I love how they developed their farm . It just goes to show how land and time intensive it is to grow truly organic. Their rotation/cover crop program means their productivity is 1/5 of the potential of a conventional farm.
@@kevin3434343434 what you mean “passed its carrying capacity’”. We’re all here.? The earth is well equipped to feed all her children. The earth could easily support way way more then this
And, read the book „Dirt“ by David Montgomery to see why we can not keep destroying our soils. Okay „Growing a Revolution“ is his later work writing about the topic, and it is way better to read.
All that time mowing could be saved by grazing animals in a strictly managed way. They would add fertility back to the soil faster as well. Doing a cow/chicken system like Joel Salatin would boost this farm's income big time.
agreed, they could rent it out, make an income, the fields would be fertalized by the cows and chickens, bugs would be taken care of. It's how God designed it!
They are so close to understanding regenerative agriculture you can only wonder why they bother with the bureaucracy of Organic. Biodynamics sure, that's part art. Weeds are the sign that the soil is not fully healthy (they don't survive in rich soil, except in the seed bank). The humus layer (mulch) is *the most important* concern, a farmer doesn't need to see the soil, the soil doesn't need to see them, the sun, the clouds or sky either, it's worm food with rain/sun/wind protection. The Drill (mentioned, 13:33) is the most invasive tool needed. Rotation is old hat (Dr. Elaine Ingham), Potatoes just need to be pushed into the mulch and covered with straw 8-12". Didn't hear of their using compost spays, a powerful technique.
That's a big question! It would increase fertility and organic matter in the soil if managed correctly (but the Helmers don't have any plans to do so in the near future).
I think grazing would be good if they had the time/inclination to add that work to their job. This is something that I think finding a partner to graze their animals on the owners land might work. It is a lot of land to take out of income producing activity.
@@thecurrentmoment if done properly it could increase yield through higher fertility, potentially reducing the amount of time between growing cash crops while providing an additional income stream
They haven't fully solved the wireworm problem, but they are managing it as best they can. By planting mustards and buckwheat before planting potatoes, they are able to minimize the damage caused by the wireworms.
Doing great but there is still room for improvements. Soil carbon is built from living plant root exudates, not cut material left on the surface. That means you could graze your pastures with sheep for example to generate additional income whilst eliminating fuel and machinery costs. Also much more diversity in your cover crop pastures would help rather than just grasses and legumes. Dr Christine Jones has a lot of great tips th-cam.com/video/Sfi8DVaBKU0/w-d-xo.html
Hi, here's a great list of organic insect management resources: www.dal.ca/faculty/agriculture/oacc/en-home/resources/pest-management/insect-management.html
Pests tend to target monocultures, so one way is to diversify plantings, especially species that repel insects. Another is to encourage pest predators like birds and wasps by installing nest boxes, and planting host species. Combining these solutions along with maintaining soil health can decrease pest pressure.
Beautiful, most ethical farmers I have ever heard of ever!!!!
I love how they developed their farm . It just goes to show how land and time intensive it is to grow truly organic. Their rotation/cover crop program means their productivity is 1/5 of the potential of a conventional farm.
Yeah im all for organic but this isnt scalable. The planet is already passed its carrying capacity...we cant find another 5x land.
@@kevin3434343434 what you mean “passed its carrying capacity’”. We’re all here.? The earth is well equipped to feed all her children. The earth could easily support way way more then this
Your accounting doesn't include the externalized costs of conventional farming.
Lmao, this is one example of a farm. Organic itself doesn’t mean anything. Look at Jean-Martin Fortier‘s home farm for example.
And, read the book „Dirt“ by David Montgomery to see why we can not keep destroying our soils. Okay „Growing a Revolution“ is his later work writing about the topic, and it is way better to read.
I love the Helmer's love of the soil.
The secrets in the cover crop that you put down every year. Also rotating your fields is a game changer. Must be a nice piece of property
Great video! Best potatoes around. I love the tine weeder line - "It's more of a pluck-n-fluff than rescue mission." 😂
Amazing 🌱🌱🌱
#SaveSoil #ConsciousPlanet
Beautiful!
just love this organic farm
Great stuff.
I call that the chop and drop method... love your philosophy
All that time mowing could be saved by grazing animals in a strictly managed way. They would add fertility back to the soil faster as well. Doing a cow/chicken system like Joel Salatin would boost this farm's income big time.
agreed, they could rent it out, make an income, the fields would be fertalized by the cows and chickens, bugs would be taken care of. It's how God designed it!
They are so close to understanding regenerative agriculture you can only wonder why they bother with the bureaucracy of Organic. Biodynamics sure, that's part art. Weeds are the sign that the soil is not fully healthy (they don't survive in rich soil, except in the seed bank). The humus layer (mulch) is *the most important* concern, a farmer doesn't need to see the soil, the soil doesn't need to see them, the sun, the clouds or sky either, it's worm food with rain/sun/wind protection. The Drill (mentioned, 13:33) is the most invasive tool needed. Rotation is old hat (Dr. Elaine Ingham), Potatoes just need to be pushed into the mulch and covered with straw 8-12". Didn't hear of their using compost spays, a powerful technique.
Thank you #savesoil #Consciousplanet
love this, its very intresting to see how you do things on a large scale
I wonder what the effects of integrating ruminants would be.
That's a big question! It would increase fertility and organic matter in the soil if managed correctly (but the Helmers don't have any plans to do so in the near future).
I think grazing would be good if they had the time/inclination to add that work to their job. This is something that I think finding a partner to graze their animals on the owners land might work. It is a lot of land to take out of income producing activity.
Probably less carrots and beets
@@thecurrentmoment if done properly it could increase yield through higher fertility, potentially reducing the amount of time between growing cash crops while providing an additional income stream
👏👏👏
Nice video, how did you solve the wireworms problem?
They haven't fully solved the wireworm problem, but they are managing it as best they can. By planting mustards and buckwheat before planting potatoes, they are able to minimize the damage caused by the wireworms.
Doing great but there is still room for improvements. Soil carbon is built from living plant root exudates, not cut material left on the surface. That means you could graze your pastures with sheep for example to generate additional income whilst eliminating fuel and machinery costs. Also much more diversity in your cover crop pastures would help rather than just grasses and legumes. Dr Christine Jones has a lot of great tips th-cam.com/video/Sfi8DVaBKU0/w-d-xo.html
Dr Christine is amazing!
Wouldn't animals make a wonderful difference?
Why 4 years why not 2 or 5 ,how you decide 4 yrs
how can we deal with insect in organic farming
Hi, here's a great list of organic insect management resources: www.dal.ca/faculty/agriculture/oacc/en-home/resources/pest-management/insect-management.html
Pests tend to target monocultures, so one way is to diversify plantings, especially species that repel insects. Another is to encourage pest predators like birds and wasps by installing nest boxes, and planting host species. Combining these solutions along with maintaining soil health can decrease pest pressure.
Needs water because of the tillage