George Kuepper Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Putting Your

System Together

This publication outlines the origins of organic agriculture. It highlights the concepts, ideas, and milestones that define it as a distinct and sustainable approach to farming that involves more than simply precluding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. 23 pages. Copies can be downloaded free-of-charge at: http://www.kerrcenter.com/publications/organic-philosophy-report.pdf Print copies can be requested from: The Kerr Center for Sustainable

Agriculture P.O. Box 588

Poteau, OK 74953 Tel: 918-647-9123

A Production System that… respond(s) to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. §205.2

A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole.

from: Answers.com

HEALTHY SOIL

HEALTHY FOOD

HEALTHY PEOPLE

HEALTHY SOCIETY

Convertible Husbandry (America Mid-1800s)

Biodynamics

Sustainable Practices from the Asian

Continent

Humus Farming

Organic Farming

Countercultural Influences Environmental Consciousness

Organic By Neglect

Organic Certification

& Industry

Standards

Demeter Certified

Production

Eco-Agriculture Integrated

Production, etc.

USDA National Standard

Certified Organic

Production

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2006

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Evolution Of and the Influences On American Organic Farming

R. Steiner & Anthroposophy

J.I. Rodale

A. Howard

Wm. Albrecht

L. Bromfield E. Pfeiffer

E. Balfour

F.H. King OFPANA/ OTA

OFPA

Agroecology & Permaculture

Silent Spring USDA’s Organic Report

NOP Standard

Implemented

Pio

ne

ers

O

rga

niz

ati

on

s E

ven

ts

High Farming (Europe 1800s)

— An Old Saying among Organic Farmers

Organic Soil Management

2005 National Center for Appropriate Technology

The Soil Food Web

2005 National Center for Appropriate Technology

What the Food Web Needs

Air Water

Nutrient Elements

Organic Matter

Sunlight

Organic Soil Management

Feeding the Soil Food Web means providing organic matter as food. In organic farming, this has been called the Law of Return— returning mineral- rich organic material to the soil.

11

2005 National Center for Appropriate Technology

Plant

Roots

Soluble Minerals

Organic Compounds

Other “phytamins”

Plant Nutrition Under Natural Conditions

Parent

Rock

Material

Digestive

processes and

nutrient recycling

in the

Rhizosphere:

The Soil Food Web

Source of plant

nutrition:

- plant residues

- animal remains

- animal wastes

12

2005 National Center for Appropriate Technology

Plant

Roots

Soluble Minerals

Organic Compounds

Other Benefits

Parent

Rock

Material

Conventional Management

Organic Matter

as Crop

Residues

Digestive

processes and

nutrient recycling

in the

Rhizosphere:

The Soil Food Web

Conventional

Soluble

Fertilizers

ζ

ζ

ζ

13

2005 National Center for Appropriate Technology

Plant

Roots

Soluble Minerals

Organic Compounds

Other Benefits

Parent

Rock

Material

Digestive processes and nutrient

recycling in the

Rhizosphere: The Soil Food Web

Humus Farming/Organic Management Organic Materials

and Methods: Composts

Crop Residues

Green Manures

Livestock Manures

Natural Fertilizers

Biological Inoculants

Rotations w/ sod crops

Self-Generated Fertility •Fixes nitrogen •Releases bound nutrients •Makes nutrients available •Air/water balance

Suppresses Disease •Natural antibiotics •Nematode predation •Aeration/Drainage •Induced resistance in crops

Weed Suppression •Less weed stimulation •Weed seed predation •Easier cultivation

Pest Insects Reduced •More predators & parasites •Natural insect disease agents •Induced resistance in crops

Organic Farmers claim:

Organic Crops Resist Pests

Do organically-grown plants develop induced resistance to diseases and insect pests?

Organic Crops Resist Pests

•Predisposition theory •Insect pests as nature’s garbage men •Organic as plant-positive vs. pest- negative approach

Organic Crops Resist Pests

Mycorrhizal Associations as an element in stress reduction and induced resistance

Root from sorghum with vesicles ("little sacs") of the mycorrhizal fungus called Gigaspora rosea.

http://microbezoo.commtechlab.msu.edu/zoo/zdrm0194.html

CANNON HORTICULTURE PROJECT

69

1 ft

K

er

r R

oa

d

Greenhouse

Herb Bed Block Bed

N

Field A-1 .58 a

Field A-2 .58 a

Field A-3 .58 a

Field A-4 .58 a

Field U .35 a

Denotes Hydrants/Irrigation access

Kerr Center’s Cannon Horticulture Plots

2011 Boundaries & Dimensions Total area: 6.67 acres

Dimensions: Greenhouse: 22’ x 30’ Herb Bed: 10’ x 32’ Block Bed: 5’ x 38’ Fields A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4: 90’ x 282’ Field U: 56’ x 308’

Buffering: All fields and beds have 25 feet of organically managed buffer. The Greenhouse has 15 feet of organically managed buffer on the NW side. However, no doors or air intakes occur on that side.

A

B

C

D

= approx. 50 ft

Heritage Vegetable Trials (Okra & Sweet Sorghum in 2008 shown)

Copies can be downloaded free-of-

charge at: http://www.kerrcenter.com/publications/summer-

cover-crops.pdf

Print copies can be requested from:

The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture

P.O. Box 588 Poteau, OK 74953 Tel: 918-647-9123

1. Crop Rotation (the sequencing of crops over time on a field)

2. The inclusion of cover crops and/or perennial forage crops within a crop rotation

Kerr Center’s Cannon Horticulture Plots A-1

Example of how a tomato crop might

be rotated A-2

A-3

A-4

A-2

A-3

A-4

A-1

2008 Tomatoes 2009 * 2010 * 2011 * 2012 Tomatoes

2008 * 2009 Tomatoes 2010 * 2011 * 2012 *

2008 * 2009 * 2010 Tomatoes 2011 * 2012 *

2008 * 2009 * 2010 * 2011 Tomatoes 2012 *

Cover crops are plants you grow or allow to grow, not for harvest, but for purposes such as preventing erosion, improving the soil, and weed control.

Can be categorized by season—winter & summer

Kerr Center’s Cannon Horticulture Plots A-1

Winter Season: What you’d find

In the fields.

A-2

A-3

A-4

2008 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2009 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2010 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2011 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2012 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch

2008 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2009 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2010 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2011 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2012 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch

2008 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2009 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2010 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2011 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2012 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch

2008 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2009 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2010 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch 2011 Rye w/peas, clover or vetch *

Fall-seeded winter cover crops

Winter Cover Crop

2013

Tomatoes

Winter cover Crop

2012 Tomatoes

This is NOT what we mean by rotation!

Kerr Center’s Cannon Horticulture Plots 2011: Early Vegetables

2012: Summer Cover Crop 2013: Late Vegetables 2014: Summer Cover Crop

2011: Summer Cover Crop 2012: Early Vegetables 2013: Summer Cover Crop 2014: Late vegetables

2011: Late Vegetables 2012: Summer Cover Crop 2013: Early Vegetables 2014: Summer Cover Crop

2011: Summer Cover Crop 2012: Late Vegetables 2013: Summer Cover Crop 2014: Early vegetables

A-1

Crops and Cover Crops DURING THE GROWING

SEASON 2011-2014 A-2

A-3

A-4

Summer

Cover

Crop

Early

Vegetables

Summer

Cover

Crop

Late

Vegetables

One in which a significant percentage of the land is planted to season-long cover crops each year.

INSECT & DISEASE CONTROL

Clubroot, fusarium yellows, blackleg, & black rot in cole crops

Black rot in pumpkins Northern & Western Corn

Rootworm in sweetcorn, popcorn and decorative corn

Root rots in beans & peas Gummy stem blight in

cucurbits Photo: Gummy Stem Blight

Early blight in solanaceous crops—2 years Black rot in cucurbits—2+ years Blackleg in brassicas—3-to-4 years Fusarium wilt in peas—4-to-5 years Clubroot in brassicas—7 years White rot on alliums—20 years

Brassicas: cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts

Cucurbits: melons, squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers, gourds

Legumes: English peas, southern peas, peanuts, beans, faba beans, soybeans

Alliums: onions, garlic, chives

Solanaceous: tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatillo

Umbels: carrots, dill, fennel, parsley, celery,

Composites: sunflower, lettuce, artichoke, jerusalem artichoke

Grasses: popcorn, sweetcorn, sorghum

WEED CONTROL

Changes in timing of cultivation and mowing

“Cleaning crops” Some crop plants

are naturally more competitive with weeds

November 1, 2007

Bermudagrass

Bermudagrass Strengths

Perennial

Summer season

Drought tolerant

Encouraged by mowing

Many means for

propagation and spreading

Weaknesses

Winter tillage

Shade

Cover crops grown for the purpose of out-competing and controlling weeds.

← Crotalaria

Pearl Millet→

← Buckwheat

Southern Peas→

Field A-1: Sorghum-

Sudangrass

Seth Stallings Student Intern 2010

SOIL FERTILITY

Green Manures build/recycle organic matter

Legume crops &

cover crops fix nitrogen

Green manures are cover crops grown primarily to improve the soil by adding organic matter and nitrogen (in the case of legumes), and making nutrients more available

Summer green manure crops include annual sorghums, millets, buckwheat, soybeans, southern peas, sesbania, crotalaria, sweetclover

Nitrogen is the most limiting crop nutrient in most crop and garden soils.

Legumes include: English peas, southern peas, peanuts, beans, faba beans, soybeans, also clovers, sweet clovers, alfalfa, vetch, and lespedeza.

#1 As a winter cover crop when you can’t grow most vegetables.

#2 As an option for a green fallow planting.

Cowpeas Green fallow

Early

Vegetables

Soybeans Green Fallow

Late

Vegetables Sweetcorn

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant

Sweet potatoes

Peas, Beans,

edamame soybeans

#3 In rotation with other vegetables

Buckwheat and southern peas are exceptionally good for beneficial insect habitats.

Beneficials include pollinators, predatory and parasitic insects, predatory mites and spiders.

Prey upon, or parasitize, pest

insects

Domestic or wild

Provides for soil fertility, especially nitrogen Suppresses many crop diseases Thwarts many insect pests Reduces weed pressure Creates a biologically healthy soil which in turn:

Self-generates soil fertility

Suppresses Disease

Reduces insect pests

Suppresses weeds

B i o l o g i c a l l y H e a l t h y S o i l

A S o u n d O r g a n i c S y s t e m R o t a t i o n s — C o v e r C r o p s

C o m p o s t , M a n u r e O r g a n i c C u l t u r a l P r a c t i c e s

O f f - F a r m I n p u t s F e r t i l i z e r s — P e s t i c i d e s

G o o d O r g a n i c

C r o p

B i o l o g i c a l l y H e a l t h y S o i l

A S o u n d O r g a n i c S y s t e m R o t a t i o n s — C o v e r C r o p s

C o m p o s t , M a n u r e O r g a n i c C u l t u r a l P r a c t i c e s

O f f - F a r m I n p u t s F e r t i l i z e r s — P e s t i c i d e s

G o o d O r g a n i c

C r o p

8-Year Rotation Proposed by Eliot Coleman

Described in The New Organic Grower

Summer Squash Cucurbit

Root Crops beets, carrots, etc.

Beans legume

Tomatoes Solanaceous

English Peas + winter-killed

cover crop Legume

Cabbage Family + hardy cover crop

Brassicas

Sweet Corn Graminae

(grass)

Irish Potatoes Solanaceous

B i o l o g i c a l l y H e a l t h y S o i l

A S o u n d O r g a n i c S y s t e m R o t a t i o n s — C o v e r C r o p s

C o m p o s t , M a n u r e O r g a n i c C u l t u r a l P r a c t i c e s

O f f - F a r m I n p u t s F e r t i l i z e r s — P e s t i c i d e s

G o o d O r g a n i c

C r o p

Green Fallow

Vegetables Green Fallow

Vegetables

Kerr’s 4-Year Bio-extensive Rotation

Typically a warm season smother crop of sudangrass

Winter cover crops of grain rye with winter annual Legumes—all plots.

Green Fallow

Vegetables

Green Fallow

Vegetables

Vegetables

Alternate BioextensiveRotation Winter cover crops of grain rye with winter annual Legumes—all plots.

Green Fallow

Vegetables

Vegetables Green Fallow

Vegetables

Vegetables

Alternate Green Fallow Rotation Winter cover crops of grain rye with winter annual Legumes—all plots.

Green Fallow

Vegetables Vegetables

Vegetables

Alternate Green Fallow Rotation Winter cover crops of grain rye with winter annual Legumes—all plots.

INCREASING PERCENT OF LAND IN GREEN FALLOW

INC

RE

AS

ING

NE

ED

FO

R O

FF

-FA

RM

INP

UT

S

Theoretical Relationship Between Green Fallow and Need for Fertilizer and Pest

Control Inputs

Contracted Canning Peas

Contracted Cabbage

U-Pick Pumpkins

Sudangrass Green fallow

Summer Squash

Sweet- potatoes

Green Beans

Tomatoes & Peppers

Southern Peas

Okra

Sweet- corn

280 ft

BFRDP Main Demo Plot 2012 (Field A2) Eight-Field Rotation

← ←

←K

err

Ro

ad →

→ →

Sweetcorn 3 rows Dbl Crop: Squash

2 or 3 rows

Beans Dbl Crop: Greens & radishes

Greens & radishes Dbl Crop: Beans Eggplant & Peppers 1 row

White Potatoes 1 row

Green Fallow Buckwheat Dbl Crop: Proso Millet

Sweet potatoes 1 row Okra 1 Peanuts

Southern Peas Spring-planted Cucumber

Caged Tomatoes 1 row

This is a single long raised bed, 10 ft X 280 ft. Plots shown are about 10 ft X 30 ft. (This allows about 5 ft buffer between plots for turning tillers and other equip around.)

Eng. peas Dbl Crop: Broccoli, Cabbage,

Chinese Cabbage

Green Fallow Buckwheat Dbl Crop: Iron & Clay Cowpeas

Crop Rotation and Cover Cropping on the Organic Farm by Seth Kroeck.

NOFA Organic Principles and Practices Handbook Series. 95 p.

Gaining Ground by Canadian Organic Growers, Inc. 2005.

COG, 323 Chapel St., Ottawa, ON KIN 7Z2. 311 p.

Organic Crop Production Overview by G. Kuepper & L. Gegner. 2004.

http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/organiccrop.html

Crop Rotation on Organic Farms: A Planning Manual (NRAES-177)

by C. L. Mohler & S. E. Johnson. 2009. NRAES/Cornell Cooperative

Extension , Ithaca, NY. 156 p.

Cover Crops on the Intensive Market Farm by John Hendrickson. 2003.

CIAS, University of Wisconsin–Madison. 20 p.

Anne & Eric Nordell, Beech Grove Farm, Trout Run, PA. Look for their column: The Bioextensive Market Garden In The Small Farmers Journal

the international agrarian quarterly

Physical address 192 west Barclay Drive Sisters, Oregon 97759

Phone numbers 800-876-2893 541-549-2064 541-549-4403 fax

agrarian@smallfarmersjournal.com www.smallfarmersjournal.com

Mailing address PO Box 1627 Sisters, Oregon 97759

Contact Information: George Kuepper Kerr Center P.O. Box 588 Poteau, OK 74953 Tel: 918-647-9123 Fax: 918-647-8712 gkuepper@kerrcenter.com