Why do some Farm Fields Look Messy after Harvest?

Jan 23, 2019

Some farm fields this time of year look messier than others. The January 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains what drives a grower’s decision when it comes to managing their fields in the winter.

“Some farmers will leave the field as-is over the winter and plant right over it in the spring,” writes blogger Timothy Durham, Ferrum College. “In their view, the residue is beneficial. Others will remove and repurpose as much of the organic ‘litter’ as possible—it’s seen as an obstacle in the field.“

Durham lays out a grower’s options:

Use the non-grain part of the crop—the stalk, leaves, etc.—to use in biofuels like ethanol or as grazing for livestock.
Plow and bury the residue. “These tillage systems ensure the residues will slowly decompose and release nutrients. It also keeps the field clean for planting next season.”
Adopt a no-till system. This has the advantage of keeping valuable carbon from the plants in the soil. “This provides a number of benefits like better nutrient/water retention and soil structure. Carbon glues soil particles together—think about cooking without a binding agent like eggs. It also supports a diverse ecosystem of underground critters, many of which recycle nutrients and troll disease-causing organisms.”

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Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.