In This Issue:
Beginning an Organic Garden: Building Soil
Gary Young Receives Ag Stewardship Award
A Farmer's New Toys
Western Project Organizer Joins NSAS Staff
Meet Jill Wubben: NSAS Bookkeeper and Secretary
New Members Join NSAS Board
NSAS Mission Statement Under Revision
Groups Selected in First Round of IMPACT Funding
1995 Farm Bill Debate Underway
Creative Stuff
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The NSAS Newsletter is published four times a year, in January, April, July
and October. We welcome articles, letter, poetry, prose, and other
contributions. Please send correspondence to: Newsletter Editor, NSAS, P.O.
Box 736, Hartington, NE 68739. Articles appearing in this paper may be
reproduced; please credit the authors and the NSAS Newsletter. NSAS
membership costs $25 per year. Newsletter subscriptions cost $10 per year
for nonmembers. Additional membership and subscription information can be
obtained from the NSAS office. The NSAS Newsletter is supported, in part, by
a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
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Beginning an Organic Garden: Building Soil
by Tom Tomas
At the annual meeting in Columbus this year, several people asked questions
about getting started in organic gardening. Organic gardening begins with
building healthy soil in order to grow healthy plants. It takes time to
build soil, so it is best to start with easy crops in a small garden and
expand as you gain experience and your soil develops. Most of the principles
that apply to organic farming also apply to gardening. Green manure crops,
minimum tillage, compost and crop rotations all can be used to build soil in
the garden, but need to be adjusted to fit the scale of your garden.
If you plan to eventually have a garden of say 500 sq./ft. but want to start
smaller, it would be a good idea to put half of it into garden this year and
plant the other half to green manure crops. This is especially effective if
you have a weedy area. You could till the entire area and plant the weediest
area to an early crop of annual rye grass first thing in spring. When the
annual rye (and weeds) are 6 to 8 inches tall, till them under. Wait a week
or so for the raw organic matter to digest a bit and the next flush of weeds
to germinate, till lightly again, and plant a warm season green manure crop
such as buckwheat. When the buckwheat (and weeds) are 8 to 10 inches tall,
till it in and wait for the next flush of weeds. Repeat the
planting-tilling-digesting sequence as time permits through the summer,
finishing in the fall with annual rye grass again to provide a cover through
the winter.
The next spring till the soil as early as you can, allow the raw organic
matter to digest for a couple of weeks and you should be ready to plant in
soil that is high in organic matter and relatively free of weed seeds. The
trick is to allow each green manure crop to grow big enough to build organic
matter for the soil, but to till it before the weeds go to seed. Don't let
the crop get so big that your tiller can't handle it. If it starts to get
too big, you can mow it and till later.
A minimum till approach would be to mulch the entire area with leaves, grass
clippings or hay and plant hills of vine crops such as melons, cucumbers,
pumpkins or squash. In this approach you would only have to prepare the soil
in the hills where you plant the seeds and cover the rest with a thick layer
of mulch. If the area is in sod, the mulch will have to be thick enough to
kill out the grass and may have to have another layer added if the grass
starts to grow through. Earthworms and other beneficial organisms will
digest the sod through the summer. The next spring, you can rake off the
excess remaining mulch to reuse elsewhere and till the soil for crops you
want to plant in open soil. You can also leave the mulch in place for
several years, planting through it and adding mulch as needed. There really
is no reason to till the soil. All you want to do is suppress weeds,
conserve moisture and build organic matter. Let nature do the work with
earthworms and all the other beneficial creatures that inhabit a mulch
garden. An excellent book on the subject is The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden
Book by Ruth Stout and Richard Clemence, Rodale Press, Inc. 1971.
If you are just starting to garden organically you probably don't have a
compost pile started. We will discuss that in another article. For this
season try to find a source of composted or well rotted manure. Raw manure
is messy to work with in a garden and can provide an excess of nitrogen and
burn tender seedlings. If the manure is mixed with a lot of straw bedding,
it can have an excess of carbon materials that will tie up the nitrogen and
actually lead to stunted plant growth early in the season. It is better to
compost manure before adding it to the garden soil. If you can get composted
or well rotted manure (it looks and smells like soil), you can spread an inch
or so over the soil and till it in. Wait a week or so, then till again and
plant. You can also spread compost around your plants in June before you
mulch them, to give them additional nutrients. I do recommend that you wait
until the soil warms up before mulching tomatoes and other warm season
plants. If you mulch them then, it will keep the soil most and keep weeds
down as well as building organic matter.
Crop rotations are used to build soil, reduce insect and disease problems,
and control weeds. In the garden it is easy to do because we usually grow a
wide variety of vegetables. Beans, peas and other members of the legume
family can add nitrogen to the soil that will benefit nitrogen-hungry crops
such as sweet corn the following year. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and
potatoes are all in the nightshade family and are susceptible to the same
soil-born diseases. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and kohlrabi are in the
cabbage family and also have similar disease problems unique to that family.
You can plan a rotation for your garden so that different families of plants
are planted in a different part of the garden each year. Some vegetables,
such as lettuce, radishes, green onions and spinach, will be harvested early
and can be followed with a green manure crop or a fall crop of turnips. I
like to overseed part of my garden with annual rye grass in late August, to
protect the soil over winter and build organic matter. The vegetables are
far enough along that they will mature and the annual rye grass will grow
until the soil freezes hard. Plan your rotation to protect and build the
soil that will produce healthy vegetables for years to come.
If you are just starting to garden it is best to select a few of the
vegetables you really like that are easy to grow. In early spring, peas,
onion sets, radishes and lettuce can be planted as soon as you can work the
soil. By mid-spring potatoes and members of the cabbage family can be
planted. In late spring, after the last frost, you can plant beans,
tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, squash, melons and sweet corn. Most of these
are easy to grow because the seeds are easy to plant and come up quickly, or
can be set out from sets or transplants. Small seeded, slow germinating
crops like carrots, parsnips and onions from seed usually give better results
after you have gained experience and your soil has been built up. If you
start small and concentrate on building your soil you should have a
successful season that will encourage you to expand your gardening activities
next year.
You can find all kinds of books on organic gardening. Some describe
elaborate ways to build compost piles, others get carried away with complex
planting designs and methods for double digging. There may be some merit in
these ideas but to begin with keep it simple. Organic gardening works
because it works with nature instead of against it. You can also buy all
sorts of organic fertilizers and gardening gadgets if you want to, but it is
not necessary. Work with what you have at hand. Green manure crops,
composted manure, leaves, grass clippings and spoiled hay all feed the soil
at low or no cost. Build your soil first, grow the things you like to eat
and enjoy your garden.
Gary Young Receives Ag Stewardship Award
Gary Young, a McLean farmer and long-term NSAS board member, received this
year's Agricultural Stewardship Award. Gary served as NSAS board president
from 1988-1994, and completed his term on the board this year. He has
actively participated in sustainable agriculture on-farm research projects,
and NSAS workshops, tours, demonstrations and meetings.
Gary received two Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension (SARE)
producer grants to study biological control of weeds and establishment of
alfalfa using non-traditional cover crops. He shared the results of his
research at this year's Annual Meeting. Gary is currently participating in
the Nebraska Ag IMPACT project as a member of the Northeast Nebraska Farmers'
Group.
The award was presented at the annual meeting by NSAS President Lowell
Schroeder. Gary's wife, Dolores, and children Sarah and Emily were present.
A Farmer's New Toys
by Lowell Schroeder
It amazes me how farmers flock to farm shows. Thousands walk through isles
filled with equipment, product information, and people. Like kids in a toy
store, we walk in awe of all the devices and ideas that can save labor,
increase production, and hopefully make us more money. A friend has a
saying, "there's not a farm problem that $50,000 won't solve". I usually go
home from farm shows thinking I didn't learn anything and didn't pick up any
ideas that I could adapt to my real world.
This winter, NSAS and some Extension Educators have put on some excellent
meetings where producers can share ideas. Our annual meeting and western
conference attendance was good, but not enough to pay all the expenses for
meals and excellent speakers. I was really pleased with the quality of the
meetings and the members' participation.
Your response to the IMPACT Project has been good in parts of the state
where NSAS has a lot of active members. But we would like to see more
chapters start in other parts of the state, especially the west. The Mentor
Program has had some very productive matches, but statewide participation
isn't as great as we projected.
I recently learned that The New Farm will soon cease to exist. It has been
a great help to many farmers across the country and the sustainable
agriculture movement. Apparently not enough farmers subscribe for the
magazine to be profitable.
There are other excellent sources of information and programs to help you
and sustainable agriculture. We all need to participate, recommend to
others, and financially support these programs. Otherwise they will go the
way of The New Farm. That would be a tragic loss to all of us who support
sustainable agriculture. Should that happen, we'll only be able to go to the
"toy shows".
Western Project Organizer Joins NSAS Staff
by Jane Sooby
Hi there. I am Jane Sooby, and I am starting an exciting new job as NSAS's
new Western Nebraska organizer. Right now I am staying in a little house in
Mitchell, just north of Scottsbluff, and learning the ropes at the Panhandle
Research and Extension Center, for which I also work. I plan to find a place
to live in Sidney.
In December 1994, I completed my master's in agronomy at the University of
Wyoming in Laramie. My research was on Austrian winter pea and its potential
as a substitute for summer fallow in the winter wheat cropping system. In
1992, I earned my bachelor of science degree in biology at New Mexico State
University in Las Cruces.
I was born and raised in central California. Though I lived near the San
Joaquin valley, I have a suburban background. I believe that farmers must be
among the wisest people on Earth, and I want to learn as much as possible
about the practical side of farming. Combined with research findings, we have
access to all the information we need to become a sustainable society.
The turn of the century is when seeds are planted that become the big ideas
of the next century. This is the importance with which I view the work that
we are doing in establishing and maintaining a safe and reliable food supply
for generations to come. Just as important is preserving the integrity of
rural communities and supporting small-scale farming operations.
I have studied the medicinal use of plants and enjoy identifying and
collecting wild native plants. Camping, reading, listening to music, and
studying Spanish are some other of my hobbies. I look forward to meeting many
of you, working for and with you, and expanding NSAS activities in western
Nebraska.
Meet Jill Wubben: NSAS Bookkeeper and Secretary
As some of you are already aware, Jill Wubben began working for NSAS in
December as our secretary and bookkeeper. Jill and her husband Dave are
lifetime residents of the Hartington area and both grew up on farms, which is
part of the reason Jill was attracted to a job with NSAS. They purchased an
acreage about six miles from Hartington a few years ago, and began the
process of fixing up and remodeling some of the old buildings. The Wubbens
mainly raise feeder pigs and also feed out a small number of cattle each
year. They hope to eventually purchase farmground and increase their
operation.
-Jill Wubben
New Members Join NSAS Board
The NSAS Board of Directors is pleased to welcome two new members, Dale
Kohles and Marvin Lange, and returning member Tom Larson. Dale, Marvin and
Tom were elected to the Board at the NSAS Annual Meeting in February. They
replace outgoing Board members Dan Hilger and Gary Young, both of whom made
valuable contributions to NSAS's establishment and growth.
Dale Kohles has been farming near Bloomfield since 1946, and is a life-long
practitioner of sustainable agriculture. Dale is currently on the program
advisory committee for the Center for Rural Affairs's Stewardship and
Technology Program. He was also involved in the Center's Small Farm Resources
Project. Dale's farm mainly consists of pasture, alfalfa and some corn. He
has a cow/calf operation and practices rotational pasturing, as well as
biological musk-thistle control with rosette and seed-head weevils.
Marvin, his wife Evelyn, their three sons and their two daughters farm
northeast of Fordyce. Marvin rotates corn with small grain mixed with sweet
clover, and uses oats as a nurse crop when seeding alfalfa. He has not used
spray since the mid-seventies. The Langes have a thirty-five cow dairy herd,
and sell both fat and feeder calves. Marvin was involved in the Center's
Small Farm Energy and Small Farm Resources projects. In 1984, he was involved
in a project to control flies on his dairy cows. He is currently
experimenting with Angora goats to control leafy spurge on his pasture.
Tom Larson farms near St. Edward. His irrigated ground produces corn,
lupines, soybeans, onions, pinto beans, forage turnips, and navy beans. He
also raises dryland alfalfa and navy beans. Tom manages a 30-50 head cow/calf
operation. Last fall, he installed a pasture watering system for intensive
grazing. Tom is a member of the LEAD (Leadership Education Action
Development) program, which develops the leadership skills of farmers and
agribusiness people.
Outgoing Board member Dan Hilger served on the Board for six years. Dan
grows a variety of crops, including potatoes, popcorn, pumpkins and alfalfa,
on an irrigated quarter near Bellwood. He markets a dried bean mix, in
addition to his popcorn. Dan has provided invaluable help with coordinating
meals and snacks for NSAS annual meetings, as well as videotaping workshops
and speakers.
Gary Young is one of the founding members of NSAS. He served as President of
the organization from 1988-1994, and served on the Board for seven years.
Gary farms 320 acres near McLean, Nebraska, where he raises corn, milo, oats,
alfalfa and soybeans. He keeps a ewe/lamb herd and a cull cow/calf beef herd
on rotationally grazed pasture. He received funding from the USDA Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program for two on-farm research
projects. Gary was involved in the Center For Rural Affairs's Small Farm
Energy and Small Farm Resources projects.
NSAS Mission Statement Under Revision
The Board of Directors decided to revise NSAS's mission statement at its
March planning retreat, held in Oconto. This decision was based on the
results of a member survey held at the Annual Meeting, and a discussion of
the values held by NSAS members.
The retreat participants drafted a new mission statement: "To promote an
agriculture that builds healthy land, people, communities and quality of
life." This revision reflects the importance placed by NSAS members on
community and quality of life issues. While the previous mission statement
focuses on sustainable agricultural practices, this new version emphasizes
the philosophy behind those practices. The revision gives NSAS more
flexibility to pursue the wide variety of projects and issues suggested by
our members.
21 NSAS members were interviewed by Board members at the Annual Meeting this
year. They were asked to comment on what activities NSAS could offer to meet
their needs and interests, and what farming, food and economic issues concern
them. Members requested activities in the areas of business and marketing in
addition to sustainable agricultural practices, and they suggested a number
of ways NSAS could provide them with education, networking opportunities and
support.
Issues raised by the members surveyed fell into the areas of agricultural
policy, corporate farming, rural community development, conservation and
stewardship, food safety and quality, marketing and business, and farming
practices.
Board members used members' suggestions when brainstorming short and
long-term project ideas for NSAS. Some of the suggested approaches to
furthering our mission include:
-Working with rural women
-Designing educational outreach programs for kids
-Creating projects which will include urban and rural non-farm people
-Increasing the involvement of churches in promoting sustainable agriculture
-Teaching new marketing strategies to beginning and experienced farmers
through a "marketing mentor" approach.
The Board welcomes member input and suggestions on the revised mission
statement. If you would like to suggest an idea, please call, FAX, or send it
to the NSAS office by April 23rd. The Board will discuss these
recommendations at its April 25th meeting.
Groups Selected in First Round of IMPACT Funding
This February, six groups were selected to participate in the Nebraska Ag
IMPACT project. The IMPACT project works to increase the use and support of
sustainable farming systems in Nebraska communities. The members of these new
groups have designed their own group goals and research, education, and
demonstration projects.
The Hillary Clinton Club, based out of Hay Springs, is an agricultural
marketing group started and run by women. Their goal is to promote the
increased education of any interested persons on a variety of topics. Their
diverse educational plan, which ranges from accounting and estate planning to
preventing soil erosion, is based on the idea that environmental management
is one of the keys to the success, profitability and health of a community.
Dawes County Extension Educator Don Huls is working with this group.
Members of the Fordyce Organic Trials Group are interested in trying organic
certified crop production. Their goals include learning more about organic
crop production practices and marketing, supporting each other through the
organic certification process, and educating people in their community about
organic farming and food safety issues. Maintaining the vitality of their
rural community with a base of profitable family farms is an important issue
for them.
Members of the Northeast Nebraska Farmers' Group are interested in a variety
of on-farm research and demonstration projects. Two of the group's members
are studying managed grazing in riparian zones, so that they can graze these
areas without damaging the streambanks or compromising water quality. Other
group members are researching management strategies for converting CRP land
to pasture, and alternatives to black plastic mulch for planting windbreaks.
The group's members are from Fordyce, McLean, Stanton, Pierce, Dixon and
Hartington. Knox County Extension Educator Terry Gompert is working with this
group.
EQUAL, which stands for Enhanced Quality of Life, is a support group for
rural women who want to find ways to strengthen their families and
communities. They have planned a year-long educational project to learn more
about business and farm finance, time management, communications strategies,
starting and managing a local daycare facility, and low-input farming and
gardening. The members of this group are from the Fordyce and Bow Valley
areas, and they are working with Cedar County Extension Educator Sally
Ebmeier.
The Hoofmasters Grazing Group consists of nine farmers recently introduced
to Management Intensive Grazing. The majority this group's members are young
or beginning farmers, with less than five years of experience as farm owners
or operators. They plan to use on-farm research and demonstrations of
Management Intensive Grazing practices to show their community that there is
an alternative to highly mechanized feed harvest and storage systems for
dairy and beef cattle. Extension Educator Terry Gompert is advising this
group on grazing practices.
The Hamilton County Mid-Nebraska Task Force wants to use on-line
communications to learn more about alternative crops and sustainable
agriculture. They are planning an educational program focusing on
agricultural resources on the Internet, and are exploring ways to increase
public access to on-line agricultural information. Hamilton County Extension
Educator Andy Christiansen is working with this group.
The IMPACT Project will be accepting applications from interested groups
throughout the year. Our next application deadline is tentatively set for
July 1, 1995. We have small grants available for group organizing and
research, education, and demonstration project expenses.
IMPACT projects should improve the use and understanding of sustainable
farming systems among farmers and rural communities. Sustainable farming
systems are those which are resource efficient, maintain productivity and
profitability, protect the environment and personal health, provide increased
opportunities for farmers and ranchers, and support rural communities. Groups
are encouraged to work with a local extension educator.
For more information or application forms, please contact the Hartington
office.
1995 Farm Bill Debate Underway
By Kelly O'Neill, Center for Rural Affairs
The 1995 Farm Bill debate is finally underway, and there are many
opportunities for all of us to have an impact.
First, farmers will have a chance to inform the House of Representatives
Agriculture Committee that a reformed federal farm program would more
effectively support family farms and encourage resource stewardship, while
saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
The House of Representatives has scheduled field hearings to learn farmers'
ideas on the 1995 Farm Bill. Commodity programs will be discussed in Grand
Island, Nebraska on April 19, and in Sioux City, Iowa on April 20. An April
19 hearing in Akron, Colorado will focus on conservation and research
policies.
A limited number of people will be on the agenda to testify, but anyone may
share concerns in an "open mike" session at the end of each hearing. Call
your representative for more information.
Members of Congress will also be available to meet with constituents during
their recess, from April 8 to 30. To arrange an appointment, call your
representative or senator.
Letters detailing your concerns would have a significant impact now, as
members of Congress are considering various policies and making priorities.
Reducing the farm program costs will be one of Congress's top priorities,
and we need to stress that there are ways to make the necessary budget cuts
while actually strengthening family farm opportunities.
Richard Lugar, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has proposed
reducing deficiency payments by over $11 billion between 1996 and 2000,
through an annual three percent reduction in the target price used to
determine deficiency payment rates. This would force family-sized farms to
take a cut of about two-thirds in their deficiency payments. Very large
farms, however, might take no cut. Their acreage may be sufficient for them
to continue to receive the maximum $100,000 payment if divided into enough
legal entities, in spite of the cuts.
A fairer way to reduce program costs would be to give large farms a turn at
coping with reduced payments. Loopholes to the $50,000 payment limitation
should be closed, and payments to people with extremely high off-farm
incomes should be reduced. A modest volume of crop production should not be
subjected to cuts in support.
These proposals would actually strengthen family farms, by reducing
subsidies that large farms use to out-bid beginning and moderate-sized
farmers in land purchase and rental markets. There is little chance that
family farming will survive if beginning farmers must compete with very large
farms with $100,000 subsidies.
For more information, call Kelly O'Neill at the Center for Rural Affairs at
(402) 846-5428.
You may write to your representative at: the U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C. 20515. The address for senators is: U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C. 20510. The phone number for the Capitol switchboard is:
(202) 224-3121.
CREATIVE STUFF
Crazy Musings from the North Outback
What happens to Justice
in a survival-of-the-fittest society?
What happens to compassion
as we claw out our
individual survivals at
whatever price it takes?
What happens to community
if we selfishly pursue
our own survival at the expense
of neighbors when
the interests of each
are intertwined like a braid
which is weakened with the
loss of either one?
What happens to the land
of the people, by the people
and for the people
when corporations thrive
and people don't?
What happens to a way of life
if a family doesn't get
a fair price for what they produce?
What happens to the land
if farming becomes a business
and not a way of life,
if the land becomes a commodity
for the rich to buy and sell
and not a dynamic living
environment created to
nurture and feed all the creatures
of the earth?
What happens to the environment
when power and profits
are elevated above
overall wellbeing and stewardship
of the earth?
The healing time is overdue.
-Terry Jacobson (Wales, North Dakota)
Terry's book, Crazy Musings from the North Outback, can be purchased from the
Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, Box 36, Maida, ND 85255
A seed is shed upon the earth and nestled in her skin.
It knows nothing but to seek the light.
The light feeds and holds it in comfort.
It takes away all the pains of this earth and brings
forth happiness in the form of leaves;
Leaves and limbs shadowed only by doubt on which
direction to take toward the light.
Quietly venturing forward, some plants bend from the
straight path to reach the essence of their life.
No matter which way it goes, it will achieve its
goal or die in the process.
-Timothy Rhyne (Belmont, North Carolina)