Clover be good to me!

I'm trying to be cool and plant a living mulch of clover-fix'n-nitrogen-till'n-in-that-organic-matter-lov'n-saweeetness.

Here's a pic.

Potatoes popp'n on that raised bed - clover on the sides.

The Beargeon Family Invades my farm!

Fun times at the Bailey spread


Alysha on the slack line. Nick beating the crap out of stuff with a stick >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And here is Nathaniel cleaning up after Nick's demolition. Alysha still slack'n.

Conservation Farming

This is way cool:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6100808389636332009

Help!!! Phosphorus...how do you work?

Ok, I need help. Someone explain to me what this all means:
http://books.google.com/books?id=zHIhWM5R9LcC&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=organic+phosphorus,+grow&source=bl&ots=KOE95O4qJf&sig=hCVb9pZXGOVasndbUFhzY0FQajM&hl=en&ei=L1EoSse0KZKHmQe7rICHCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9

...and how micro organisms/plants/animals make it naturally in a way that we can rotate organic agriculture crops and CREATE IT. So we don't have to keep hauling it in from outside conventional sources.

And, so we don't go take over Moracco someday: Read this: http://johnwphipps.blogspot.com/2009/06/another-alarm-sounding.html

And I begin to learn about organics

Two pics to the right show an 8850 John Deer pulling a deal that sucks "product" out of a tank and drops it on the ground. In my case I am planting alfalfa. This is one step in an attempt at 50 acres of organics. The first step is to fix some Nitrogen with a vigorous weed competing warrior (alfalfa). This little plant will hopefully be the replacement of both fertilizer and chemical.

Thanks to my dad and uncles, I have a bit of land and a bit of equipment to attempt such an endeavor. (a lot of bits of advice are also appreciated)

Here are some other pics from the operation:
to the left i'm rolling the ground. Alfalfa likes a firm seed bed and swathers appreciate squashed (nonexistent) rocks.


To the right is the "John Dee" with plow in tow. Our conventional practice allows us to use Round up and save our stubble (organic matter). I have fallen head over heals in love with OM so it hurt me deep to plow it under. I hope fixing my own N and building the soil in an organic rotation will mend that pain.

ATTRA link about benefits of alfalfa in organics:
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/alfalfa.html
Montana Organics link:
http://agr.mt.gov/organic/Program.asp

Remembering Guatemala

My Guatemala experience set the pace for many of my brain waves from theology to how I see the intricate relationship of all life forms, and therefore my love and increasing infatuation with agriculture and ecosystems. I stumbled across this article about our trip recently.

http://www.cas.umt.edu/casweb/detailArticle.cfm?ID=73

The ELCA Lutheran Church sent a nationwide delegation to Nicaragua earlier this year. They explored the relationship between poverty and climate change.

More here: http://gfallsyouth.wordpress.com/

the spring green at the farm ::: sheep & barn, sky & grass

Year 2 begins. Rais'n some beds.

The Garden Begins! In this photo we have Gus at the tiller, Kathy (Jamye's mom) at the shovel, Jamye and Nick in the back of the truck, Alysha pulling manure out into the wheel barrel, and I think the leg sticking out in the back may be Roger.

"Reducing global warming begins with the food we eat"

The Gardening season quickly approaches. We begin our second round of Community Gardening in Great Falls, mt. The picture to the right is our garden last year.

Get yer green socially conscious thumbs all shiny! This crew will fuel our food producing/eating selves with a tad'a AWARENESS:

"Reducing global warming begins with the food we eat. The Cool Foods Campaign educates the public about how food choices can affect global warming and empowers them with the resources to reduce this impact. Join our “Cool Foods” Campaign and help take a bite out of global warming by changing the way you eat."

Go here >>>> http://coolfoodscampaign.org/

GARDEN PLAN GUIDE ~
Go here >>>> http://coolfoodscampaign.org/your-tools/garden-guide/

COMPANION PLANTING ~
Go here >>>> http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-108,00.html

SEED COMPANY ~
Go here >>>> http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

CHICKEN TRACTORS ~
Go here >>>> http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html