Soil Health

Soil Health is a new spin on incorporating several agronomic and ecological principles to help ensure sustainable and productive systems.  Soil Health takes a holistic approach to managing natural systems and ensuring that processes and cycles mimic natural occurrences.  This will help ensure minimal inputs, sustainable output, increased resiliency, healthy and productive resources, and improved financial sustainability.

I recently went to a NRCS training on Soil Health.  Our instructor was Ray Archuleta from the NRCS East Technical Center.  He is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about improving soil health.  He has several videos on Ray the Soil Guy which are great viewing. 

He asked us some basic questions, like "Why do we care about soil?"; and "What do we want from our soils?".  The bottom line is we expect a lot from our soils and we quickly came to a unified understanding of just how important healthy and functioning soils are.


A living root adds carbon and exudates which feed the soil microbes
and builds soil structure.



Top 4 management tips:

1. Minimize soil disturbance; i.e. plowing



2. Maximize diversity of crops in rotation

3. Have a living root in the soil as often as possible

4. Keep the soil covered with plants and plant residues

I look forward to applying these management tips not only in the High Tunnel, but also in our pasture setting with an improved rotation.



The soil has good cover, a living root, and diversity in type of crop;
 i.e. cool season grass to a warm season broad leaf.



Other great links:



North Dakota Zero Tillage Association

NRCS Soil Biology



Knocking down a cover crop with a roller crimper and no-till planting directly behind it in one operation.

  

Seasonal High Tunnel

Southeast Colorado is an area noted for extremes.  We get as cold as northern climates in the winter, as hot as more southern climates in the summer, with drought and wind events common in-between.

With the intent to be sustainable, we looked closely at optimizing garden production.  In order to accomplish this, we have the following goals:
     1) Improve early growing season conditions; temperatures and high winds.
     2) Improve water use efficiency of limited water resources
     3) Improve plant health and vigor during extreme summer months
     4) Increase late season growing opportunities by protecting from early killing frost

Our goals lead us to apply for a grant offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for a Seasonal High Tunnel.  In Mid-May, we found out that we received the grant.  We are very excited as this is expected to really further our operation.

With the growing season underway, timing was of the essence.  Construction began right away! 

We ordered a Clear Span 30' X 48' Economy High Tunnel from Farm Tek.  They were very good to deal with.

Challenges were:
    1) Growing season was under way, so plants had to be transplanted prior to   construction completion.  This proved difficult to work around as construction required a lot of moving around the area with ladders.
    2) High winds required careful consideration
    3) Irrigation differences from High Tunnel vs. outside area
    4) Pests and other animal impacts

A couple good free standing ladders are necessary.  Help is appreciated as there is a lot of overhead work.  Top height is 13'.

Lots of rafter hangers to secure.  A necessary step.



Reinforcing framework added along with anchor post and attached cable to protect against South winds.



Not two weeks after completion, a storm came through with high winds that tore the 6 mil plastic cover off the structure.  This was a major disappointment.  Major structure was fine, but broke minor boards and bent pipe for roll-up sides.  Cover was taped up and other repairs were made to salvage most parts.  Hoping cover will make it through the season.



Inside view of final product.



Outside view of final product.  Note temporary electric fence to keep cows and sheep out.  Also note rope lashings between rafters to better hold plastic down in high winds.