The next thing you may be wondering about how we at Clover Creek grow your local food is how we manage damaging insects and diseases without harmful pesticides and fungicides. The key practice that we follow is called biodiversity. The idea here is that any ecosystem can achieve a stable, dynamic state of balance only when it includes sufficient diversity of microorganisms, plants and animals. In human biology the related concept would be homeostasis, the healthy balance that results from all organs and systems of the body working together. When the ecosystem of the farm is in balance predators and prey are happily eating and being eaten, soil bacteria and fungi are living and dying as organic matter decomposes, and there is peace between the farmer and her husband. The greater the diversity of farm flora and fauna, the greater the capacity for the ecosystem to buffer change and prevent the extremes of runaway insect populations and excessive disease pressure. Sometimes the weather conspires to throw the farm out of balance and we have to as a last resort introduce a control material into the ecosystem. This happens very infrequently because of our biodiversity’s self correcting power. But when pesticides or fungicides are needed we only use one’s approved for organic production. These materials are listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) after verifying that they will do no lasting damage to the ecosystem. We will address weed control and herbicides in a separate post.
There are many ways in which we promote biodiversity on our farm. By adding compost and animal manures we inoculate the soil with thousands of different species of bacteria and fungi. Growing cover crops and incorporating the dead plant material into the soil provides the carbon needed for healthy populations of soil microorganisms. Rotating our crops from one field to another also helps support biodiversity. Limiting the size of any one crop helps maintain predator / prey balance. We attempt to do the opposite of “mono cropping” which characterizes agribusiness production. We maintain hedgerows and other plantings, both annual and perennial to feed beneficial insect populations. A weed has been described as a plant growing in the wrong place. We cultivate weeds in the crops and leave them alone to contribute to biodiversity surrounding the fields.