Fall is a busy planting time on the farm. We seeded about sixty acres using a no till drill. No till drills do not require the farmer to till the soil in order to plant. The machine cuts a small row in the soil using a disk and drops seed in the row, it then covers the seed all in one pass. We save time and money being able to accomplish planting in one pass in the fields, rather than multiple steps like tillage, planting, fertilizing etc. No till is not new, but it is becoming more popular as farmers embrace the benefits of minimal soil disturbance.
We start by beating up the pasture we are going to plant into. We either have the bison graze the rye grass down to stubble, or run pigs out on the field. We typically wait about two years after taking the pasture out of annual rye before we plant. We then try to outcompete the annual rye using a diverse perennial pasture mix before the weeds move in. This pasture was planted with White Clover, Balansa Clover, Mihi Persian, Antler Chicory, Boston Plantain, Brutus Tall Fescue, Sheild Mustard, Bayou Kale & Festulolium.
We avoid tillage and use a no till drill in order to minimize soil disturbance. The soil is teeming with life, a teaspoon of soil if full of mycorrhiza, fungai, bacteria and bugs. These systems keep our soil healthy, digest nutrients and by products, transmit information through root systems, and a million other functions. When we avoid tillage we keep these delicate systems intact. It is important to keep a layer of rooted plants, like grass, on the surface to protect these systems. Bare tilled soil allows moisture to escape, increases the underground temperature, can compactthe ground contributing to water run off and erosion. Allowing the soil systems to stay intact, keeping it covered with roots in the ground, and planting a diverse mixture of plants will ultimately make our farm more productive and create higher density of forage for the animals.
