by Dr. Gladis Zinati No-till management is generally recognized for its potential to improve soil quality, significantly reduce runoff and erosion, sequester atmospheric CO2, increase nitrogen conservation, as well as reduce machinery, labor and fuel costs. However conventional no-till relies … Continued
Dig Deeper
soil health
Life in Natural Agriculture Soil, Part 2
By Dr. Elaine Ingham, Rodale Institute Chief Scientist The following article is from a presentation that Dr. Ingham gave at the Shumei Natural Agriculture Conference on January 21, 2012, at Shumei Hall in Pasadena, CA. The text was edited and … Continued
Life in Natural Agriculture Soil, Part 1
By Dr. Elaine Ingham, Rodale Institute Chief Scientist The following article is from a presentation that Dr. Ingham gave at the Shumei Natural Agriculture Conference on January 21, 2012, at Shumei Hall in Pasadena, CA. The text was edited and … Continued
Recipe for great growth
By Coach Mark Smallwood Originally appeared at www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com When it comes to growing food, it takes a village. But not the kind of village you might think. While inviting friends and neighbors over to help plant in the spring, harvest … Continued
The real beef with biosolids
The statement about injecting human waste into the soil [in the TIME article What If the World’s Soil Runs Out?] concerns me. How does Rodale [Institute] feel about this issue? ~ Lisa Treated human waste (otherwise known as sewage sludge … Continued
Turning compost by temperature
By Richard Mitchell Farmers, municipalities and home gardeners alike understand the concept and value of composting but may not understand how to make good compost. The National Organic Program (NOP) offers guidelines for composting to eliminate pathogens and weed seeds. … Continued
Soil Life: Microbiology on the farm
By Mary Edmonds and Natalia Pinzón Rodale Institute Seasonal Research Technicians The diverse ecosystems that are found in soil determine the productivity of our land. Without the billions of bacteria, millions of fungi and protozoa, and the thousands of other … Continued
What’s new with our weeds
By Mary Edmonds, Rodale Institute Seasonal Research Technician Rodale Institute is currently in the second year of a series of field trials investigating organic weed management using cover crops. The goal is to examine the efficacy of different pieces of … Continued
Black plastic alternatives: Fertility, variety, seasonality
By Eric Winter, Rodale Institute Seasonal Research Technician This is year two of the three-year Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant that is investigating alternatives to black plastic. Since the end of year one (see the article Black Plastic … Continued
Growing vegetables with cover crop mulch
By Alison Grantham At Meadow View Farm, in Kutztown, PA James Weaver and son Harold Weaver dread cleaning up the more than 20 linear miles of black plastic they use every year. When they do finish cleaning up all of … Continued