Winter 2008-09 Vol. 2, No.

79 Publication of the Northeast Organic Farming Association 1077-2294

Inside This Issue
Features
Connecticut Town Farm Dairy Shuts Down 6
Vermont Compost Gets Reprieve 6
NOFA/Mass Soil Mineral Seminar Set 7
NOFA-NH Local and Organic Food Day 40
Sprouting 40
Supplement on
Organic Mulches
Mulches for Home Vegetable Gardens 9
24 Acres of Mulch 13
Lasagna Gardening 19
Why Mulch? 23
Mulch Guide 26
Organic No-Till? 29
Mulching at Pleasant Valley Farm 32
Departments
Letters to the Editor 2
NOFA Exchange 4
News Notes 5
Book (& Video) Reviews 43
NOFA Contact People 46
NOFA Membership 47
Calendar 47
Looking Ahead to
2009s Summer
Conference
by Megan Pacelli
As the cold Northeast weather moves in, thoughts
turn to sustainability. We refect on what we will
need to get us through the cold winter months...how
much fuel, how much frewood, and of course
how much food. With so much uncertainty, it seems
more important than ever to think long and hard
about where our food comes from, how safe it is,
and how long it will last.
NOFA plays such an important role in this, and
the summer conference is our way of sharing what
we know. We are proud to be able to contribute
knowledge and resources that will help others be
more independent and secure in such uncertain
times. Thoughts about food safety and autonomy
led us to a timely theme for the 2009 summer
conference: Know Food, Know Freedom - NOFA
The conference committee met on what was sure
to be one of the last warm days of the season. We
huddled at the home of a committee member to talk
about our frst conference at UMass Amherst. The
positives (great workshops, informative speakers),
the negatives (parking spots, traffc, larger area to
navigate). We pored over attendee suggestions, and
discussed what worked, what didnt and what to
do better next year.
This was our frst year at UMass; we expected that
there would be some kinks, and there were. Better
signage, fow of information, meal options, and
parking organization are things that we will improve
on based on this years experience. We now have a
closer relationship with the folks there, which will
make planning for next year much easier.
Based on this years experience, we have a better
sense for parking options. There is a large parking
lot that opens up in the later evening Friday that we
can utilize, as well as additional spaces behind the
dorms. Another option is garage parking for a low
daily fee.
Affordable accommodations are one of the most
important aspects of the conference. More
campsites were in demand this year, and we have
plans for allowing more sites on the library lawn
and around the pond so that we do not have to limit
the number of campers due to space issues.
One of the most prominent comments in the
evaluations was that workshops were too far apart,
making it hard to get to them on time. During
a meeting with UMass at the end of October, it
was agreed that next year we will have the use of
ffteen rooms in the Campus Center, which is very
centrally located and accessible from most parts of
the campus. Negotiations are underway for the use
of fve more rooms hopefully all in one building
which will enable us to schedule workshops
that are much closer together. Over the next few
months we will examine the overall layout of the
conference to be sure that things are more central
and convenient for future conferences.
The meal plan will also be changed next year.
Attendees will choose 1-6 meals for a dollar amount
on meal cards. It has been easier to work with
UMass on these details such as this now that we
have gotten to know each other a little better.
Focusing on ways to lessen our impact on the earth,
we took a look at the amount of paper that fows out
from our offce. This year, we would like to be able
to mail less registration forms, and focus on online
communication for the summer conference. But we
will need your help with this effort! Please send an
email to info@nofamass.org if you think we may
not have your most current email address. We
want to be sure that we can make the switch from
paper to electronic without losing our connection
with you, so be sure to keep us informed. As
always, any information that you may be looking
for will be on our website, www.nofamass.org, and
you can always request a paper registration form if
you are not online. Another exciting development
is plans for a new website dedicated solely to the
summer conference, which will be up and running
in early 2009.
Call For Workshop Presenters!
We need you to make next years workshops a
success! Our workshop coordinators - Adrianne
Schaefer (adults), Jenn Caron (teens) and Valerie
Walton (children) are looking for presenters for
the 2009 conference. Please be sure to read the
following information, and respond by December
31
st
if you are interested.
Are you interested in presenting a workshop at the
2009 NOFA Summer Conference? Each year, the
NOFA Summer Conference provides a valuable
opportunity for farmers, gardeners, homesteaders,
educators, and environmentalists to share resources
and ideas in order to grow a vibrant organic
community. This is your chance to share what you
know!
We are looking for knowledgeable and enthusiastic
presenters to offer workshops on a variety of
sustainability and organic agriculture topics,
from beginner level to advanced. The categories
include: Alternative Energy and the Environment;
Animals; Crops; Farming and the Community;
Farm Economics and Management; Cooking and
Food Preparation; Farming and Education; Politics
and Policy; Fruits, Nuts, and Trees; Garden and
Greenhouse; Herbs and Flowers; International
Agriculture; Land Care; Marketing; Nutrition and
Healthcare; Of the Spirit; Practical Skills; Soil and
Fertility; Weeds, Insects and Disease; and Farm
Tours. If you enjoy working with youth, please
consider offering a workshop for teens or children.

The 2009 NOFA Summer Conference will be held
at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA
from August 7-9. Workshop presenters receive free
conference registration and a $50 honorarium.
If you would like to participate as an adult
workshop presenter, please contact Adrianne
Schaefer at (508) 801-7630 or adrianne.schaefer@
gmail.com by December 31, 2007. Additionally, by
this deadline date, you can contact Jenn Caron at
jennc69@gmail.com, 978-544-5646 to offer a teen
conference workshop, or Valerie Walton at (978)
689-0716 or Aallspice@aol.com to offer a childrens
conference workshop.
We are also looking for teachers for the conference.
If you are interested in teaching a group of children,
please contact Valerie. Children are grouped by age,
and teachers will remain with their group as they
attend the workshops during the weekend. Teachers
are paid $330 for the weekend.
Thank you, as always, for your support. Without
you, the summer conference would not be the very
special event that it is. We look forward to seeing
you again soon!
The 2008 NOFA Summer Conference horse show was very popular
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 2
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Display Ads - this is for those offering products or services
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ads. Send camera ready copy to Bob Minnocci, 662
Massachusetts Ave. #6, Boston, MA 02118 or BMinnocci@
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size. The sizes and rates are:
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One-sixth page (7 1/2 tall by 3 1/8 wide), or
(3 3/4 tall by 6 1/2 wide) $65 $90
Business card size (1 1/2 tall by 3 1/8 wide) $20 $25
Note: These prices are for camera ready copy on clean
paper, or electronically in jpg or pdf format. If you want
any changes we will be glad to make them - or to typeset a
display ad for you - for $45 (which includes one revision --
additional revisions are $10 each). Just send us the text, any
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Deadlines: We need your ad copy one month
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deadlines are:
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Disclaimer: Advertisers are helping support
the paper so please support them. We cannot
investigate the claims of advertisers, of course,
so please exercise due caution when considering
any product or service. If you learn of any
misrepresentation in one of our ads please inform
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Sponsorships: Individuals or organizations
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Contact for Display Ads or Sponsors: Send
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If you have questions, or want to reserve space,
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com.
The Natural Farmer is a quarterly membership
journal of the Northeast Organic Farming
Association.
We plan a year in advance so those who want to
write on a topic can have a lot of lead time. The
next 3 issues will be:
Spring 2009:
Soil Building
Summmer 2009:
Microbes, Food and Public Health
Fall 2009:
Localization and Organic Farming
If you can help us on any of these topics, or have
ideas for new ones, please get in touch. We need
your help!
Moving or missed an issue? The Natural Farmer
will not be forwarded by the post offce, so you
need to make sure your address is up-to-date if you
move. Those who regularly send us a subscription
fee should send address changes to us. Most of
you, however, get this paper as a NOFA member
beneft for paying your chapter dues and should
send address updates to their local NOFA chapter
(listed at the end of each issue).
Archived issues from Summer 1999 through Fall
2005 are available at http://www.library.umass.
edu/spcoll/digital/tnf/
Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson
411 Sheldon Rd., Barre, MA 01005
978-355-2853, fax: (978) 355-4046
tnf@nofa.org
ISSN 1077-2294
copyright 2008,
Northeast Organic Farming Association, Inc
The Natural Farmer
Needs You!
Dear Editor,
Human societies, like a school of fsh, at times
take on a life of their own and run on ahead,
sometimes without much sensibility. To go against
the prevailing direction is something like pushing
against the tide. But I think we can fatter ourselves
in the organic community that we have sometimes
been willing to do this because organic farming
itself has been willing to run against the tide of
larger commercial agriculture.
I noticed in the recent (Summer, 2008) issue of
The Natural Farmer that there were a number of
articles on computers. They are exceptional and
powerful tools, which is no doubt why they have
been taking the world by storm as they have been
doing. However, not so long ago almost no one had
a computer or used one. And not so long before that,
no one had ever heard of one. They are abundant
now and convenient and appealing in a hundred
different ways. Yet there is one small question that
we rarely seem to ask, perhaps that we do not want
to ask: What is the cost, the true cost, of computers?
The manufacturing of these now very common
items is a long, involved process beginning with
crude oil and the mining of metals from the earth.
The refneries and the smelters take a hand, and
many high-tech manufacturing steps follow in
many countries before the fnished computer arrives
at the store. At every step of the way, Im afraid,
assorted waste and chemicals enter the environment.
Computer science is highly competitive (and
proftable) so that there is a steady stream or food
of new developments; the new computer of today is
fairly soon obsolete and goes to the junk pile. Here,
at best, there begins another series of processes to
recycle the equipment.
The whole business from beginning to end seems to
run on ahead, without any real direction, like some
kind of perpetual motion machine. It is happening
worldwide, on a grand scale.
My question is: Is there even one step in the whole
process that is organic? Are we so sure that we
might not want, at the very least, to maintain a little
reserve concerning this tool? Are we so sure that it
is, in the end, good for us?
Just a few thoughts,
David Ellis
Portsmouth, RI
Hi David,
Good questions! You remind me of Wendell Berrys
central question of any technology Is it good for
my community? Will it enhance my relations with
people? Will it make our bonds stronger? If not, it is
probably not a good idea to adopt it.
For me, computers are primarily tools of
communication. The ease with which they make
it possible for me to stay in touch with friends and
colleagues, to let them know about developments
in my life and to learn about the same in theirs, is
nothing short of phenomenal. For me, computers
defnitely pass the Berry community test.
The questions you raise about the environmental
impact of manufacturing these devices are also
good. But they are questions which can be raised
about most items of common commerce today
telephones, televisions, video players, microwaves,
power tools, tractors, automobiles, building
materials and plastics of all sorts. There is little in
the creation of any of these that could be called
organic.
But we have all come so far along the curve of
modern living and consumption that it is hard to
imagine any kind of functional life without at least
some of these items. I agree that we cannot continue
in this vein lest we run up against the limits of the
earth. But I dont think the answer is to boycott
everything made of plastic or artifcial materials.
I get more excited about the visions of people like
Bill McDonough and there are more and more of
them every day -- to redesign our manufacturing
processes so that, like nature, there is no waste.
Life-cycle costing and the return of most products
to their makers at the end of their useful life will
go a long way toward seeing that all components
are recycled and reused again and again. With the
proper incentives, engineering talent might be
directed to ways to design products so that easily
separating out materials once the products life is
over is an initial design goal. With such thinking we
might even be able, eventually, to close our landflls
and incinerators. Wouldnt that be a great day? All
we would need would be our compost bins!
Letters to
the Editor
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 3
Douglas Calnan, First Vice President-Investments
1099 Hingham Street, Rockland, MA 02370
781-982-3617, Fax 781-982-3699, toll-free 888-834-8471
douglas.calnan@ubs.com
www.ubs.com/fnancialservicesinc
Please help us thank these
Friends of Organic Farming
for their generous support!
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 4
NOFA
Exchange
Blow Your Own Horn
Farm Intern. The Natick Community Organic
Farm located in Natick, Massachusetts is looking
for a year round intern. Housing (one room studio
with shared kitchen and bath facilities) is offered
in exchange for 15 hours of farm related work,
teaching, and some weekend work. Studio available
November 15
th
. Email ncorganic@verizon.net your
letter of interest or resume. Visit our website at see
www.natickfarm.org or call 508-655-2204.
How would you like to grow (farm) year round on
an organic (or better) farm in either Hawaii or
Florida? I, the owner, cannot be at two different
farms over 6000 miles apart all the time. Both have
excellent farmers markets, CSA opportunities. Think
outside the box; think creatively. On site living and
other support options possible. A once in a lifetime
opportunity. All questions and inquiries to rce1@
isp.com or Linden Pond Farm, PO Box 6047, Stuart,
FL 34997.
Hutchins Farm, an organic vegetable/fruit operation
in Concord MA, is seeking a motivated, energetic
person with strong interest in an agricultural
career to work in a position of responsibility on our
diverse, 30+ acre farm. The job entails machinery
operation, supervising and working with feld crew,
and helping to plan and execute work schedules.
Some experience is necessary, as is the ability
to work well independently and with groups.
Applicants should contact Brian at hutchfarm@
earthlink.net
2009 Position Available: Assistant Farm Manager
- for two and half acre certifed organic farm, which
serves as a therapeutic and vocational training site
for homeless men and women. Assist farm manager
in all aspects of seedling and crop production, local
sales, and supervision of client workers. 25 weeks
position, from mid-April through mid-October.
Previous experience in agriculture needed and
working with special needs populations preferred.
$565 per week salary. Valid drivers license. Send
resume and cover letter to: Jean-Claude Bourrut,
Long Island Shelter, P.O. Box 220648, Boston, MA
02122. 617-534-2526 x304. Jcbourrut@bphc.org
DAcres of New Hampshire is a non-proft farm-
based service organization. In 2009, DAcres will
focus on Arts and Ecology through workshops,
tours, events, demonstrations, private lessons,
and a cottage style craft economy. Programs will
include: blacksmithing, woodworking, painting,
fber arts, maple sugaring, creative writing, silk
screening, photography, performing arts, and
drawing. The farm provides a source of creative
stimulation allowing each discipline to demonstrate
an ecological connection to the natural world.
DAcres participates in a cultural renaissance of arts
& crafts, and invites others to foster this creative
energy while reducing dependence on commercial
consumer items. www.dacres.org info@dacres.org
603.786.2366
Apprentices needed. Holiday Brook Farm
in Dalton, MA is a diversifed, organically
managed farm in the Berkshires. Our livestock
operation includes beef cattle, laying hens, and
pigs. Vegetables include 100 member CSA plus
farmstand, wholesale and farmers market. We
also produce hay, maple syrup, compost and
frewood. For more information, visit our blog
-www.holidayfarm.wordpress.com Looking for
individuals enthusiastic about vegetable production
and animal husbandry. You should be hard-working
and enjoy community interaction. Were excited to
share knowledge, in addition to room and board and
competitive salary. Email us at info@holidayfarm.
com or call 413-684-0444.
Tracies Community Farm is located in
Fitzwilliam, NH, 20 minutes from Keene, 40
from BrattleboroVT/Northfeld MA. We are in
our 11th year of diversifed organic (not certifed)
vegetable production with a 200+ family CSA,
onsite farm-stand and restaurant sales. Looking
for hardworking, enthusiastic, self-motivated team
player, serious about farming, with a positive
attitude, stamina to work 10+ hour days, move
50# bags for our Farm Manager and Apprentice
Positions. Greenhouse work, planting, cultivation,
harvesting, washing, packing, management of
working shares. Contact Tracie (603) 209-1851,
www.traciesfarm.com. Housing and lunch
provided. Hourly pay, long-term employment
opportunities and end of season bonus.
Organic Farmer Opportunity! Willow Pond
Community Farm, Brentwood, NH. Established
organic CSA (5 yrs, 60+ families, work shares,
active Core Group). Over 3+ acres cultivated of
9-acre leased conservation land. Solar powered
irrigation system and electric fence; vegetable-
washing storage shed; 2 hoop houses; farm
equipment available. Local farmers markets, other
income streams possible; no housing. Involved
membership and work shares eager to work with
a farmer for future growing seasons and further
development of the farm. Start date: 2009 Season.
Contact: Liz <elizabethroy@yahoo.com> or 603-
772-1379; http://www.willowpondfarm.org/
Atlas Farm, organic vegetable farm in Deerfeld,
MA seeks assistant farm manager. Seeking
applicants interested in learning to run a vegetable
farm, willing to make a multi-year commitment
- will train right person. Must have 1-2 years
experience on vegetable farms, some tractor
experience, strong desire to learn, solid work ethic,
attention to detail and dedication to producing a
high quality product. Assist the farm owners with
all aspects; production, marketing, equipment work
and feld crew supervision. Competitive salary/
benefts. Send letter of interest and resume to sara.
porth@uvm.edu or to Atlas Farm, 8 Pine St. South
Deerfeld, MA 01373.
WHEEL HOES
For Ecological Farming
Wipe out weeds without harming the
environment!
ORDER BEFORE JANUARY 1,
2009 TO BEAT THE PRICE
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You can watch a VIDEO OF THE
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NEW HANDLE DESIGN: Patent
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NEW CAM LEVER available for quick
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Call or write for free brochure
david@valleyoaktool.com
Ninety percent of our cultivating is done with your tool. We really do like it. We
farm 5 to 8 acres of vegetables. We do between the rows with the oscillating blade.
We use the 4 tine cultivator behind the oscillating hoe. Donald E. Beckwith,
Meadowood Farm, Yarmouth, Maine. Owner of 4 Valley Oak wheel hoes.
We used the wheel hoe for many
hours this weekend. I wish I had
bought one years ago. It has and
will continue to greatly simplify
how we cultivate our small plantings
of vegetables. Dale Willoughby,
Willoughby Farm, Pittsfield, New
Hampshire.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 5
News Notes
compiled by Jack Kittredge
USDA Finally Issues its Access to Pasture Rule
After a very, very long wait, USDA has fnally
issued a proposed amendment to the National
Organic Program Standards clarifying the access
to pasture rule for organic livestock. The new
proposed rule addresses in great detail the livestock
living conditions, feed requirements and pasture
practice standards to be followed by certifed
organic livestock producers, including that pasture
is required for every day of the growing season
(minimum 120 days) and that a minimum of 30%
of a cows feed must come from pasture. You can
consult the rule at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/
AMSv1.0/getfle?dDocName=STELPRDC5073426
&acct=noprulemaking.
The public comment period for the new rules
ends December 23, 2008. The organic community
is busy gathering input, questions and suggestions
from producers and working to forge a consensus to
guide its response. You can send written comments
to annette@sustainableagriculture.net,
Some responses from the organic community so
far are:
National Organic Coalition Thumbs UpAs
drafted, this proposed rule is very comprehensive
and will require careful study and comments.
Cornucopia Institute -- We are pleased that the
USDA has fnally addressed the concerns of the
organic dairy community, but it appears that the
department has once again monkeywrenched this
process by incorporating a number of red herrings
major policy proposals that have never been
reviewed by the industry, or, as Congress mandated,
by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
Jim Riddle I am very concerned about the
proposed language on dairy replacement animals.
The proposed change, contrary to language
recommended by the NOSB, would institutionalize
the current two-track system, which allows certain
operations to continually bring in conventional
heifers, while other operations are required to use
only replacement heifers that have been raised
organically from the last third of gestation. There
should be one standard for all organic dairy farms,
once they have converted to organic production.
source: OCA News Tidbits, October 29, 2008
Mad Court vs. Mad Cow
A federal court has ruled in favor of the USDA in
a long-standing dispute between the agency and a
Kansas-based natural beef company that wants to
test all of its meat for Mad Cow Disease. The USDA
currently tests only a tiny percentage of U.S. beef
cows for the fatal disease, unlike the EU or Japan,
where basically all cows are tested at slaughter for
the disease. Critics charge that the USDAs policy
is an attempt to cover up the fact that the routine
practice of feeding slaughterhouse waste, blood, and
manure to animals on non-organic farms has spread
Mad Cow Disease a to many cows in the USA.
In an effort to expand trade, Creekstone Farms,
a natural beef producer, (which does not feed
slaughterhouse waste to its animals) responded to
the loss of its foreign markets in Japan and Korea
by asking the USDA if the company, itself, could
pay to have all of its meat tested for BSE (Mad Cow
Disease), thereby assuring leery foreign buyers of
the meats safety. But the USDA threatened the
company and its CEO with fnes and imprisonment
if they were to begin testing the safety of their beef.
Creekstone took the USDA to court, claiming food
manufacturers should have the right to invest in
testing to make sure their food is safe. But a DC
Court of Appeals recently ruled against Creekstone,
saying the USDA has broad powers in interpreting
how to enforce food safety laws.
source: Organic Bytes #146, Health, Justice and
Sustainability News Tidbits with an Edge!10/2/2008
Another Study Demonstrates Nutritional Benefts
of Organic Food
Over the past four years, the Quality Low Input-
Food project (QLIF), involving 33 academic centers
across Europe and led by Newcastle University,
has analyzed a 725-acre British farms produce for
compounds believed to boost health and combat
disease. The farm has been split into two so that
conventional and organic produce can be grown side
by side.
Like other studies, the results show signifcant
variations, with some conventional crops having
larger quantities of some vitamins than organic
crops. But researchers confrm that the overall
trend is that organic fruit, vegetables and milk
are more likely to have benefcial compounds.
According to project leader Professor Carlo Leifert,
the compounds which have been found in greater
quantities in organic produce include vitamin C,
trace elements such as iron, copper and zinc, and
secondary metabolites which are thought to help
to combat cancer and heart disease. The fndings
from the 12m European Union-funded project,
the biggest of its kind and the frst to investigate
systematically the physiology of produce from the
different farming techniques, will be peer reviewed
and published over the next 12 months.
source: The Sunday Times, October 28, 2007
Food Sovereignty Curriculum Developed
Grassroots International and the National Family
Farm Coalition have announced a new education-
for-action curriculum: Food for Thought and
Action: A Food Sovereignty Curriculum. (www.
foodforthoughtandaction.org) The curriculum is
divided into four modules: one each for consumers,
faith and anti-hunger groups, environmentalists and
farmers, They focus on the ways in which current
U.S. policies undermine the right of communities
and nations around the world to determine their
own food policies; how food sovereignty and
locally based food systems rooted in social justice
and environmental sustainability can be practical
alternatives to unsustainable industrial agriculture;
and how people can act together across borders to
build local food systems and pass fair agriculture,
trade and energy policies. The curriculum is free.
You can download one module at a time, the fact
sheets or the entire curriculum.
source: http://www.grassrootsonline.org/what-you-
can-do/education-for-action/food-thought-action-a-
food-sovereignty-curriculum
Free Marketing Tool Announced
The Environmental Finance Center (EFC) at
Syracuse University announces the launch of
NYFoodtrader.org, a virtual farmers market that
will connect New York producers, consumers and
traders with local food fresh from the feld. The
website provides farmers with a no cost, easy
and unique venue for announcing and displaying
their products all year long. Consumers including
charities, grocers, and restaurants can post wanted
items. This website is part of a surge of interest in
developing new resources for local farmers and
other producers to connect directly to consumers.
This free and easy to use website will be monitored
and maintained by the EFC staff and will be adapted
to ft the needs of those who become members. For
any questions contact Melissa Young at (315) 443
4445.
source: Environmental Finance Center press release
USDA kills pesticide-testing program
The Bush administration has abruptly halted
a government program that tests the levels of
pesticides in fruits, vegetables and feld crops,
arguing that the $8 million-a-year program is too
expensive-a decision critics say could make it
harder to protect consumers from chemicals in
their food. Data from the 18-year-old Agricultural
Chemical Usage Program administered by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture were collected until this
year, and the Environmental Protection Agency used
the data to set safe levels of pesticides in food.
The program was launched in 1990 to answer
congressional concerns over the use of the chemical
daminozide, or Alar, on apples. The decision came
as a shock to researchers at the EPA and elsewhere
who have come to rely on the data, which measure
how much pesticide farmers apply to certain crops
each year. Some critics see the move as part of
a broad but quiet deregulation effort the Bush
administration has undertaken in its fnal months in
offce.
source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/
nationworld/chi-pesticidessep28,0,6191823.story
Farmers Markets Increase
From 2006 to 2008 the number of US farmers
markets grew 6.8% to a total of 4685. Since 1994
the number has grown by almost 3000.
source: Growing for Market, October, 2008
Dow to Sue Canada
Dow Agrosciences insists Quebecs province-
wide ban on the residential use of weed-killing
chemicals breaches legal protections owed
by Canada to US investors under the NAFTA.
The U.S. company, which has an extensive
manufacturing and sales operation in Canada, wants
to be compensated by the country for losses incurred
to its star product, 2,4-D, one of the most popular
chemical ingredients used in commercial pesticides.
The Dow claim is the latest in a long string of
disputes to arise under Chapter 11 of the NAFTAa
legal back channel which permits foreign investors
to detour around local courts and sue the federal
government before an international tribunal.
Kathleen Cooper, a senior researcher with the
Canadian Environmental Law Association, says
shes troubled that chemical producers can invoke
NAFTA in an effort to undermine the decisions
of democratically-elected governments. The
spectre of a NAFTA lawsuit comes at an auspicious
moment. The Province of Ontario has signalled that
it will follow Quebecs lead, passing legislation
earlier this year, and working on regulations that
could come into force next spring.
Dow points to a 2007 risk assessment
by Canadas own Pest Management Regulatory
Agency which said the product could continue to
be used safely on lawns and stresses that Quebecs
decision to ban certain uses of the product is not
based on scientifc evidence. It could fall to a
panel of three arbitrators to decide whether such
provincial regulations run afoul of Canadas NAFTA
commitments.
source: http://www.embassymag.ca/page/view/pe-
terson_nafta-10-22-2008
Soil Samples Requested for Research Project
Principal Research Scientist Elham Ghabbour and
Chemistry Professor Geoffrey Davies are directing
an undergraduate research project at Northeastern
University Boston (NU) that aims to measure the
humic (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) contents of the
nations agricultural topsoils (0 30 cm). The
ultimate objective is to monitor the status of our
soils over time.
FAs and HAs are major microbially-resistant
organic soil components that retain water, act as pH
buffers and regulate other healthy soil functions.
Existing data do not distinguish HAs and FAs from
transient soil organic matter such as leaf litter.
Preliminary results on 150 samples indicate wide
variation in HA and FA contents. The NU group
has many years of experience in measuring HAs
and FAs. The project needs one-pound, dried soil
samples to be mailed parcel post to NU from the
nations farms and counties for analysis. Parcel
postage will be reimbursed upon request. Please
contact g.davies@neu.edu and check the website
www.hagroup.neu.edu. The project results will be
published and shared with soil donors on request.
Your help will make the project possible and is very
much appreciated.
source: personal Email
Country of Origin Labeling Now Mandatory
As of September 1, 2008 US producers are
required to provide country of origin information
about animals they send up the supply chain, and
consumers should see that information on labels in
retail stores.
source: Organic Broadcaster, Nov/Dec 2008
Got Fresh Spinach? Lettuce? Think again!
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on
August 22, published a new federal regulation
permitting but not requiring the use of ionizing
irradiation for the control of food-borne pathogens
and extension of shelf life in fresh iceberg lettuce
and fresh spinach.
In plain English this means that these greens,
when conventionally grown, may now be zapped
with high-energy gamma rays, or electron beams
(the same technology as x-rays only much more
powerful). Scientifc literature suggests that
irradiation destroys valuable nutrients, weakens
cellular structure, and leaves foods even more
susceptible to spoilage. It may also, in some food
cases, create dangerous chemical by-products.
(More about the effects of irradiation on food can be
found at http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org.)
source: October, Cornucopia Institutes 2008
Cultivator
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 6
Connecticuts
Town Farm Dairy
Ceases Raw Milk
Production
by Jill Ebbott
Its a sad time for raw milk consumers in the
Hartford, Connecticut area. Earlier this summer,
the Town Farm Dairy, a raw milk producer
in neighboring Simsbury, voluntarily stopped
production after three people were sickened by E.
coli 0157:NM that was later traced to the feces of a
cow on their farm.

In June, the Department of Public Health received
reports that one adult and four children had been
sickened with the bacteria. Typically, those afficted
are asked to enumerate recent foods. Though all
fve were reported to have consumed raw milk from
the Town Farm Dairy, the strain of infecting bacteria
matched a sample from the farm in only three of
those cases. No source of contamination has been
found for the other two.

Curiously, though the Department of Public Health
took more than 170 bacterial samples from the land,
nearby stream, manure, cows, equipment, bottles,
milk in the tank, as well as that already bottled and
found in stores, the only match came from the feces
of a cow that was not being milked. Two weeks
later and without treatment, that same cow tested
negative for the same strain of E. coli.

Until 2003, the Town Farm had been operated by
Bill Walsh, who had worked the land since 1979.
He had offered a variety of farm products, among
them bottled milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and
eggnog. In 2003, Walsh, tired of continuing friction
with the town over bureaucratic hamstringing,
offcially stepped down, but remained on the farm
until January of this year to guide the Friends of
Town Farm Dairy and their new managers, Dan and
Teresa Demaine. Though it had been reported in
The Harford Courant that volunteers were helping to
milk the cows, this was incorrect.
In the four years since the boards stewardship, milk
grew to be their principle product, roughly half of
it sold raw. And until August, more than 30 cows
grazed at the farm.

When the outbreak occurred in June, Town Farm
Dairy was on the verge of realizing a proft. Their
raw milk was sold in area Whole Foods (who will
now no longer carry any raw milk), as well as on the
farm. Financially fragile, however, the Friends of
Town Farm Dairy were forced to begin selling off
their herd to meet fnancial obligations during the
long absence of income since mid-July. Seven cows
belonging to others are now being kept on the land.

Although the farm had an unblemished history of
clean, raw milk since it began sales in 1994, and
though the CT Department of Agriculture would
have allowed the Town Farm Dairy to resume raw
milk production, the farm itself is located on town
land, and it is doubtful that the Simsbury Board of
Selectmen will allow raw milk sales on the farm
again. Because raw milk sales comprised more than
half of their revenue, the farm cannot now survive.

With a long and varied history, the Town Farm land
was settled in the 1600s and donated to the town
by Amos Eno more than two hundred years later,
the terms of his will specifying that the land must
always remain a poor farm providing food and
shelter to those in need.

Ironically, its present stewards are most in need of
Simsburys support, but it appears that help will not
be forthcoming. The town has published a Request
for Proposal soliciting interested parties to submit a
business plan for farm operations. Friends of Town
Farm Dairy have offered to assist.
Grassroots Efforts
Lead to Agreement
in Vermont Compost
Controversy
Dave Rogers, NOFA-Vermont Policy Advisor
Reason and political reality have prevailed in the
heated controversy surrounding legal actions by
Vermonts Natural Resources Board that threatened
the future of the Vermont Compost Company in
Montpelier.
On August 23
rd
, after months of costly legal
wrangling, the Natural Resources Board and
Vermont Compost unexpectedly announced an
agreement to place on hold the states prosecution
of two cases pending in Vermonts Environmental
Court. The Board had alleged that Vermont Compost
Companys operations violated the states land use
and development law, Act 250. The allegations
were disputed by Vermont Composts owner,
Karl Hammer. The agreement followed weeks of
vigorous grassroots organizing and legal activity
on the part of a number of Vermont organizations,
businesses and individuals. NOFA-VT was closely
involved in these efforts.
As discussed in the last issue of The Natural Farmer
(Compost Politics Vermont Style: Vermont
Compost Companys Legal Fight, Fall 2008),
NOFA-VT regarded the Natural Resources Boards
actions as unfair and unwarranted; they not only
threatened Vermont Compost Companys future,
but also the success of those Vermont certifed
organic growers who rely upon Vermont Composts
high-quality products. NOFA-VTs position was
that the Boards actions violated the intentions of
the legislature which, in May of 2008, passed a
temporary moratorium on Act 250 enforcement
actions against commercial-scale composting
enterprises until more appropriate composting
regulations could be developed and implemented.
Certifed organic vegetable growers, recycling
organizations and businesses that were aggrieved
by the Boards actions formed an ad hoc group,
Friends of Vermont Farming and Recycling, and
hired an attorney to represent their interests in any
court proceedings. A public information campaign,
petition drive, and legal defense fundraising effort
were organized by NOFA-VT and others. These
quickly led to widespread publicity and a high
level of interest and concern in the issue among
Vermonters.
This effort and the excellent work of attorneys
representing Vermont Compost Company and
the Friends helped the administration and the
Natural Resources Board accept an agreement
largely consistent with the goals stipulated in the
circulating petition. Vermont Compost Company
will continue to operate and when the new
composting regulations are implemented it and other
commercial composting operations in Vermont will
operate under the new requirements. A copy of the
agreement can be found on NOFA-VTs webpage
www.nofavt.org.
(This agreement does not concern the ongoing
controversy pertaining to the status of Burlingtons
Intervale Compost Products, which has also
struggled to continue operations in the face of fnes
and legal actions brought by the state in connection
with alleged violations of Act 250 and other state
laws. At the time this is being written discussions
are being held between state agencies and several
parties that may enable Intervale Compost Products
to continue operating at some level until new
regulations are in place.)
The action now shifts to the development of
these new regulations. A legislatively-mandated
advisory committee made up of representatives of
several state agencies, composting organizations
and environmental groups is currently meeting to
develop recommendations for a better approach
to regulating commercial composting operations.
The committee is now meeting and will submit its
recommendations to the legislature this January.
The environmental, agricultural and economic
benefts of compost and composting are widely
understood in Vermont. High-quality compost is
essential to commercial organic crop production,
especially greenhouse production, and is a valuable
soil amendment in pasture-based dairy and livestock
production. Composting is rapidly emerging as an
important nutrient management strategy for local
communities; one that can divert many tons of
organic waste from commercial and community
landflls and effciently recycle this resource to
support local agriculture and food production.
For these reasons, NOFA-VT believes that
new commercial composting regulations ought
to encourage and support the development of
community-level programs and commercial-scale
composting enterprises devoted to the production
of high-quality, agricultural grade compost
products that are formulated with locally generated
ingredients food residuals, manures and organic
feedstocks. This model exemplifed by Vermont
Compost Companys practices and products
provides local, energy effcient and environmentally
responsible recycling of community-generated
compostable materials. It also affords opportunities
for new and proftable composting enterprises for
farmers that are supported and valued by local
citizens, businesses and organizations. This potential
to forge new links between farmers and their
communities is an exciting and highly progressive
aspect of this vision of commercial composting in
Vermont.
NOFA-VT is actively involved in discussions now
taking place in many quarters about the future of
composting in Vermont. We are observing and
will contribute, as appropriate, to the work of the
committee as it develops its recommendations.
We will also be engaged in the debate when these
recommendations are taken up by the legislature
and new regulations are developed. Contact Dave
Rogers at NOFA Vermont for further information
-- dave@nofavt.org.
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www.fairwindsfarm.org
511 Upr Dummerston Rd.
Brattleboro, VT 05301
802-254-9067
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 7
by Ben Grosscup with gratitude to Dan Kittredge
On February 5-7, 2009, NOFA/Mass will host
a three-day seminar in Barre on advanced
biological farming techniques that can improve
yields, decrease disease and insect pressure, and
improve the taste and nutritional content of crops.
The presenter, Arden Andersen an agronomist,
osteopathic physician, and international leader in
the feld of biological farming says big changes
are coming in agriculture: Quality standards like
nutrient density will gain in importance alongside
process standards, such as organic.
To learn how this approach works and what growers
might gain from the seminar, I spoke with Dan
Kittredge, a leading practitioner of biological
farming in Massachusetts and an alumnus of
Andersens seminars. I was happy to learn that
the basic science behind this approach is not
mysterious, and growers can begin to implement it
in the short-term.
Kittredge says that the approach of biological
farming is managing the soil to create an optimal
environment for soil life. To maximize yield and
nutrition, crop plants require soil with suffcient
biologically available minerals in ratios appropriate
for feeding the fungal, bacterial and other soil life
communities that have symbiotic relationships with
crop plants. By understanding what environmental
conditions are optimal for what were growing, we
can make informed management decisions about
what we need to add to the soil. Kittredge says the
approach involves a few basic steps.
Step 1: Testing the Soil
First, we need to understand what is going on in the
soil, biologically. Typical university soil tests use a
strong acid to dissolve and then analyze the mineral
components of soil. However, these tests dont
tell us how much of the minerals are biologically
available, because they dont reproduce the plants
acidic conditions. To determine what mineral and
biological amendments are needed, we need a soil
test that uses an acid with similar intensity to that of
the exudates from plant roots, fungi, and bacteria.
Step 2: Amending the Soil with Minerals
By weight and volume, the most defcient
minerals in Northeast soils tend to be calcium
and phosphorus. These basic defciencies can be
remedied by adding calcium carbonate (limestone),
calcium sulfate (gypsum), and soft rock phosphate
to the soil. Once these macro minerals are in place
we can begin remedying trace mineral defciencies
such as manganese, iron, copper, cobalt, boron, and
selenium.
Step 3: Providing Biological Companions with the
Minerals
These minerals need to be accompanied with an
appropriate microbiological regimen, because
plants cannot directly digest crystaline mineral
compounds such as calcium carbonate; they require
microbiological organisms to do it for them.
Microbiological soil communities involve both
bacteria and fungi. Bacterial predominance tends to
favor weeds, and fungal predominance (especially
mycorrhizae) favors crop plants, so inoculating with
mycorrhizael spores is almost always benefcial.
Step 4: Feeding the Microbiological Companions
Once the mineral and biological components are
physically present in the soil, the next step is to
facilitate the reintroduction of the minerals into the
biological system. This is done by ensuring that
the microbiological organisms can access suffcient
energy to digest the minerals, thereby making them
available to the crops as nutrition. This process
requires energy, similarly to human digestion.
To illustrate this, a person may feel tired after a
large meal due to the energy the digestive system
expends.
In felds where the symbiotic relationship
between mineral-digesting microbes and crops is
compromised, we need to add materials that provide
readily available energy for microbes such as fsh
emulsion, molasses, and/or kelp. Without this
feeding, adding otherwise benefcial minerals can
actually decrease crop growth in the short-term,
because the microbes begin expending energy to
digest minerals into a biologically available form
without enough energy to complete the process. The
soil eventually absorbs the minerals and becomes
healthier, but waiting is unnecessary.
Step 5: Monitoring your Progress
Over-applying or under-applying any components
to the soil can pose certain problems. Finding
the happy middle is the real art of this approach.
To inform these decisions, Kittredge suggests
monitoring both soils and crops with a variety of
diagnostic tools, each revealing different parts of the
picture.
In addition to the pH test, the refractometer is a key
tool in the biological farmers toolbox. This simple
device measures dissolved solids (e.g. sugars, amino
acids, oils, proteins, favonoids, and minerals) in
the sap of plants. This measurement, known as
brix, correlates with the crops nutrient quality and
vitality.
Another important tool is the electrical conductivity
meter. By measuring the electrical conductivity
of the soil, we can perceive the availability of
energy to the microbiological organisms, so
necessary for soil health. By taking pH, brix, and
conductivity readings, we can gain a sophisticated
understanding in real time of what mineral and
biological defciencies are present and amend our
felds accordingly. These tools are no alternative to
regular visual, tactile, olfactory and taste monitoring
of crops, but can enhance our ability to discern what
our crops need.
Why does it work?
These techniques work by creating environments
that are highly conducive for the expression of
crop DNA and inhospitable for weeds, insects,
and diseases. By applying the relevant scientifc
understandings of each species preferred
environmental conditions, we can skew the forces at
work in our felds to favor crops.
The appeal of a plant to pest insects depends much
on whether it is undergoing protein synthesis or not.
A plant that is, produces complete proteins, non-
reducing sugars and complex carbohydrates all
of which constitute nutritious food for mammals.
But insects cant digest these same molecules.
Farmers who successfully implement biological
methods report insects do not eat their crops,
even while infestations ravage neighboring felds.
When a plant is not in protein synthesis, it is in
proteolysis, meaning that the plant is degraded at
the cellular level a condition that correlates with
low-brix. This is caused by environmental stresses
such as nutrient defciencies, drought, and chemical
fungicides, pesticides, and herbicides. Pest insects
sense degraded plants, whose proteins they can
digest, and feed on them.
The success of weeds in our felds indicates
nutritionally imbalanced soil for our crops, and
particular weeds provide clues about which nutrients
are not available enough. For instance, broad leaf
weeds grow where the potassium to phosphorus
ratio is out of balance, sour grass weeds grow where
the calcium to magnesium ratio is off, and succulent
weeds grow where biologically available carbon is
defcient.
Soil compaction another factor undermining crop
health occurs in large part due to excessive ratios
of magnesium to calcium in the soil. Adequate
biologically available calcium focculates the soil,
whereas excessive magnesium compacts it with or
without heavy tractors riding over it.
Whats at Stake?

Arden Andersen writes on his blog, USDA and UK
Ministry of Agriculture statistics show that food
grown today has 30-70% percent less nutritional
value than the same foods grown 50 years ago.
Eating all the right foods today still leaves us short
of needed nutrition. Industrialized agriculture
denudes soils of biological diversity and essential
minerals, generating foods whose nutritional
defciencies cause health problems for those
surviving on them.
With degraded nutrition comes degraded taste.
Japan has begun demanding high-brix kiwis
from New Zealand, because the higher nutrient
quality corresponds to improved taste. The mealy,
favorless, low-brix kiwis are segregated and sent
to the United States, because quality standards have
dropped so low.
Finally, the same practices that produce healthy food
regenerate our environment. Recent Midwest foods
would not have been so devastating had biological
methods been widely used on cropland. Suffcient
calcium and biological activity expands the water
retention capacity of soil, preventing run-off that
ruins both crops and low-lying town centers, while
replenishing much depleted aquifers. Moreover,
growing plants in protein synthesis sequester
atmospheric carbon by incorporating it into the
biological system.
The February Seminar
Complex soil science underlies the basic principles
of biological farming, but putting it to work in the
feld doesnt require academic expertise. It does,
however, require understanding soil components and
their importance. The 3-day seminar gives farmers
a unique chance to become conversant with these
exciting and eminently practical conceptual tools.
Arden Andersen has contributed enormously to
the feld of biological farming by compiling and
interpreting the work of some of the 20th Centurys
brightest soil scientists, including Dr. Carey Reams,
Dr. Dan Skow, Dr. William Albrecht, Dr. Phil
Callahan, and others. For decades, these researchers
have demonstrated the effectiveness of biological
techniques through hard science.
The organic movement, despite its many
innovations, remains heir to some misguided
legacies -- such as managing pests with implements
that kill rather than on managing soil with
implements that provide nutrition. The potential of
biological farming for completing what the organic
movement has begun are truly exciting.
NOFA/Mass is actively seeking funding to provide
on-the-farm technical assistance for farmers
adopting these methods, so that after this seminar
they will have access to trained knowledgeable
help to implement their biological crop nutrition
program.
Registration for the seminar is $195. With both the
NOFA member discount and the early-bird discount
(must sign-up before January 17), it is $165. Find
information about registration at www.nofamass.
org. Pre-registration is required and seminar
enrollment is capped at 150 people -- frst come,
frst served. Direct questions to: Ben Grosscup,
Event Coordinator, ben.grosscup@nofamass.org,
413-658-5374.
Advanced Seminar on Soil Mineral Nutrition:
Techniques for Raising Yield and Quality
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 8
Northeast Organic Farming Association: Massachusetts
Chapter
22
nd
Annual Winter Conference
Organic Farming: The Roots of a Sustainable
Community
Saturday, January 17
th
, 2009
9.00am-5.30pm
Worcester Vocational Technical High School, Worcester,
Ma
Keynote speech by
Eliot Coleman:
Small Growers
are the
Soul of Organics
Copyright Barbara Damrosch
All day workshop
presented by
Eliot Coleman on
Four Season
Growing
Over 35 workshops on crops, gardening, livestock,
farm management, organic land care, sustainable
life-styles, homesteading and more!
NOFA/Mass Annual Meeting!
Great childrens program!
Delicious Potluck lunch!
Lively exhibit area!

Registration cost: $50 with discounts available
$100 for Eliot Coleman Workshop
For more information visit www.nofamass.org
Conference Coordinator, Jassy Bratko
jassy.bratko@nofamass.org or 978-928-5646
January 2325, 2009
Rochester Riverside Convention Center
Downtown Rochester, NY
Organic Farming & Gardening Conference Organic Farming & Gardening Conference Organic Farming & Gardening Conference
NOFANYs 27th Annual
Revitalizing Our Local Organic Foodshed
Over 80 Workshops & Over 75 Exhibitors!
Register Online! Register Online! Register Online!
Dairy Speaker
C. Edgar Sheaffer, VMD,
Author of Homeopathy for the Herd
Friday Full & HalfDay
Intensive Workshops

Saturday & Sunday: Over 70 Workshops

Organic Trade Show
Over 75 exhibitors: Friday to Sunday
Keynote Speakers
Fred Kirschenmann, Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture
Brett Melone & Florentino Collazo,
Agriculture and Land-Based Training
Association (ALBA)
Shirley Sherrod, Federation of Southern
Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund
Dairy
Field
Crops
Livestock
Fruits
& Herbs
Veggies
Food
Processing
Home-
steading
People &
Policy
GardenIng
Kids
Conference
Child
Care
Beginning
Farming
Register at: www.nofany.org
Questions? Call: 585-271-1979
TNF QTR pg vert ad
page 1 Composite
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 09:11
Grow It Here:
Innovations Toward
Local Food Sovereignty
NOFA Vermonts
27th Annual Winter Conference
February 14 & 15, 2009
Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT
Join us for our two day conference offering more than 60
workshops for organic farmers, gardeners, homesteaders and
consumers. The conference also features a farmers' market,
NOFA Vermont's extensive book table, live music, silent auction,
and the largest potluck lunches in New England!
The Saturday keynote will be given by Andrew Meyer, founder of
The Center for Agricultural Economy, owner of Vermont Natural
Coatings, a whey-based varnish company, and Vermont Soy, an
organic soy drink and tofu company. Andrew is setting the scene
in Vermont for true Food Sovereignty through agricultural and
community innovations.
The Sunday keynote will be given by Eliot Coleman, farmer and
author of The New Organic Grower, Four Season Harvest, and The
Winter Harvest Manual. Eliot brings nearly 40 years of experience in
all aspects of organic farming, including field vegetables,
greenhouse vegetables, rotational grazing, and four-season
production and marketing. He will also give a farmer intensive
workshop session on Monday, February 16 for advanced
commercial growers.
Visit www.nofavt.org for more information such as
conference schedule, registration, sponsorship, and exhibiting
opportunities.
8
th
Annual NOFA Organic Land Care Course
The 8th Annual Northeast Organic Farming Associ-ation (NOFA) 5-day Accred-
itation Course in Or-ganic Land Care will be held in four states this year:
Leominster, MA: Jan. 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 2009
New Haven, CT: Jan. 27, 28, 29, 30, Feb. 2, 2009
Schodack, NY: Feb. 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 2009
Providence, RI: Feb. 25, 26, 27, March 2, 3, 2009
Sponsored and organized by the NOFA Organic Land Care Program, this is a
fve-day, (accreditation optional) intensive course designed to provide profes-
sionals with the education needed for an understanding of organic land care
from design to maintenance. The curriculum is based on Standards for Organic
Land Care: Practices for Design and Maintenance of Ecological Landscapes,
written by NOFAs Organic Land Care Committee. These Standards, frst pub-
lished in 2001, are the frst of their kind in the country.
Course faculty include respected scientists and experienced organic land care
practitioners, who instruct the following classes: Principles and Procedures; Site
Analysis, Design, and Maintenance; Rain Gardens/Storm Water Infltration;
Soil Health; the Soil Foodweb; Fertilizer and Soil Amendments; Composting;
Lawns; Lawn Alternatives; Planting and Plant Care; Wetlands; Pest Manage-
ment; Wildlife Management; Disease Control; Weeds; Mulches; Invasive Plants;
Client Relations; and Running a Business. Four hands-on case studies are also
included in the course.
At the end of the course, attendees will be able to incorporate methods and ma-
terials that respect natural ecology and the long-term health of the environment
into the care of their own landscapes or ones that they manage. Those who pass
the optional exam offered at the conclusion of the course can become NOFA Ac-
credited Organic Land Care Professionals, able to use the NOFA Organic Land
Care Logo, be listed on the www.organiclandcare.net website, be published an-
nually in the NOFA Guide to Organic Land Care and have the opportunity to
represent NOFA at organic land care events.
Over 700 land care professionals from 17 states have taken NOFAs course.
These professionals include landscapers from large and small frms, landscape
architects, garden center employees, municipal groundskeepers and property
managers. Small business owners, entrepreneurs, homeowners, land trust and
conservation organization staff and many others have also found the course ex-
tremely valuable.
For more information or to receive registration brochures, contact:
MA and/or NY: Kathy Litchfeld, (413) 773-3830, kathylitch29@yahoo.com
CT: Ashley Kremser, (203) 888-5146 or akremser@ctnofa.org
RI: Frank Crandall or Sheryl Ellal, (401) 364-3387,
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Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 9
Special Supplement on
Organic Mulches
by Diane Relf and Alan McDaniel
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Mulching is a practice adaptable to nearly all
home gardens. To mulch is simply to cover the soil
around plants with a protective material, organic or
inorganic.
Using a mulch can help you and your garden in
many ways. Mulches reduce weed growth by
making conditions unfavorable for germination of
weed seeds and by providing a physical barrier for
emerging weeds. A good mulch layer can save many
hours of laborious weeding. A thick layer of organic
mulch material is especially effective in reducing
the number of annual weeds in the garden, since
they have diffculty penetrating such a layer. Some
perennial weeds may also be suppressed in this way
if they are small, but often dandelions or other tap-
rooted weeds will eventually fnd their way through
the mulch. These are easy to spot, and since the
soil stays moist beneath the mulch, they are easy
to pull. Rhizomatous grasses will often make their
way through organic mulches as well, but often the
rhizomes will be on or near the soil surface and will
be easy to lift out. Black plastic and thick layers of
newspaper are often better mulches for controlling
perennial weeds.
Mulches are very useful for maintaining uniform
moisture conditions in the garden. Water loss
through evaporation is decreased, and soil erosion
is decreased as the impact of a heavy rainfall is
reduced by the layer of mulch. This allows a slow,
steady water infltration rather than the puddling and
subsequent crusting which often occur with a heavy
rain. Mulch also reduces splashing of soil onto the
fruit, leaving fruits cleaner and helping to prevent
the spread of disease.
Soil temperatures are modifed by mulches to
various degrees. Plastic mulches will warm the soil
more quickly in the spring, increasing early plant
development. Organic mulches act as insulation,
helping keep soil temperatures cooler and, therefore,
should be applied later in the season.
Organic mulches add nutrients and humus to the
soil as they decompose, improving its tilth and
moisture-holding capacity. Most organic mulches
should be applied after plants are well established
(4 to 6 inches tall). Cultivate out all weeds before
spreading the mulch evenly over the bare soil
between the plants. Apply organic mulches when
there is reasonably good soil moisture and before
the weather turns hot. Infltration of rain water
will be slowed somewhat by a mulch, so it is best
not to place the mulch over soil that is dry. Water
thoroughly or wait for a good soaking rainfall before
applying any mulch.
Inorganic mulches, such as plastic flms and paper,
are applied prior to planting. Black plastic and
similar materials should be spread on land that
has been completely prepared for planting and has
a high moisture level. Place the mulch over the
row to be planted, then bury the edge to prevent it
from blowing away. Cut slits for seeding or setting
transplants. A few additional slits can be made to
allow water to infltrate.
Purpose, availability, cost, and fnal appearance of
a mulch will be the determining factors in choosing
which type to use. An evaluation of the more
commonly used mulches follows.
Organic Mulches
Sawdust - A 2-inch layer of sawdust provides good
weed control. If applied around growing plants,
add 1/2 pound of actual nitrogen per 10 cubic feet
of sawdust to prevent nutrient defciencies. Fresh
sawdust contains a great deal of carbon and very
little nitrogen, and its breakdown requires that
microorganisms take nitrogen from the soil. A very
thin layer of sawdust (1/4 inch) is useful in starting
seeds because it helps keep moisture in; again, be
sure nutrients are adequate. There is often a problem
with crusting of fresh sawdust, with resulting
impermeability of rainfall. Sawdust is best used
for garden paths and around permanent plantings.
Readily available from sawmills, it tends to be
inexpensive.
Hay or straw - A 6- to 8-inch layer of hay or straw
provides good annual weed control. These materials
decompose quickly and must be replenished to keep
down weeds. They stay in place and will improve
the soil as they decay. Avoid hay that is full of
weed seed and brambles. Fresh legume hay, such
as alfalfa, supplies nitrogen as it quickly breaks
down. Hay and straw are readily available in rural
areas, but city dwellers may not be able to obtain
hay. Straw, on the other hand, may be purchased
at most garden centers, often commanding a high
price. Both are recommended for vegetable and fruit
plantings.
Pine needles - Baled pine needles are also found
in garden centers for use as a mulch. They make an
excellent mulch around shrubs, trees, and in other
areas where a long-lasting mulch is desired. Readily
available.
Grass clippings - A 2-inch layer of grass clippings
provides good weed control. Build up the layer
gradually, using dry grass. A thick layer of green
grass will give off excessive heat and foul odors
rather than decompose as other organic material.
However, in limited quantity, clippings will
decompose rapidly and provide an extra dose of
nitrogen to growing plants, as well as making fne
humus. Avoid crabgrass and grass full of seed
heads. Also, do not use clippings from lawns which
have been treated that season with herbicide or a
fertilizer/herbicide combination. Grass clippings
may be used directly as mulch around vegetables or
fruit plants, or they may be composted. They are an
excellent source of nitrogen to heat up a compost
pile, especially for those gardeners without access to
manures.
Leaves - A layer of leaves, 2 to 3 inches thick
after compaction, provides good annual weed
control. Leaves will decompose fairly quickly, are
usually easy to obtain, attractive as a mulch, and
will improve the soil once decomposed. To reduce
blowing of dry leaves, allow to decompose partially.
Highly recommended as a mulch.
Note: Leaves of the black walnut tree (Juglans
nigra) are an exception due to the presence of
juglone, a chemical that inhibits growth of many
plants. While walnut roots and hulls cause most
of the problems, the leaves also contain smaller
quantities. Avoid using leaves collected from under
black walnut trees as garden mulch. However, if
leaves are obtained from a municipal collection
source, the quantity of black walnut leaves likely
will be diluted suffciently that no injury should be
observed. Several other nut trees also produce small
quantities of juglone, and problems with sensitive
plants are seldom seen even when growing under
those tree canopies.
Peat moss - A 2- to 3-inch layer of peat moss will
give fair to good weed control. However, peat tends
to form a crust if used in layers thick enough to
hold down weeds. It is very diffcult to wet, and it
tends to be blown away if applied dry. Peat is also
a relatively expensive mulching material, probably
more suitable for incorporation into the soil.
Compost - A 2- to 3-inch layer of compost is a fair
weed control. Most compost, however, provides
a good site for weed seeds to grow. It is probably
better used by incorporating it into the soil since it
is an excellent soil amendment. A layer of compost
may be used on overwintering beds of perennials,
such as asparagus or berries, to provide nutrients
and help protect crowns.
Mulches for the Home Vegetable Garden
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 10
Hulls and ground corncobs - A 2- to 4-inch layer
of these materials will provide fair weed control,
but both have a tendency to be easily blown by the
wind. Peanut hulls will stay in place somewhat better.
A heavier mulch, such as partially rotted hay or
straw, may be used on top to hold down the lighter
materials. Recommended if readily available in your
area.
Bark and wood chips - A 2- to 3-inch layer of bark
provides good weed control. Wood chips are slower
to decay than shredded bark, and can be used as a
pathway material in raised beds.
Inorganic Mulches
Black plastic - One layer of black plastic provides
excellent weed control. It is relatively slow to
decompose, but will be somewhat broken down
by sunlight and must be replaced every two years
at least. Black plastic mulch will increase the soil
temperature by about 8F in the spring. It may cause
soil temperatures to rise too much in midsummer,
damaging the roots of plants unless a good foliage
cover or organic mulch prevents direct absorption of
sunlight. Check periodically to see that soil remains
moist beneath the plastic; cut holes in it if water
doesnt seem to be getting through. Black plastic is
easy to obtain, but is fairly expensive. A new type
of black plastic has recently come onto the market
which has a white, refective side to prevent the
overheating problems experienced with solid black
plastic. Another plastic is porous to allow penetration
of water and exchange of gases between the soil and
air.
Clear plastic - One layer of clear plastic will provide
little weed control; in fact, it makes an excellent
environment for growing weeds. This material is
most often used to warm the soil temperature early in
the spring to prepare an area for planting. It will raise
the soil temperature by 10F or more. Clear plastic is
readily available and somewhat less expensive than
black plastic.
Newspaper - Using 2 to 4 layers of newspaper
provides good weed control. It decomposes within a
season and is readily available and cheap. Cover with
an organic mulch, such as sawdust or hay, to hold
paper in place. Excellent for use in pathways and
around newly set strawberry plants. Lead in printers
ink has been a concern of some gardeners desiring to
use newspaper; however, printers no longer use lead
compounds in ink for black and white newsprint,
though colored inks may contain lead.
Red plastic - Developed and patented by scientists
with the Agricultural Research Service and Clemson
University, red plastic mulch boosted tomato yields
in research plots up to 20 percent, while conserving
water and controlling weeds. Red plastic mulch
refects onto plants higher amounts of certain growth-
enhancing light waves from sunlight. In 3 years of
ARS feld tests, red mulch boosted tomato size and
weight by increasing the plants growth above the
groundespecially in the fruit. The scientists say the
mulch can improve strawberry favor by changing the
fruits chemistry. A colleague is currently analyzing
strawberries for sugars and organic acids. The ARS
scientists say their research has focused on two
color components of refected light to enhance plant
growththe percentage of blue and the ratio of far-
red to red. Red mulch has a low blue component and
a high far-red to red ratio. Numerous garden supply
catalogs carry this product.
Cover Crops and Green Manures
Cover crops, such as clover or rye, are not usually
considered to be mulch, but ft the description
in that they protect the ground and serve as soil
enrichment when deteriorated. A cover crop is a
temporary planting of a fast-growing crop, usually
sown in the fall and tilled under in the spring,
which protects the soil from wind and water erosion
and adds organic matter. Crops grown for soil
improvement are called green manure crops and are
left in place for six months to a year. Legumes are
especially effcient because they fx nitrogen from
the air into the soil.
After the summer garden crops have been harvested,
and stalks and vines removed, lightly till the garden
to prepare a seed bed, incorporating lime and
Mulches and Their Characteristics
Adapted from Donald H. Steinegger and Amy Greving, Nebraska Extension, 2000
Mulch
Organic
Peat
Wood
Chips/
Shredded
Wood
Straw
Lawn Clip-
pings
Leaves
Pine
Needles
Coca Bean
Hulls
Inorganic
Plastic
Lava or
Crushed
Rock
Newspaper
Landscape
Fabric
Advantages
Coarse textured
Increases water-holding capacity of
most soils
Over time, could increase soil acidity
Decompose slowly
Improve the soil
Long lasting and attractive
Relatively inexpensive
Easily applied
Inexpensive
Readily available
Readily available
Usually free
Decompose slowly
Improve the soil
Readily available
Usually free
Decompose slowly
Improve the soil
Fragrant
Decompose slowly
Improve the soil
Slowly increases soil acidity
Attractive and fragrant
Good soil conditioner
Completely inhibits weed growth until
it tears
Helps garden beds look neat
Sometimes used to give a formal look
Prevents weed germination
Effective between vegetable rows
Readily available
Sterile
Allows water and air to permeate
Durable
Suppresses most weeds
Disadvantages
Expensive
Diffcult to re-moisten after it has dried
Repels water
Injury to plants may occur if applied too heavily
Wood chips may not cling well on steep slopes
Do not use near building foundations
Coarse appearance
May contain weed seeds & some diseases
May mat down and interfere with water and air
movement if applied too thickly
May contain weed seeds
May contain herbicides
May mat down and interfere with water and air
movement if applied too thickly
Should be shredded and partially decomposed
before using (prevents matting and soil nitrogen
binding)
Not always available
May mat down if applied too thickly
Tends to foat away during heavy rains
Expensive
Will decompose by mildewing
Cracks easily from low temperatures or ultra violet
instability, allowing weed growth
Expensive
Allows no water or air to enter or leave soil, stress-
ing roots under mulched plants
Needs a supplemental irrigation source
Expensive
Lava is very lightweight--tends to blow, roll or
wash away
Allows weed growth
More ornamental than practical
Can blow away if not weighted down
Unsightly in landscape setting
Weeds may germinate on top of fabric
Cover with light top mulch to prevent fabric
deterioration (landscape fabrics that are ultra violet
stabilized do not need to be covered)
May shed mulch cover on steep slopes
Reapplication
Frequency
1 year
1-2 years,
depending on
size and type of
wood
Needs frequent
applications
1 season
1 season
1-2 years
1 season
Variable
Indefnite
1 season
Indefnite
fertilizer, if necessary. Broadcast the cover crop
seed, rake lightly to cover it, and then irrigate.
Where you have fall crops growing, you can
sow cover crop seed between rows a month or
less before expected harvest, but not later than
November 1.
If you plant a hardy species that survives the winter,
it will resume growth as the weather begins to
warm, but be careful not to let the crop go to seed.
Cover crops and green manures are usually tilled
under in the spring before planting vegetables. If
the crop is tall or thick, cut it with a lawn mower
prior to tilling - especially legumes as they may
clog machinery. For large gardens, a rototiller is the
most practical way to incorporate any type of crop.
The crop should be turned under two to three weeks
before planting new seed.
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Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 13
24 Acres
of Mulch
by Jack Kittredge
Wild cranberries and blueberries thrive on the acid
soil of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. The wild
blueberries, of course, produce fruit that is quite
small on plants that grow only about a foot tall.
But domestication of those wild blueberries, begun
about a century ago in New Jersey with careful
selection of the biggest and best tasting berries, has
produced the modern large highbush berry and the
industry that surrounds it.
Although located north of the Pine Barrens, the
berries on Emery Berry Farm thrive in the sandy,
acidic soil of New Egypt, NJ. The 60 acre farm
has 24 acres in blueberries. It is owned by John
Marchese and his mother, Susan. John runs the
farm; Susan, the farm store.
Butch Emery bought the land when it was woodland
65 or 70 years ago. He cleared it with his son
David, planted the frst blueberry bushes there, and
developed it into a successful farm. The Marchese
family bought it 9 years ago, but less than a year
after buying the farm Johns father passed away.
My mother was holding the note on the original
farm I grew up on, John recalls, and now just
picked up a mortgage for another $750,000 on this
farm. When I went home a month or so after my
father passed away and asked my mother what was
going on, I realized how dire the situation was. I
was working for a company selling operating room
equipment and it was good money. But I had a
meeting with my wife and told her: Honey, Im
going back to the farm. She said What! But it has
all worked out for the best.
John had grown blueberries organically with his
father before heading off to college, so he felt
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ILL F8EE 1-S00-252-6051
20 lbs treats 12,000 sq. ft!
photo by Jack Kittredge
John holds some of his black gold 8 to 11 year old hardwood chips which he uses as a
subsoil mulch and source of organic matter for his berry bushes. Behind him is fresh wood
chip mulch. In a couple of years he may use that as a top dressing mulch.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 14
comfortable raising them on the new farm. The
place had an excellent pH for blueberries (4.8 to
5.2) and sandy soil, which they like. But they also
need organic matter, and that was a problem on such
a scale. His solution? A wood chip mulch.
I like mulch, he says. I put it on everything. You
can drive all over the whole farm and see mulch. I
put it on our roadways. Yes it gets wet in the fall,
but in the summer it keeps the dust down. Mulch is
key to the ways we try to bring older bushes back.
We have 2 different types of mulch top dressing
mulch and subsoiling mulch.
They are both chipped hardwood mulch, but the top
dressing is two to three years old and the subsoil
mulch is 8 to 11 years old. The older the mulch
the more decomposed it is. Since wood chips, in
decomposing, tie up nitrogen, the younger mulch
robs nitrogen from its surroundings far more than
the older mulch, which is almost like dirt and is a
great source of organic matter.
When Marchese puts in a new planting of
blueberries, he frst subsoils each row with mulch.
We drive through a new feld with a middle
buster, he explains. Its like a single V plow. We
stake out a blueberry row every nine feet and open
the row up about 18 inches wide and in a V about 18
inches deep. The dirt gets kicked up on both sides.
Then we inject black gold into the ground. Thats
100% hardwood mulch but it is 8 to 11 years old
so its well rotted. You want it so it looks more like
dirt that it does wood. We do that to every row, then
we come back and disc and harrow the whole feld
again. After one rain you can see these black rows
against the white sand. Then well go down those
rows with a smaller middle buster, a 6 inch one, and
just open up a furrow to accept the new plant.
John has huge piles of wood chips in all stages of
decomposition. But rather than making compost by
adding nitrogen to all that carbon, he is interested in
making mulch.
You dont want to add nitrogen to it, he stresses.
That would speed up the decomposition. Im more
interested in it composting at a slow rate rather
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N
EW N
EW
N
EW
photo by Jack Kittredge
Pumpkins, hayrides, a petting zoo and a one-acre corn maze are all devices to get customers
out to the berry patch to pick blueberries, or to buy blueberry and other farm products like
pies, muffns and jams at the farm store.
photo by Jack Kittredge
John watches as an employee applies the top dressing mulch to a row of berry bushes.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 15
than activate and stimulate something so it is faster
or more designed for my operation. I think the
mycorrhyzal fungi that I have here is a result of
natural processes. And that is how my plants take up
their nutrients through mycorrhyzal fungi. I dont
want to kill them off with high temperatures from
composting. When you feel the forest foor its not
hot! Thats where blueberries naturally grow.
Marchese believes the subsoil mulch is more
important than the topdressing mulch he adds later
for weed control. Top dressing is 25% helpful as
mulch but subsoiling is 75% helpful as organic
matter, he says.
This feld had such bad weed pressure a few years
ago that I went through and covered the whole
thing with four inches of one-year old mulch. It
looked like a parking lot of mulch. I disked it in
and subsoiled it. After that I harrowed it just two
inches down. The next year I came through and
opened up the furrows, put the plants in, and closed
it back up. The plants grew slower here than they
have anywhere else. The mulch wasnt decomposed
enough and the nutrients were being tied up.
So that frst year, he continues, I felt Id really
screwed up. It was a dumb idea. But last year, their
second year, the plants started coming back. Then
this spring they really grew. I fgured the mulch had
decomposed at a rate high enough that I was getting
nutrients to the plants and reasonable growth.
John uses top dressing mulch for weed control. He
applies it with a side discharge spreader similar to
what dairy farmers use to feed out silage to cows.
He puts the wood chips into the hopper and can
precisely control how quickly the mulch is spread,
how thickly, which side it comes out, etc. He likes
to spread about six inches on each side of the
bushes.
A lot of people worry about topdressing because it
ties up all your nutrients, he states. Its all carbon
and will tie up any nitrogen around. There is an
allopathic state of decomposition where things dont
want to grow in it. But if it is too decomposed, it
doesnt suppress weeds as well. So theres a trade
off and when I put topdressing down, I use two to
three years old mulch. Do I have to increase my
nitrogen? Absolutely! Do I have to increase my
micronutrients? Absolutely! Is that the reason I have
to use foliar applications of Neptunes Harvest?
Absolutely! But the weed pressure is so aggressive
here, the weeds will rob more nutrients than the
mulch will. Its a trade-off. Who is going to steal
your nutrients the weeds or the mulch? I decide
the mulch gets it.
The biggest problem Marchese has with his
mulching operation is that mulch is selling at such a
premium now. For years New Jersey had a recycling
center where people would take brush and trees and
drop them off. The workers would put them through
a double grinder and have mountains of wood chips
as a result. But the center was grant funded and
when the grant ended the operation was transferred
to a private contractor. John used to pay a hauler
to bring him 80 yards at a time just for the price of
hauling. He could do the whole farm with 20 to 24
trailer loads. But that is no longer an option for him.
So fnding clean mulch that he can afford is a big
problem.
Even with suffcient mulch, John has to do plenty
of cultivation. He has two guys who come in for 4
photo by Jack Kittredge
These are more mature berry bushes at a productive age. Notice the mound of woodchips
topdressed onto the row.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 16
hours a day to weed, fve days a week. He fgures
that together they can get through an acre and a half
of weeding per day, so in a little more than three
weeks the whole berry operation can be weeded .
Marchese never cultivates below 2 inches, except
when subsoiling for a new row. He doesnt like to
disrupt below that level. He also doesnt use hoes.
For the younger plants he has a special tool a fat
sharp hoop that slides through under the plant and
cuts the weeds. In the fall he uses rakes.
Besides providing weed control and organic matter,
the other reason John is so intense about mulching is
that he has limited water.
In addition to mulching for organic matter, he
explains, I mulch for water retention. We went six
weeks this year without an inch of rain. This is the
worst summer Ive ever had here. My buddy down
the road said it hasnt been this dry since 1988. But
I have two spring fed ponds. Even in a drought, my
ponds let me irrigate 3 hours every two days. That
lets me do a third of the farm every two days.
The farm has invested heavily in irrigation, to assure
a good crop. They just spent $70,000 on a new
pump, a flter, and a lot of drip irrigation tubing.
One whole half of the farm is now supplied by
drip, while the other half is still overhead irrigation.
Marchese fgures he uses 50 or 60% less water with
drip irrigation, plus more of it gets to the plant.
The only time overhead is better than drip is in a
very hot season during a plants frst year. Then
evaporative cooling can cool off young plants and
not stress them.
Going to a drip system required a fancy fltration
system. No one would look at it and fgure this
flter costs almost as much as the pump, says
John. The flter is really important because I have
permanent drip tape and you cant let anything
get through which will clog the emitters. I have
six zones set up throughout the farm that are fed
from here. I can run drip in some and overhead in
others at the same time by adjusting the pressure
at the zone. I can run the pump at 55 pounds per
square inch for the overhead sprayers, and drop
it in a particular zone to 30 or 35, which is more
appropriate for drip, depending on the length of the
tape in that zone.
Marchese likes to use permanent tape. You
are supposed to get 12 or 15 years out of it, he
explains. My father liked to use disposable tape,
but I didnt want to try to dispose of all that. I keep
the drip tape above the mulch I dont want the fne
roots to grow into the emitters.
All winter long John prunes the berries, taking out
the old and dead wood and opening the bush up to
sunlight.
The most important part of raising blueberries is
pruning, he states. Not weeding, not fertilizing,
not watering, but pruning! When we prune there are
no leaves on the bush and you can see the overall
symmetry. You can tell the age of a cane by the
shape, the size, the color, the hardening. Here we
have canes that are one, two, three, four, and fve
years old on this bush. You want a good blend of
ages between one and fve years old. You dont want
canes older than fve years. The three-year old cane
takes up water and nutrients more effciently than
any other cane. Three and four year old canes are
at their optimum. If you look at a cane in the fall,
youll see the formation of fruit buds for the next
year. Thats when its real important to take care of
your plants more so than at harvest, even. When
a plant is in its frst years, during dormancy you
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photo by Jack Kittredge
John flls the hopper of his mulch spreader with two or three year old
wood chips for top dressing.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 17
take each cane down so there are no fruit buds. You
dont want to stress the plant. You want it to develop
roots, new canes, but not berries yet. We wait until it
is three years old.
Id take this fve-year old cane out, he continues,
and allow these newer and younger ones to
fourish. Id take it out as close to the bottom as
possible. Id prefer this new cane over that one. You
can tell by the shape and color of the bud whether
its a leaf or fruit bud. The fruit buds are larger and
keep growing over the fall.
This light green cane is not going to over-winter.
The buds are lime green, they arent hard at all. It
will die back. But this one has a little more reddish
yellow color and hardness. It will make it through
the winter. Ill just take the top part of the lime
green one off, the part with the fruit buds. The rest
of the cane is healthy. It just wont fruit.
Most Emery blueberries are sold as pick your own.
The rest are picked by the farm and packed and sold
at the store either fresh, frozen or in products likes
pies and muffns.
An overwhelming majority of our customers
are repeat customers, says Marchese. They
want Emerys blueberries. They come here every
year they might be second or third generation
customers. They come from all over Rhode
Island, Connecticut. Well get calls asking for
directions from the Holland Tunnel. Theyre picking
hundreds of pounds. They take it very seriously. I
have customers who will buy a thousand pounds
for personal consumption! They have freezers in
their basement just for our berries! One guy has
four freezers in his basement for our berries. He
says: By the time I get to my last freezer I get real
nervous. He makes smoothies, sorbets, blueberry
compote, the whole deal. There are a lot of people
out there who are very health conscious!
Theyll bring family, friends, he continues.
There is a huge ethnic population that comes:
Poles, Czechs, Lithuanians. That Eastern bloc
demographic is our biggest growth. You can look
out here sometimes and it looks like a big party with
hundreds of people and you cant understand a word
theyre saying! They are enthusiastic supporters
of farming, especially sustainable farming. I dont
think there is a more appreciative ethnic group
they really understand what we are doing.
John says his customer counts are down from last
year, but those fewer people picked more berries
than last year. He believes people are getting more
into canning and freezing and saving for hard times.
Emery gets $2.50 a pound for pick your own
berries. That is considered a high price and nearby
conventional farms charge $1.50 or $1.75. But
Marchese considers it fair.
They dont hand weed, he points out. The input
costs for my organic nitrogen are probably 2 to 3
times their cost, and then 2 to 3 times the labor to
apply it. But the greatest cost is hand hoeing. I put
out in the neighborhood of $11,000 to $13,000 in
hand hoeing. So Im not going to lower my berry
price and pay my help less than they deserve.
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photo by Jack Kittredge
John compares 2 one-year-old canes. The one on the left is lime green and has not hardened
at all. The fruit buds on it will not make it through the winter and John will prune them off
while the plant is dormant to allow the cane to grow without stress next year. The cane on the
right has more color and hardness, and the fruit buds will make it through the winter.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 18
Emery Berry Farm doesnt grow much else except
the blueberries. They have a corn maze to attract
families, as well as a hayride and a petting zoo.
John pays someone to grow pumpkins on nearby
land he rents. He doesnt grow them organically
because no one is willing to pay an organic price for
a decorative item like that. People will only pay 39
a pound for jack-o-lantern pumpkins.
I have an $80,000 building and four full time
employees who need to work in the fall. So for me
to maintain good employees with the hours they
need, you extend your season and grow pumpkins
down the road. I have fve acres of the farm which
arent certifed, where I grow ryegrass and corn.
Thats the corn maze land. I charge three bucks for
the maze. I plant the maze on July 4
th
, so it will be
tall and green in the fall. They come for that, the
pumpkins, the hayrides. Then we can sell them
processed products at the store. The payoff is 10 or
12 years to get the cost of a building, a kitchen, and
the equipment back.
Marchese has a lot of guys making products
for the farm store. One guy specializes in my
blueberries, he says. He makes them the way I
want. He understands to reduce 80% of the blend
for four hours to get a certain consistency and then
adds the other 20% for a 20-minute cool down time
so I get the consistency I want for our blueberry
preserves. Hes got it down to my science. I ship
him my blueberries, take my 12 pallets of preserves
a year, and sell them off. I have a guy who does
strawberries the same way. My buddy grows them
the size and variety I want, I buy them and ship
them off to be processed to my specifcations with
my label. Down in Virginia is the only place I can
get my blackberry jam the way I want it.
Thats an enormous part of the business, he
continues. The proft center of this farm is not even
in the blueberries. Its the pies, jams, jellies, the
ancillary products. Tomorrow Im getting another
$24,000 oven. We bake the pies all here. I can
make that investment back in two or three years. It
bakes 60 pies an hour. Itll be our third oven. The
other two cant make enough pies. All together it
works. If I had one element separate from another,
I couldnt keep the lights on. I couldnt pay the
mortgage. Diversifcation isnt in the crops we
grow, but in the value added products. Those are
the ones with the greater margin. My margin on my
blueberry feld in a year like this was probably 12 to
14%. My margins on the other products are in the
neighborhood of 30 or 40%. If I harvest $100,000
of blueberries, but my expenses are $88,000, why
bother? But collectively, between all parts of the
business, we do okay. My blueberry muffns are the
highest proft item I sell!
Three years ago Emery put in a 10 kilowatt
photovoltaic solar unit. The out-of-pocket expense
was about $22,000, but with the green-tag savings
and the energy rebates they get on it itll be paid off
in four or four and a half years. John says theres no
excuse not to go solar if you have a place to put the
panels -- just this summer they had an 18% increase
in their electricity rates.
John and his mother preserved the farm in July of
2006. But even with all the improvements Marchese
has invested in, he is not upbeat on the prospects of
the farm being proftable: I would say to anyone
who is trying to make a living farming: Give it
up! We dont have a mortgage on the house or the
equipment. If we need something we pay cash. If
you had to operate any other way Id say run! Your
operating expenses are too high. The cost of labor is
too high. My insurance runs me $24,000. How can
you spend that and pay a mortgage? If you cant do
it with the effcient equipment I have, you couldnt
do it with old tractors and pumps either. I know I
cant grow enough blueberries. I sell out every year.
But it costs too much to grow them!
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Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 19
a book by Patricia Lanza
published by Rodale Press, 33 East Minor St.,
Emmaus, PA 18098
1998, 244 pages, paperback
$15.95
review by Jack Kittredge
Lasagna gardening is growing using layers of mulch
(suggesting the layers of ingredients in a lasagna).
I could not fnd Ruth Stouts name mentioned
anywhere in this book, but the methods suggested
here are very similar to the methods she used a
generation ago. According to Lanza, it is an easy,
time-saving way to install and maintain any kind of
garden without removing the sod, digging, or tilling.
Close planting and generous mulching greatly
reduce the time needed for watering and weeding.
And because of the healthy growing environment,
lasagna gardens are plagued with fewer garden
pests. Using no power tools, heavy equipment, or
expensive additives, one person can easily create
and enjoy a healthy, productive garden.
Let Pat Lanza speak for herself about her system.
How do you plant in this system? To make a
planting hole in a new bed, simply pull the layers
apart with your hands. Set the plant in the hole,
pull the mulch back around the roots, and water it
thoroughly. To sow seeds in a newly built lasagna
garden, spread fne compost or damp peat moss
where the seeds are to go, then set the seeds on
the surface. Sift more fne material to cover the
seeds and press down. When the plants have two
true leaves (the leaves that form after the frst pair
of seed leaves), pull some of the coarser mulch
material around them to keep the soil moist and
weed-free. (page 17)
What can you use for mulch? Understanding
mulch what it is, what it does, what organic
materials make good mulch, and where to get them
is the frst step in becoming a committed lasagna
gardener Here is a list of ingredients that can be
useful for building the layers of a lasagna garden.
Some are widely available, others may be common
only in certain regions. Use this list to get ideas,
but dont be limited by it; many other great mulch
materials are available if you look around for them
animal manures, compost, corn cobs (chopped),
grass clippings, hay, leaves (chopped), peat moss,
salt hay, sawdust, seaweed/kelp, stalks (chopped),
straw, wood ashes. (page 9)
When is a good time to apply mulch? While
building up your soil and rejuvenating old garden
areas are ongoing processes, theyre especially
important in fall. By that time. most of your beds
will be empty, or your perennials will have died
back, so you can really pile on the organic matter.
Fortunately, fall is a time of abundance. You may
still be cutting grass when leaves begin to drop, but
soon you will be mowing leaves. (page 173)
Lasagna Gardening
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 20
How about weeds? One of the benefts of lasagna
gardening is that the thick layers you start with
are enough to smother even tough weeds that are
already on the site. After that, you rarely, if even,
need to disturb the soil, so you dont bring up weed
seeds that are buried in the soil. Adding mulch
regularly and setting plants close enough that they
fll in and cover the surface of the bed are enough
to discourage most new weeds from getting started.
The few that do pop up are easy to pull out, since
the soil is loose. (page 201)
Do herbs grow in Lasagna gardens? You may
have heard or read that herbs grow just fne in poor
soilbelieve me, most herbs will grow much, much
better if you give them, a spot in a lasagna bed.
Theyll thrive in the nutrient-rich soil, so youll get
even better harvestsTo me, the greatest beneft is
that lasagna gardens are kind to self-sowing herbs,
so you can enjoy the plants for many years after
just one planting. In regular gardens, youre always
digging, tilling, or cultivating the bare soil, so the
herb seeds get buried too deep or get destroyed as
they sprout in spring. In a lasagna garden, they just
fall in the mulch and pop up later on. (page 75)
How about pests and disease? Over the years,
Ive noticed that lasagna gardens arent troubled
by pests and diseases as much as traditional
gardens are. Maybe its because lasagna gardening
creates and maintains healthy, fertile soil with the
perfect environment for earthwormsWhatever
the reasons, I know the soil in my lasagna beds
is alive and healthy, since each garden has lots of
earthworms and I run into few, if any, problems.
(page 187-188)
Most of her book is devoted to Pat going through
the details of raising individual vegetables, fruits,
herbs, and fowers in lasagna gardens, as well as
using them for season extension into the fall and
winter. Lots of illustrations, sidebars, tables and lists
make it easy to read and full of useful information.
She weaves her personal story into the pages just
enough to give it character, but without it becoming
egotistical.









Or_anio lIalIa !cllc: & Mcal Or_anio lIalIa !cllc: & Mcal Or_anio lIalIa !cllc: & Mcal Or_anio lIalIa !cllc: & Mcal
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by Lee Reich, PhD
Nature abhors bare ground and so do I. Her response
to naked earth is to clothe it with weeds. I clothe
the ground around my cultivated plants with mulch,
a catch-all term for a host of different ground
blankets.
Mulching is a relatively new gardening technique.
You fnd no mention of mulch among gardeners
before the middle of the twentieth century, except
for dust mulch, which is what you call the layer of
loose soil left on the surface of the ground after you go
over it with a hoe. That dust mulch was supposed to
conserve water by slowing evaporation from deeper
within the soil, which it did not, in fact, do. (All that
hoeing did kill weeds, to the beneft of garden plants.)
Mulching got its biggest boost from the grande dame
of mulching, Ruth Stout, who visually demonstrated
one beneft of mulching smothering weeds -- with
her author photo on the back of her 1955 classic, How
To Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back;
the white-haired lady is pictured reclining on a pile of
her straw mulch with a big grin on her face.
Weeds aside, why do I and Mother Nature hate
unmulched -- bare -- soil? Because the naked surface
is too easily blown and washed away by wind and
water. Rainfall pounding on the surface seals pores,
making it much harder for water to penetrate, which
further contributes to erosion, an effect that snowballs
as moving water increases speed to carve out rivulets,
then gullies. Bare soil is also thrashed by sunlight,
creating a hot, dry root environment. On paths, a
surface covering diffuses pressure from footsteps,
wheelbarrow wheels, and tractor tires. Plants arent
growing in paths, but rainfall still must penetrate
soil there and some roots of plants bordering paths
Why
Mulch?
fnd their way there. In planted areas, mulch has the
additional beneft of helping enrich soil and feed
plants.
Mulching Materials
Except for gravel, bricks, oyster shells, fagstone,
and other inorganic materials that might be used
for paths and rarely if ever need replenishing, most
other mulches are organic materials that do need
regular renewal. Because mulching is an important
component of my weedless gardening, I choose for
mulches materials that are pretty much free of weed
seeds or other weed material that can subsequently
grow. (See Mulch Guide for some weed-free, organic
mulches.)
With time, organic materials decompose and this is
why they must be continually replenished, enough to
maintain about an inch depth or more over the surface.
Dont begrudge these materials for disappearing
though. Decomposition is not a bad thing because
as organic mulches decompose, they release plant
nutrients and create humus, one of the foundations of
organic gardening and farming. Humus is a witches
brew of natural compounds that helps plants absorb
nutrients and fght disease, and keeps the soil loose
and moist for good root growth.
How frequently mulch needs to be replenished
depends on how quickly it decomposes, which, in
turn, depends on the material and the climate. Hot,
moist weather speeds decomposition most rapidly.
Although the above-mentioned Ms. Stout kept her
ground blanketed with a year round mulch of hay,
expect better results by fne tuning applications.
Select mulches based on availability, plants being
mulched, and, perhaps, appearance. Many organic
materials that could be used for mulch are considered
waste materials in our society; seek them out, and
they are often free for the hauling. Mulches will vary
in their nutrient content so can be, in a general way,
keyed to the plants being mulched. The appearance
of a mulch is important in ornamental gardens the
use of, for example, a fnely divided, dark material
such as buckwheat hulls in a formal fower bed.
Timing Mulch Applications
Also consider timing when applying mulches. For
example, vegetables and annual fowers have but one
season to put down roots and the quicker they do so,
the better. Because organic mulches insulate the soil,
delaying warming in spring, vegetables and annual
fowers beneft most when mulches are laid down
after the weather has settled and the soil has warmed
in spring. Dont pile mulch right up against tender,
young stems, though, or theyre apt to rot. Mulch
can be left in place for winter, then, in late winter or
early spring, removed or just pulled back enough to
let the soil warm where youre going to plant early
vegetables or annual fowers.
The roots of perennial fowers live on year after year
so theres no rush to warm the soil around them in
spring. Leave mulches tucked in around these plants
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photo courtesy Lee Reich
Author happily applies mulch
around a seedling.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 24
all year round, replenishing them as necessary.
Organic mulches are also useful tossed right on top of
these plants where additional protection from winter
cold is needed. In this case, wait to cover the plants
until the weather is reliably cold, which is when the
soil has frozen about an inch deep. Covering plants
before then could cause leaves, stems, and/or roots
to rot. Rot is also likely to occur if these plants are
still covered in spring after warm weather begins
coaxing new growth beneath the mulch, so uncover
perennials in late winter or as soon as you see new
growth peeking out beneath the mulch. Tuck the
removed mulch in around the plants. Some perennial
fowers, such as delphiniums, never like to have their
tops completely covered with mulch, in which case
mulches are best left tucked right alongside these
plants.
Mulches are also good for trees and shrubs after
all, each years leaf drop keeps them mulched in
the wild. And again, because these plants roots
are already established, leave mulch in place year
round, replenishing it as needed. Tree roots typically
reach two or more times the spread of the branches
so unless a very large area is mulched, most of the
beneft is to very young trees. Those rings of mulch
around the trunks of established trees do prevent
lawnmoweritis by keeping lawn and, hence,
lawnmowers away from trunks, though.
Two cautions are in order when mulching trees:
First, do not pile mulch right up against trunks or
woody stems (those so-called mulch volcanoes
unfortunately too much in vogue these days); rot
might result. And second, take precautions against
mice because mulch provides a nice home for them,
from where they can conveniently gnaw on a trees
bark. Keep mulch a few inches back from stems
and trunks and, for younger plants or other plants
of which mice are especially fond, protect trunks
through winter with cylinders of hardware cloth or
tree protectors sold specifcally for this purpose.
My Mulch Cycle
Generally, I mulch my whole garden in autumn
because thats when certain materials, such as leaves,
are available. This also gives me less to do during the
furry of spring gardening activities, and the materials
have all winter to begin melding with the underlying
layer of soil. My trees, shrubs, and informal fower
beds generally get a blanket of autumn leaves or
wood chips, My soil is naturally rich so the slow
decomposition of these materials provide all the
nutrients these plants need. My blueberries, which
do not enjoy very fertile soils, get a mulch of wood
shavings.
My vegetable gardens go into winter with a fresh
dressing of wood chips on the paths and a slather of
nutrient-rich, brown compost on each bed, except
for those still carrying late crops. The compost layer
on the vegetable beds does not keep the soil cool,
delaying spring planting, because: 1) Its dark color
absorbs the suns heat so warms up quickly; and 2)
I plant right into that compost layer so anyway am
not overly concerned about the temperatures below.
(My weedless gardening system also calls for
permanent beds and paths to obviate the need to ever
till or otherwise disturb the soil and awaken weed
seeds buried with the soil. Using a different mulch for
the beds and the paths makes it easier to distinguish
traffc from planting areas.)
At minimum, the time to replenish any mulch -
- whether it is wood chips, compost, or straw -- is
whenever bare soil begins to peek through.
How Much Mulch?
To cover a 100-square-foot area one-inch deep
requires 1/3 of a cubic yard of any material. Three
cubic yards will cover 1,000 square feet -- and 130
cubic yards covers an acre -- an inch deep.
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photo courtesy Lee Reich
Free mulch is always the best mulch!
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 25
A Permanent Solution To Weeds?
Black plastic sheeting, sold as mulch, appears, at frst
blush, to be a cure-all for weed problems. Lay it on
the ground, cut holes only where you will set plants,
and weeds die from lack of light, permanently.
But problems arise. An impermeable sheet of plastic
over the ground can leave plant roots and soil
microorganisms gasping for air. Roots of plants set
in the openings made in the plastic might develop
even greater breathing problems when water falling
on the plastic is channeled into those openings. And
the plastic eventually starts to tear and break apart,
which creates a general mess.
Geotextiles (also known as landscape fabrics),
which are synthetic fabrics resistant to tearing and
have many small holes that allow air and water
to penetrate the soil, have been offered as an
alternative to black plastic. Both black plastic and
geotextiles are widely used by farmers, gardeners,
and landscapers.
If you dont like the way these synthetic mulches
looksurely the case when they are used in
landscapingyou can cover them. Wood chips look
natural and are widely used for this purpose. And
anyway, geotextiles work best with a thin cover of
something to shade out the minimal light that makes
its way though the tiny holes.
But problems arise again. If you cover an area with
black plastic or geotextiles and expect to do nothing
more, youll fnd that plenty of weeds eventually
trot in, their roots growing into that cover of wood
chips. In time, the chips or other covering start to
move, exposing the plastic or geotextile beneath
not a pretty sight!
Furthermore, even if black plastic or geotextiles
dont do their jobs forever, theyll be in the soil that
long, or almost so. Try to make over the landscape
in the future and you will be wrestling with and
cutting geotextiles or collecting scraps of black
plastic. Embedding a permanent, synthetic blanket
in the ground shows a fundamental disrespect for
the soil.
Malicious Mulch
A concern is sometimes voiced that spreading a
nitrogen-poor mulch such as wood chips or sawdust
over the soil will starve plants. Yes, microorganisms
that decompose these materials do need nitrogen,
and they are able to garner it at the expense of
plants. But when wood chips or sawdust is laid on
top of the soil, decomposition occurs mostly at the
interface of the soil and the mulch--at a very slow
rate. So slowly, in fact, that a steady state usually
exists where nitrogen is re-released back into the
soil suffciently fast for plants growing there.
These materials will most assuredly starve plants
temporarily, but only when their decomposition is
sped up by their being thoroughly mixed into the
soil, not when they are merely laid on top of the
ground.
Good Chips, Bad Chips
Each spring stores become awash in wood and
bark chips. Besides the usual supply available at
nurseries and garden centers, clean white bags of
chips are also neatly stacked in front of hardware
stores, supermarkets, even convenience stores.
Some gardeners believe that chips sold in bags
are superior to those made from locally chipped
trees. One fear is that termites will infest wood
other than cedar, which is often used for bagged
chips. Dont worry. Termites feed on a variety
of cellulose sources, including old roots, twigs,
and other material in and on the ground; a mulch
of chips would contribute insignifcantly to the
existing smorgasbord.
There might also be worry about diseases spreading
from locally chipped dead trees to the plants where
the chips are spread. Again, its not a problem.
Most fungi that attack living wood cannot survive
on dead wood, and would expire in chips. Fungi
also are somewhat choosy in just what they attack.
Even if you spread chips from a diseased pine tree
beneath your maple tree, the tree is not going to
get sick unless the disease survives in dead chips,
is capable of infecting maple as well as pine, and
conditions are conducive to disease spreadthe
odds of this are perhaps akin to being hit by
lightning on a sunny day.
Another criticism of local chips versus bagged
cedar chips is that the local stuff decomposes faster.
True, but some of the benefts of chips accrue only
as they decompose. Local chips will need more
frequent replacement, but they are relatively cheap
and sometimes free.
To get a load of local wood chips, look in the
Yellow Pages under Tree Service or beg some
from a crew working nearby. Local arborists are
usually happier to unload chips at your property in
lieu of hauling them to a landfll.
WEED Control with the Einbock Tined Weeder
Weeds in organic crops are a serious issue. You can effectively control weeds with
an Einbock Tined Weeder. The Einbock Weeder works in two ways: 70% of the
germinating weeds are eliminated by covering & choking with topsoil. 30% of the
elimination is achieved by uprooting them. For best results, use the Einbock when
the weeds are at the white root or cotylen stage. The Einbock can be used
successfully from early to late in the crop cycle simply by adjusting your tine
pressure, your speed and using tine lifters.
The working range of the Einbock Tined Weeder is impressive. It has been
successful with grain, corn, beetroot, potatoes, rice, peas, soybeans, tomatoes,
peanuts, cotton, onions, strawberries, pasture etc. Based on the age of the plants
your speed and operation will vary. The tined weeder fits perfectly into any over all cultivation concept.
PASTURE care with the Einbock Tined Weeder with the
Pneumaticstar airseeder for undersowing & overseeding
When used, yields are increased, grass quality is improved & cost is kept in
check. Used to rake up old grass, remove weeds, level molehills, and stimulate
the soil and to spread manure more evenly. With the addition of a seeder, the
cultivator can be used for undersowing & overseeding to stimulate grass
density and fill in bare patches. When weeds, along with dead grass, are
removed by using the Einbock, new grass can tiller out into the bare patches,
preventing weeds from taking over. If you want to improve your pasture
health, use an Einbock!
See it work at www.tinedweeder com~ or~ Contact us for free educational literature and CD
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photo courtesy Lee Reich
Authors knot garden with fne mulch
photo courtesy Lee Reich
Authors mulched pear tree
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 26
Mulch Guide
by Lee Reich
Kind of mulch: Bark chips
Availability: Purchase in bags
Characteristics: Weed-free; long-lasting; only
moderately effective at conserving water and
smothering weeds; low in nutrients; brown in color,
but coarse appearance makes this mulch aesthetically
unsuited to small plants such as most annuals.
Kind of mulch: Compost
Availability: Purchase or make your own
Characteristics: Weed-free if properly made and
stored; excellent at conserving water and smothering
weeds; rich in nutrients; brown color and fne texture
make it visually suitable for formal and informal
settings.
Kind of mulch: Grass clippings
Availability: Free, from lawn mowings (avoid those
treated with herbicides)
Characteristics: Weed-free; excellent at conserving
water and smothering weeds; rich in nutrients; green
color, turning to light brown, and fne texture.
Kind of mulch: Hay
Availability: Cut your own or purchase baled
Characteristics: Contains weed seeds (except for
salt or marsh hay); excellent at conserving water
and smothering weeds; moderate amount of nutrients;
coarse texture and light brown color so best used in
informal settings.
Kind of mulch: Hulls and shells (peanut, rice,
buckwheat, etc.)
Availability: Purchase in bags or available in bulk
where grown or processed
Characteristics: Weed-free; moderately effective
at conserving water and smothering weeds; low in
nutrients; fne texture makes this mulch ideal for
formal settings.
Kind of mulch: Leaves and leaf mold (decomposed
leaves)
Availability: Free for raking and from neighbors
Characteristics: Weed-free; excellent at conserving
water and smothering weeds; moderately rich in
nutrients (leaf mold is richer); leaf mold looks like
soil so is aesthetically suited to all gardens; leaves are
coarse so are best used in informal settings, around
larger plants, or coarse, in woodland settings.
Kind of mulch: Pine needles
Availability: Rake or, in some areas, purchase
Characteristics: Weed-free; moderately good at
conserving water and smothering weeds; low in
nutrients; distinctive appearance can be asset in any
garden.
Kind of mulch: Sawdust and wood shavings
Availability: Purchase in bags or available from
woodshops (avoid chemically treated wood)
Characteristics: Weed-free; excellent at conserving
water and smothering weeds; low in nutrients; fne
texture but very light in color so consider visual
effect in any ornamental setting.
Kind of mulch: Straw
Availability: Purchase baled
Characteristics: Weed-free; excellent at conserving
water and smothering weeds; moderately rich in
nutrients; coarse texture and light brown color so
best used in informal settings.
Kind of mulch: Wood chips
Availability: Purchase or obtain free by the
truckload
Characteristics: Weed free; moderately good at
conserving water and smothering weeds; low in
nutrients; fne texture and medium brown color that
darkens with age so is aesthetically suitable in all
settings.
Lee Reich is a garden and orchard consultant
whose most recent books are Uncommon Fruits for
Every Garden and Weedless Gardening; his newest
book, Landscaping with Fruit, will be available in
February, 2009. Lee can be contacted and his book
can be purchased through www.leereich.com.

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Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 29
Organic
No-Till?
by Jack Kittredge
For several years, the Rodale Institute has been
experimenting with a system for using cover
crops and a crimping roller to create a mulch layer
into which crops can be planted without annual
tillage. The system is explained in some detail
on the website <www.rodaleinstitute.org/no-
till_revolution>. Below is information I gleaned on
this system from their website and various research
papers which have been published on it.
In a conventional no-till system, herbicides are
used to replace tillage in managing weeds. With
the organic no-till system, a mulch of cover crops
replaces tillage or herbicides.
The organic no-till rotation is not designed
as a continuous no-till system. Tillage is used
occasionally to incorporate residues or inputs like
manure, and to prepare seed beds at different points
in the rotation. The system follows the principle that
any reduction or elimination of tillage can improve
soil quality and nutrient retention, but experiments
have found that judicious tillage, when coupled
with organic soil improvement, creates soil benefts
that surpass those of continuous conventional no-
till systems. The whole idea is, by using organic
methods, to strike a successful balance among soil
improvement, weed control, yield and economic
viability.
A key beneft of the organic no-till system is that
it provides a continuous root zone and creates a
hospitable environment for the benefcial micro-
and macro organisms that build up the soil and
make water, air and nutrients more available to
crop plants. The system also creates biomass, both
above and below the ground, which adds organic
matter that feeds these microbes and stimulates their
activity. Some of the microbes (mycorrhizae fungi)
produce hyphae, microscopic hairs that branch out
from the root system up to 18 feet and produce
glomulin, the Super Glue that binds soil particles
and increases aggregate stability. The minimized
soil disturbance also helps build up soil carbon
reserves. When you also consider the benefts of
better water infltration and less erosion, its easy to
see how soil health may be improved.
Recognizing the potential problems of soil
compaction, organic no-till is not permanent.
Occasionally a plow or other tillage instrument
is used. The idea is to mix no-till and plow-till
approaches to take advantage of both in managing
weeds and improving soil health.
A key to making this system work is to match your
cover crop and cash crop. Variables to consider
include biomass (how many pounds produced per
acre) and when the cover crop in question comes
to maturity. Hairy vetch is an excellent cover crop
choice as far as the way it behaves when rolled
down, but its not a good match in the South
because it matures too late with respect to the cash-
crop season. Crimson clover is a better choice for
Southern climates, though as you move northward
this cover crop is not able to put on enough biomass
for adequate weed suppression, or for providing
adequate nitrogen to support good yields.
photo 2008 Rodale Institute www.rodaleinstitute.org
The Rodale Institutes cover crop crimper/roller, designed and built in late 2002 by TRI
farm manager Jeff Moyer and neighboring farmer John Brubaker, with the assistance of a
NE SARE grant, has begun to roll and crimp a feld of fowering hairy vetch.
NOFA Videos
0801 Maple Sugaring Lynda Simkins
0802 Overwinter of Bees in NE Mark Robar
0803 Keynote: Healthy Food & Soil Arden Anderson
0805 Winter Squash Bryan Connolly, Diane Dorfer
0806 Organic Sweet Corn Ruth Hazzard, Abby Seaman
0807 Keynote: Value of Raw Milk Mark McAfee
0808 Overwintering Greens Bryan OHara, Kim Stoner
0809 Potatoes! Rob Durgy, Bryan OHara
0810 Sidehill Dairy Tour A. Klippenstein, P. Lacinski
$15 each
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Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 30
The Rodale experimenters have had success
planting corn into rolled-down hairy vetch in early
June in southeastern Pennsylvania, but for some
farmers this just isnt early enough. So your choices
really depend on a combination of what will work in
your growing region, the type of cash crop you are
growing, and your own personal goals.
Soybeans, for instance, being legumes themselves,
dont need a legume as a cover crop. Rye works
very well as a rolled-down cover for this crop. Grain
cover crops like rye, wheat, oats and barley work as
possible winter-annual cover crops for pumpkins,
vine vegetables like cucumbers or squash, or even
string beans.
The goal always needs to be matching the cover
crop needs and expectations to the cash crop in
terms of timing (when is each planted and when
does each mature), nutritional needs (does the
cash crop require a legume as a cover), and water
requirements, since some crops like rye tend to have
a high water demand (an important consideration in
arid climates).
The biggest issue with timing is that you dont want
to roll your cover crop too early. If the cover crop
is not at full maturity (as defned by initiating full
reproductive status), its going to come right back to
haunt you as a weed. Maturity varies by cover crop.
With hairy vetch, you want to make sure at least
75 percent of the crop is fowering for a good kill.
There should be immature seed pods at the bottom
of the bloom area. With rye, youre looking for a
milky dough stage in the seed formation, where
the seed pod has the consistency of milky dough or
yogurt.
One challenge of this system is to re-evaluate how
you think about cover crops. Theyre no longer just
a cover crop but the most important component of
your weed-management strategy and, in some cases,
your primary source of nitrogen. Therefore your
success in growing cash crops is directly dependent
upon your ability to consistently grow excellent
stands of cover crops.
Another challenge is to get the right tools (cover
crop rollers and no-till planters) for this system.
Rollers must kill but not destroy the cover crop,
and planters must be set to plant through the heavy
residue of the cover crop mulch left on the soil.
The folks at Rodale have designed a roller to work
in combination specifc cover crops that are winter
annuals. These are crops like hairy vetch, rye,
Austrian winter pea, wheat, barley, etc. These are
crops that are generally planted in the fall, live
through the winter, thrive in spring, and fnally die
back in summer and drop their seeds.
What the special roller does is kill these crops
earlyonce they have physiologically reproduced,
but before the seeds are ripe. So, in effect, you are
better timing an event -- that will happen naturally
anyway -- to suit your need to grow a crop and
protect it from weed pressure. The roller works to
kill these winter-annual cover crops by crimping
their stems every 6 or 7 inches once they have
fowered, thus creating a dense mulch layer that
prevents weeds from germinating.
There are several key differences that occur with
this system compared to simply mowing a cover
crop. First, if you use a mower, the cover crop
material is cut into small pieces. This action
encourages more rapid decomposition of the plant
material, which is something you dont want since
you will be depending on the mulching effect of
photo 2008 Rodale Institute www.rodaleinstitute.org
Corn plants grow well up through a mulch of crimped hairy vetch which supplies both
protection from weeds and nitrogen fxed from the atmosphere.




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this plant material to suppress weed germination.
The second problem is that once the cover crop is
actually severed from the ground and becomes loose
material sitting on the soil surface, it becomes an
impediment to the planter which will simply drag
the cover crop into piles.
The Rodale roller, on the other hand, is designed
to crimp off the vascular system of the plant stems
every seven inches, effectively killing the cover
crop (as long as its in full boom). Leaving the
plant attached to the ground allows the planter to
move freely through the feld and slows down the
decomposition process.
The roller is not designed to kill annual or perennial
weeds or ground covers. What will happen is that
it will physically knock them down, the planter
will then plant through the mat, but then the weeds
will grow back and choke out the crop. If you
are opening up land that has an existing stand of
something on it, you will need to perform some sort
of tillage activity before planting.
The no-till roller designed by Rodale is set up to be
front-mounted on a tractor with the seed-planter on
the rear for a one-pass system that saves time and
fuel. If you are planting vegetable crops, you should
be able to transplant or direct seed into the mulch
depending on what you want to plant and what
cover crops you have available to you. For example
you can direct seed pumpkins into hairy vetch. You
could also direct seed cucumbers or squash the same
way. Small seeded plants like lettuce or carrots
would be much more diffcult but not impossible
(lettuce plugs or seedlings are probably the way to
go).
If you have a traditional seeder, more than likely
you will need to apply more weight to it to have the
force necessary to cut through the thick rolled-down
mat of mulch. The depth of the double-disk openers
will also need to be adjusted in order to adequately
cut through the mat and then into the soil. Also, the
seed furrow that is cut may not close as easily in a
no-till system -- with all this residue -- as it does in a
tilled system. The experimenters upgraded the press
wheels on the rear of their planter from rubber to
cast-iron to ensure adequate seed furrow closing and
proper seed-to-soil contact. These considerations
change depending on your soil type. Observation
and adjustment are going to be critical to your
success.
photo 2008 Rodale Institute www.rodaleinstitute.org
This corn has thrived growing through the mulch of vetch with virtually no weed pressure
Depending on the crop mix, it is often advisable
to till the feld before planting the cover crop to
avoid overwhelming weed pressure. You can no-till
plant a cover cropsay rye into corn or soybean
stubblein situations where you will be plowing
the crop under in the spring. But in a situation where
youre planting a cover crop to be rolled for organic
no-till, it is wise to start with a clean seedbed in
the fall. It is very important to have an excellent
stand of whatever cover crop you plant, since this
will be your primary defense against weed seeds
germinating. The same cover may also be your
primary source of nitrogen in the system, making it
that much more important for the cover crop to be
well established. Therefore take whatever steps are
necessary in order to ensure a solid stand of a cover
crop.
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Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 32
by Jack Kittredge
The strip of Eastern New York that lies between
the Hudson River and Vermont and runs just north
of Albany for 50 or 60 miles has always struck me
as idyllic. Small farming communities still dot the
rolling landscape, there is reasonable proximity to
good markets Albany, Saratoga Springs, Glens
Falls but little apparent development pressure. The
landscape still looks more like New England than
New York, while the antique houses have a little
touch of Holland in them.
It was in this part of New York, in the town of
Argyle, that Paul and Sandy Arnold began farming
20 years ago after purchasing 60 acres of land. Paul
had already been farming nearby in his parents
backyard when he met Sandy, who was working at
a garden center. The early years were challenging as
they balanced outside jobs and got the farm up and
going. For four years Paul farmed during the season
and worked construction in the wintertime, while
Sandy kept her fulltime job and also farmed 20 to
30 hours each week. After two years of living in a
pop-up camper summers, they were ready to build a
house. In their fourth year, they both became full-
time farmers and discontinued all off-farm jobs, and
started to raise a family. Pleasant Valley Farm has
given them their sole source of income for the past
16 years. Their two children, Robert (age 16) and
Kim (age 13), are home-schooled and are an integral
part of the farm.
We raise over 35 different types of fruits and
vegetables with about 5 acres under production,
Paul says. We have 10 acres suitable for vegetable
production, so we rotate the extra 5 acres with cover
crops. Much of the additional acreage is leased out
for hay production. Pleasant Valley Farm uses the
Certifed Naturally Grown program to certify all
their crops and also signs the NOFA-NY Farmers
Pledge. We also have a fock of about 40 laying
hens, raise one batch of meat birds (Rock Cornish)
and 2 pigs each year, all raised on organic grain
from Lakeview Organic Grain in central New York.
Some of the meat is sold, but most of the animals
are for our familys own use and the workers for
group meals.
The farmers markets are our primary outlet, he
continues. We sell at 3 producer-only markets
each week from May to November. The Saratoga
Springs markets are on Wednesdays and Saturdays,
and the Glens Falls market is on Saturday also. So
on Saturday Sandy goes to Saratoga and I go to
Glens Falls. The Arnolds are just a half hour from
both markets and although they have tried most
types of marketing, they enjoy the farmers markets
and sell everything they produce in 15 hours of
selling each week.
According to Paul, the local food movement has hit
the Glens Falls market. For 20 years we needed
two people to run our stand at the Glens Falls
market, he explains. Last year we went to three
people. This year I have four people selling, plus my
daughter who stocks the whole time. In Glens Falls
the buyers will help me set up if I get there late.
Saratoga market hasnt seen the same increases, but
continues to fourish.
Somebody wrote in the local paper, he quotes,
Now that the prices are the same between the
grocery store and the farmers market, you might
as well go to the farmers market and get the good
stuff. Thats about right! We can sell whatever we
raise. Weve been at the markets a long time and
we have long-standing, loyal customers. Customers
come to us because of our consistency, quality, and
diversity of crops.
Sometime in the near future, Paul and Sandy are
considering cutting back to two summer markets,
and they think they could make up the difference
with more sales during the winter. Since the winter
of 2005-2006, they have been attending indoor
winter markets November to May, which have been
increasing in popularity and sales each year. For
this winter, Sandy says, there are seven winter
markets within an hours drive that we could attend!
We plan on attending just the Saturday Saratoga
Springs winter market this winter, but have lots of
options.
Paul and Sandy were among the pioneers in the
organic movement who experimented with growing
in protected enclosures. They went to Europe in
the early 1990s and saw what they were doing with
greenhouses there, where land is very expensive and
every square meter must pay for itself. In 1992 the
Arnolds started growing spinach in the wintertime
in small hoop houses which they designed (14 by
100), which they moved around the farm. Over the
past 3 years, they have purchased and constructed
two Rimol (www.rimolgreenhouses.com) permanent
high tunnels (30 by 150) which have automatic
high roll-up sides. These tunnels will give us the
space we need to grow fresh greens all winter and
keep up with our rotations., he says.
Were used to the smaller tunnels, says Sandy,
but the warmth in the high tunnels really makes
a difference. In the smaller tunnels you can seed
the spinach September frst and start picking it in
December. But if we seed it in the high tunnels
September frst it will be ready in October! Both are
without heat. Its just a lot warmer in a high tunnel.
It both heats up more and holds the heat longer.
Of course with the high tunnels, there was a lot of
work and money in the site excavation, leveling,
bringing in power and water so they cant be
moved. It helps to be perfectly level for the
automatic roll-up sides to work well, explains
Paul. The sides constantly adjust the opening size
Mulching at Pleasant Valley Farm
photo by Jack Kittredge
Robert, 16, stands with his parents Paul and Sandy Arnold in their new 34 by 150 high
tunnel. To the right are Green Zebra tomatoes, in the row between Robert and his parents
are Provider green beans, with yellow squash and zucchini to the left. The plants are on drip
irrigation and mulched with Biotello degradable mulch and straw.
photo by Sandy Arnold
This is an old photo of Paul and his daughter Kim (now 13) unrolling a hay bale onto a feld
to mulch it before planting. The hay bales are sometimes used on the irrigation lines, then
crops are planted into the hay.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 33
to control the temperature inside the tunnels. There
are fve height settings. You can set a temperature
and it will open to the frst of its settings. In fve
minutes it will make a decision is it warmer or is
it colder than you want? If its warmer, it goes up to
stage two. In another fve minutes it makes another
decision. If it gets colder, it goes back to stage one.
It does that all day long. That keeps the temperature
even at all times where we want it, which delivers
so much value because we get optimum crop
growth for each tunnel. The roll-curtain system
cost just $1500 per tunnel and if you calculate man-
hours to open/close them manually each day, the
payback is within months. It frees you from fussing
with manual curtains all day so you can do more
important things that make you money.
The high tunnels are just single skinned. When
youre talking about winter growing, Paul feels
maximum light is everything. Since he is not going
to the expense of heating the tunnel, and the site is
protected from high winds by trees, there is no need
for two layers of plastic. Rigid foam 2 insulation
was installed around the perimeter of the tunnels,
which went twelve inches into the ground; the
insulation helps maintain even soil temperatures
inside. Four inch drain tile lines were also installed
around the perimeter. They were buried in stone
and carry the rainwater away from the tunnels,
which keeps the soil moisture level about the same
throughout the tunnel. The two tunnels are about 20
feet apart, and Paul has a grassy swale between the
two tunnels so he can get in there and move snow
away with a bucket loader if necessary.
The important thing in a high tunnel, he asserts,
is humidity. You dont want high humidity since
it creates the optimum environment for fungus and
diseases. You want to open it up if humidity builds
up. We use mostly drip irrigation in the summer and
also straw or hay mulch, which helps to keep the
moisture in the soil.
The summer crops currently in the one high tunnel
will be out by October 1st and the Arnolds will
put in a half a house of spinach, planting the rest
in Asian greens, arugula, and mesclun. As feld
production slows down, the tunnel production will
just be starting. New seedings inside the tunnels in
the late fall will help give production until spring
crops are ready again outside in April/May.
The Arnolds are very happy with their high tunnels
productivity so far. Sandy says: We were amazed
how well Swiss chard did in the tunnel for us last
winter. And were Zone 4! We also had nine rows
of spinach in here, each 140 feet long. We pulled
in $10,000 off that spinach. That was from late
November until April, without heat.
The demand is there, says Paul, and people want
greens in the winter. We can grow in them for a
low cost and the tunnels pay for themselves very
quickly! That frst house cost $20,000. This second
one cost us $30,000. Even with that, both will have
paid for themselves within a year. Having income
year round makes it interesting, compared to what
we used to have 7 months of income and 5 months
of none! Having work year-round also enables
the Arnolds to keep a few workers on full-time,
year-round, so there is less training each spring and
it allows them the freedom to leave in the winter
for conferences and vacations. They employ a
diverse group of workers including home-schooled
teenagers, adults, college students, and interns
which live at the farm and learn how to become
farmers.
Paul and Sandy also constructed another
well thought-out item on their farm: a Rimol
polycarbonate 30 x 48 greenhouse. It was
constructed in 2002 with an automatic ridge
and automatic roll-up sides for ventilation. The
greenhouse is also equipped with rolling benches
which slide so that only one 2-foot wide aisle
exists at a time, allowing almost total utilization
of the entire greenhouse space. All the benches
have radiant heat and we grow on them with row
cover on top of the plants, says Sandy. It saves
tremendously on fuel since we are only heating the
few inches above the benches where the plants are.
We do all our own starts here in the late winter/
spring as well, and grow our own strawberry plugs.
Also, in the winter, trays of mesclun, Asian greens,
arugula, and herbs are grown on the radiant-heated
benches and they are sold at the winter farmers
markets. The greenhouse water is preheated by the
radiant heat system, thus theyre watering with 60 to
70 degree water, instead of 40-degree water, which
grows better plants. The small barn attached to the
greenhouse is heated and serves as a potting/seeding
shed, and also as their washing station in the winter.

Weve learned how to spend money to save
money, says Paul. When you put in an expensive
investment, you sometimes end up just working
to pay for the equipment. We decided to put in a
really effcient heating system in the greenhouse
and ended up saving money in the long run because
it was so much more effcient. Now we use the
heat system from November until May, but were
still not using that much propane since we just heat
the bench tops as opposed to the air space, and the
on-demand hot water heater has a variable fame
for more effciency. Its more than paid for itself in
a matter of years because we only use about 900
gallons of propane each year now as opposed to
thousands with other typical greenhouse systems.
Our goal is to slow down in the summer, says
Sandy. The winter markets are just dynamite! If
you add your greens and root crops together you can
easily do well over $1000 each week. We have a big
(20 x 30) root cellar beneath the barn which has a
special cooling system designed for root cellars. It
stores about 24 tons of storage crops, such as beets,
carrots, potatoes, rutabagas, celeriac, cabbage, leeks,
radishes, kohlrabi, turnips, brussells sprouts, and
celery, which we fgure is worth about $85,000 in
gross sales. We start putting fall vegetables in it in
September and cooling it right down, then sell them
all winter and spring, usually until the new crops
come in the following summer.
As with all farming, growing for the winter involves
both new opportunities and new management
challenges, says Paul. With a lot of this season
extension stuff its fguring out how to have a
product when no one else does. You can grow Swiss
chard in the summer but lots of people have it and
you have a hundred other things to do. If you grow
it in April and May, however, when there is little
else to buy that is green, you can sell a hundred
bunches at one market. If you plant swiss chard too
early in the spring, though, they vernalize. They
get enough cold days and thats their signal to go to
photo by Sandy Arnold
Paul mows and chops his hay with a fail chopper that then blows the hay into a hay wagon
to be taken to the feld for use as mulch.
photo by Jack Kittredge
The innards of the fail chopper involve fail knives to cut and chop the hay and toss it
to an auger that feeds it into the blower.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 34
seed!
Perhaps the biggest challenge the farm has faced
is the lack of rain. Paul and Sandy fgure they need
an inch of rain a week, and they often dont get it
because theyre in a rain shadow on the leeward
side of a mountain at an altitude of 250 feet, and the
wind either carries the clouds over them or up the
Hudson Valley where other farms get a lot of rain.
Well sometimes get 4 tenths, or 2 tenths of an
inch, when everyone else around us is getting 1 or 2
inches, sighs Paul. We have gotten as little as one
inch from April until September! That came in one
thunderstorm in July.
To deal with this issue, the Arnolds have put in a
sophisticated irrigation system. They dug a pond in
a lower feld on their land that collects snowmelt
and ground water. In the summer if the pond gets
low they can pump water from a nearby stream
into it, so they have unlimited water. An electric
deep well submersible pump hangs off a dock
in the middle of the pond, which runs about 60
gallons a minute at 60 psi, enough to supply 3 semi-
permanent sprinklers at a time -- each of which will
throw water for a diameter of 120 feet. They run
three sprinklers for two or three hours, turn on the
next three, and so forth. Turning the pump on just
means going to the barn and throwing a switch.
Paul estimates that the pumping costs the farm
somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 to 60 an
hour, which totals about $24 to irrigate all the crops
on the main farm once. Paul thinks thats a pittance
when you consider the value in produce they get
for it. Additionally, the Arnolds have installed a 10
kilowatt photovoltaic array with the help of grants
that absorbed 71% of the costs. On a good day that
system generates enough power to spin their meter
backwards and somewhat offset the cost of pumping
water.
Were pretty dry here as were in a rain shadow,
he says, so if we dont have full irrigation with
unlimited water, were sunk. But I would choose
irrigation any day over just rain, because I can
control it; I can schedule it just when I need it. Also,
sometimes in those big storms you get too much.
On this hilly land erosion could be a worry, so I can
avoid that.
Paul prefers overhead irrigation to drip for most
situations. Drip is nice with perennials, like
blueberries and asparagus, but when it comes to
transplants Im putting out every week, and seeded
crops like carrots I need to keep the soil moist. We
have drip irrigation in our high tunnels and on our
blueberries.

When we frst started, he continues, we didnt
have the money to dig ponds. We were doing drip
irrigation. We thought we were losing about $10,000
a year because seeds werent coming up when they
should. In our ffth year, we installed a pond and
irrigation piping system for about $15,000 for 5
acres. Well, that frst year we had irrigation up and
going the farm jumped $30,000 in gross. We didnt
realize that its not just seeds not coming up, but
yields being down, too. We couldnt quantify that.
You dont realize how much water you really need!
One inch a week is a bare minimum. With our soils
we need water about every 5 days or the plants will
suffer. Water is the main thing that is a risk here, and
irrigation takes that away.
For fertility, the Arnolds rotate their diverse crops
and try to keep open land in cover crops usually
clover and rye that gets turned under several
weeks before planting cash crops. They use some
Fertrell custom fertilizer and peanut meal or
soybean meal for extra nitrogen when needed.
One aspect the Arnolds pay attention to on their
farm is using various types of mulches. Some of the
benefts of mulches are: weed control, maintaining
soil moisture, increasing organic matter, soil
building, and disease control. Paul feels that the
farm has benefted greatly as the result of good
mulching habits.
photo by Sandy Arnold
Paul pitches hay from the wagon between the planted rows.
photo by Jack Kittredge
Workers pitch recently chopped hay into the rows between melon plantings.
photo by Jack Kittredge
Sandy stands amid leeks and Brussels sprouts that were mulched in May with straw,
rather than hay.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 35
Originally, the couple spread a thick six-inch
layer of mulch hay in the fall over their felds to
increase organic matter. The land had been depleted
of organic matter at the time of purchase and by
applying the hay mulch annually, the Arnolds raised
the organic matter from 2.1% to 4.1% after several
years. Hay mulch was gathered (and still is) with
the use of a Gehl fail chopper. The chopper has
knives to chop the hay that is then thrown into an
auger that brings it to a blower; the chop is blown
into a trailing hay wagon or a self-unloading forage
wagon. Once a wagonload of hay was chopped, they
brought it right to the felds without drying it, and
pitched it onto the land as mulch, then went back
for another wagonload. You need 9 horsepower per
foot of mower to run it. The Arnolds is a six-foot
mower, so it requires a 54 horsepower tractor.
Flail choppers were a big deal back in the seventies,
according to Paul. It was considered good practice
to fnd the best grass and cut it and bring it to your
cows to eat. Of course that meant a lot of labor
because you werent cutting hay and storing it,
but cutting green meals every day. They quickly
became defunct in a few years and have been sitting
in peoples hedgerows ever since. The Arnolds
have owned theirs for 18 years, paying $400 for it
VEGETABLE GROWERS:
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In the Northeast, storage, winter harvest and overwintering can
bring winter and early spring market income, with much of the labor
and maintenance done the previous season.
Try overwintering kale and leeks for spring harvest, store carrots
mulched in the feld or in storage, and harvest winter-sweetened cab-
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photo by Jack Kittredge
Sandy shows off their melons
surrounded by mulch.
photo by Sandy Arnold
This shows a new system using a
biodegradable plastic mulch. Paul forms
the beds and spreads biodegradable mulch
on top of them at the same time.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 36
The Empire State Food &
Agriculture Leadership Institute
Inspiring and
developing leaders for
the food and
agriculture industry
www.leadny.org
For more information,
contact:
Larry Van De Valk
114 Kennedy Hall,
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607)255-7907
klc43@cornell.edu
WHY should you consider LEAD NY?
Enhance your individual leadership skills
to help you become a more effective leader
Learn how service and civic engagement
can contribute to your organizational
effectiveness
Broaden your perspective on issues
important to you
Develop a personal and professional
leadership network that you can benet from
for years to come!
Applications will be available Jan. 1, 2009 and are due
March 1, 2009. Visit our website or
contact our ofce to be placed on our mailing list.
Murray McMurray
Hatchery
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because fail choppers were so out of style. Now
vegetable farmers are looking at them for mulching
purposes.
Most of the mulch comes from the Arnolds own
hay felds, which must be chopped at specifc
times so as not to gather weed or grass seeds. The
best time is usually in May or June prior to any
seed formation, and again in late September after
the grass seeds have dropped. In addition to hay
chop, often some cover crops are chopped in the
spring, such as winter rye before it goes to pollen.
Another source of mulch is to buy in straw, which
is specifcally grown for them and cut prior to
pollination. If the straw has seed in it, it can be a
real weed problem. Sometimes their own felds of
hay or rye are baled in large round bales for later
use as well.
For many years, the couple spread out mulch over
the felds during the growing season, rows being
marked with string and stakes, then plants being
transplanted right into the mulch. The crops that
mulch was used on were typically long-season
crops like cucumbers, summer and winter squash,
peppers, tomatoes, herbs, broccoli, brussells sprouts,
swiss chard, garlic, strawberries, etc. The idea
was to plant them and walk away, then come back
to harvest, says Paul. Weed control has always
been important to the Arnolds, especially not
allowing them to go to seed. We just cant afford
to let the weeds go, he says. The crops harvest
so much easier in weed-free felds, and you get
higher yields if you keep them clean with no weed
competition for soil nutrients. The mulch not only
keeps the vegetables clean for harvest, but also
prevents soil-borne pathogens from being splashed
onto the plants. When the crops are fnished for
the year, everything is tilled or disked in, leaving
a rich, mellow soil to work with the following
year. Care should be given, cautions Paul, when
planting crops directly into shiny straw mulch to
photo by Sandy Arnold
Kim and Robert plant onions directly into
Biotello mulch before hay is pitched
between the rows.
photo by Sandy Arnold
Here the kids plant directly into Biotello
mulch from their perches on the waterwheel
planter. Straw has already been added
between the rows.
(article continues on page 39)
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 37
seed seed
har vest har vest
f east
cul t i vat e cul t i vat e
f east
cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e cul t i vat e
har vest har vest har vest har vest har vest har vest har vest har vest
The Organic Summit is moving to the Pacic Northwest in 2009.
Skamania Lodge | Stevenson, WA (Columbia River Gorge) | June 3-5, 2009
OS09031 Produced by New Hope Natural Media a division of Penton Media, Inc.
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Please Join Us
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Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 38
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 39
not put rowcovers directly over the crop because of
the extreme heat buildup when the sun is shining
which will fry the plants! Hay chop is fne with
rowcovers.
Paul had worked at other farms that used black
plastic mulch, even the supposedly photodegradable
type, and wanted no part of picking that up
at the end of the season and dealing with the
environmental waste created by it. However, when
a new material came out several years ago that
claimed to be biodegradable in soil, the Arnolds
gave it a try. It is called Biotello and is an Italian
product made from cornstarch which is approved
for organic production in all European countries
(and hopefully soon in the United States). In tests
it seems to fully degrade in less than a season.
It is available from either Dubois Agrinovation
in Canada (www.duboisag.com), or Nolts in
Pennsylvania (phone: 717-656-9764), but it is not
cheap. A 48-inch wide .6 mil flm in a 5,000-foot
roll cost about $350. The Arnolds use less than two
rolls for the entire farm each year, so the expense is
minimal compared to the benefts.
This stuff is really biodegradable. Paul says, So
it breaks down from the soil up. I can tell you that
anything that is underground now is pretty well
gone. This is the second year weve used this -- I
can show you where it was used last year and you
cant fnd it! It really breaks down quickly in soil
contact. The more active your soil is, the faster it
will break down. Were always trying to do stuff
that works now but gets us ahead for the long term,
too.
The Arnolds fertilize the land, then form a bed and
cover it with Biotello with bed-forming equipment
on their tractor. The top of the bed is only 3 feet
wide, and depending on the crop, the beds are
spaced differently. Plants are transplanted into holes
in the Biotello either by hand or with a waterwheel
transplanter. One thing the Arnolds found is that
when you transplant a tiny plant you must make the
hole in the Biotello big enough so that the irrigation/
rain water can get down into it unless you run drip
tape underneath. The crops in the high tunnels have
drip tape, but all outside crops depend on overhead
irrigation and/or rain on their farm. The larger
holes also allow for growth of the plants. To control
erosion, maintain weed control, and add organic
matter, 6 inches or so of chopped hay or straw is
pitched into the paths between the beds. Minor
weeding is needed where a few weeds may come up
in the holes and along the edges of the plastic.
Of course, timing is crucial in this process of mulch
and bed-forming. It would be nice, Paul says,
if, as soon as we lay the Biotello, there was mulch
ready to cut and spread. But as you know, there are
too many things that have to be done at once and we
dont always get to do what we want. Theres only
so much time I have to stop and cut hay, and were
always weather dependent. We get to it as fast as we
can.
If you wait too long to put your mulch down,
cautions Sandy, the weeds will come up and you
have to then go in and deal with them. You cant
put the mulch on large weeds theyll just come
up through it. So sometimes we have to go in and
cultivate if we havent mulched soon enough.
The many systems of utilizing mulch are site,
crop, or farmer specifc and the Arnolds continue
to diversify how they use the mulch on their farm.
Recently, they started spreading a 3 wide band of
hay mulch over the 3 aluminum irrigation pipes
so that the pipes are permanently set for the season.
Crops such as summer squashes, cucumbers on
trellises, herbs, peppers, etc. are then transplanted
into the mulch along the pipes to utilize the feld
space. Round bales also work well, rolling them out
along irrigation lines or in between Biotello beds.
We are often asked, says Sandy, how much
mulch you get off an acre of hay land, and that
is not an easy question to answer. The Arnolds
have learned that an acre of chop can vary a lot
depending on what kind of plants are involved. If
youre chopping clover, for instance, that ends up
with a lot less volume than if youre chopping reed
canary grass which they say is fantastic as mulch.
Goldenrod makes a good mulch too as it has a lot of
lignin in it.
Mulching has always been an integral part of
Pleasant Valley Farm and the Arnolds feel it is a
necessary ingredient to successful farming. The
addition of the organic matter that the mulching
provides is the key to long term maintenance of
strong, biologically active soils. The mulching
materials readily available for us are hay and straw,
Paul points out, but each farm needs to determine
what works for them. Town leaves and pond weeds
are used by farmer friends of ours. The important
thing is to keep fnding ways to keep soil organic
matter up, manage crops and weeds wisely, and be
market savvy so that farming becomes a proftable
venture so we can all enjoy the great lifestyle it has
to offer!
Since the start of our farming career over 20 years
ago, he continues, our goal was to make farming
a full-time venture, to not work off the farm, and to
raise a family with a good quality of life. Starting
(article continued from page 36)
with just land, we were able to accomplish our goals
in a matter of 4 years and become proftable by
using a combination of good business management
techniques, good record keeping, season extension,
mulching/soil management and creative marketing.
Proftability to us means each year being able to pay
all of our bills, pay for health insurance, maintain
what we have, invest money back into the farm,
invest in IRAs for us and the kids each year, put
money away for retirement, and have a comfortable
lifestyle with yearly vacations.
The Arnolds are not afraid to spend money to make
money and some of their fnancing is done through
0% credit cards. Sometimes 0% balance transfers
are utilized over several years if necessary for the
larger capital improvements such as the high tunnels
and the equipment shed. Our farm is treated as a
business which helps it be proftable, Sandy states.
Its great running our own business and being able
to change with the times to do fun and exciting
new ventures like winter growing! We love what
farming has to offer our family.
photo by Jack Kittredge
Well-mulched onions are a thing of beauty!
photo by Jack Kittredge
Robert stands in the 30 by 48 polycarbonate greenhouse, currently used to propagate new
strawberry transplants from runners. Note the radiant-heated rolling benches that enable
46 of the 48 structure to be usable. Note also the overhead irrigation system that is in use to
automatically mist the strawberry cuttings.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 40
The
NOFA-
NH Local
& Organic
Food Project
NOFA-NH has successfully completed
our pilot Local & Organic Food Project with the
community of Canterbury, NH and with grants from
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, The
Sandy River Charitable Foundation and Northeast
SARE. LOFPs goals are to increase the availability
of fresh, local and organic foods in NH; increase
interaction and understanding between local
agricultural producers and consumers; strengthen the
vitality of NH communities; and enhance the quality
of life for all NH citizens. The pilot offered three
aspects to establish a local and organic food system
in our pilot project in Canterbury: a series of Organic
Gardening Workshops were offered; assistance in
helping Canterbury establish their frst Community
Farmers Market, and a community online farmers
market to facilitate farmer-consumer communication
and sales was created. A manual supported by SARE
is now being written which will serve as a guide
and inspiration to communities throughout the state
who wish to strengthen their own local and organic
food networks. This manual will focus on the many
and varied aspects of creating sustainable local and
organic agriculture, using the Canterbury experience
as the central but not the sole example. In 2009
and beyond, NOFA-NH will continue working with
the Canterbury community to inventory current
sources of local and organic food and to identify
and prioritize future projects that will strengthen the
local food network. We will also be helping other
towns in NH develop similar programs. For more
information about the statewide NOFA-NH Local and
Organic Food Project, contact Essie Hull, NOFA-NH
Board member, at seedhead@essenceofthings.com.
For more information about NOFA-NHs Local &
Organic Food Project in Canterbury, contact Barbara
Sullivan, Project Director, at borksullivan@earthlink.
net. You can visit Local & Organic Food Canterbury
at localfoodscanterbury.org
- 7he AgricuIture Course Jan 15-19
- Intro to 0rganic eekeeping Feb 21
- eginning a VegetabIe Carden Mar 28
- Raised eds in Carden and Farm Apr 4
- 0rganic eekeeping Weekend April 24-25
- 7he RoIe of the Horse June 6
- Year-round internships and training courses
The Pfeiffer Center
Chestnut Ridge, New York
i nfo@pfei ffercenter. org
845. 352. 5020 x 20
www.pfeifercenter.org
What is BIODYNAMICS?
The most beautiful, self-
fulflling, environmentally
conscious, and practical
approach to growing plants
and working with the earth
Erin Dreistadt, LILIPOH
Get complete details and sign up for
email updates on our website:
Learn More with...
by Jerry Henkin
I started sprouting in the summer of 1962 after
reading an article in a health magazine. I am still
passionate about sprouting for good health and
for the satisfaction of growing a portion of my
own food. And I sprout seeds and beans in much
the same way as I did when I was in college, but
with a few fne points added, and with a greater
understanding of, and appreciation for, the lives of
plants. As a high school teacher, I demonstrated
the beauty of sowing a crop and reaping the bounty
from Monday to Friday, incorporating the hands-on
experience with lessons in biology, photography,
and composition. I have grown enough sprouts in
my apartment kitchen in one week for 50 people,
and given them out to members of the SHARE Food
Program and the Sisters Hill Farm CSA. During
these days of food crises all around the world, it
is especially important for people to know how to
sprout seeds so that they access a local, low-cost
supply of highly nutritious food all year long.
Benefts of Sprouts
For thousands of years, people have sprouted seeds,
beans, nuts, and grains. Among the more common
kinds are alfalfa, red clover, chick peas, adzuki
beans, radish, mung bean, soy bean, fenugreek,
sunfower, buckwheat, almonds, sesame, broccoli,
wheat, and lentil. Because they are ready for
harvest in as little as three days, and germinate
through water soaking and rinsing, sprouted
organic seeds have almost no chance for chemical
intervention. Sprouting in your home is an
inexpensive way to get wonderful, healthful, fresh
food all year long. If you farm for a living, you may
consider growing sprouts for your CSA subscribers,
selling them to folks who come to a farmers market,
or delivering them to local health food stores and
restaurants.
Dr. Patrick Finney, who worked as a wheat
specialist at the USDA Agricultural Research
Service at Ohio State University, wrote a defnitive
paper on sprouting entitled Mobilization of
Reserves in Germination, published in the 17
th

volume of Recent Advances in Phytochemistry,
1983. He cites scientifc documents from around
the world to show the benefcial attributes of
sprouted seeds. They have provided much needed
nourishment to farmers in the spring, when the last
of the stored food from the previous years harvest
have been consumed, and the new crops are not
yet ready for harvest. Sprouts have helped cure
diseases like scurvy during World War I, prevent
starvation in India during the 1941 famine, and
improve the fertility of cattle.
From numerous scientifc studies, we know how
important sprouts are for good nutrition and good
health. They are rich in vitamins A, B complex,
C, D, E, and K; the minerals calcium, magnesium,
and phosphorus, as well as trace minerals;
enzymes; antioxidants; essential fatty acids; and
the eight essential protein amino acids. During the
germination process, the nutrients in the seed are
converted into simpler forms, making the sprouts
easy to digest for use in the body. Studies at the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine conclude that
a small amount of broccoli or caulifower sprouts
can protect against the risk of breast cancer. Aside
from health benefts, sprouts can enhance the favor
of legumes like lentils, making them less starchy,
sweeter, and more delicate. Sprouts add a variety of
color, taste, and texture to salads, sandwiches, and
casseroles. They can be eaten raw, added in a stir-
fry, or lightly cooked. The books and DVD listed at
the end of the article offer more detailed information
on the kinds of sprouts you can grow, the specifc
nutritional advantages of various sprouted seeds, the
attractive and delicious recipes using sprouts, and
the various methods of sprouting.
The Sprouting Process
Most of the seeds I sprout come from organic seed
suppliers. Check with the supplier to make sure
that the seeds have not been treated with fungicides.
The cost of organic seeds is high, especially when
shipping is added. But I buy in bulk quantities and
store the seeds in a dark, cool closet, so that one
order can last six months to a year because the seeds
that will be sprouted each week are measured out in
tablespoons, not cups. There are several companies
that sell a wide variety of seeds for sprouting
through the mail; see the list of resources below.
Some health food stores carry the popular varieties:
mung beans, soy beans, alfalfa, red clover, and
lentils. I like to try combining two or more kinds
of sprouts to see if the mixture grows, and tastes,
well. My latest challenge has been to grow arugula,
a seed that becomes sticky when wet. Occasionally,
a batch goes bad. No one likes to fail. It takes
Sprouting
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 41
courage to admit defeat and throw the whole lot
down the toilet, or better yet, in the compost pile.
Here are the basic steps I follow in sprouting.
Soak the seeds for anywhere from three hours to
ten hours, depending upon the kind of seed you
will be sprouting, in a large-mouthed jar. Three
tablespoons of alfalfa seeds, believe it or not, will
nicely fll a quart size jar with delicious sprouts
after fve days growth. After soaking, cover the
jar with cheesecloth or netting held in place with a
thick rubber band. Drain the water out completely
because excess water in the jar will rot the sprouts.
Place the jar at a 45 angle in a bowl or on a drain
board so that additional water can seep out. Twice a
day, or more if the sprouts are grown in hot weather,
rinse the sprouts completely in cool water and then
turn the jar at an angle again to drain the water.
After two or three days, the roots of the sprouts can
be seen. Growth continues for another three to four
days as the top portion of the plant emerges and the
hull (outer covering of the seed) falls off. After fve
to seven days, the sprouts are ready to eat.
There is another aspect of sprouting, which I do
after three or four days of growth. Very few
books discuss this step which I feel is necessary:
that is the process of bathing. Some sprouts,
especially radish, give off a somewhat rancid odor
during the sprouting process. I nod my head in
acknowledgement, and remind myself that these
sprouts, especially, need a bath to clean out the jar of
hulls and ungerminated seeds. I start by thoroughly
washing my hands, cleaning my fngernails, and
making sure I have my reading glasses handy so
I can see, as well as feel, what Im doing. Next, I
remove the jar cover. I take out any hulls and limp
sprouts that have dried out at the mouth of the jar.
Healthy, growing sprouts have a natural springiness.
I empty the jars contents into a large bowl flled
almost to the top with cool water. I swish the
sprouts around very gently, separating clumps of
sprouts that have grown into one another. (If you
are too rough, the delicate sprouts will be torn,
and these broken sprouts can rot the entire batch.)
While the young sprouts are soaking, I thoroughly
clean and dry the jar, and wash the residue from
the mesh cover. Some seed hulls will foat to the
top of the bowl; I skim these off. Some hulls and
ungerminated seeds will sink to the bottom. I leave
this residue at the bottom of the bowl and remove
them later. I then replace the cleaned sprouts in the
jar. If there are a lot of sprouts, I use a second jar
to give the sprouts more room to grow, get oxygen,
and photosynthesize. Now that the sprouts are
really soaked from their bath, a thorough drainage
is essential. The ungerminated seeds and empty
hulls can be composted or discarded. Inevitably,
Im going to kill a few sprouts over the course of a
week, and I always feel guilty about this. But Im
comforted that the other 98% of the sprouts will
make it fne to harvest.
May I offer some further suggestions and thoughts
for succeeding with sprouts?
* Generally, the larger the seed, the longer the soak
period required; the guidebooks listed below offer
more specifc information on the soaking time, the
amount of dry seeds to use, the frequency of rinsing,
and the number of days to harvest. But dont
agonize about being precise with seed quantities or
with the soaking time plants have a wisdom of
their own, they want to live, and they are forgiving
of us very busy human beings. After a while, you
will learn how much seed to use and how much
soaking time is needed in your home and for your
particular containers.
* Use the soak water to add nutrients to house or
garden plants.
*Do not use distilled water, as nutrients are leached
from the seeds during soaking and rinsing.

*Keep the jar away from direct sunlight: extremes
of temperatures will interfere with the growing
process. Mung beans and soy beans should be
grown in darkness, but with adequate air drainage.
*Splurge on an attractive notebook in which to
keep a log and diary of your experiences. Dont
be discouraged by failure use it as an incentive to
learn more.
*Once youve had success with the easier-to-grow
seeds, try other kinds. The mucilaginous seeds
(they become sticky when wet), like arugula, cress,
fax, mustard, and chia are more diffcult to grow.
These seeds should comprise no more than 5% of
a batch that is mixed with easier-to-grow seeds.
They should not be soaked in advance, but should
be added to the jar along with the other 95% of the
seeds that were soaked.
*Try new recipes with sprouts. Prepare them for
the kitchen table in novel ways. Youll learn by
experimenting.
*Sunfower, buckwheat, pea, and wheat can also
be grown in a soil medium. The tops of the plants
are cut off and eaten, or in the case of wheat,
juiced. The best container for growing sprouts in
soil is at least 6 deep, with drainage holes, and
flled with potting soil or compost that does not
contain chemicals or artifcial fertilizers. Soak the
seeds for 12 hours, lay them on the soil, and cover
lightly with additional soil. Water deeply. Cover
with plastic, but leave an opening for ventilation.
Once the plants emerge from the soil, expose them
to bright light, and keep the soil moist. Cut the
tops with a scissor or sharp knife after 6 10 days.
Place the matted root system that developed in the
container in a compost pile when all the seeds have
sprouted.
Storing Sprouts
Keep the seeds for sprouting in a cool, dry
environment with constant temperature. Once the
sprouts are harvested, let them dry completely
before storing them in a refrigerator. The fnal rinse
should take place a few hours prior to harvest. I use
air tight storage bags or containers. Glass jars are
probably best for storage. Most sprouts stored in
this way will stay fresh for at least a week, although
I have returned from a two weeks absence to fnd
that the sprouts were as good as ever. In warmer
weather, or when a refrigerator is opened frequently,
check the sprouts to see if theyre still good. Your
nose and eyes are good guides. If in doubt, dont
take a chance.
Wheat sprouts can be dehydrated and the milled into
four for use in cereals, breads, muffns, and sauces.
I sprout the wheat berries, as the seeds are called,
in a jar for three or four days. Then I place the
wheat sprouts on cookie tins in single layers. These
go into a warm oven at 180 to 200 degrees. After
four hours, the sprouts will have dehydrated. I use
a small hand mill to reduce the dried sprouts into
four, and store this in the refrigerator in a glass jar.
The four will keep fresh for at least a year.
Precautions in Growing Sprouts
There are a number of precautions to be aware of
when sprouting. One concern is that the sprouts
become rancid during their growth. It could be that
the hulls and ungerminated seeds have started to
turn moldy in the jar. Rinse sprouts more often in
hot weather. You can separate sprouts into two jars
to give them more room to grow. This thinning will
also reduce the internal temperature of sprouts in
photo by Reid Stowe
There is also something miraculous about seeing a seed swell and transform into a plant,
even if youve seen it in action over and over again. First the little tap root emerges, then
tiny shoots come out signaling theyre ready to be eaten, and if left longer, the roots begin to
multiply. -- Reid Stowe
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 42
the jar. I have found that the rate of sprout growth
is slower in winter than in summer. This occurs
despite the room temperature, which should be,
ideally, 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. My guess is
that the amount of daylight causes these variations.
Dont be complacent once you have succeeded in
raising many batches of sprouts. Be vigilant. The
old saying that the best fertilizer is the farmers
shadow applies to sprouting as well.
Another reason for rancidity is that there is too
much water left in the jar after rinsing. Its
important to check the jars at least once each time
you rinse and after you turn them on an angle in the
drainage bowls. Often the lip of the jar can pool
with water that is left after draining.

A third reason for sprout failure is bacteria that
have gotten into the batch. The contamination may
originate with the seeds, the growing containers, or
the water. There may also be signifcant changes in
temperature during the growth process. Commercial
sprouting companies have access to sophisticated
equipment that can test the wash water for bacteria
that the home grower does not have. Smell the
batch for rotten odors. Look at the growing sprouts
for signs of discoloration and limpness. When in
doubt, throw it out.
If a small percentage of hulls remain in the
completed batch, they can be eaten with no side
effects. But there is the danger of choking on the
relatively tough hulls of sprouts like buckwheat
or sunfower, or getting them caught between
your teeth. Be sure to clean these fnished sprouts
carefully to remove their hulls. Again, heres where
my reading glasses are essential.
Be aware that some seeds, such as tomato, are
toxic, and should never be sprouted for eating.
Choose those seeds, beans, nuts, and grains that are
recommended in the guidebooks listed below.
Ive seen people at health resorts shun healthful
and delicious salads, soups, breads, and hot
vegetable dinners in favor of what looked like a
pound of alfalfa sprouts. Dont overdo it with
sprouts. Monitor your reaction to new sprouts. Use
moderation and common sense.
Sprouts as an International Food for the Future
In 1992, I visited Russia with the Citizen
Ambassador Program, led by members of the
Rodale Institute, located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
I wanted to share my knowledge of sprouting and
the growing of nut crops (my other agricultural
passion) with the Russian people, who were in the
process of major changes in their society. Russia
was my fathers country of birth; in addition to my
agricultural mission, I wanted to see the countryside
that he knew as a child before he came to the
United States. We visited four Russian cities on
our tour. I spoke to people at formal conferences
and at informal social events about the nutritional
and economic benefts of sprouting. These were
the days of ambitious business speculation among
Russias elite and up-and-coming business class.
Prospective investors approached our group
with the hopes of forming joint agricultural and
manufacturing ventures.
When I pointed out the complexities and safety
standards required in commercial sprouting, and
the fact that this is not a get-rich-quick business
scheme, to those few investors who wanted to learn
more about sprouting, their translators cordially
thanked me for the information I offered. Then the
conversation switched from the sprouting business
to American cultural mores and the chances of
Bill Clinton winning the next Presidential race in
November.
But on the last day of our trip, as I was organizing
my souvenirs and notes in the hotel room in
preparation for our long trip back to the United
States, I learned that there was a woman waiting in
the lobby who wanted to see me about bean sprouts.
Dr. Sofa Zolotaryova, a seed scientist in Moscow,
had established Vitamins on Your Windowsill, a
program which trained senior citizens and disabled
individuals to grow sprouts in their apartments.
There was so much to talk about. We have kept in
touch and shared information through the years.
Its not easy to convince people to try new foods,
even if these foods can help to save their lives.
Sprouts can be an important food supplement
for refugees, especially children suffering from
malnutrition. A mixture of two parts dehydrated
cereal sprouts and one part dehydrated legumes can
be combined in water for use as a superior weaning
food. Given the worlds growing population,
shortage of arable land, scarcity of water, and
manipulation of food crops for proft, it is important
for people to know how to sprout seeds that are
available locally. Heres where salesmanship
and diplomacy come into play. Educators and
entrepreneurs are needed in this mission.
Sprouting in the home is a low-tech activity that
even children and the elderly can do. As long as
there is access to non-contaminated seeds, good
water, and sanitary growing practices, people can
save money by growing sprouts in their homes. If
there is no electricity for proper storage, people
can grow smaller quantities of sprouts that can be
consumed in two days time. When people grow
even a small portion of the food they eat, they
develop a sense of pride, self-confdence, and hope.
In the future, sprouting may be necessary to sustain
travelers beyond the Earth, where the room for food
storage is limited and the need for fresh, living food
is essential.
In light of the current scientifc work with genetics
and the production of terminator seeds, I fervently
hope that greed or the desire for fame on the part of
corporations or individuals will not deprive future
generations of healthy seeds capable of sprouting.
At this writing, Reid Stowe, sailing on his schooner
The Anne, is almost half way through his 1,000 day
ocean odyssey (http://1000days.net). His goal is to
set a world record for the longest time at sea without
stopping to take on any new provisions. He fshes,
collects rain water, and sprouts aboard ship. Among
the many organizations interested in the results of
his voyage is NASA. Will your grandchildren be
sprouting during their trip to a distant solar system?
Resources in the United States and Canada
1. Steve Meyerowitz, Mr. Sproutman, books on
sprouting and healthy living, sprouting equipment,
lectures and workshops, seeds in small quantities
www.sproutman.com/ (413) 528 5200
2. Jim and Maggie Mumm, Mumms Sprouts,
books on sprouting, on-line instructions, sprouting
equipment, seeds for the hobbyist and for
commercial growers, www.sprouting.com (306)
747 2935
3. Jaffee Brothers Natural Foods, sprouting books,
seeds, sprouting equipment, organic produce www.
organicfruitsandnuts.com (760) 749 1133
4. Eat for Energy a DVD by Sophia Jesswein on
using sprouts in different recipes. The DVD shows
how to sprout in the kitchen and prepare delicious
recipes using sprouts. $14.95, plus shipping via
www.greenalive.com (604) 922-0285

5. Sprouts, a book by Kathleen OBannon on sprout
nutrition, methods of sprouting, and beautiful color
photos of recipes incorporating sprouts, Book
Publishing Company, www.bookpubco.com (931)
964 3571
6. Sprout People, workshops, books, seeds,
sprouting equipment, recipes, www.sproutpeople.
com (877) 777 6887
7. Growing Sprouts and Seedlings, A Manual , an
excellent guide for starting a commercial sprouting
venture, as well as information for the home grower.
Send $25.00 US to FoodShare, 90 Croatia Street,
Toronto, ON M6H 1K9, Canada www.foodshare.net
(416) 363-6441 ext. 221
8. International Sprout Growers Association, an
organization for commercial sprout growers and
seed suppliers. The web site contains nutritional
information on various sprouts and recipes. www.
isga-sprouts.org (206) 367-8704
9. Brassica Protection Products, LLC, Benefts of
broccoli sprouts, www.brassica.com (866) 747
0001
10. International Specialty Supply, information page
on seed safety for the commercial grower, http://
www.sproutnet.com/sprouting_seed_safety.htm
(931) 526 1106
11. See pictures of sprouting jars at http://
en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Growing_Edible_Sprouts/
Jars

12. Go to www.amazon.com for additional books on
sprouting
My heartfelt thanks go to Ellen Sue Spicer-
Jacobson, the author of The Johnny Alfalfa
Sprout Handbook, who has been a teacher and an
inspiration to me for many years, and who helped
me fnd the right words for this article.
$15 for a US address, or
$20 for a foreign address
WORKINGINHARMONYWITHNATURE
E
A
R
THCARE FAR
M
Compost
& Seedlings
Certified Organic Farm Mike Merner & Jayne Merner Senecal
Rhode Islands Oldest Operating Farm Composter
Qual i ty Made Compost i s the Heal thi est Way to Nouri sh Pl ants
www.earthcarefarm.com 401.364.9930
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 43
Gail Giustozzi, Realtor

Let us live in harmony with the earth and the creatures,

all given to us by God, our Creator.
105 Old Long Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06903
Cell/VM: (203) 561-5764 Fax: (203) 595-9815
Email: gailg3@optonline.net Website: iworkforyou.us
i work for you
Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, Busy,
and the Indolent
by Ruth Stout
published by Devin-Adair Company, 1961
hardbound, 214 pages
out of print
The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book
by Ruth Stout and Richard Clemence
published by Rodale Press, 1971 (tenth printing
1974)
hardbound, 218 pages
out of print
review by Jack Kittredge
These are some of the classic works by Ruth Stout,
the last centurys most ardent advocate of deep
mulching for raising vegetables.
Ruth Stout (1884-1980) was a feisty woman who
at the age of 16 spent a night in Topeka, Kansas
with Carrie Nation, smashing saloon windows.
She didnt marry until she was 45, at the time of
the depression, when she retired to a farm in the
wilds of Connecticut with her husband and took up
gardening. She started out the hard way, trenching
and hoeing and weeding and using what chemicals
there were in the days before World War II. But after
a few years of that she began experimenting with
using a year-round deep mulch (she recommends
starting with 8 inches of hay over the entire garden)
for a no-work garden. She wrote numerous
articles, then books, promoting her system, and
spoke at countless garden club and other gatherings.
Thousands of folks came to see her garden for
themselves, and many later wrote her how they had
adopted her system with much success.
Rather than try to convey the message and spirit
of this remarkable woman, let me just quote some
passages from her books.
What is the Ruth Stout system? My way is
simply to keep a thick mulch of any vegetable
matter that rots on both my vegetable and fower
garden all year round. As it decays and enriches the
soil, I add moreI should think of twenty-fve ffty-
pound bales as about the minimum for an area 50
X 50, or about a half-ton of loose hay. That should
give a fair starting cover, but an equal quantity in
reserve would be desirable. Starting in the summer
on sod, the whole business should go on at once
ffty bales, or a ton of loose hay. The experienced
gardener can effect economies, and manage with
less, but beginners do well to have plenty of hay
available. (GWW, pages 6-7)
Mulching keeps the ground cooler than
it would be otherwise, conserves the moisture,
prevents the soil from baking, thus providing
better aeration, and keeps the weeds from growing
and robbing the vegetables and fowers from the
nourishment and water which they need. (N-WGB
page 40)
How do you plant in this system? You plant
exactly as you always have in the earth. You pull
back the mulch and put the seeds in the ground and
cover them just as you would if you had never heard
of mulchingI carefully do not put any mulch on
top of tiny seeds, such as lettuce and parsley, but
I do pull it right back up to the row after I plant.
(GWW, pages 8-9)
In my frst book I had only a sentence or
two about growing potatoes without covering them
with dirtThere is no need to take up space in
your vegetable garden for this crop; any sunny spot
will answerI tossed some around on the previous
years mulch and covered them with a foot of loose
hayWhat else can we just throw on the ground,
expecting it to grow?...Onion sets respond heartily
to this surface treatmentI scattered them over the
previous years mulch, tossed some hay on top, had
fne onionsAn added advantage is that you can do
this as early as you like, not having to wait until the
ground thaws. (GWW, pages 47-55)
Strawberries, tomatoes and other plants
are incredibly easy to set through a thin hay mulch.
With a string to mark the row, and a box of basket
for the plants, you can move easily along, stabbing
a trowel into the ground to make a deep slit. Shove
the plant into this slit, step on the raised surface, and
move on to the next. (N-WGB, page 153)
What can you use for mulch? Hay, straw, leaves,
pine needles, sawdust, weeds, garbage any
vegetable matter that rots. Dont some leaves decay
too slowly? No, they just remain mulch longer,
which cuts down labor. Dont they mat down? If so
it doesnt matter, since they are between the rows
of growing things and not on top of them. Can one
use leaves without hay? Yes, but a combination of
the two is better, I thinkHow often do you put on
mulch? Whenever you see a spot that needs it. If
weeds begin to peep through anywhere, just toss an
armful of hay on them. What time of year do you
start to mulch? The answer is NOW. (GWW, pages
12-13)
How about weeds? I am asked over and over why
isnt it bad to mulch with hay which is full of weed
seeds? Well, if the mulch is thick enough, the weeds
cant come through. When I say this, people then
invariably ask why it is that the vegetable seeds
come through and weed seeds dont: this is because
heavier mulch is on top of the latter, but not the
formera planting of small seeds shouldnt be
covered with mulch, or at the most a narrow board,
strip of paper, or half-inch of sawdust will keep the
ground soft and moist. (N-WGB, page 7)
Doesnt mulch attract slugs since the earth
under it is always moist? I never thought so (I
have no slugs), but I didnt know how to answer
this question until I read what the Encyclopedia of
Organic Gardening has to say about it: that a well-
mulched garden, after there is plenty of humus in
the soil, attracts earthworms and that tends to make
the soil alkaline which slugs dont like. Isnt that a
break? (N-WGB, pages 10-11)
Doesnt mulch cool the soil? It is true, as some
detractors like to point out, that mulch prevents the
soil from warming up in the spring as rapidly as
it would if the ground were bare. This means that
your asparagus season will start a little later than it
otherwise would, and also means, then, that it lasts
farther into the summer. For us this is somewhat of
an advantage, for we get occasional frosts right up
to the end of May. (GWW pages 25-26)
Because it is necessary to get peas in early,
something should be done about thawing the ground
for them; this entails no extra work, the only thing
required is knowing in advance where you are going
to put themits wise to rake the mulch away from
that area a few weeks in advance, and let the sun
thaw and warm the soil. (GWW, page 43)
How about pests? I am rather thoroughly
convinced that proper mulching outwits cutworms.
For years I felt secure, then I had a plant or two
taken, and in each case I found that the hay wasnt
drawn up closely to the plant. Apparently this
is necessary. Last year seemed to be a cutworm
season; everyone was having trouble with them, so I
took special care to see that everything was closely
mulched, and didnt lose a single plant. (GWW,
page 60)
Some people believe that mulch attracts
slugs, sowbugs, mice, rats, snakesI have never
seen any of these pests in our garden with the
exception of a few dozen slugs on lettuce or
cabbage through the years. (GWW, page 62)
How about rotations? I began the revolt by asking
myself if it [rotation] was necessary in my way of
gardening where the soil was constantly renewed
by rotting mulch. The next question was: why
dont we also have to rotate asparagus, rhubarb,
raspberries, roses and oak trees? Our asparagus has
been producing on the same spot for thirty years.
My fnal step was to stop rotating and nothing seems
to object so far. (GWW, page 75)
How about frosts? Its a quick and simple job
to put some extra hay near plants such as beans,
tomatoes, peppers, and other tender crops
whenever I sensed that frost was on its wayI
covered every plant except the hardiest ones with
hayLast season I saved my plants three different
times in June. And one of those nights many of the
crops (mulched and unmulched) within a radius
of seven miles of us were killed by frost. (GWW,
pages 89-90)
Can mulch provide fresh food through the
winter? I dont know whether carrots would be
improved or not by being frozen, for I have never let
them get it. I put bales of hay on them when frost
threatens, then just tip over the bale and dig some
when wanted. Last year, in early June, I served
some raw carrots I had just dug to some friends for
lunch, and they asked where I had found such good
and so crisp carrots at that date. Now which four
vegetables can I get from my patch all winter? Well,
carrots, as I have just said. Kale, about which I do
nothing; this past winter the snow seemed to take
care of it, keeping it fresh and green. I dont know
how it would fare if there was no snow. After the
turnips froze, I tossed on some hay, keeping them
frozen. Parsnips are at their best as you no doubt
know if left in the frozen ground all winter, then
dug in the spring. (N-WGB, pages 122-123)
On the experts? Lets go back to the asparagus
bedThirty years ago I dug trenches for mine, two
feet deep and twenty-two inches wide. This was
before I began to question (not to say mistrust) the
authorities. Today, from advice given by everybody
from garden encyclopedias to commercial growers,
the trench is getting more and more shallow, until
we come to J. A. Eliot who tells us to put the roots
at the surface where all plants belong. (GWW,
page 22)
I have read that its desirable to mulch an
asparagus bed lightly in late autumn to protect the
crowns, but that then, in spring, we must remove
the covering and cultivate the soil, for what purpose
we are left to try to fgure out for ourselves. It cant
be to soften the soil, or to kill weeds, because under
an adequate mulch the earth is always friable and
there are no weeds. Once again, my suspicion is
that the experts dont know of any good reason why
this should be done; too often they behave like a
phonograph record that is stuck and goes on and on,
getting nowhere. (GWW, pages 24-25)
Can mulch save the world? In my early childhood
I had some kind of vague yearning to Save the
World from something or other; now all I ask is
to save a small part of it from over-working in the
effort to produce things that are good to eat or are
lovely to see. Which is modest enough, I guess, and
realistic, since it is no doubt all Ill get, no matter
what I might ask. (GWW, page 112)
Book (and Video) Reviews
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 44
Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on
Biodiversity
by Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein
published by Oxford University Press, 2008
hardbound, 429 pages
$34.95
review by Jack Kittredge
Edited by two physicians at the Harvard Medical
School, one a Nobel laureate, and containing
contributions from over 100 leading scientists from
around the globe, this book is no small enterprise.
It has a prologue by Kof Annan, past Secretary
General of the UN, and a foreword by eminent
biologist Edward O. Wilson. There are hundreds
of colorful illustrations, each of which conveys a
memorable nugget of new information in a striking
way. (My favorite is a photo of a frog delivering
its young from its stomach. Apparently two frog
species discovered recently in Australia swallow
their fertilized eggs and raise the young to tadpole
stage in their stomachs. This is relevant because
such frogs were being studied for the secretions of
the young, which inhibit the gastric juices of their
mothers from digesting them. Such secretions might
have helped over 25 million Americans with peptic
ulcers had both varieties of frog not gone extinct.)
Although written by top scientists, this is a book for
general readers. It uses no jargon and even fairly
well known ideas are briefy explained so no serious
reader is left behind.
The goal of this book, succinctly put, is to make the
ongoing destruction of global biodiversity as much
of a concern to thinking people as climate change.
Id say they do a pretty good job of it.
The convincing power of Charles Darwins 1859
book On the Origin of Species was said to come
not so much from the beauty of his language or
the resonance of his ideas. It was the wealth of
illustration he employed from his over 20 years of
research, citing example after example of birds,
fsh, beetles, mollusks, etc. demonstrating again and
again how natural selection governs development.
Sustaining Life has a similarly astonishing
amount of specifc detail.
The book starts off bringing the reader up to speed
on biodiversity itself the fve kingdoms of life,
how organisms are related through phyla, classes,
orders, families, etc., how biodiversity can be
measured, how to determine extinction rates, past
extinction periods compared with the current one,
secondary extinctions and narrowing of the gene
pool, and predicting future rates of extinction.
Next, it discusses the various ways human
activity threatens biodiversity habitat loss,
overexploitation, introducing invasive species,
spreading diseases, polluting, degrading the UV-
protecting atmospheric ozone layer, engaging in
wars and conficts, and bringing on climate change.
As the authors do throughout the book, they cite
numerous instances and examples to illustrate each
of these points.
The bulk of the book is made up of chapters which
address the numerous ways in which biodiversity
is crucial to human health and even survival. These
include such fundamental ecosystem services as
purifcation of air and water, detoxifcation of soil,
decomposition of wastes, recycling of nutrients,
crop pollination and regulation of climate. Other
important services include regulation of fooding
and control of erosion, controlling pests and
pathogens, and contributing to the emotional and
spiritual health of humans.
Given that the principle authors are both MDs, it is
natural that a good portion of the book is devoted
to ways in which biodiversity is critical to human
medicine. Three chapters are committed to telling
this story. One deals with medicines from nature a
long and varied story covering literally hundreds
of compounds, from aspirin and penicillin to whole
classes of antibiotics to statins and the whole
herbal pharmacopeia. The second one deals with
biodiversity and biomedical research the use of
organisms which, because of traits like enormous
axons (squid) or rapid reproduction (fruit fies) or
large eggs (African Clawed Frog) can give us clues
to better understand health and disease. The third
medical chapter deals with organisms valuable
to medicine that are currently threatened. This
looks at seven case studies the amphibian crisis,
bears, nonhuman primates, gymnosperms, cone
snails, sharks and horseshoe crabs which are
critically important to human medicine but which
we are currently losing from the face of the earth.
This chapter is particularly hard to read as the
exquisite traits, chemicals, devices, and mechanisms
which nature has evolved in these species are so
fascinating it is painful to realize that they will
soon be as dead as the dodo, dinosaur, or passenger
pigeon.
One chapter addresses the fact that many infectious
disease pathogens are part of complex ecosystems or
networks of organisms that govern their emergence,
transmission, and spread. Since biodiversity loss
changes ecosystems, it has major implications for
the spread of human infectious disease. This chapter
touches upon only twenty-fve of the hundreds of
such vector-borne diseases (Lyme disease is the
most prevalent in the US), but even so one is struck
with the variety of mechanisms nature has chosen to
spread pathogens, and how human-induced changes
in the natural world can result in unexpected
blowback.
For readers of this paper, the chapter on biodiversity
and food production will hold special interest.
The need for genetically diverse crops to adapt
to climate variations, disease outbreaks, and
insect infestations is discussed in some detail.
Also mentioned is the decline in bird populations
associated with increased pesticide use and the
impact this reduction in predators will have on
future infestations of both insects and rodents, the
loss of benefcial insects needed for pollination
and pest control, the dangers of cross-breeding
between crops and their wild relatives and the
resultant contamination of crops and loss of
diversity in the relatives, the growth of seed banks
as repositories of diversity, the importance of soil
biodiversity for all the ecosystem services those
countless microbes perform, the growth in demand
for animal products, the danger of raising animals
in intensive confnement systems which compete
for inputs of energy and grain with other human
uses, and the importance of maintaining a rich
genetic biodiversity in livestock species to exploit
ecological niches.
A short chapter even examines genetically modifed
foods and organic farming. The authors admit that
both subjects are controversial and end up giving
equal time to the pros and cons of each, which
disappointed me. The claim that GE crops can
increase yield, which has never been demonstrated,
was not seriously challenged. The example of
golden rice, which has never been marketed as a
GE product, was still cited as an example of the
tremendous potential of the technology. Generally it
seemed to me that the critical faculties the authors
exhibit elsewhere in the book were less in evidence
on this topic.
A fnal chapter investigates what individuals can
do to help conserve biodiversity. The authors
question why we consume so much and suggest
ways we can reduce our own ecological footprints,
raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity
and our impact upon it, and support organizations
and candidates working to preserve it. They talk
about our food choices, our lifestyle choices, our
transportation choices, and practical things we can
do to increase biodiversity in our own areas.
The book concludes with three appendices, one
describing the organizations that co-sponsored
this book, one listing the treaties, conventions
and intergovernmental organizations active in
conserving biodiversity, and one giving the
nongovernmental organizations in the feld.
This is a massive effort and it is hard to convey its
breadth in a short review. Sustaining Life is a
beautiful and well-crafted book. But for a work of
this quality, I was surprised to fnd a few mistakes.
Twice the authors mistook square miles as smaller
than square kilometers, for instance, and occasional
typos slipped through their editing. But those
mistakes, as well as their pulling their punches on
GMOs, are small quibbles given the scale of the task
they undertook.
Local Harvest: A Multifarm CSA Handbook
by Jill Perry and Scott Franzblau
available for $3 for shipping from scottfranzblau@
gmail.com or jillperry9@yahoo.com or by calling
603-731-5955.
paperback, 120 pages
review by Jack Kittredge
Multifarm CSAs are CSAs that give shareholders
food from more than one farm. Local Harvest is the
name of an existing CSA in New Hampshire that
purchases food from a number of farmers. It is used
as the primary example of how to set up such a CSA
in this book.
The book starts out with a brief history of CSAs
before getting into the benefts of a multifarm one.
These are the normal benefts of CSAs plus:
giving the farmers the ability to specialize in crop
production, not feeling they have to grow everything
the customer wants,
giving the farmers the convenience of picking the
CSA order much like a wholesale order, delivering it
to the site, and then being done with it,
allowing new farmers to produce for the CSA
without endangering it if they have a bad harvest,
building a network of growers who can give
advice and help to a farmer in over his or her head,
allowing a grower to take a year off without
destroying the CSA.
The CSA Local Harvest is legally a cooperative,
with growers forming the board of the organization.
They establish a list of crops and amounts to be
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 45
grown over the coming season, set fair prices and
quality standards for the crops, pass an annual
budget, and individually bid on the right to supply
given amounts of the crops. They then plan their
plantings to make sure they can meet their bids.
If all goes well, farmers deliver what they bid
for and get paid for what they deliver. A crop
coordinator stays in weekly contact with the
growers over the season, however, and fnds out if
certain farmers are not likely to be able to deliver
certain of their crop bids. In that case, other member
growers are contacted to see if they can make the
needed deliveries. If not, the food can be bought
outside the CSA and brought in.
Local Harvest gives detailed breakdowns of the
staffng needed to run a multifarm CSA, a clear
listing of the crops, packaging, and crop standards
growers are expected to deliver, weekly planning
sheets for what is in a share, calculations on the
prices paid for the various crops and how many
make up a share, an annual budget for the whole
CSA, and sample marketing agreements and formal
documents needed to set up such a CSA.
Despite the enthusiasm of the authors for their topic,
the book could have been more clearly written and
edited. I found topics mentioned before they were
explained, and some like the all-important bidding
for crops poorly explained at all. A couple of
paragraphs were repeated in different parts of the
book, and typos and misspellings are common.
Nevertheless, I thought it was helpful in making
the case for a multifarm CSA and giving readers a
look inside one to see how it works. This book was
written with SARE funds and thus is available free
to whoever wants one.
The World According to Monsanto
by Marie-Monique Robin
available from www.MonsantoFilm.com
109 minutes, includes bonus flms by Jeffrey M.
Smith on GMOs and rBGH
$19.95
review by Jack Kittredge
This video does an excellent job of tracing
Monsantos corporate history of profting at the
expense of human health and the environment.
Some of the most touching scenes detail the ravages
the company brought upon an African American
neighborhood in Anniston, Alabama. It was there
that Monsanto manufactured PCBs (polychlorinated
biphenyls -- a class of chemicals used as coolants
and insulating fuids for transformers and capacitors
as well as in dozens of other applications). PCB
production was fnally banned in the 1970s due to
their high toxicity, and they are now recognized as
persistent organic pollutants which bioaccumulate
in animals. But prior to the 1970s these toxic
chemicals and their byproducts were routinely
fushed into local creeks and buried in neighborhood
lots in Anniston, resulting in deaths and diseases
far in excess of natural levels. Although the victims
fnally won a damage claim against Monsanto in the
hundreds of millions of dollars (showing that the
company executives were aware of the dangers of
PCBs at the time they were recklessly disposing of
them) the health of a generation of Americans was
destroyed.

We also learn that Monsanto was a primary
manufacturer of Agent Orange, the chemical
used by American forces to defoliate much of
Vietnam during the war there. It turns out that
Agent Orange released dioxins, which have caused
health problems ever since for those exposed.
Studies of dioxin indicate increased risk of various
types of cancer and genetic defects. For me the
hardest footage to endure was a short scan of jars
of formaldehyde in a Vietnamese village hospital,
each containing an aborted and badly deformed
fetus some with two heads, some with no limbs
resulting from this poison. US forces sprayed
some 80,000 cubic meters of Agent Orange over
South Vietnam during the war.

So it is with no surprise that we learn that this
reckless corporation is also the primary corporate
sponsor of biotechnology especially genetic
engineering of food and crops. The video frst
focuses on Posilac, Monsantos brand name for
its recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, and
Monsantos claim that the milk produced by
shooting it into cows is exactly the same as normal
milk. It might be, except for the fact that rBGH
stresses the cows, resulting in mastitis which puts
pus in the milk, and some of the growth hormones
pass into the milk and can cause things like breast
cancer. Thats why Canada and Europe ban the use
of the rBGH in dairy production.

The flm then takes up the companys highly
successful herbicide RoundUp and the seeds
that it has engineered to resist the herbicide. The
combination of RoundUp and RoundUp Ready
(resistant) crops has been a fnancial gold mine for
Monsanto, and the company has fought doggedly to
resist any serious regulation of this technology. The
crucial period in 1992, when the FDA decided not
to regulate GMOs, is discussed, as is the revolving
door through which passed Monsanto lawyers
and offcials on their way to taking government
regulatory jobs, and back through which they
passed when they left those jobs and returned to
Monsantos employ. The frms hundred million
dollar suits against farmers who save the companys
patented seed are also examined, and we meet some
of the farmers whose lives were thus ruined.

There is a reasonable amount of active video
interspersed throughout this flm Anniston
meetings, Vietnam anti-war marchers, on-farm
production shots but it is, of necessity, mostly
talking heads. We see Jeffrey M. Smith, Michael
Hanson, Vandana Shiva, Arpad Puztai and others
cautioning us about biotechnology, and we also
meet Monsanto representatives, USDA Secretaries,
and FDA offcials who defend the decisions they
have made.
The video moves easily from research and facts
to analysis and discussion by experts. There is a
reasonable attempt to give both sides a chance to
speak, although a Monsanto representative offcially
declines an interview. It is unfortunate that flms like
this will only reach a small portion of the general
public. So much work has gone into making it, one
would hope that more than the choir will ever get
to see it. The $19.95 version can be shown at home
and to free public screenings, so if you have a local
video group, donate them a copy!
Harvest: A Year in the Life of an Organic Farm
by Nicola Smith with photographs by Geoff Hansen
Published by The Lyons Press, an imprint of The
Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT, 2004
Paperback, 275 pages
Includes testimonials from Bill McKibben, Organic
Style and Orion and Ronald Jager.
$18.95
review by Kathy Litchfeld
Stunning photography and profoundly moving
personal stories enhance this realistic look at organic
farm life on Fat Rooster Farm in Royalton, Vermont.
Dedicated to the books subjects, Jennifer Megyesi,
Kyle Jones and their son Brad, author Nicola Smith
offers a genuine, real-life look at the trials and
tribulations of running an organic farm in a beautiful
setting that many aspiring organic farmers may
dream about having for their very own.
In an unfinchingly honest fashion, Smith shares
a year in the life (2003) of this hard-working,
dedicated family how and why they chose their
lifestyle, their backgrounds and passions, and how
they deal with both the challenges and rewards that
came with their choice.
Its not an easy life Jennifer and Kyle have
struggled while organizing their intentionally small
central Vermont farm of 20 acres around their
sheep, pigs, chickens, turkeys, cows and horses. The
challenges presented by their 1872 farmhouse and
aging outbuildings, four-year marriage of two strong
and stubborn personalities and the rearing of their
young child join those presented by raccoons on a
rampage in the chicken house, borrowed equipment
breaking down and the fnancial responsibilities of
maintaining a no-debt lifestyle (very important to
them).
Jennifer and Kyle meet their challenges head on,
if stubbornly, learn from their mistakes and face
adversity bravely. They successfully run a small
CSA and sell meats, eggs, honey, maple syrup,
vegetables, fruit, herbs and fowers at local farmers
markets. They also sell meat to Boston and New
York restaurants. Annually, they enlist the help
of a few seasonal apprentices, whose enthusiasm
of course depends upon the task at hand and their
individual personalities.
Growing seedlings in the greenhouse, harvesting
fruits and vegetables, shearing sheep, birthing
lambs, slaughtering cows, fxing up old wooden
buildings, kicking ice out of watering pans in
the chicken house, boiling maple sap into syrup,
attending farm meetings, obtaining organic
certifcation, bartering with neighbors, contributing
to the community and making lots of mistakes while
learning from them are all included in this engaging,
hard-to-put-down book.
Split into digestible chapters The Farm, The
Family, the Animals and The Land - this book is
an inspiring and eye-opening adventure offering a
deep look at the big picture of one familys organic
farm, along with plenty of heart-warming and heart-
wrenching, very personal stories that make up a life.
The End of Food
by Paul Roberts
published by Houghton Miffin, www.
houghtonmiffinbooks.com
2008. hardback, 390 pages
$26.00
review by Jack Kittredge
This is an excellent analysis of our contemporary
global and industrial food system and the paradox
it has created cheap and plentiful food, but
at a cost of lost nutrients, soil depletion, water
contamination, unequal distribution, food-borne
illness, increasing obesity, and corporate control.
The author also looks at the emerging local and
organic movement, and assesses its growth and
future challenges thoughtfully.
Roberts has gone to considerable pains to research
his topic and can fully back up what he writes. He
tells the story of the emergence of the global food
system as a natural result of cheap energy, corporate
capital, and government policies. Only slowly have
the failings of that system become clear. By the time
thoughtful people have realized these weaknesses,
most of the alternative ways of producing food had
been abandoned.
For many readers of this journal, these are not new
ideas. Fatal Harvest, In Defense of Food, and a
dozen other books have documented these problems.
But Roberts does it with such clarity, such an ability
to connect seemingly disparate information and
follow the thread, and such objectivity that this is
a book you could give your Republican neighbor
and he would read it.
In the frst chapters, he explores the origins of the
food system our evolution as carnivores followed
by the big switch to grains with the Neolithic
agricultural revolution, then the industrialization
of food from the point of view of producers and
retailers, and the nutritional and health problems
arising from these changes.
The next few chapters look frst at the rise of global
trade in food and its vulnerabilities to energy prices,
disease outbreak, and superpower competition,
then at the paradox of global hunger amidst plenty,
then the potential for food-borne disease and even
pandemics resulting from this system, and fnally
an analysis of the environmental impacts of our
unsustainable methods of food production.
In the fnal part of the book he looks to efforts
to resolve these problems transgenic and
organic methods, such approaches as aquaculture,
polyculture, no-till, middle-size farms, localvorism,
and fnally his own choices: a regional food
economy which has weaned itself of energy inputs
much as Cuba was forced to, aquaculture in deep-
water pens and using plant-based feed (which has
yet to be developed), and changes in diet which
make meat less central to our food system. None
of these are without risks and dangers, which he
evaluates thoughtfully.
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 46
Connecticut
CT NOFA Offce: P O Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491,
phone (203) 888-5146, FAX (203) 888-9280, Email:
ctnofa@ctnofa.org, website: www.ctnofa.org
Executive Director: Bill Duesing, Box 164, Stevenson,
CT 06491, 203-888-5146, 203 888-9280 (fax), bill@
ctnofa.org
Offce Manager/Webmaster: Deb Legge, PO Box 164,
Stevenson, CT 06491, deb@ctnofa.org, 203-888-5146
President: James Roby, P.O Box 191, 1667 Orchard
Road, Berlin, CT 06037, 860-828-5548, 860-881-8031
(C), robysorganic@yahoo.com
Vice President: Elizabeth Fleming, 54 Four Mile
Road, West Hartford, CT 06107-2709, 860-561-4907,
elstrfeming@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Michelle Hartel, 593 41 Angeli Court, Berlin,
CT 06037, 860-829-0749, michelleahartel@comcast.net
Secretary: Chris Killheffer, 112 Bishop Street, New
Haven, CT 06511-7307, 203-787-0072, Christopher.
killheffer@yale.edu
Farmers Pledge Program: Contact the offce.
Organic Land Care Program Manager: Ashley Kremser,
PO Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491, akremser@ctnofa.
org, 203-888-5146
Organic Land Care Accreditation Manager: Page
Czepiga, PO Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491, page@
ctnofa.org, 203-888-5146
Bookkeeper: Marion Griswold, PO Box 164, Stevenson,
CT 06491, marion@ctnofa.org, 203-888-5146
Massachusetts
President: Lynda Simkins, Natick Community Organic
Farm, 117 Eliot, South Natick, MA 01760 (508) 655-
2204, Email: lsimkins.ncorganic@verizon.net
Vice President, Fred Newcombe, 252 Dodge Road,
Rowley, MA 01969 (978) 432-1019, frednewcombe@
pjcecological.com
Secretary: Danielle Andrews, 85 Day St, Jamaica Plain,
MA 02130 (617) 524-1320; email: bonitaapplebomb@
hotmail.com
Treasurer: Dan Conlon, 2 South Mill River Road,
Deerfeld, MA 01373; (413) 665-4513; warmcolors@
verizon.net
Executive Director and NOFA Summer Conference
Coordinator: Julie Rawson, 411 Sheldon Rd., Barre, MA
01005 (978) 355-2853, Fax: (978) 355-4046, Email:
Julie@nofamass.org
Administrative Coordinator: Kathleen Geary, 411
Sheldon Rd, Barre, MA 01005, 978-355-2853 (Mondays
& Thursdays, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm), email anytime to:
info@nofamass.org
Webmaster: David Pontius: 26 School Street, Northfeld,
MA 01360, (413) 498-2721, Email: webmaster@
nofamass.org
Baystate Organic Certifers Administrator: Don Franczyk,
683 River St., Winchendon, MA 01475, (978) 297- 4171,
Email: baystateorganic@earthlink.net, website: www.
baystateorganic.org
Press and Winter Conference Coordinator: Jassy Bratko,
28 High St., Hubbardston, MA 01452, (978) 928-5646,
jassyhighmeadow@yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor: Jonathan von Ranson, 6 Lockes
Village Rd., Wendell, MA 01379, (978) 544-3758, Email:
Commonfarm@crocker.com
Website: www.nofamass.org Email: nofa@nofamass.org
New Hampshire
President: Jack Mastrianni, 277 Holden Hill Road,
Langdon, NH 03602, (603) 835-6488, jamastrianni@
yahoo.com
Vice President: Joan OConnor, PO Box 387, Henniker,
NH 03242, (603) 428-3530, joconnornh@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Paul Mercier, Jr., 39 Cambridge Drive,
Canterbury, NH 03224, (603) 783-0036, pjm@mercier-
group.com
Program & Membership Coordinator: Elizabeth
Obelenus, NOFA/NH Offce, 4 Park St., Suite 208,
Concord, NH 03301, (603) 224-5022, info@nofanh.org
Business Manager and Local and Organic Foods Project
Coordinator: Barbara Sullivan, 72 Gilford Ave, Laconia,
NH 03246, (603) 524-1285
borksullivan@earthlink.net
Newsletter Editor: Karen Booker, 44 Prospect St.,
Contoocook, NH 03229, (603) 746-3656, pottedplant@
juno.com
Winter Conference Coordinator: Anne Nason, 119 Dustin
Rd., Webster, NH 03303, (603) 493-1919, anason@tds.
net, (603) 228-6492 (fax)
Bulk Order Coordinator Jennifer Quinlivan, P.O. Box
92, Strafford, NH 03884
(603) 269-0063, (603) 731-1182 jenq@worldpath.net
Website: www.nofanh.org,
Organic Certifcation: Vickie Smith, NH Department of
Agriculture, Markets & Food, Division of Regulatory
Services, Caller Box 2042, Concord, NH 03301 (603)
271-3685, vsmith@agr.state.nh.us, www.agriculture.
nh.gov
New Jersey
Executive Director: Marc Bouvier, 334 River Road,
Hillsborough, NJ 08844, (609) 737-6848, fax: (609) 737-
2366, Email: mbouvier@nofanj.org
President: Donna Drewes, Municipal Land Use Center,
TCNJ, PO Box 7718 McCauley House, Ewing, NJ
08628, 908-782-2443, Email: drewes@tcnj.edu
Vice President: Stephanie Harris, 163 Hopewell-
Wertsville Rd., Hopewell, NJ 08525, (609) 466-0194,
Email: r.harris58@verizon.net
Treasurer: William D. Bridgers, c/o Zon Partners, 5
Vaughn Dr., Suite 104, Princeton, NJ 08540, (609) 452-
1653, Email: billbridgers@zoncapital.com
Secretary: Emily Brown Rosen, Organic Research
Associates, 25 Independence Way, Titusville, NJ 08560,
609-737-8630 Email: ebrownrosen@gmail.com
Supervisor, Organic Certifcation Program: Erich V.
Bremer, NJ Dept. of Agriculture, 369 S. Warren St.,
Trenton, NJ 08625-0330, (609) 984-2225, fax: (609) 341-
3212 Email: erich.bremer@ag.state.nj.us
Administrative Coordinator: Connie Deetz, 334 River
Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844, (609) 737-6848, Fax
(609) 737-2366 General Request Emails: nofainfo@
nofanj.org Email: cdeetz@nofanj.org,
Website: www.nofanj.org
New York
President: Scott Chaskey, Quail Hill Community Farm,
PO Box 1268, Amagansett, NY 11930-1268, (631) 267-
8942, schaskey@peconiclandtrust.org
Vice President: Gunther Fishgold, Tierra Farms, 2424
State Rte 203, Valatie, NY 12184, (888) 674-6887,
gfshgold@tierrafarm.com
Vice President of Marketing: Rex Farr, The Farrm, 156
Youngs Ave, Calverton, NY 11933-1428, (631) 369-8237,
rfarr@optonline.net
Treasurer: Karen Livingston, 2569 Rolling Hills Rd,
Camillus, NY 13031, (315) 672-5244, klivingston@
fmfecpa.com
Secretary: Annette Hogan, 131 Alpine Drive #5,
Syracuse, NY 13214, (315) 559-2460, hoganal@stu.
lemoyne.edu
Executive Director: Greg Swartz, (845) 796-8994, fax:
(570) 224-8013 (call frst), director@nofany.org
Offce Manager: Mayra Richter, (607) 652-NOFA, fax:
(607) 652-2290, offce@nofany.org
Organic Seed Partnership (OSP) Project Coordinator:
Elizabeth Dyck, (607) 895-6913, organicseed@nofany.
org
Projects Coordinator & ODT Project Co-ProjectManager:
Kate Mendenhall, (585) 271-1979, fax: (585) 271-7166,
kate.organicdairy@nofany.org
Organic Dairy Transitions (ODT) Project Co-Project
Manager: Bethany Russell, (315) 806-1180, bethany.
organicdairy@nofany.org
ODT Project Dairy Technician: Robert Perry, (607) 749-
3884, robert.organicdairy@nofany.org
NOFA-NY Certifed Organic, LLC, Certifcation
Director: Carol King, 840 Front St, Binghamton,
NY 13905, (607) 724-9851, fax: (607) 724-9853,
certifedorganic@nofany.org
NOFA New York Offce: PO Box 880, Cobleskill, NY
12043, Phone: (607) 652-NOFA, Fax: (607) 652-2290,
Email: offce@nofany.org, Website: www.nofany.org,
Rhode Island
President: Dan Lawton, 247 Evans Road Chepachet, RI
02814 (401) 949-1596 dlawton33@hotmail.com
Vice-President: Erik Eacker, Ledge Ends Produce, 830
South Road, East Greenwich, RI 02818 (401) 884-5118,
ledgeends@cox.net
Secretary: Nicole Vitello, Manic Organic, PO Box
425, Portsmouth, RI 02871 (401) 480-1403, Nicole@
manicorganic.biz
Treasurer/Membership: Abbie Barber, Shannock Organic
Farm, 1411 Shannock Rd., Charlestown, RI 02813-3726
(401) 364-7140 shannockorganicfarm@hotmail.com
Bookkeeper: Peggy Conti, Brookside Apartments, Apt.
#8, Charlestown, RI 02813, (401) 364-3426
NOFA/RI, 51 Edwards Lane, Charlestown, RI 02813,
(401) 364-7557, nofari@nofari.org
website: www.nofari.org
Vermont
NOFA-VT Offce, PO Box 697, 39 Bridge St., Richmond,
VT 05477 (802) 434-4122 NOFA, (802) 434-3821 VOF,
Fax: (802) 434-4154, website: www.nofavt.org, info@
nofavt.org
Executive Director: Enid Wonnacott, enid@nofavt.org
Financial Manager: Kirsten Novak Bower, kirsten@
nofavt.org
Ag Education Coordinator: Abbie Nelson, abbie@nofavt.
org
Bulk Order Coordinator & VOF Staff: Erin Clark, erin@
nofavt.org
Dairy & Livestock Administrator: Sam Fuller, sam@
nofavt.org
Dairy & Livestock Advisor: David Rogers, dave@nofavt.
org
Dairy & Livestock Advisor: Willie Gibson, willie@
nofavt.org
Food Security & Coordinator: Jean Hamilton, jean@
nofavt.org
Offce Assistant and Share the Harvest Fundraiser
Coordinator: Becca Weiss, becca@nofavt.org
Offce Manager: Cara Couch, info@nofavt.org
Outreach Coordinator: Meg Klepack, meg@nofavt.org
Vegetable & Fruit TA Coordinator: Wendy Sue Harper,
wendysue@nofavt.org
Winter Conference Coordinator: Olga Boshart Moriarty,
olga@madriver.com
VOF Administrator: Nicole Dehne, nicole@nofavt.org
VOF Certifcation Specialist: Cheryl Bruce, cheryl@
nofavt.org
VOF Certifcation Specialist: Brenda Hedges, brenda@
nofavt.org
NOFA Interstate
Council
* indicates voting representative
* Bill Duesing, President, Staff, Box 135, Stevenson, CT,
06491, (203) 888-5146, fax, (203) 888- 9280, bduesing@
cs.com
Kimberly A. Stoner, 498 Oak Ave. #27, Cheshire, CT
06410-3021, (203) 271-1732 (home), Email: kastoner@
juno.com
* Elizabeth Coe, 13 Hickory Hill Rd., Great Barrington,
MA 01230, (413) 528-6567, treecoe@gis.net
* Jill Ebbotts, 70 Beaconsfeld Rd., Brookline, MA
02445, (617) 232-3706, jebbott@msn.com
Elizabeth Obelenus, 22 Keyser Road, Meredith. NH
03253, (603) 279-6146, elizabeth@nofanh.org
* Jack Mastrianni, Treasurer, 277 Holden Hill Road,
Langdon, NH 03602, (603) 835-6488, jamastrianni@
yahoo.com
* Steve Gilman, Ruckytucks Farm, 130 Ruckytucks
Road, Stillwater, NY 12170 (518) 583-4613, sgilman@
netheaven.com
* Vince Cirasole, Sunshine Farm, 745 Great Neck
Rd, Copiague, NY 11726, (631) 789-8231, vince@
sunshinefarm.biz
Elizabeth Henderson, 2218 Welcher Rd., Newark, NY
14513 (315) 331-9029 ehendrsn@redsuspenders.com
* Dan Lawton, 247 Evans Road Chepachet, RI 02814
(401) 949-1596 dlawton33@hotmail.com
* Nicole Vitello, Manic Organic, PO Box 425,
Portsmouth, RI 02871 (401) 480-1403, Nicole@
manicorganic.biz
* Enid Wonnacott, 478 Salvas Rd., Huntington, VT
05462 (802) 434-4435, enid@nofavt.org
Kirsten Novak Bower, 65 Wortheim Ln., Richmond, VT
05477 (802) 434-5420, kirsten@nofavt.org
Kay Magilavy, Virtual Rep, 212 18th St., Union City, NJ
07087, (201) 927-7116
David Pontius, Webmaster, 26 School Street, Northfeld,
MA 01360, (413) 498-2721, Email: webmaster@
nofamass.org
Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson, The Natural Farmer,
NOFA Summer Conference, 411 Sheldon Rd., Barre,
MA 01005 (978) 355-2853, Jack, tnf@nofa.org, Julie@
nofamass.org
Marion Griswold, Bookkeeper, 30 Hollow Rd.,
Woodbury, CT 06798, (203) 263-2221, marion@ctnofa.
org
Interstate
Certifcation Contacts
Nicole Dehne, nicole@nofavt.org, PO Box 698,
Richmond, VT 05477, 802-434-3821, 802-434-4154
(fax)
Carol King, 840 Front Street, Binghamton, NY 13905,
(607) 724-9851, fax: (607)724-9853, certifedorganic@
nofany.org
Erich V. Bremer, c/o NJ Dept. of Agriculture, PO Box
330, Trenton, NJ 08625, (609) 984-2225 erich.bremer@
ag.state.nj.us
NOFA
Contact People
Th e Nat ur al Far me r Wi n t e r, 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 47
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Thank you for joining us and helping to support organic agriculture today!
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Calendar
Saturday, December 13, 2008: Four Season
Organic Farming Workshop, Concord, NH, for more
info: NOFA-NH, 603-224-5022, www.nofanh.org
Jan. 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 2009: 8
th
annual NOFA
Course in Organic Land Care, Doyle Conservation
Center, Leominster, MA. for more info: www.
organiclandcare.net or Kathy Litchfeld, 413-773-
3830 or kathylitch29@yahoo.com.

Thursday, January 15 Monday, January 19,
2009: The Agriculture Course: An Intensive Study
of the Origins and Future of Biodynamics, Chestnut
Ridge, NY, for more info: Mimi Satriano, 845-352-
5020 x15, mimi@threefold.org, www.pfeiffercenter.
org/workshops.
Saturday, January 17, 2009: 13th Annual Vermont
Grazing Conference, Vermont Technical College in
Randolph, VT, for more info: Jenn Colby, Pasture
Outreach Coordinator, at (802) 656-0858, jcolby@
uvm.edu, or visit www.uvm.edu/pasture.
Saturday, January 17, 2009: 22nd Annual NOFA/
Mass Winter Conference, Worcester Technical
High School, Worcester, MA, for more info:www.
nofamass.org or 978-928-5646
Friday, January 23 Sunday, January 25, 2009:
NOFA-NYs 27
th
Organic Farming and Gardening
Conference, Rochester Riverside Convention Center
in downtown Rochester, NY, for more info: Kate
Mendenhall, NOFA-NY, 585-271-1979, projects@
nofany.org, www.nofany.org.
Jan. 27, 28, 29, 30, Feb. 2, 2009: 8
th
annual NOFA
Course in Organic Land Care, CT Agricultural
Experiment Station, New Haven, CT. for more info:
www.organiclandcare.net or Ashley Kremser, 203-
888-5146 or akremser@ctnofa.org.f

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 (snow date Jan. 29):
Lets Talk Turf: Organic Lawns, co-sponsored
by the NOFA OLC Program and ELA, Doyle
Conservation Center, Leominster, MA, for more
info: (617) 436-5838, www.ecolandscaping.org or
www.organiclandcare.net.
Thursday, February 5 Saturday, February 7,
2009: NOFA/Mass frst annual Winter Advanced
Farming Seminar, Barre Congregational Church,
Barre, MA, for more info: Ben Grosscup, ben.
grosscup@nofamass.org, 413-658-5374.
Saturday, February 7, 2009: Winter Farmers
Market, Greenfeld, MA for more info: Claire
Morenon, 413-665-7100, Ext 16 or winterfare-
owner@yahoogroups.com
Saturday, February 14 - Sunday, February 15,
2009: 27th Annual NOFA-VT Winter Conference,
Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT, for
more info: www.nofavt.org
Feb. 17, 18, 19, 20 and 23, 2009: 8
th
annual
NOFA Course in Organic Land Care, Birch
Hill, Schodack, NY. for more info: www.
organiclandcare.net or Kathy Litchfeld, 413-773-
3830 or kathylitch29@yahoo.com

Saturday, February 21, 2009: Introduction to
Organic Beekeeping: Preparing a New Hive for
Spring, Chestnut Ridge, NY, for more info: 845-
352-5020 x20, info@pfeiffercenter.org, www.
pfeiffercenter.org.
Feb. 25, 26, 27, March 2, 3, 2009: 8
th
annual
NOFA Course in Organic Land Care, Save the
Bay Center, Providence, RI. for more info: www.
organiclandcare.net or Sheryl Ellal, 401-364-3387
or sheryl@woodriverevergreens.com.
Saturday, March 7, 2009: NOFA-NHs Seventh
Annual Winter Conference, for more info: Anne
Nason at anason@tds.net. or NOFA-NH at (603)
224-5022
Saturday, March 28, 2009: Beginning a Vegetable
Garden, Chestnut Ridge, NY, for more info: 845-
352-5020 x20, info@pfeiffercenter.org, www.
pfeiffercenter.org.
Saturday, April 4, 2009: Raised Beds in the
Garden and Farm Organism, Chestnut Ridge,
NY, for more info: 845-352-5020 x20, info@
pfeiffercenter.org, www.pfeiffercenter.org.
Friday, April 24 Saturday, 25, 2009: Organic
Beekeeping Weekend, Chestnut Ridge, NY, for
more info: 845-352-5020 x20, info@pfeiffercenter.
org, www.pfeiffercenter.org.
NOFA
Membership
You may join NOFA by joining one of the seven state chapters.
Contact the person listed below for your state. Dues, which
help pay for the important work of the organization, vary
from chapter to chapter. Unless noted, membership includes a
subscription to The Natural Farmer.
Give a NOFA Membership! Send dues for a friend or relative
to his or her state chapter and give a membership in one of the
most active grassroots organizations in the state.
Connecticut: Individual $35, Family $50, Business/Institution
$100, Supporting $150, Student/Senior $25, Working $20
Contact: CT NOFA, Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491, (203)-888-
5146, or email: ctnofa@ctnofa.org or join on the web at www.
ctnofa.org
Massachusetts: Low-Income $20, Individual $35, Family/
Farm/Organization $45, Business $75, Supporting $150
Contact: Kathleen Geary, 411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA 01005,
(978) 355-2853, or email: info@nofamass.org
New Hampshire: Individual: $30, Student: $23, Family: $40,
Sponsor: $100, Basic $20*
Contact: Elizabeth Obelenus, 4 Park St., Suite 208, Concord,
NH 03301, (603) 224-5022, info@nofanh.org
New Jersey: Individual $35, Family/Organizational $50,
Business/Organization $100, Low Income: $15*
Contact: 334 River Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844,
(609) 737-6848 or join at www.nofanj.org
New York: Student/Senior/Limited Income $20, Individual
$40, Family/Farm/Nonproft Organization $50, Business $115,
Patron $125.
Contact: Mayra Richter, NOFA-NY, PO Box 880, Cobleskill,
NY 12043, Voice (607) 652-NOFA, Fax: (607) 652-2290,
email: offce@nofany.org, www.nofany.org
Rhode Island: Student/Senior: $20, Individual: $25, Family
$35, Business $50
Contact: Membership, NOFA RI, c/o Abbie Barber POB 86
Shannock, RI 02875 (401) 364-7557, shannockorganicfarm@
hotmail.com
Vermont: Individual $30, Farm/Family $40, Business $50,
Sponsor $100, Sustainer $250, Basic $15-25*
Contact: NOFA-VT, PO Box 697, Richmond, VT 05477, (802)
434-4122, info@nofavt.org
*does not include a subscription to The Natural Farmer
$
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