Polyculture ‘Modules’ for Small Farms, Suburbia

This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen come out of OSU.

Polyculture ‘Modules’ for Small Farms, Suburbia: Fewer Pests, $90,000 an Acre?

Writer:
Kurt Knebusch

Source:
Joe Kovach, OARDC, OSUE; Ohio IPM Program

WOOSTER, Ohio ­ Carefully designed polyculture systems, grown on small farms or even in suburban yards, could self-limit pest problems and gross up to $90,000 per acre, says Joe Kovach, head of Ohio State University’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

Together with Loren Harper and Rosa Raudales, both also of the program, Kovach has planned and planted four different polyculture systems, or “modular ecological designs,” each combining the same wide mix of high-value fruits and vegetables, annuals and perennials, tall crops and short ones, into 45-by-60-foot plots.

The goal: To see which system works best based on yield, economics and pest reduction ­ and to make, by selling retail, $10 per linear foot, or $90,000 to $100,000 per acre.

“We’ve known in pest management that polyculture systems seem to have fewer pest problems than monocultures, and when there are problems, they’re usually less severe,” Kovach said. “We wanted to see if we could come up with a primarily fruit-based system that, if we arranged it in the correct way, would see fewer pest problems.”

At the same time, though, “With a goal of $10 per linear foot, we’ve got to be productive,” he said. “We can’t mess around.”

Polycultures, as opposed to monocultures, grow two or more crops together, not just one.

Kovach’s four designs, even more diverse than typical polycultures, combine apples, peaches, green beans, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and edamame soybeans. But each design tests a different arrangement. The first has solid rows, with each row having a single crop, and the crop height switching from row to row: for example, a row of high apple trees, a row of low strawberries, a row of high peach trees, a row of low tomatoes.

“There’s some hint that architecture might have an impact on insect pests that occur,” Kovach explained, “so we decided we’d use tree and shrub crops alternated with lower-growing crops.”

The second design mixes more than one crop within a row but keeps the high crops and low crops together in their own rows. Apples, peaches and raspberries, for example, would line up in a row, then green beans, strawberries and tomatoes in the next, as a way to roadblock infestations.

“The concept,” Kovach said, “is that insect pests seem to move down rows. So if you’re an apple pest, you might stop at the peaches. A peach pest might stop at the raspberries. A raspberry pest at the blueberries. And so forth.”

The third design goes a step further. It mixes the crops within a row and also alternates heights in the row. A single row might grow apples then strawberries, peaches then green beans, raspberries then tomatoes. Kovach calls it the “checkerboard” system.

The fourth design adds raised beds to the equation ­ “kind of our souped-up future strategy,” Kovach said ­ with mixed rows planted within.

All four designs employ drip irrigation, disease-tolerant and -resistant varieties, fencing against rabbits and woodchucks, staggered planting dates for the annuals and maturity dates for the perennials (allowing for early, mid- and late-season harvest and season-long production), and newer, less-toxic pesticides if and as needed, with sustainability, not 100-percent organic production, the goal.

“Once we find this optimum design ­ and this is where the ‘modular’ aspect comes in ­ we’ll know how much food you’ll get from one plot,” Kovach said. “Maybe one is all you need for personal use. Or maybe you run a roadside stand; you could have maybe three in a series. Or maybe you sell at a farmers’ market; you could have, say, six or eight.”

Small farms near cities could gain from such setups, Kovach said. Fewer inputs, a steady lineup of high-value crops, and proximity to thousands of hungry consumers would make the farms even more successful.

Homeowners, whether for food, hobby or both, could use the modules too.

“We have a lot of these suburban houses that have five-acre lots,” Kovach noted. “People spend a lot of time mowing their lawn. This could be an opportunity to do something else.”

Finally, he said, the modules would ramp up local production, a plus in terms of tastier food and lower transportation costs.

The project, funded by the Ohio IPM program, a joint effort of OSU Extension and the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), will continue for the next five or six years.

The test plots ­ 16 in all, four replications of all four designs, covering a total of 1.5 acres ­ lie on OARDC’s Wooster campus

Before & After

Here is a shot of our rams, Luther and Joash, taken today after they were shorn yesterday afternoon. Below that is a shot of Joash taken last February or March, just before he was shorn in the spring. His fleece was probably longer and fuller this fall than it was in this photo but, unfortunately, we didn't get a recent picture.

Autumn Shearing

My neighbor, Tom, and I sheared my sheep today. I pretty much have the technique down but I need to learn to use my legs more than my back. Several times I had to stop and stretch because I was overusing the wrong muscles. Here is a photo of me with our ram, Luther. Joash is hiding behind me. More photos to come. I'll get my daughter out in the pasture with the camera tomorrow.

Roast Leg of Lamb

Jennifer and Katie went to a bridal shower this afternoon, so the boys and I were in charge of dinner. Here's what we made and how we made it.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Plum Horseradish Sauce
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Baked Homegrown Delicata Squash with Pure Ohio Maple Syrup
Salad made from locally grown Butterhead Lettuce, Grape Tomatoes and homegrown Celery

Begin with a grass-fed leg of lamb brought to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 and put a heavy skillet on high fire. Lightly mash a clove of garlic. You don't want to mince it - just mash it enough so it releases its mojo. The skin should peel off easily. Rub the garlic clove all over the meat. Liberally salt and pepper the outside and rub that in with your fingers - don't be shy. Sear the leg on all sides in the hot skillet, then put it on the rack in a roasting pan, fat side up.
This thermometer is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. It lets the meat tell you when it's done. Insert the probe and set the temp alarm for 140-150 for rare to medium. Be sure to let the meat rest for 20-30 minutes, covered, before carving. The internal temperature will climb a few degrees during this time. Baking time is about 60-80 minutes at 325 degrees.

While the skillet is still hot, deglaze it. I used wine - the same that I served - 2004 McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz from South East Australia. The label said it would pair well with roast lamb and I figured the Aussies would know better than anyone. They didn't let me down. Use about 1/4 -1/3 cup (60-80ml). I added about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of Damson Plum Jelly that I bought at Tamarack in Beckley, WV on our way home from vacation. This sauce was inspired by a blackberry horseradish sauce that I had at a wedding rehearsal dinner with beef tenderloin last month at Graystone Cellar in Columbus. I used plum beacuse I had the jelly. Use whatever strikes your fancy. I had to add a little water, as well, because the hot pan and wine got away from me a little bit. Then I had to cook it down for a long time. Add a small spoonful of horseradish. I started with a small amount figuring I could add more if the sauce needed it. I ended up adding about the same amount again. Reduce this sauce over medium heat until it's as thick as you want it.

The mashed potatoes are a pretty standard thing so I'm not going to describe how I made them. To roast the garlic, cut off the stem end of the entire bulb, exposing the cloves. Drizzle on some olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You can buy these cool little terra cotta garlic roasters but I just wrap them in foil. Ideal is 400 degrees for 40 minutes but I put them in the oven with the meat at 325 for an hour. The kids (and wife) prefer their mashed potatoes straight so I put the roasted garlic head on the table and mixed it in the potatotes on the plate.

For the gravy, I just made a standard roux with 2T lamb fat and 2T flour and whisked it in a skillet until it was nice and brown. We don't have any lamb stock (that will remedied as soon as we collect enough bones) so I added 1/2 cup (120ml) of water and 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk together and boil for 1 minute. Season to taste.

For the squash, just cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Put it in a pan with a little water, skin side down, and add a pat of butter and a dollop of maple syrup in the seed cavity. Cover and bake for about an hour. I put it in the oven with the lamb at 325.

It's been two years since we last butchered lamb. I almost forgot how good it is.

We Must Be Doing Something Right

I was thinking today that I haven't posted a photo here for awhile. It's just as well, I guess, since our phone line is screwed up and the best connection we can get is 21.6 kpbs. I really love rural living but this just sucks.

Anyway, I picked up my lamb from the butcher, Border's Market, in Plymouth, Ohio today. The owners positively raved about our lamb:

"It really cut well."
"No waste."
"Those lambs were really filled out and rounded."
"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

When I said that they only ate grass and mother's milk, I think they were taken aback a little. Especially when I told them the ages of the three lambs. "They were just born this spring and weighed over 100 pounds?"

That's right. I smiled all the way home. And then I wondered when and how big agribusiness went so wrong in the country. I'll wonder that again when we eat this lamb and it tastes better than anything that ever came out of a feedlot. And when I consider the fact that it's loaded with omega-3s and CLA from being raised on grass without any grain.

Sometimes I feel a little guilty when I think about how well my family eats compared to the average American diet. It's not a matter of money. We spend much less than those who eat fast food and processed, pre-prepared meals. Rather, it's a matter of knowledge versus ignorance. If this blog can serve to educate one family about the benefits of a natural diet based on grass-fed meats and other minimally processed food, I will have accomplished something worthwhile.

Appalachian Grazing

I only have a minute here but I've wanted to write a little about the sights seen along I-77 and I-64 in southeast Ohio and West Virginia. We drove this route on our vacation a couple weeks ago.

When in the moutains, one thing I immediately noticed was all the grass-farming going on. The old woven wire fences were in good repair and holding in cattle and horses. Around here, the old fences are generally sagging and don't contain anything but row crops. You all know how hard those corn and soybeans can be to keep in.

It's impossible to say whether these Appalachian graziers are practicing a more natural husbandry merely because that's all their land is suitable for or if they have deeper reasons. Probably a bit of both...

What's Cookin'

Today was a really nice day and I had plenty of things I could have done outside. But the cooking bug bit me this morning as it is wont to do this time of year. I made a vegetable and bean soup based loosely on a recipe I found in Feeding The Healthy Vegetarian Family by Ken Haedrich and a couple of multgrain honey baquettes. Here are the recipes if anyone is interested. Amounts used in the soup are very rough approximations.

Harvest Soup
1/2 pound of dried beans (I used Black Coco, Vermont Cranberry, and Taylor's Horticultural Bush)
1 cup winter squash, cubed (I used Delicata)
a few carrots
a few ribs of celery
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
Bay leaf
3 cups diced tomatoes (canned, fresh, or frozen - with skins and seeds is best, IMO)
Water
Italian Seasoning (Oregano, Basil, Rosemary)
Salt
Black Pepper
Any other seasoning you like (Old Bay is my standby)

Bring the beans to a boil in plenty of water and boil hard for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for about an hour. Drain.
Add squash, carrots, celery and onion to some olive oil in a big soup pan. Saute for about 10 min and add the minced garlic gloves and saute another couple minutes.
Add about 10 cups of water and the bay leaf and some salt and the beans.
Bring to a boil and then simmer, partially covered for about an hour.
Add the tomatoes and the herbs and some ground pepper. Salt to taste but remember the saltiness will concentrate as the soup cooks down.
Simmer for about another 1/2 hour.
Note: If you use black beans, the soup will look like dirty dishwater at first, but will turn a nice brown when the tomatoes are added.

Multigrain & Honey Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose white flour
3/4 cup 5 or 7 grain cereal
1 cup water (substitute some milk if desired)
1 T honey
2 T butter
1-1/2 t salt
2 t yeast

I did a single rise, then formed the dough into 2 baquettes. Rise to double size then bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

We ate the soup and bread with 2004 Beringer Gamay. Yum.

Lamb Butchering and First Snow

Yesterday, on my way home from work, it snowed. The temperature was about 45 so it didn't stick to the ground. The wind was so strong that it was blowing horizontally. Last night it got down to 28 - our first freeze.

Yesterday afternoon, the boys from Border's Market in Plymouth, Ohio came to slaughter our ram lambs. They come to the farm, slaughter the animals, skin them and dress them. Then they go back to their shop and hang them. They take all the wastes. I wish I had taken some photos but I was engrossed in watching and conversation.

Border's has a pickup truck with a hoist mounted in the bed. According to the owners' son, it was heavy-duty enough to hoist a 6 year-old Hereford bull that weighed 1515 lbs (690kg) dressed! They were very skilled and very professional and I highly recommend Border's Market to anyone in Richland, Huron, Crawford, Morrow or Ashland Counties in north central Ohio.

I was surprised at the size of my lambs. I guessed the two larger ones would weigh about 90# (41 kg) live and the smaller one would be in the low 80# range (36.5 kg) live. However, the smallest of the three, born on May 12th, weighed 95# (43kg). The two larger rams, which were twins born on April 19th, weighed 110# (50 kg) and 105# (48 kg). I forgot to remove their hay so a few of those pounds were rumen contents. But nonetheless, I'm very happy with the growth rate of these ram lambs. They ate nothing but grass and mother's milk and had a very nice fat cover.

We're looking forward to having roast lamb next week!