A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 18, 1988 Self-Proclaimed Steward’s Of The Soil Practice Low-Input Farming BY LISA RISSER Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series on low-input farming. The first appeared in the June 4 issue. LITITZ (Lancaster) Roman and Lucy'Stoltzfoos and Claude Hess are among a fast-growing number of farmers who consider themselves stewards of their land. They believe in carefully manag ing the soil using few inputs rather than heaping on commercial fertil izers and chemicals. Hess and the Stoltzfooscs have turned to low-input farming as a way to nurture the land while earn ing a living from it. Although each is at a different stage in implement ing low-input methods, both pro fess to be in the learning stages. “I’m excited (about low-input farming), but I want to go slow enough so I don’t make big mis takes,” said Hess. Tm in kinder garten, but I’m a believer.” The Stoltzfooses and ihcir four children farm 165 acres of land situated southeast of Lancaster in Kinzcr. They currently arc renting this land and an additional 50 acres of pasture from his father to raise dairy cows and turkeys. When they began farming in 1983, they followed conventional thinking. Com fields received a light application of manure, which was disced in, followed by an application of Sutan or Eradacane or both. This was worked in two umes before planting, later the fields were side-dressed with liq uid nitrogen. Alfalfa fields received a split application of 600 pounds of pot ash, limed off and on depending on soil tests, and sprayed for weeds and insecticides. Chemicals were costly During their first year of farm ing, the Stoltzfooscs spent more than $13,000 on fertilizer and chemical costs. The next year they reduced that amount by only $l,OOO. “That first year we farmed we spent a lot more than we wanted to,” related Lucy. “One reason we got into low input was because we needed to keep culling costs.” The stoltzfoos land is complete ly off chemicals now. “Chemicals do remedy the situation, but we don’t feel it’s worth it,” declared Stollzfoos. “We’re interested in doing things the healthy way. We’d like to provide a product that we don’t have to be answering to anyone on its quality.” Last year the SlolL/fooscs paid out slightly more than $64 in chemical costs, but that was to do some rescue spraying on eight acres, which didn’t receive proper cultivation because Roman was sick during that lime. The Stoll/fooscs believe that low-input farming has helped their herd’s health. “We saw a substan tial difference on the health of the animals when we began feeding the crops (that had less or no chem icals applied to their soil),” Stolt zfoos said. Lucy agreed, adding “Cows freshened more easily, we had less problems with twisted sto machs, and there wasn’t as much mastitis.” The Stoltzfooscs aren’t sure if the difference in the crops is the sole factor in their herd’s improved health, but they feel the coinci dence is 100 strong to discount. Herbicide amount halved Stolufoos began reducing his inputs before 1986, but that is the year he really put a dent in the Claude Hess farms more than 700 acres of land in south eastern Pennsylvania. Besides corn, he grows wheat, alfal fa, and, soybeans. he applied didn’t seem to do much after the first application. So in ’B6 he asked his custom sprayer how much chemical would be needed for reasonable weed control, if they ignored the Johnson grass. He also decided to cut fertilizer appli cations other than a layer of manure. “I took less than half what I was told would work,” explained Stolt zfoos. “I didn’t feel my manage ment was up to going completely off chemicals at once. Until we learned how to cultivate and get the ground healthier, we felt we needed some chemical.” Sloltzfoos estimated that ’B6 was a fairly good year for him in terms of yields. This encouraged him to cut out pesticide and com mercial fertilizer usage entirely in 1987. “The yields we had in ’B7 without weed control or fertilizer, without nitrogen, without insecti cides, was as good as we’ve ever had,” he slated. In addition, “since the reduction of chemicals, the soil is looser and a lot more pleasant to work with.” TWEE NEW STEPS TO SUCKER CONTROL Now you can save time and get effectivesucker control by spraying Prime+* over the top and following up later with an application of MH. It’s a simple, sequential Last year Slollzfoos prepared his corn fields by applying liquid manure treated with beneficial bacteria, which was disced in immediately, followed by an application of liquid bacteria, P3K, mixed in water. Next he disced twice and planted using Pioneer 3358 corn seed. Five days after planting he ran a drag harrow to control weeds. Further weed con trol came from cultivating the fields twice. At harvest lime, which Slolt zfoos has done by a custom harves ter, Slolt/foos hqd a Pioneer weigh wagon come out and measure his yields. Of the fields measured, the range was 113 to 153 bushels per acre. Improving soil conditions In addition to culling chemical and commercial fertilizer usage, the Stoltzfooscs arc attcmpiing to improve the condition of their soil, a factor crucial to the success of low-input farming. The farm has a manure pit capable of holding a year’s worth of manure from 65 to using a refractometer. The higher the sugar content, usual ly the higher the crop is in trace minerals. Manufacturers of the device contend that a high sugar content In crops keeps away Insects, which don’t like the taste. 75 cows. “At first we spread some in the spring and some in the fall, but now everything is spread in the fall because of (the) compaction (that occurs) in the spring,” said Stollzfoos. “We also feel that man ure being applied in fall gives the bacteria time to digest manure.” Stollzfoos is doing some experi menting now with fertilizers and natural additives such as calcium to see what happens to the soil and to yields. The Stoltzfooses use a high calcium lime when soil tests indi cate the need for either, which doesn’t happen often. “Other far mers use high-magnesium lime, which we wouldn’t consider using because we have a magnesium lime soil. We feel calcium is the application. Just spray Prime+ over the top at the early flower to elongated bud stage. Wait a week, then apply MH. You’ll get great sucker control plus the convenience most important element in the soil. If the calcium is high, you can get away with other problems.” Marginal lands arc producing increased yields for the Stolt zfooscs as pasture rather than crop land. Sloltzfoos fenced off some marginal cropland and now rotates his herd of 75 cows in different pastures, which allows grasses to stay healthy and not be overgrazed. Crops also are rotated on the Sloltzfoos farm. “My goal is to not keep corn in a field more than two years,” he said. “I do some now but that’s where I want to be eventually.” Currently he has 75 acres in com, 60 in hay, 15 in wheat, and 15 (Turn to Page A2l) of over the top application. .It’s the way to grow quality tobacco. Of course, applying Prime+ by hand with a dropline, by back pack sprayer or from the jug is still
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