| April 1, 2020 -- I recently attended the Northern Agriculture Summit. The seminars that were provided were extremely varied from growing hemp, climate change and impact on agriculture, meat regulations, and hydroponics and several more. I attended four of the seminars, farming resiliency, improving your soil’s health, climate change and impacts and adaptation, raising backyard poultry and hydroponics.
Farming resiliency is now advocating no-till farming. Each time a field is plowed the soil loses nutrients, especially carbon into the air. The key is using organic matter; this increases productivity and reduces the need for fertilizers. Intensive tilling causes more erosion causing the surface to become compacted which then begs for more tilling a vicious cycle producing a reduced crop yield which results in hunger and malnutrition in the soil, and eventually in humans. Adding winter crops such as rye or winter wheat maximizes the soil cover and minimizes disturbance. All of this can be utilized in your own back yard. Leave your grass clippings, to feed the ground, cover your garden with organic matter over the winter, disturb the soil as little as possible and plant perennials wherever you can.
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