Biological Farming Jumpstarts Soil
Published: Friday, March 29, 2019
Biological farming is a systems approach based on feeding soil life, balancing soil minerals and tilling with a purpose. Gary Zimmer, Midwestern BioAg, often known as the father of biological agriculture, told more than 150 attendees at Van Buren Conservation District's Farming for the Future Conference, that in order to stimulate biology within soil, the soil life must be fed much like the microbial bacteria in the cow's gut.
Zimmer holds a master's degree in dairy nutrition from the University of Hawaii. Making the connection between feeding soil microbes and gut bacteria in the cow was only a small jump in logic. Zimmer authored books including "The Biological Farmer" and is an internationally known speaker and consultant who farms 1,000 acres and has a smaller dairy farm, all of which are certified organic.
"Soil health and fertility are farm more than N, P and K," Zimmer said. "There are more than two minerals known to be needed for crop health and growth."
Soluble available calcium is essential, especially for the organic farmer; there is also a sufficiency of minerals, and excess is either wasted or can act against a system.
Soil health is the capacity of the soil to function without intervention, but minerals are almost always a missing component in most soils.
"Calcium is king to biological farming," Zimmer said.
The composted fertilizers he produces on his farm regularly receive calcium amendments that eventually find its way to a growing crop.
"Change your mineral, change your soil," he added.
Mineralization is key to attaining and keeping a profitable and healthy biological farming system Zimmer says. Achieving highest quality and yield results is a result of reaching correct calcium, phosphorus, boron and magnesium levels for both the crop and soil type.
Zimmer cites six basic rules of biological farming.
1. Test and balance soils; in addition, feed the crop a balanced supplemented diet.
2. Use fertilizers which do the least damage to soil life and plant roots using a balance of nutrients with a balanced amount of slow release and controlled pH. Used homogenized micronutrients, add carbon and place them properly to enhance plant and root performance.
3. Use nitrogen, pesticides and herbicides minimally and when absolutely necessary
4. Create maximum plant diversity with cover crops and green manures.
5. Use tillage to control decay of organic materials, soil and water. Zone tillage, shallow incorporation of residual and occasional deep tillage is all part of a biological system.
6. Feed the soil using carbon from compost, green manures, livestock manures and crop residue. Apply calcium from a reliable source.
"It is always about a system in biological farming," Zimmer said. "Not doing anything and saying you are organic is not a system"
What does it take to rebuild and start fixing dead soil? Zimmer says to do anything, do something, but only in the top 2 inches of soil, leaving the rest of the soil profile undisturbed.
Common sense, rotational grazing is a good start in building organic matter. Incorporating compost into the soil and keeping the soil covered year-round between a cash crop, green manure and cover crop are basic starting points. Contrary to what some people believe, keeping a crop growing on soil year-round does not wear out the soil, but rather feeds the biological life teeming within the soil.
Zimmer says to study a systems approach to biological farming whether it is conventional or organic farming approach. Remove the negatives from personal thought processes and the unsolicited neighborly advice. Balance calcium, sulfur and born field to field, and if possible based on GPS based yield monitor data for cost and use efficiency. Finally, feed the carbon-based biology based on its needs for the crop and yield potential.
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