Any farmer or rancher can learn how to farm ecologically — it’s just not very likely that anyone can do it on their own
Isn’t it fascinating that when we were little kids and our relationship with time was different, we would think it peculiar that the “old folks” would comment every December about how fast the previous year had passed. Now here I am doing it myself!
This year seemed to be one of the fastest yet for me. The annual Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag conference is already upon us!
Since its founding, Acres U.S.A. has been dedicated to ecological agriculture. Trends and fads have come and gone, but our long-term focus is the same. As farmers and ranchers, we strive to grow food as ecologically as we possibly can. What does that mean?
Ecosystem processes have been functioning since the very beginnings of life on earth. Every location on the planet, from the poles to the equator, is in the process of becoming clothed with life. Plants have colonized the barren bedrock and sediments and have been consumed by grazers large and small. Predators macro and micro eat the grazers. Scavengers feed on the dead. Some organisms cause disease, which may lead directly or indirectly to the death of the host. Some organisms survive illness and pass their resistance to their offspring. The bodies of plants, animals, and fungi, as they are eaten and excreted, release their nutrients into the system to be used by the living, and they eventually turn into fertile soil.
For millennia these natural processes have been ongoing and have resulted in an amazingly beautiful and diverse planet. Fertility, pest control (usually referring to insects) and disease control are hardwired into the Nature Operating System. It works all by itself.
In an ideal world, ecological agriculture would be the same: our farms and ranches would provide us with all of the food and materials that we would ever need. In the “not so ideal” world in which we find ourselves, we still strive for that state.
Mineral fertility on eco-ag operations comes from crushed rocks, animal excrement, root exudates, and the decay and combination of all of the above. We might choose to make liquid “teas” from these ingredients, fermented or not. Green cover with living roots pumps sugars into the soil, feeding microorganisms that chelate minerals to make them bioavailable. Plant and animal residues may be surface applied, lightly tilled in or plowed under, composted, burned or pyrolized. Sometimes our goal is to get the mineral fertility itself within reach of our crop plants, and other times we might be intending to increase the populations of soil organisms, which will aid in the decomposition process. In others, we strive to increase soil organic matter, which can accelerate nutrient release.
Ecological systems have proven themselves to be successful through the eons, and they show that soil fertility is obtainable without ever having to deviate from natural processes. There is no need to “jack” the system with toxic chemistry.
The same goes with pests and diseases. For the most part, healthy, mineral-rich soil grows healthy plants. Healthy plants feed healthy animals and healthy people. When pest or disease outbreaks occur (and they do — this is how nature rolls!), natural products repel, attract or confuse. Populations of predators can be introduced. Competing organisms can be used. In the longer-term, resistance to pests and diseases can be bred into our crops and livestock.
This is not rocket science. Any farmer or rancher with even modest intelligence can learn how to farm ecologically. However, it’s not very likely that we will be able to do it on our own.
Nature is built out of a complex web of relationships, and it requires us to come into a deeper relationship with the ecosystems around us and with one another. We learn from one another. We teach one another. We experiment. Sometimes we even receive negative feedback. “I won’t do THAT again!”
What we do might changes every season. What worked for a while might not have the effects that it once did. We plan. We act. We seek feedback, and we adjust — all within our family of relationships. The more we seek to live in conscious relationship with our farms and ranches, the more we understand how fertility, pest, and disease cycles operate. The more aware we are of how our plant and animal communities function, the more aware we can become of how our human communities function, and the more we have to share with others who are living the same process.
Part of that process for thousands of fellow farmers and ranchers is taking some time each year to relax, enjoy and share by going to the Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag conference! While there we reconnect with old friends and make new ones. We exchange information and ideas that can help solve problems and prevent as many as possible.
For me, the Eco-Ag conference provides the opportunity to summarize the past season’s highs and lows, and in most years there is something that happened on the farm that sends me directly to one of the vendors or elders for their advice, tools or products.
Whether your operation is totally perennial or somewhere along the way, the Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag conference is the perfect place to help you along that journey. There are dozens of workshops lead by experienced practitioners and researchers on all sorts of topics, from soil health to plant health, animal health and human health. You’ll meet folks growing similar crops and livestock as you are. You will be able to get tips and advice from REAL PEOPLE with real experience, innovating on the actual planet — instead of from AI algorithms that merely regurgitate the most popular answers asked by people who spend too much time on the computer.
Come to the conference to find the tools you’re looking for, even if they don’t exist yet! Some of my most enjoyable conversations have been on the trade show floor with equipment dealers and manufacturers, as we brainstorm what kind of device we could craft that would harvest this or process that. How do I get this crop into a package that looks like that? How do I market these? Soil amendments, testing, marketing ideas, you name it — it all can be found at the Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag conference.
One of my goals at the Eco-Ag conference this year is to chat with some younger, fledgling farmers and brainstorm about how we can all work together and solve our common challenges. How can we “older” timers help you out?
