Field Renovation...the Regenerative Way

It’s been too long since my last blog update. The season has been busy and productive for us; Facebook and Instagram have been easy ways to post pictures of our day-to-day activities. But not a great way for an in-depth explanation.

For those of you who have been following our farm journey, you know our commitment to better-than-organic practices honors our cows, environment, and community. It’s never the easy answer but very worthwhile for us and future farming generations.

Several years ago, our pastures were crowded out by false dandelions. This is an example of the false dandelion…..maybe this looks familiar to you….

False Dandelion

Our perennial grass (tall fescue) was not able to establish fast enough to crowd out the false dandelion. This is an easy fix for conventional farming….just spray some broadleaf weed killer to eradicate the existing weeds and apply a pre-emergent in the fall to prevent new weeds from germinating. Supposedly fixed in a single season. Thanks but NO THANKS!

The following year, I tried no-till drilling more grasses and legumes. Sadly, the crop failed and was choked out by the false dandelion.

The next year (Year #2), I did a light disc at a depth of 2 inches to disrupt the false dandelion. I planted aggressive annual rye and clover which makes good feed for our cattle and could crowd out the false dandelion. The results were very good with about 80% control.

This year (Year #3), I did a light disc again and planted annual rye, orchard grass, red clover, chicory, and boston plantain. The hope is that the orchard grass will thrive with the crowding and establish over time. I’m excited that we have good germination and that the existing chicory was saved. Here’s a progress picture….

Fall 2019

Better-than-organic farming requires creativity, work, and patience over multiple years. There are no easy fixes, but I’m excited to see improved soil health by abundant earthworms in the soil. I’m looking forward to healthy and productive pastures into 2020!

Happy farming, Rich.