{"id":22626,"date":"2021-04-08T07:27:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T14:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/?p=22626"},"modified":"2021-04-08T07:27:48","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T14:27:48","slug":"can-california-organic-farmers-unlock-the-secrets-of-no-till-farming-from-civil-eats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2021\/04\/08\/can-california-organic-farmers-unlock-the-secrets-of-no-till-farming-from-civil-eats\/","title":{"rendered":"Can California organic farmers unlock the secrets of no-till farming? From Civil Eats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Gosia Wozniacka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excerpted<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last summer, veteran organic farmer Scott Park was bewildered when he surveyed his vast tomato, corn, and sunflower fields. Before planting the crops on 350 acres he had radically cut down on tilling the soil, planted cover crops twice, and let goats graze the land. And he was sure he\u2019d see excellent yields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The undisturbed soil was loaded with earthworms, but the crops grew sluggishly and didn\u2019t produce enough fruit. Park lost almost half of his yields\u2014and over half a million dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe thought we were going to cut a fat hog,\u201d said Park, whose farm lies 50 miles northwest of Sacramento in California\u2019s Central Valley. \u201cBut the combination of no-till and grazing kicked me in the teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though surprising, the result was part of a critical experiment that Park plans to replicate again\u2014this time, on a smaller plot on his 1,700-acre farm: Because there\u2019s more at stake than his own profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Park, who has been farming for 48 years and is well-known for his soil health practices, is one of a small group of innovative organic vegetable producers working with\u00a0the University of California Cooperative Extension<\/a>, Cal State\u00a0Chico\u2019s Center for Regenerative Agriculture<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0California State University, Fresno<\/a>\u00a0to decipher how to farm with little or no tillage\u2014and without chemicals. Similar research is also taking place at\u00a0U.C. Santa Cruz.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two growing seasons into the California experiment, Park and other farmers have faced an array of challenges. Some have been economically painful, while others have led to promising results. And yet, if the farmers can get past the hurdles presenting themselves in these early years, their efforts could catalyze a massive shift to reduced tillage\u2014and a new understanding of soil health\u2014in the organic industry in California and nationwide. And because no-till is held up as a central tenent of regenerative agriculture, it could also be seen as a boon for farmers hoping to take part in the\u00a0carbon markets<\/a>\u00a0the Biden administration has put forward in response to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen soil transitions to a no-till system, yield reduction is usually a temporary thing,\u201d said Cynthia Daley<\/a>, a professor at Chico State who is involved in the project. \u201cThese farmers see the benefit of going into no-till, but they are trying to find a way to get there that doesn\u2019t result in a negative economic impact in the long run. Their dedication is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more on the Civil Eats web site<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Gosia Wozniacka Excerpted Last summer, veteran organic farmer Scott Park was bewildered when he surveyed his vast tomato, corn, and sunflower fields. Before planting the crops on 350 acres he had radically cut down on tilling the soil, planted … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\r\nCan California organic farmers unlock the secrets of no-till farming? 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