USDA Inter-Tribal Pomo Supported Agriculture Program

Gregg Young, CPAgEnvironmental Director,

Potter Valley TribeJune 22, 2011

Getting startedFind a site with:

• A good water supply

• A good, deep soil

• A long term commitment

(You will be putting time, effort and money into developing the site for best production

Soil Science

• Take a soil sample and send to a certified soil lab for a basic agricultural fertility analysis

• Generally the top 6-12 inches is used. Take several samples around the field and mix them up.

• Use clean metal or plastic tools. No rusty, dirty utensils• Scrape away the weeds/cover crop. Take the surface to 12

inches deep.

Soil Sampling & Analysis• The soil lab will extract major & micro nutrients,

simulating the removal by plants

• Interpretation can vary, and is best done by someone working with the field

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TAKE SAMPLES FROM SEVERAL AREAS & MIX TOGETHER

X

X X

X

X

Depth of Sampling:

Top 12” is a good standard

Soil Fertility

“A fertile soil will generally consist of theordinary soil minerals reduced to a fine state of subdivision, incorporated with more or less organic matter, and containing a sufficient supply of air, water and soil bacteria” Traditional American Farming Techniques, 1916

Role of Major Nutrients N-P-K-Ca

• Nitrogen (N) – growth & protein formation

• Phosphorus (P) – energy, growth & seed production

• Potassium (K) – sugar production & disease resistance

• Calcium (Ca) – cell structure, fruit development

• Others – sulfur, micronutrients are essential for proper growth & health

Crop removal & nutrient budgets

Crop Removal: Average Pounds of Nutrients Removed by Common Crop Groups

Crops generally remove Potash (K) > Nitrogen (N) > Calcium > Phosphate (P)

Grazing is Crop Removal!

Tillage, weed control

Tillage Equipment

• Discs, ploughs, rototillers

• Most tillage equipment removes weeds, incorporates nutrients, and loosens soil

• It also depletes organic matter, increases leaching, and creates hard pans below the tillage depth

• Use the equipment wisely; compensate for these negative effects

Cover cropping vs tillage

• Above, tillage encourages turkey mullein to thrive under dry conditions

• Below, tillage and planting a cover crop too late resulted in less organic matter in spring

A Well-Planned and Fertilized Cover Crop Can Increase Soil Productivity

Fertilization

• Compost, limestone, other

• Mineral/chemical fertilizers

• Foliar sprays

Chemical Fertilizers

• Most big box (and many local) stores sell the same lawn/garden fertilizers in Ukiah as they do in Southern California – they are not necessarily best for our soils

• High rainfall leaches minerals (sodium, calcium) out of soil

• Minerals end out in rivers, lakes & ocean

• Our area has low sodium & calcium soils

Correction of low calcium is very important to:

– Grow protein crops (corn, beans, legumes)

– Keep soil well drained and aerated

– Grow high quality fruits & vegetables

– ‘Sweeten’ acid soils, promote drainage in clay soils

As minerals are washed out of the soil, they are taken up by algae & other organisms, which provides food for larger organisms, small fish, and finally larger animals.

Calcium is the main mineral going into the sea. It ends up as the skeleton or shell of most plants and animals. Excess calcium forms calcium carbonate (limestone) and drops to the bottom. All limestone deposits were once ocean or lake bottoms.

COMPOST

• There are many concepts of what it is, how it works, and how to use compost

• Many people who should know this do not

• There are many products called ‘compost’ that are not actually compost

• Mulch = an inert material applied to soil to conserve water or inhibit weeds (rock, plastic, newspaper, plastic, organic mulches)

• Compost is not mulch (although it can be used as a mulch)

COMPOST• Organic material that

has been through a decomposition process with the proper balance of moisture, aeration, carbon, and nitrogen

• Organic materials are converted to CO2, humus and stabilized nutrients

Raw MaterialsRaw Organic Wastes That Have Been Commercially Composted in California

Manures Grape pomace

Vegetable Waste Cotton gin trash

Tomato pomace Walnut waste

Almond hulls City yard waste

Mushroom waste Apple, pear pomace

Sewage biosolids Rice straw, straw

Dairy waste Brewery waste

Definition: aerobically

decomposed organic matter

COMPOST:

• Does not stink; smells earthy like leaf mold

• Provides all major & minor nutrients slowly through the year

• Can be applied anytime, but should not be left to burn up in the summer sun

• Builds healthy biological

activity in soil

• Improves soil tilth &

friability

Many Materials are not Compost:

• Sawdust, peat moss, manure, mushroom waste, grape pomace

WF Chicken Manure

• Says it is CS, but it is compost – the producer does not even know what it is!

Advanced Fertility Programs

• Do not wait for deficiencies to show up- by this time there is significant crop loss

• Feed trees & vines properly for long term health and disease resistance

• Use foliar feeding to boost health during stressful times (bloom, ripening) and conditions (wet soil, drought, too hot or cold, heavy pest/disease pressure

• Minimize nitrogen applications

Foliar Nutrients• Applied to buds/blossoms/foliage to:

– Prevent or treat known deficiencies

– Raise pest/disease resistance during critical times (bloom, ripening)

– Calcium, potassium, zinc, kelp, growth enhancers, etc

Row crop w/ paper mulch Plantingmethod

• Till field, fertilize, roll out drip tape, roll out paper mulch, test water system, plant

Till Soil – Disc or Rototiller

Fertilize – Compost for N-P-K, Organic Matter

Limestone for Calcium

Drip Tape & Paper Mulch

Plant

OR Just Lay Out Drip Tape & Plant

PVT Annual Pumpkin Patch Environmental

Event

Pick & Enjoy

(BREAK)

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• Science that replaced “pest control” of the 1940-70s

• Attempt to replace calendar & preventive spray programs with science & population based systems

Steps in the IPM Approach

• ID the pest/disease

• Monitor (count) the levels of pest and any predators

• Establish Economic/Damage Threshold

• Control (the point at which you need to reduce the population– Biological

– Cultural

– Chemical

Identify the Pest

• What group of insects/animals/disease is it in?

• Are there any beneficial species that will help control (predator insects, etc)?

• What is the life cycle? (reproduces in 14 days, 28 days, 1 time per year?)

• Sometimes very positive ID is required (all aphids are not alike; some beetles are pests, others are predators or benign)

Monitor/Count the Pest

• Traps, samples, counts, observations, computer simulations of pests & diseases

• What stages of insect are present? (eggs, larvae, pupa, adults, combinations)

• What is the life cycle? Is it likely to cause more or less damage with the next generation?

• Keep written records! Each year is a little different.

Monitoring Tools

Reporting & Record Keeping

• Report forms

Establish Economic Threshold

• With apples can you put up with 10% worms? 20%, 50%? (Most commercial growers must have less than 1%)

• Are the aphids really damaging the leaves and shoots, or are the plants doing OK?

• Do you sell to a packing shed, distributor, store, restaurant or direct to consumer?

• Make sure the grower and buyer agree on the quality standards in advance. Some markets have a 0% tolerance for pests (flowers, house plants, most restaurants)

• Biological – are their predators or weather factors that will reduce pests naturally? (thisactually happens quite a lot)

Control

Control

• Cultural – watering, fertilizing, pruning, mowing, other physical changes you make can be important.

• Over fertilization with nitrogen aggravates many pests & diseases

Control Chemical – this is where the separation between organic farming and conventional farming is – you should have gone through all the above steps before considering this. Can you use least toxic or organic compliant materials?

Organic vs. Conventional• Organic classification, once regulated by the states, is

now regulated by the Organic Food Act [The Organic Food Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.A. § 6501-22); Final Rule published in the Federal Register in 2000]

• Farmers and food processors who use the word "organic“ for businesses and products, must be certified organic. Producers with annual sales not exceeding $5,000 US are exempted and do not require certification (they must still follow NOP standards: keeping records, submitting to a production audit if requested, and cannot use the term certified organic). A USDA Organic seal identifies products with at least 95% organic ingredients

Principles of Organic Food Production: 1

• Use only pesticides that comply with strict requirements that have passed a scientific review.

• No fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge.

• No genetically engineered crop varieties.

• Emphasizes the use of renewable resources and conservation practices that will protect environmental quality for future generations.

Principles of Organic food Production: 2

• Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are raised on organically produced feeds and given no antibiotics or growth hormones.

• Processors are not allowed to use ionizing radiation or bioengineered ingredients

• Farms must develop a farm production plan, including a plan to foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil…

See: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop

Types of Pesticides Approved by use

• Biologicals - bacterial, virus, other materials that control insects (Bt, antibiotics, viruses)

• Botanicals - plant derived insecticides & fungicides (pyrethrum, neem, orange oil)

• Minerals – mined natural minerals (sulfur, copper,boric acid)

• A private organization – the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), reviews and certifies materials that can be used by organic farmers

References

Gardner, F. (1916). Traditional American Farming Techniques. The Lyons Press, Guilford, CT. Reprinted 2001

Organic Sample Lesson OR102 What Is a Certified Organic Farm? 2006 Stewart-Peterson, Inc. [Online]. http://www.agednet.com/or102v.shtml

National Organic Program. (2011).United States Department of Agriculture [Online]. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop