In India, for example, during an
experience of 26 years it used to be just
right about once in six or seven years. It
was completely wrong in the remainder.
Often there was too much rain after
ploughing in, when the aerobic phase
never developed and bog conditions were
possible to carry on the manufacture
of humus in the soil without any risk
of temporary failure. One British
example may be quoted. On some of the
large farms in the Holland Division of
Lincolnshire peas are grown as a rotation
crop with potatoes. The problem is to
manufacture humus before the next
crop of potatoes is planted. This has
been solved. Early in July the peas are
cut and carried to the shelling machines
where the green seeds are separated and
large quantities of crushed haulm are
left. Immediately after the removal of
the peas the land is sown with beans.
The crushed pea haulm is then scattered
on the surface of the newly sown land
followed by a light dressing of farm-yard
manure - about 6 or 7 tons to the acre (a
similar purpose could be met by instead
using a quantity of compost or urea
sufficient to bring down the carbon/
nitrogen ratio of the pea haulms, or
other carbonaceous material).
" The beans grow through the
fermenting layer on the surface of the
soil and help to keep it moist. While
the beans are growing humus is being
manufactured in a thin sheet all over
the field. At the end of September,
when the beans are in flower, this sheet
composting on the ground is complete.
The green crop is then lightly ploughed
in together with a layer of freshly
prepared compost. Humus manufacture
is then continued in the soil. The beans
under these conditions decay quickly;
the process of humus manufacture is
completed before the planting of the
next potato crop. "
Thank you Albert, and wishing you a
productive summer, Sam. VGN
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July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2019
