Soil Fertility and Management at Red Fire Farm Granby, MA · • Soil tests are used to determine Lime applications and other bulk amendment decisions. • Soil tests also show trends

Soil Fertility and Management at Red Fire Farm

Granby, MA

Red Fire Farm

Overview

Mission Statement:

The mission of Red Fire Farm is to be a

year-round local source for high quality food

and ornamental crops grown at our farm

using organic principles that result in safe

food and a healthy environment. Through

innovative marketing strategies we provide

an exciting shopping experience and

educate our community about the benefits

of eating locally grown foods during all four

seasons. We seek to achieve these goals

for the community while providing fulfilling

and sustainable careers for the farmers.

Basic Statistics:

• 1000 CSA shares in 09 ~ 65% of sales

• Two Farm stands ~ 17 % of sales

• 2 Farmers Markets Per Week ~6% of sales

• Wholesale to local natural food stores and co-ops. ~12 % of sales

• 09 Gross Sales of ~1.04 Million

• ~45 acres planted vegetable crops (~100 acres in veg. rotation.

• ~20,000 square feet of steel greenhouse space.

• 09 labor ~ 40,000 hrs. (inc. Ryan and all labor)

Red Fire Farm CSA 2009

-Farm Pickup ~160

-Springfield FM ~80

-Common Wealth ~30

-Boston – 7 locations ~675

-Other (elder shares, Montague, etc.) ~30

-20 Week CSA Season is June – late Oct.

-24 Week option (about ½ of our members)

adds an every other week dist.

in Nov. and Dec.

-Deep Winter Shares ~ 150 members, Jan,

Feb and March every other wkCambridge Distribution

Some of the

Current Red Fire

Farm Core Crew

–Winter 09/10

Ryan

Voiland

Sarah

Ingraham

Deb AndrePatrick Benson,

Chickens, Harvest

Manager

Kirk

Russell

Seasonal Positions Are Open

on our Crew, please inquire if

interested.

Chef and

Food

Educator

Ona

Mark Reeves, Planting

Manager

Nov. 2009 RFF Staff Picture

The Granby Farm Stead and Greenhouses

The Home Farm Map

Other RFF Field Maps

Little Hill

and

Orchard

Ludlow

Line

Field

Chicopee

Street

Field

Lyons

Street

Fields

Our New Montague Farm

• Fields and maps

Montague Farm Field Maps

General Principles and Practices of Soil Management at RFF:

-Have a field labeling and recordkeeping system that allows

inputs and rotations to be accurately tracked over time.

-Pull soil tests regularly, amend lime and other bulk spread inputs

based on these tests.

-Minimize tillage. Only use tillage when there is a reason to do it

that outweighs the reasons to not do it.

-Grow cover crops diligently, before and after all cash crops, and

in non cash crop summers.

-Maintain at least 1/3 of total plantable acreage in a summer

cover crop rotation.

-Use compost and organic mulches regularly. Increase compost

if soil is being cropped more intensively (double cropping,

greenhouses, compromised rotation, etc)

-Amend soils with bagged organic fertilizers when needed for

adequate crop performance.

Field Labeling and Record Keeping

• All fields are divided out into blocks that are either 8 beds or 14 beds wide.

• Each block is divided by a semi permanent “harvest isle”.

• Maps are maintained of each field and block, both on Siga Field and as excel spreadsheets.

• Crops and input plans are kept track of for each block on a regularly updated field plans excel spreadsheet. Actuals are recorded into Siga Field for a long term record.

Growing Blocks- almost all of the RFF fields, unless they are very small are

divided into blocks of either 8 or 14 beds. The new fields that are recently set

up are 8 beds per block (allowing spraying to be done entirely from the harvest

isles when needed).

Large Field Divided into blocks

Harvest Isles Serve Several Functions:

-Sod access for harvesting, spraying and other crop care.

-Perennial vegetation of grasses and clovers add diversity to the otherwise annual fields.

Habitat for beneficial insects.

-Isles define the growing area, this allows accurate tracking of where things are planted

in the fields from year to year and facilitates crop planning and rotation.

Siga Field Generated Maps

Little Hill

and

Orchard

Ludlow

Line

Field

Chicopee

Street

Field

Lyons

Street

Fields

Ludlow Line Field - Back Block ~6.25 blocks of 14 410' beds 5740 bed ft./block =~ .74 ac./block

Block Bed # First Sec. or Succ. 2nd Sec. or Succ. 3rd Sec. or Succ. E------>

Crop TP / Seed DateVariety Crop TP / Seed DateVariety Crop TP / Seed DateVariety

llf-b-7 16 muskmelons 6/7/10 athena

15 muskmelons 6/7/10 halona

14 muskmelons 6/7/10 honey types

13 muskmelons 6/7/10 honey types

12 muskmelons 6/7/10 sarah's choice



9 watermelon 6/7/10 little baby flower



6 watermelon 6/7/10 peace

5 watermelon 6/7/10 peace

4 watermelon 6/7/10 sugar baby / lantha

3 watermelon 6/7/10 sugar baby / lantha

2 watermelon 6/7/10 other watermelon

1 watermelon 6/7/10 other watermelon

llf-b-6 14 section is two beds short?

13 swiss chard 4/12/10 argentata, bright yellow and ruby red.

12 swiss chard 4/12/10 argentata, bright yellow and ruby red.

11 kale 4/19/10 kale/collard mix



8 kholrabi 4/12/10 kolibri

7 kholrabi 4/12/10 kolibri

6 kholrabi 4/12/10 winner

5 strawberry 6/4/2009 honeye, mesabi, jewel

4 strawberry 6/4/2009 honeye

3 strawberry 6/4/2009 honeye , darselect

2 strawberry 6/4/2009 evangeline, l'amore, darselect

1 strawberry 6/4/2009 evangeline, wendy

Excel Spreadsheet Templates are

used each year to plan out crop

locations and planting dates.

Hardcopies are made of the empty

template onto which the actual

plantings are recorded immediately

after seeding or TPing. Bagged

fertilizers that are added at bed

formation or as side dress are also

recorded on these maps and then

added into siga field after the

growing season.

Field Plan Excel spreadsheets for Crop Planning, these

function as worksheets and short term recordsField Plans as of 1/1/10 (for 2010 crop location planning) C= Red Clover, V= vetch and oats, R = Rye, FP = Field Pea and Oats.

Fie

ld

blo

ck

Bed

Feet

Acera

ge

08 c

rop

Co

ver

Cro

ps t

o S

pri

ng

Pla

nt

2009

Cro

p

co

ver

cro

p s

itu

ati

on

as o

f 1/1

/10

Co

ver

Cro

p t

o S

pri

ng

Pla

nt?

2010

Cro

pp

ing p

lan

HATCH hatch 1 3600 0.5066141 hay sod solanacious oats and peas allium

HATCH hatch 11 3600 0.5066141 hay sod early cabbage older oats and peas allium

HATCH hatch 6 3600 0.5066141 hay sod solanacious garlic on 1/2, rest bare allium

HOME backfield 3 2000 0.2814523 late radish, and beets early lettuce non asp part is bare asparagus

backfield 4 0.5 older oats and vetch beans

HATCH hatch 4 3600 0.5066141 hay sod solanacious young rye and vetch beets, early

LYONS lyons back 1 north 5810 0.8176189 brassicas and summer cucurbitcorn clover beets, later planting

HATCH hatch 2 3600 0.5066141 hay sod solanacious rye and vetch (spotty on one side) beets, mid

OAK Oak 1 3600 0.5066141 buckw heat seed by 8/1 hay brassicas

OAK Oak 3 3600 0.5066141 buckw heat seed by 8/1 medium oat / vetch brassicas

LLF llf-b-5 5740 0.8077681 corn potato

young oat (NO POT VOLUNTEERS

ALLOWED) brassicas, early

LLF llf-b-6 5740 0.8077681 onions tomato / straw berry 1/2 straw berries, 1/2 young oat /pea brassicas, early

LLF llf-c-6 2380 0.3349282 straw / clover potato small oat / pea (NO POT VOLUNTEERS!) brassicas, early

LYONS longfield 11225 1.579651 potatoes melons medium oats vetch brassicas, late

LYONS lyons back 2 13000 1.8294399 summer and w inter squashpotato

young oats (DO NOT ALLOW POT

VOLUNTEERS) brassicas, late

CSF csf-d-1 3000 0.4221784 w inter squash sw eet potato young rye carrots



HATCH hatch 15 2376 0.3343653 hay sod cucurbit large oats and peas carrots

HATCH hatch 9 3600 0.5066141 hay sod melons older oats and peas carrots

LLF llf-c-4 4760 0.6698565 straw / clover allium

1/2 is medium vetch / oat, 1/2 is medium

field pea / oat carrots

LYONS spring field 6395 0.8999437 tomatoes and eggplant brassica sw eet or red clover, beet part bare celery, other misc.

LITTLE HILL center dip 5045 0.7099634 tomato and pepperpeas & oats rutabaga and etc. bare / brassica residue corn

Siga Field

Siga Field is a computer software program that is designed for

keeping track of rotations and inputs on farm fields. The program

can do a number of things, but what I find most useful are:

Mapping Functions, Rotation Records, Input Records

Rotation History by Block – one problem is that cover crops and

double cropping can not be accurately tracked.

Siga field allows input records to be tracked for each field. It can then generate nice

reports by year or fields over time, etc.

Soil Testing and Inputs

• Regular soil tests are pulled from each field (or block if management has been very different) at least once every three years. Often tests are more frequent.

• Soil tests are used to determine Lime applications and other bulk amendment decisions.

• Soil tests also show trends in soil OM and chemical fertility over time. They show if soil management is working in terms of improving or at least maintaining soil quality.

• We have also done the Cornell Soil Quality testing on some of our fields during the past couple of years. These are much more expensive tests but show more indicators about physical and biological soil health in addition to the chemical nutrient analysis.

Cornell Soil

Quality Reports

Soil Organic Matter -Ideal range for most

soils is 3-6%. My goal is to maintain SOL

of at least 4%.

soil organic matter helps soil quality in multiple ways:

- retain water during dry spells

-holds nutrients so they are available to plants

-mineralizes and releases N

-assists in out competing soil borne diseases

-improves the physical structure of the soil

-helps feed beneficial soil organisms including earthworms,

bacteria and fungi.

Bulk Spreading of Inputs:

-Usually this is done on top of summer growing cover crops on blocks that are not in the cash crop

part of their rotation, or it is done in the fall or early winter after the cash crop has been harvested

for the year. Timing can be tricky!

-Based on soil test results we frequently bulk spread lime, bon char and potassium sulfate.

Sometimes we also apply gypsum, rock phosphate and greensand by bulk spread.

-Bulk spreading is generally done via a custom hire gps assisted spreading truck, but occasionally

we have rented a tractor towed spreading unit as in this picture.

When Liming Keep in Mind ….

Balancing the Base Saturation of Soils:

Research suggests that soils with base nutrients balanced at

70% Calcium, 12% Magnesium and 3-5% Potassium result in

the best plant growth.

Gypsum contains almost 80% calcium, but unlike ground

lime the application of Gypsum will not change the soil pH.

This means Gypsum can be used to increase the Calcium in

the soil without changing the pH.

Using correct high mag or high CA lime can help achieve the

ideal base saturation ratio in the soil.

An Imants Spading Machine Can Gently Turn Soils In Preparation for

Planting. They are also excellent at incorporating cover crop residue.

Tillage

Hand turning soil with a fork is fairly gentle compared to a

rototiller.

Tillage

• Excess tillage can be detrimental to soil health. As a rule we try to minimize tillage unless there is a reason to do it that outweighs the reasons not to do it.

• We try to use tools for tillage that minimize damage to the soil structure. For instance we use a spader and chisel plow for primary tillage instead of a moldboard plow or disk harrow in most situations.

Mineralization and Soil Organic Matter:

In a moment we will consider ways to add organic matter to soils. However, conserving

and minimizing the loss of organic matter is a first consideration in SOM management.

SOM is lost due to mineralization. This means that during the warm times of the year

when the soil is biologically active, organic matter is broken down due to exposure to air

and microorganisms. This can be a good thing, as N is released in this process

contributing to plant nutrition.

Growing vegetables and other horticultural row crops encourages rapid loss of SOM due

to mineralization. This is because of the frequent tillage operations that are usually

necessary to grow these crops encourages rapid mineralization.

Growers need to manage their soil tillage operations to minimize the unnecessary loss

of SOM. Generally gentler tillage methods and reduced tillage will help minimize the

loss of SOM. Exmps.- no till, minimal till, chisel plow instead of moldboard, spader

instead of tiller.

Moldboard Plow

Fertilizer

or Cover

Crop

Seed

Spinner

Perfecta Field

CultivatorCelli Spading Machine

Bed Forming Requires Fairly

Intense Soil Tillage

We Use a Chisel Plow For Primary Tillage in our

Rocky Soils, We use the Spader in our rock free

ground. In both cases mowing down the cover

crop prior to tillage is usually a critical step.

Overall the process of growing vegetables can be pretty hard on the long term soil

fertility and structure. Lots of tillage is involved to make beds and manage weeds (bare

fallow, repeated cultivations, post harvest tillage, etc.)

This is why minimizing the intensity of these steps is so important, and also why soil

regeneration periods of cover crops are so important in the rotations.

Cultivation with the Gs

Cover Crops are an essential addition to

most soil fertility programs!

This picture shows a hairy vetch cover crop in late May just prior to

incorporation.

Cover Crops can have numerous benefits for multiple aspects of

the farm system. They can help with fertility by:

-Leguminous cover crops can fix N from the air into plant available

soil forms.

-Cover crops can help capture nutrients and prevent them from

leaching out of the topsoil.

-Cover crop roots can mine nutrients from lower soil horizons,

bring them to the surface, and make them more available to crop

plants.

-Cover Crops help prevent soil loss due to erosion by protecting

the soil surface from water and wind exposure.

-Cover crop biomass helps maintain or even increase the SOM!

-Cover crops can help reduce or prevent compaction and maintain

good soil structure and aggregation.

This research plot experiment

suffered massive erosion and soil

degradation due to a lack of a

cover crop.

Cover Crops can help reduce the

magnitude of wind and soil erosion.

Here red clover was interseeded

between rows of brassicas when the

brassicas were about half grown (at

the final cultivation.) This picture is

the field the next spring after the

brassica residue was flail mowed

down.

Interseeding of

Red Clover

between

Brassica rows.We often also

interseed clover into

cucurbit, corn and

tomato crops. Seeds

are spun prior to the

last cultivation and

then cultivated into

the surface for

germination.

We Frequently Plant a combination of Hairy Vetch and Oats in the late summer and

fall (for us seeding anytime from Aug 20th until Oct. 1 seems to work ok) The oats will

winter kill leaving a solid stand of vetch to regrow in the spring. We plant this in

situations where we will be growing a mid season to late season planted vegetable

crop the following season. The vetch needs until at least early may to get good

growth the following spring, and until late May to maximize growth. Since the seed is

expensive it is best planted only where it will be allowed to fix maximum N.

This picture is from late May

Another combination that we frequently use is to plant field peas and oats in late summer or

early fall. Both of these crops will winterkill leaving only dead residue in the spring. For this

reason I use this for blocks that will be planted with early April planted vegetable crops. Field

Peas and Oats can also be spring seeded in situations where there is a bare field in the spring

and vegetable crop planting is not planned until July or later.

Field Peas and

Oats

Buckwheat Cover Crops are grown mostly for weed suppression,

but they also make phosphorous more available to the following

plants. They produce a little organic matter, but not as much as

other cover crop choices.

Winter Rye is an

effective cover crop

for winter

protection and

biomass

production!

Sorghum Sudan is a

superb summer

season cover crop for

biomass and also for

weed suppression.

Sorghum Sudan can be seeded with red clover in midsummer. The

clover will grow in the under story and then take over the following year

after the sorghum sudan winterkills.

Notice the different ages of cover crops in this section.

This is because as older successions of vegetables are

harvested cover crops are immediately seeded to avoid

prolonged periods of bare ground or weed growth.

RotationsRules of Thumb at Red Fire Farm:

-Never repeat crop families any more often than 1

out of 4 years, preferably longer.

-Always grow pre and post cash crop cover crops.

Keep the soil covered with managed (not weeds)

living vegetation at all times. The only exception is

during bare fallows and stale seed bed operations

that are aimed toward weed management.

-Incorporate longer term sod cover crops as much

as possible.

-Attempt to have at least 1/3 of the total plantable

acreage on the farm growing summer cover crops

each season.

-Use extra compost to compensate for situations

where summer cover crops can not be afforded as

frequently as ideal. (PYO areas, Greenhouses,

Land Tenure issues.)

Currently we have an entire farm in cover crop in Montague. In 2011 we will move most

of our vegetable crops onto this land and rest (ie. put into sod cover crop) most of our

Granby acreage.

I do not hold to any hard and fast rotational rules beyond

the guidelines described above. Every summer a detailed

plan is made for the following summer, and fall cover crops

are tailored to this plan accordingly.

Compost and MulchApplying compost and mulch materials (especially if they are from off farm

sources) are a way to jump start the fertility of soils. At RFF we apply

compost to each field at about 10 tons of compost per acre every other

year. We used to use less when we had more land in summer cover crop,

but with more intensive cropping we have increased frequency of compost

applications accordingly.

Adding Compost to the soil is an excellent way to improve the SOM! Not

all compost is the same. The nutrient content is dependent on the parent

materials of the compost pile. Make sure compost is mature before

applying it to ground immediately prior to planting. Alternatively allow

additional breakdown time prior to planting if compost is immature.

We make compost using very low key methods. Our base

material is leaves that are dumped for free by local

landscape contractors. To this we add all the scraps from

our vegetable packing shed. We fluff and turn the windrow

piles about every 4-6 months using a tractor loader.

Since we are unable to make as much

compost as we need, we do also purchase

significant quantities from other compost

producers in our area. Dairy based

compost is preferred since it tends to be

higher in P which our soils are generally

low in. We pay around $25 per yard and

have a total compost bill of around

$10,000 per fall.

Compost is spread onto the fields in the

fall as a top dress onto established cover

crops. The compost is not incorporated

until spring tillage. We just do not have

time to do spring compost application.

Biomass Mulches are

another good way to add

organic matter to soils.

Mulch is often applied for a

primary purpose of weed

suppression, but in the long

term this is also a great way

to build soil quality!

Straw mulch

(above) and

shredded leaf

mulch (left) are

used to protect

garlic through the

winter, and then

discourage weed

growth. This soil

will also have

increased OM!

Hay can also be used as a mulch, but beware of possible weed seed

Sometimes we cut rye straw from our fields for using as

mulch later, but usually we purchase this biomass in due to

our limited land base.

Mulching is a lot of work and expense, but

when factored for weed management and

soil fertility it can be worth it for some crops.

Fertility Inputs

From the bag:

Bagged organic fertilizers can provide the

added boost that crops need in order to grow

well.

Adding N – P – K and other nutrients from a bag.

Soils often need additions of nutrients above and

beyond those that can be provided by cover

crops and compost additions alone. This is true

particularly for soils that have not been well

managed in the past, for soils that are sandy, and

for situations with intensive cropping rotations.Nutrient Cycling

Sources of plant nutrients in the soil. Mineral nutrients are obtained by plants through root uptake from the soil solution. Sources of

these soluble nutrients in the soil include:

1) weathering of soil minerals, 2) decomposition of plant residues, animal remains, and soil microorganisms, 3) application of

fertilizers and liming materials, 4) application of manures, composts, biosolids (sewage sludge) and other organic amendments, 5) N-

fixation by legumes, 6) ground rock powders or dusts including greensand, basalt, and rock phosphate, 7) inorganic industrial

byproducts, 8) atmospheric deposition, such as N and S from acid rain or N-fixation by lightning discharges, and 9) deposition of

nutrient-rich sediment from erosion and flooding.

Losses of plant nutrients from the soil. Mineral nutrients also can be lost from the soil system and become unavailable for plant

uptake. Nutrient losses are not only costly and wasteful, but they can be a source of environmental contamination when they reach

lakes, rivers, and groundwater. Nutrient losses occur through: 1) Runoff - loss of dissolved nutrients in water moving across the soil

surface, 2) Erosion - loss of nutrients in or attached to soil particles that are removed from fields by wind or water movement, 3)

Leaching - loss of dissolved nutrients in water that moves down through the soil to groundwater or out of the field through drain lines,

4) Gaseous losses to the atmosphere - primarily losses of different N forms through volatilization and denitrification, and 5) Crop

removal - plant uptake and removal of nutrients from the field in harvested products.

I feel that it is important and appropriate for farmers and gardeners to strive as

much as possible for closed loop systems that retain and recycle nutrients

within the soils, farm and landscape levels. Nevertheless, compared to more

extensive agronomic crop systems, gardens and vegetable fields are typically

so intensive in nature that the idealistic goal of complete nutrient cycling is

rarely feasible. In most cases some additions of bagged nutrients are

necessary to achieve adequate soil fertility and crop growth.

The organic philosophy is

to add these nutrients in

the most basic

unprocessed form

possible, and then let the

biologically active soil

release the nutrients and

make them available slowly

as the plants need them.

Chemical fertilizers are

often much more soluble

causing plants to overdose

and grow to rapidly and

succulently.

Nitrogen- (N) this nutrient exists in the soil in a fairly soluble form, so it is subject to

leaching and volitization. Most plants need quite a bit of N in order to grow well.

Recommended organic sources include:

-Grow leguminous cover crops! These plants, in conjunction with the symbiotic bacteria

who live in their roots, can fix N from the air into the soil. This means that they convert N2

from the atmosphere into plant available forms in the soil. Legumes such as Hairy Vetch,

Clovers and Alfalfa can fix over 100LBs of N per acre!

bagged organic N sources are

expensive:

-Blood Meal 12-0-0

-Legume Meals (alfalfa, soybean,

etc. but watch out for GMO)

-Dehydrated manures (chicken)

-Chilean Nitrate -this is a naturally

occurring mined source of N.

Although it is naturally occurring,

its use is strictly regulated for

organic production due to its very

soluble nature (it acts like a

chemical N fertilizer) I don’t

recommend it except in special

circumstances.

Phosphorous: (P)

Often the most expensive nutrient to obtain in an organic

form. Many agricultural soils with a history of chemical crop

production have an excess of P in reserves, but for soils that

don’t P will likely need to be added.

-Manures and Compost made from manures tend to have lots

of P.

-Bone Meal is the most available form of organic P. (1-11-0)

Bon Char also is a good source of P.

-Ground Rock or Colloidal Phosphate contains at analyses of

0-2-0 in available P. Additionally this rock dust contains up to

30% phosphorous, but most is not immediately available and

must be worked on by a biologically active soil in order to

become available to plants over the years. Applications of

Rock phosphate are a long term investment in the soil!

Potassium (K)

Organic Forms of K include:

-Sol Po Mag – this is a mined material with about 22% K. Also

contains 11% Mg, so only use in situations that also need Mg.

-Potassium Sulfate- (0-0-50) –must use from a mined source.

-Wood Ashes- these can contain up to 5% K. Wood ashes

also contain a small amount of P plus bits of trace minerals.

Quite soluble, so apply carefully to avoid burning plants at

max of 5 Lbs per 100 square feet. Once per year several

weeks in advance of planting.) These also have a liming

affect.

- Manures and Compost also contain K.

Using Animals to help cycle

nutrients:

At Red Fire Farm we now have a flock of about 400 laying hens that rotate

weekly on pasture. The pasture is usually cover crops of legumes and clovers.

Although this flock is not large enough to impact the fertility needs of our entire

acreage, they do make a positive impact on the fields where they are rotated.

In the future we intend

to add more poultry and

possibly other livestock

into the farm rotation,

but only if they pay their

way in terms of

profitability.

Healthy Soil =

Healthy Crops!

Summery: To achieve healthy soil:

-Add lots of biomass amendments (compost, cover crops, mulches.)

-Add lime and gypsum to raise the pH, Calcium and Magnesium levels to those

recommended for the crop. (For most crops a pH of 6.5-7 is ideal)

-Raise the P and K levels by doing bulk applications of fertilizers once or less per

year.

-Conserve soil structure and nutrient loss by minimizing tillage and doing it as

gently as possible.

-Provide supplemental bagged organic fertilizers in the planting bed just prior to

planting a crop. Incorporate rather than band the fertilizer for the best biological

activity.

-Make all input additions based on a regular soil testing program!

Ryan Voiland

Red Fire Farm

7 Carver St.

Granby, MA 01033

[email protected]

www.redfirefarm.com

413-467-SOIL

Documents

Soil Fertility and Management at Red Fire Farm Granby, MA · • Soil tests are used to determine Lime applications and other bulk amendment decisions. • Soil tests also show trends