Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Variables for Keyline System Trials

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Rich Blaha <rich@mossbackfarm.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org, msnow@valley.net
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Variables for Keyline System Trials
  • Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:15:28 -0700

Hi Mike

These guys http://soilcarboncoalition.org/ have started the process measuring pasture carbon sequestration...their sidebar link on monitoring gives some good comprehensive methods for what you're trying to measure.

Good luck. We're looking at doing some similar trials...I look forward to hearing how yours go

Cheers

Rich
www.mossbackfarm.com



On 3/14/2011 10:24 AM, permaculture-request@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:
Send permaculture mailing list submissions to
permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
permaculture-request@lists.ibiblio.org

You can reach the person managing the list at
permaculture-owner@lists.ibiblio.org

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of permaculture digest..."


Today's Topics:

1. salmon-nettle soup with all native ingredients (paul wheaton)
2. Variables for Keyline System Trials (Michael Snow)
3. Bleeding Heartland:: ISU professor sounds alarm about future
of Leopold Center (Lawrence F. London, Jr.)



Message: 2
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:12:30 -0700
From: Michael Snow<msnow@valley.net>
To: permaculture<permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [permaculture] Variables for Keyline System Trials
Message-ID:<7CA24431-FA79-4061-B0CE-BDCB593B0297@valley.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Keyliners and Statisticians,

As part of a grazers network in Maryland, we've acquired a yeoman's plow,
with three shanks, coulters, standard toolbar, roller, seedboxes. We are in
a sensitive watershed, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and work in part to
encourage grass-based systems.

We're designing a plan for evaluating it's use and effectiveness in improving
soil quality, productivity, and environmental quality. This is an initial
trial - not intended to be a rigorous, long-term experiment in itself, but we
do expect it to be used to make initial observations which might translate
into more formal research. That said, we'd like our trial to be tight and
this is my request for assistance.

This year, four farms are involved, and University extension will
collaborate. Two of these farms are organic dairies, one entirely
grass-based and utilizing mob grazing, the other largely grass-based with
some feed-crop production. Of the other two sites, one is on Extension land,
the other is a beef grazing operation.

Although we have some funding and that collaboration, we are interested in
monitoring perhaps 4-8 variables over three years, samples and tests largely
pulled by farmers. Have any of you been involved in formal research of
keyline as a system? Regardless, do you have any suggestions for building a
protocol for this project? A tentative list we are trying to whittle down so
far includes:

Bulk density, porosity, aggregate stability, penetration resistance
Infiltration rate
N, P measurements and sediment load (to compare to Bay Program
baselines)
Soil testing: biological (eg, soil food web, though expensive),
chemical; Organic Matter; evaluating changes in the A horizon (depth,
transition to B horizon)
Forage productivity: forage testing, both biomass and quality through
fecal samples; percent cover and species diversity; brix
Milk production
Field moisture
The ever popular how'd-it-do test, subjective qualitative analysis

Fields are divided to two, keeping soil class, texture, slope, and management
consistent. They'll be evaluated side by side.

We do hope to develop this protocol in fairly short order. Your suggestions
are most welcome,

Mike

------------------------------

******************************




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page