Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Steve Diver <steved@ipa.net>]

ATTRA has provided information and technical support
on organic no-till production methods for all these years.

But like hundreds and hundreds of topics, it has never 
been formally published (such as the titles found on
the web page) and is therefore only available thru ATTRA's 
research and technical assistance service.  

In other words, farmers contact ATTRA directly to get these 
informal resource packets and technical materials.   

Finally, in May of 2006 I compiled a very thorough technical
summary on the mechanical roller-crimper.  This is the 
equipment that has revolutionized no-till agriculture in 
Latin America.  It is used to flatten and crimp a high
biomass cover crop, such as winter rye or oilseed radish.

The roller-crimper method is one of the best options for 
organic no-till on a commercial scale, whether growing
vegetables or row crops. 

Mechanical roller-crimper for no-till production
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/question.php/2006/05/08/p2221

The summary refers to two companies in GA and TX that 
make roller-crimper equipment, and it refers to forthcoming
AutoCAD from the Rodale Institute for farm-built equipment. 

Shortly after the summary was posted on the ATTRA web 
page as a "Question of the Week", the NewFarm.org website
announced they had indeed published the AutoCAD drawings
for farm-built roller-crimpers.  They are now available as 
free downloads. 

I've seen permanent raised beds on commercial farms
that are managed with tractor equipment, so I'm sure
this no-till technology can be adapted to permanent 
raised beds, as well.

In fact, you can push down and crimp these cover crops 
on home garden scale beds using a piece of wood 
and rope, stepping on the wood as you flatten
down wheat or rye, similar to the way pranksters 
make "crop circles" in England. 

I work as an agriculture specialist for ATTRA in
my day job.  But I spend most of my free time
taking care of twelve raised beds, farmland, etc.  

Steve Diver



-----Original Message-----
>From: Ken Hargesheimer <minifarms2@yahoo.com>
>Sent: Jul 7, 2006 9:23 PM
>To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
>Subject: [Livingontheland] No-till info
>
>There is really very little information about organic, no-till in 
>permanent beds on the web or anywhere else.  No money to be made 
>promoting it.  
>   
> A chemical salesman tells a farmer why he should use chemicals,  
> the farmer buys and he gets paid by the sale.  I tell people to use 
> organic, no-till for gardening and farming and that the farmer does 
> not have to buy anything from anybody.  No profit in this!!!  Therefore, 
> no one promotes except to help people and help the earth.  
>