ATTRA

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Instead of throwing garden refuse away or composting it, one could instead chop it up and drop it as mulch back into the garden. Mulberry ( Morus sp.) is also highly useful for this system of “cut and carry” but does not fix nitrogen like its leguminous counterparts. Mulberry, however, grows like a weed and is highly nutritious.

Rural Development 85

Rural Development Manure Compost Pasture 85

Civil Eats

OCTOBER 2, 2024

In rural Mariposa County, where many large, historic ranches have been replaced by smaller residential parcels that can easily get overgrown, Happy Goat provides help. Happy Goat also helps recycle food waste from local school cafeterias, using it to create compost for small school gardens and its farm.

Acre 145

Acre Farming Farming Compost 145

ATTRA

APRIL 30, 2024

The liquid portion of the digestate is staged to be used as a nutrient source for the farm’s crop fields and compost piles. In addition, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is a grant program administered through USDA’s Rural Development office. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

Farming 52

Farming Farming Manure Ruralism 52

ATTRA

JANUARY 2, 2024

Salts from added compost, manure, or fertilizers can build up in the rain-free environment of a tunnel and accumulate near the soil surface, affecting crop growth. If compost is used as a soil amendment, using vegetation-based compost instead of composted animal manure can reduce the possibility of salt build-up in the soil.

Compost 52

Compost Fertilizer Crop Cash Crop 52

ATTRA

MARCH 12, 2024

farmers, we take pride in growing produce that feeds diverse cuisines, and it’s rewarding to see previously composted plant matter being sold and consumed. Although cutting leaves may slow fruit production, it’s often a necessary part of plant pruning. Other leaves from these vegetables are edible but will not taste very good.

Cash Crop 75

Cash Crop Crop Harvesting Harvester 75

ATTRA

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

But it’s generated some pretty negative outcomes, including widespread degradation of land, water, and ecosystems, leaving rural communities gutted and left to the tumbleweeds. I sit on the garden porch and reflect on the various practices I have incorporated here. Diversity of food crops and flowering annuals. Legume and grass covers.

Crop 52

Crop Farming Farming Crop Rotation 52

ATTRA

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

I remove debris with a rake, use a wheel hoe or a push tiller set at a shallow depth, or add an inch of compost. I need this textural perfection for the seeding tools made for freshly tilled and shaped beds. How do I make that happen? Then I add a broadfork to break up the tiller pan for deeper roots. Ready to start planting?

Seeding 52

Seeding Crop Harvesting Harvester 52

ATTRA

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Importantly, compost cannot be used as a growing medium for microgreens due to the high risk of foodborne illness and contamination. Microgreens, grown in soil or a similar medium, are generally less susceptible to contamination if proper practices are followed, though they still require washing before consumption. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

Crop 74

Crop Harvesting Harvester Harvest 74

ATTRA

AUGUST 15, 2023

On the Mad Farm, this is enacted through compost and especially the cover crops that occupy space on the gardens each season. There is a hope here that feeds the soul, as the good fruits of the garden feed the body. It speaks to what I have come to see as fundamental to all human and non-human well-being… namely, the law of return.

Manure 52

Manure Fertilizer Crop Carryover 52

Food Tank

DECEMBER 10, 2023

Start composting: via NRDC : Food waste in the U.S. Composting helps to fight this waste while also restoring soil health and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Climate-resilient rural communities. emits greenhouse gas equal to that of 50 million gas-powered cars. Read more HERE.

Food 59

Food Finance Agriculture Agriculture 59

ATTRA

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

A perennial plant might require more quality compost added to the soil to help swing the balance of soil microbes to a more favorable fungus content. The answer to whether a crop is an annual or a perennial can be a clue to the ecological succession stage the soil needs to be in for ideal production.

Agroecology 40

Agroecology Crop Ecology Processing 40

Food Tank

DECEMBER 24, 2024

Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) , Asia AFA empowers small-scale farmers, fishers, Indigenous peoples, and rural communities across Asia through advocacy, capacity building, and knowledge sharing. There is no life limit on healthy soil, says farmer Gerardo Martinez, CEO of GALA.

Food 139

Food Agriculture Agriculture Ruralism 139

ATTRA

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

I see myriad varieties of vegetable crops one after the other in planned succession–seedlings and vegetative and fruiting–and I can smell the musty earthiness of the compost pile in the center of the field plots. Voices of farm workers, young people in shorts and muck boots and wide brimmed straw hats drift across the fields. What’s missing?

Farming 40

Farming Farming Meadow Compost 40

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Other posts explore how the next farm bill can tackle issues in regional market development, crop insurance access, and more. In comparison to the enormous opportunity that sustainable and organic agriculture represents for farmers and rural communities, federal investment in related research, education, and extension has been minuscule.

Farming 110

Farming Farming Agriculture Agriculture 110