The soil samples of the various fields have been collected diligently by Katie and are off to the lab. We eagerly await the results to tell us a little bit about how we are doing and where we stand each year. We can watch the various nutrient levels change and that lets us know what cover crops to plant or if we need to add any minerals to the soil. Another important soil trait which we watch is soil organic matter. Soil organic matter is so important to organic farms because we don't rely on synthetic nutrients and fertilizers for crop growth but rather rely on the health of the plant in a living soil. Organic matter allows the soil to live, to hold moisture through dry periods, to encourage the soil flora and fauna to prosper and thus yield a robust and healthy soil. We believe wholeheartedly that a healthy soil leads to healthy plants which leads to healthy people and a healthy environment. We also believe that health is more than a mere absence of disease.

It was amazing to see soil which has been treated well over the past two season turn from a dead and dry medium into a moist, dark, alive soil with amazing tilth. Granted we have a long way to go and a lot of learning to do, but we are not off to a bad start. The areas where we were able to get a late cover crop of tritikale( a cross b/w rye and wheat) going are the best looking. We hope this year to increase our cover cropping regimes all over the farm and throughout the season and learn which ones do best in our climate. We have an extra challenge in cover cropping here in the high dessert in that we have to irrigate the cover crops just like the food crops in order for them to grow and thrive where in other areas of the country with rain you can seed a cover crop and almost forget about it.

This year we will also be experimenting with transplanting directly into killed cover crops in order to mulch the plants, keep the soil moisture up, conserve water, and suppress weeds all the while having a wonderful decomposing organic mulch. The possibilities are endless and it is very exciting to be the stewards of such an important resource.

Cheers,
Nic