Farming

I really enjoy surfing the web and seeing what other people are talking about when it comes to sustainable living and homesteading.  I'm striving to be more self-sufficient, but I know I'll never be 100%.  I'm ok with that. I've been spoiled with conveniences that I don't really wish to give up.  I guess if push came to shove and I had to give certain things up, I'd adapt, but I'd rather not.  That's probably not the best attitude, but that's where I am at this point in my life.

One thing I am having a hard time understanding in the homesteading community is their idea of Big Ag.  What do you consider Big Ag?  Do you consider anything over a couple hundred acres to be too big and a corporate farm?  My thought may completely differ from yours on this.

I grew up on a family farm.  I am the 5th generation to be trying my hand at farming.  My husband and I only own 48 acres.  Around our area, that is not even a farm.  It's a patch of land that you play with.  We have 16 acres that is crop ground, 22 acres that is pasture/hay ground and the rest is the homestead.  Definitely not enough to live off of.  My parents farm the land my Great-Great Grandparents first homesteaded.  My mom jokes that the reason we are where we are is that this is where the wagon wheel fell off.  It's an area of red dirt clay with thin topsoil.  We get envious of black dirt farmers! :)

Over the years my parents have acquired more land, either through buying it or renting it.  They now farm 3000+ acres of crop ground and pasture.  Is that considered Big Ag to some?  Maybe, but to me, it's not.  It's still a family farm.  It supports my parents and pays the bills.  It allows them a few nice things, but don't they deserve it after years of struggling to pay bills, raising three kids and caring for aging parents that are now gone?  They have had to sacrifice many things during the lean years, just like a lot of the other farmers in this great nation.

They employ 1 hired hand and throughout the summer some friends come out to help out during harvest.  Both my brothers and I were the farm hands when we were still young and living at home.  I learned a lot over those summers.

My dad has worked very hard learning the tricks of the trade and trying to farm more responsibly.  He has even abandoned the conventional thought of turning over the soil each season.  He is now a no-till farmer and has had huge successes with it.  He's been featured in a farm magazine for this way of farming.  (Sorry, can't think of the magazine name at this moment.)

No-till farming is a way of farming that leaves the residue of the previous crop in the field-stubble, stalks, dropped grain, chaff, etc.  This residue sits on top of the soil instead of being turned under.  That helps nutrients stay put in the soil and not be moved around constantly.  It encourages good bacteria to do their job and break down the leftover material.  It also promotes earthworms to stay in the field and aerate the soil.  When a farmer tills the soil it disrupts their environment and they leave.  If there are not worms in the soil, there are no worm tunnels and water can not filter through quickly.   Our little 16 acres is a prime example of this practice.  When we moved onto our land, the previous farmer plowed after each crop.  There were huge ridges of soil along the edges of the field and where he would make his turns and a very large drowned out spot where water would collect, but couldn't drain.  We spent some time working the ground that first year to try and even out things. When you no-till, you may still have to use a chisel or disc to work up small areas that get ruts from harvest, but it's not the whole field each year, just spots.

 After about 4 years of crops (and a few crop wanna be's) we are finally seeing progress.  We've had some pretty big rains that would flood the front yard, but once things drained into the ditch and could drain through the soil, the drowned spots were much smaller.  The residue left on the field each year after the harvest acts as a natural mulch too, keeping the soil much cooler and keeping moisture where it belongs.  The soil also stays put better with no-till farming.  When you till the ground and it gets wet, it likes to create a crust that seals and will not let water penetrate.  This then causes the water to wash over the soil and carry it away to the ditch.  Well, there just went that little bit of topsoil that you started with and also any nutrients that might be beneficial for a new crop.  Wind is not able to pick up as much of the loose soil either, because it's covered.

Now, here comes the part that most self-sufficient homesteaders will cringe about.  We do use chemicals to control weeds and fertilizers to help promote healthy plants.  We use much less of both now that no-till is being used.  The residue that is in the field acts as a mulch to keep fewer weeds from growing.  There are still some that come up, but less herbicide is used to kill them off.  When you are trying to control weeds on a 160 acre field, you just can't go through and hand pick them.  The farmer would never have a crop if that were the case. Some people paint a picture that the plants are drenched with chemical.  When I hear that, my mind shows me a picture of a plant, standing there and the liquid is pouring down it, dripping off the leaves.  It's practically the opposite.  The chemical is mixed with water and a fine mist is sprayed.  Very little chemical is actually being used.  The tanks on the sprayers are huge and most of that is occupied by water.  I don't have application rates, as each one will differ.

I'm not a professional at any of this.  My dad is the one that does this for a living.  He's been around this for years and has not had many health issues.  He's going to be 69 years old this year and is one of the healthiest men I know.  He has had his share of colds, flu, and other inconvenient illnesses and injuries, but nothing serious.   I feel blaming agriculture for everyone's cancer, reproductive issues, learning disabilities and other health problems is wrong.  I've seen extremely health conscience people get sick with cancer.  It's not fair to make one group out to be the cause.  We all need to help keep our earth clean and be better stewards of the land.  Ask a farmer and they will tell you that the land is what keeps them in business.  If they destroy it, they will destroy their livelihood.  That's not what they are trying to do.

This is my opinion on farming.  If you don't agree with it, that's fine.
I respect your opinion.  Please respect mine.