Newsletter May 29, 2008

Farming has always been a complex endeavor to those who understand what it takes to do it well. Beyond the daunting range of the skills needed just to cope—from mechanical engineer to biologist to animal psychologist—are the critical disciplines needed to wisely manage the farm as it works economically in its ecological context over time.. . or even to get the correct amount of the right species of cover-crop seed ordered on time.

So more than producing high-quality crops without synthetic chemicals while building soils and marketing into the moving target of specialized markets, organic farmers are now also seriously assessing their farms’ carbon footprints. They are adding another layer in the multi-dimensional analysis of crop selection, establishment and management to discover new levels of sustainability.

It is a significant reality that the things that make for healthy soil and healthy crops are the same things that cut farmer dependence on fossil-fuel based inputs for fertility and pest management. Finding new levels of biological synergy is a lot more about asking new questions and re-thinking old approaches than waiting on new ways to manipulate genes, kill weeds and poison insects.

To learn more about how all farmers can benefit from using non-chemical ways of managing cover crops and building soil, the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial is expanding this year to include organic and non-organic no-till systems with the cover crop roller/crimper. We are also adding genetically modified corn and soybean varieties to make the non-organic systems more competitive. We want to learn all we can about the best possible ways to farm our silt-loam soils, slicing and dicing the data to check net energy use, carbon levels, yields, economics, soil health, moisture management, water quality and crop nutrient efficiency. Read more...

Fresh research reports this week show how:

Organic dairy cattle on fresh grass diets produce milk with higher levels of good fatty acids, thought to be beneficial for human health. Read more...

Fruits and vegetables can maintain muscle mass in older adults.
Read more...

Penn State scientists are continuing their quest to understand the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder in honeybees. Read more...

Showing how global food economics are moving much faster than nations can protect basic food access are stories from the Philippines on the sudden inability of rice farmers to afford food for their own families and from India on the need to shift production of food and fiber to ways that share and protect the planet, rather than privatize and pollute it.

The world needs the best farming all of us can figure out how to do. Observe, listen, learn and share whatever you can this season to find a better match between farming, food and basic human needs.

Greg Bowman and the
Rodale Institute editorial team