Ulrich Hack, Hack Farm; Chris Boettcher, Bob Kerr, and Roger Rivest. Facilitated by Phillip Woodhouse
“Don’t treat your dirt like dirt!!” These four organic producers, with a wealth of knowledge will discuss how to build the optimal soil. They will discuss healthy soils, soil structure, compost, cover crops, tillage systems; healthy eco-systems, and much more!
1. Ecological Day GBFW 14
Soil Building Panel
Participants:
Ulrich
Hach, Hack Farm
Christian
Bob
Boettcher
Kerr, Kerr Farms
Roger
Rivest, Keystone Grain
Facilitated
by Phillip Woodhouse
2. Hack Farm
The
Farm is located near Kincardine
and North of Hwy 9, an area that
seems to miss a lot of summer rains
due to the lake effect.
The
Farm is 900 acres in 1 piece, plus
some nearby rented fields.
3. Hack Farm
Farm Situation
About
50% of the Farm are droughtprone sandy soils.
Being
in the snowbelt translates
into being in the rain-shade in
summer (lake-effect).
Windy
Soil
area due to the lake.
prone to wind erosion.
Fertility
challenges on sandy soils.
4.
5.
6. Hack Farm
The
Farm is a cash crop
operation, with a herd of 70 beef
cows to help maintain fertility.
The Farm is Organic and Demeter
certified and uses the biodynamic
principle of the closed Farm
organism.
That means we strife to produce
all our fertility needs on the
Farm.
7. Hack Farm
916 acres
Of
crops and pasture
Crops
Hay,
include:
Spelt, Soybeans, Oats, ForagePeas, Rye, Green Peas, Millet,
Flax, Corn, Clover-seed
8. Hack Farm
Organic Since 1982
We
came from a Demeter Farm in
Germany, that was converted in
1967.
In
1982 we came to Canada and
converted to organic and Demeter.
In
2004 we bought additional land
and converted it.
The
rented parcels were converted
as we got them, starting in 2000.
9. Hack Farm
Soil Health
Crop
rotation and the green-manure
crops are the main tools for soil
health.
They
get enhanced by the use of
our homemade biodynamic
Preparations.
The
manure is composted prior to
application
Animals
are a big asset for longterm fertility
10. Hack Farm
Green Manure
Red
clover is best if sufficient
moisture
If
moisture is not sufficient, it can
enhance Quackgrass population.
Oats
and forage peas are an
alternative, as they can still grow
with cooler temperatures with the
fall moisture
12. Hack Farm
Green Manure Crops
Clover
Sweet
-Beautiful soil structure
Clover
-Deep root
Rye
-Low temperature growth
Buckwheat
- Fast germinating when
warm
Oats,
Peas
Clover
for seed to add fertility
Tillage
Radish, Canola, Oilradish
13. Hack Farm
Crop Rotation
Our
crop rotation is not fixed, as
the soils (sand to clay), drainage
and weed pressure vary
considerably
14. Hack Farm
Crop Rotation
Hay
Compost
Hay
Compost
Hay
Summer-fallow
Spelt Red Clover
Soybeans
Rye
Red Clover Compost
Millet
15. Hack Farm
Crop Rotation Continued
Spelt
Red
Red Clover
Compost
Clover
Flax
Spelt
Red Clover Compost
Red Clover
Soybeans
Millet
Clover?
Mixed Grain Underseeded to hay
16. Hack Farm
Considered Changes
Red
and Sweet clover, Ryegrass Tim.
Spelt
Red clover
Soybeans
Rye
Rye
Seeded down
Red and Sweet clover, Ryegrass Tim.
Spelt
Oats, Peas, Canola, Red Clover
Soybeans
Rye, Oats
Millet
Sweet Clover
17. Hack Farm
Considered Changes Cont.
Barley
Underseeded
Red and Sweet clover, Ryegrass Tim
Spelt
Red Clover
Red Clover
Rye, Oats
Soybeans
Rye, Oats
Millet
Sweet clover
Oats
Underseeded
18. Hack Farm
Avoid Compaction
Start
working the soil shallow, and
slowly go deeper
2
passes within 24 hours dries out the
hair-roots of quackgrass
Plowed
Plowed
clover leaves best seedbed
ground has less weeds than
chisel-plowed
19. Hack Farm
Weed Control
Blind
harrowing is most effective
Later
harrowing mainly gets the smaller
weeds
For
scuffling row-crops, set the
cultivator close to the row (from 12”
down to 5”)
Front-mount
Mirror
Late
makes control easier
or guidance system for rear mount
scuffling before canopy closes
24. Hack Farm
Rotate to Break Weed
Cycles
Cool
season annual
Warm
season annual
Mustard
Velvetleaf
Biennial
Peppergrass
Perennial
Quackgrass
Mustard
can not compete in
wintergrain or hay fields
35. Boettcher Family Farm
Located
S/E of Brussels, Huron County
on the edge of the Stratford plain.
Soil
types range from:
Perth
Clay Loam
Brookston
Black
Have
Clay Loam
Muck in low lying areas
farmed this land with his wife
Gabriele and their 5 children since the
early 1980’s.
36. Boettcher Family Farm
After
a health crisis they switched from
conventional agriculture to
biodynamic/organic farming in the
early 1990’s.
Lost
faith in conventional agriculture.
37. Boettcher Family Farm
Run
a 430 workable acre mixed
operation.
Main
livestock component is a flock of
400 breeding ewes and their +/- 600
lambs.
Crops
– Grow spelt, soybeans, oats, rye,
experiment with canola, and 5-8 acres
of vegetables.
44. Boettcher Family Farm
Crop Rotation
Was developed to balance the needs
for the livestock, field crops, and soil
building simultaneously.
To build up soil fertility and humus
content, they grow 2 years of an 8
species forage mixture for grazing and
hay production.
45. Boettcher Family Farm
Crop Rotation Cont.
At the end of year two after a 5 T/acre
compost application, the forage stand
is worked in ahead of Fall Spelt
seeding.
The
third year spelt is underseededto
double-cut red clover.
Fall
of year three – lamb grazing
46. Boettcher Family Farm
Crop Rotation Cont.
Year
four produces a crop of oats/peas
which is harvested.
Bin
run oats is broadcast and disked
into the year four oat stubble in
August.
Green
oats is grazed in the Fall.
47. Boettcher Family Farm
Crop Rotation Cont.
Year
five sees soya beans planted and
grain rye seed is broadcast and disked
into soy stubble in Fall of year five.
In
year six, rye is underseeded in the
Spring to an 8-way forage mix again.
In
the Fall, this new forage seeding can
be lightly grazed if needed.
48. Boettcher Family Farm
Soil Health
Built
up through crop rotation and is
maintained by “thoughtful” tillage.
Overall
diesel fuel consumption
amounts to 16 litres/acre per year on
all tillage and harvesting operations.
51. Boettcher Family Farm
Soil Health cont.
Their principle:
“Do everything to create soil
biological activity and avoid
everything that hinders this
biological activity”
53. Boettcher Family Farm
Soil Health cont.
Through
soil testing they can monitor
biological activity in numbers.
Soil organic matter is steadily rising as is
the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC).
The macro minerals are leveling off at
medium to medium high and the
micronutrients are bouncing back from
his conventional days.
54. Boettcher Family Farm
Soil Health cont.
Soil life is fed almost every season by
sheep manure and inter crop roots.
Yields
have increased steadily over time
and are now equal to his conventional
colleagues and neighbours.
Weed
pressure, pests and diseases are
decreasing.
A
good crop rotation can manage weeds.
55. Year
Crop/Operation
Comments
Year 1
• Legume/grass mix
• Building up fertility and
humus
• (3 legumes, 3 grasses)
• One cutting for hay, one • Diversity in root species
grazing with flock
• Forage tops converted by
ruminants into fertilizer
• No tillage
Year 2
• Legume/grass mix
• Root mass to feed soil life
• One cutting, one grazing • Maximum build-up of soil
fertility
• 5 tonnes/acre winter
compost worked in
• Disk and rip up forage
stand
• Spelt seeding
Year 3
• Spelt for harvest
• Spelt (mediocre root system)
heavy user of fertility
• Red clover underseeding
• Grazing in
• Red clover builds fertility back
September/October
up
• 1-2 offset diskings
56. Year
Year 4
Crop/Operation
• Oats for harvest
• After harvest: oats
broadcasted and disked
in
• Green oats (or seed
cocktail) for grazing in
November/December
Comments
• Oats – medium fertility user
with superb root system
• Superior soil tilth (calcium,
phosphorus and micronutrient
accumulator
• No fall tillage
Year 5
• Broadcast and harrowed • Oats easy to undercut for soy
in oats ahead of
seeding
• Soybeans for harvest
• Superb tilth
• Broadcast and light disk • High brix soybeans => aphid
rye after soy harvest
management
Year 6
• Rye for harvest
• Rye uses up remnant fertility
• Legume/grass mix
• Good weed suppression
underseeding
• Legume/grass mix provides
• Light grazing in October diversity again
• No tillage
57. Changes in Soil Fertility Over the Last 16
Years on our Farm
Organic Matter
.02% to .1% increase per year
Cation Exchange Capacity No change or 10-15% increase in 20 years
(CEC)
PH
Moving towards neutral
Acid soluble test
•
•
•
•
Magnesium – down
Calcium – up
Potassium – slightly down (H to M range)
Phosphorus – slightly down (VH to H range)
Water soluble test
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Calcium – up by up to 50%
Potassium – slightly down
Phosphorus – slightly down
Magnesium – slightly up
Sulphur – up
Sodium – down
Micronutrients – improving
