tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post840577470548028426..comments2024-03-28T14:37:45.575-04:00Comments on 5 Acres & A Dream: Pasture Improvement Phase 2: Remineralizing Our SoilLeighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-8296739850884330332014-04-16T22:00:20.433-04:002014-04-16T22:00:20.433-04:00Very good point about the selenium. And it was som...Very good point about the selenium. And it was something our soil wasn't tested for, so I just assume it's deficient. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-42150905044819564372014-04-14T15:13:45.048-04:002014-04-14T15:13:45.048-04:00Dave and I always wanted to do this but ran out of...Dave and I always wanted to do this but ran out of time. He did, anyway. It's important to know...east of the Mississippi the soil is depleted of selenium, totally, or so I've been told. It's important for kids and lambs, probably calves, etc. to have selenium supplemented upon birth.Thistle Cove Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15722295191884810953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-76256541963898118912013-02-20T13:15:49.707-05:002013-02-20T13:15:49.707-05:00Best wishes to you as well. Congratulations on you...Best wishes to you as well. Congratulations on your acreage and thanks for sharing a little of your story and the information. All much appreciated. Oh! And if you ever decide to start a blog, let me know. :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-6028940204464259362013-02-20T12:52:35.635-05:002013-02-20T12:52:35.635-05:00I wasn't aware that his writings were availabl...I wasn't aware that his writings were available like that. Thanks for the link though! I plan to use it for sure. I found out about Mr. Albrecht as a kid, as I was raised on an organic farm. I still remember my Mom and Dad explaining to new customers what the word "organic" meant, as most people then had never heard of it before. We used horse-drawn equipment too and raised nearly everything we ate. 'I was a homesteader, when homesteading wasn't cool'... LOL! :-) I'm 40 years old now, and my wife and I just purchased our first home on about 21 acres of land, with about 8 of those acres being wooded. We plan to turn it into a self-sustaining homestead, much like I lived on as a child. Good luck to you and your family, and I wish you best in your endeavors!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-17756824420413612212013-02-20T12:12:28.032-05:002013-02-20T12:12:28.032-05:00He was truly an amazing man. I learned about him f...He was truly an amazing man. I learned about him from Neal Kinsey's book, <i>Hands-On Agronomy</i>, are you familiar with it? That's where we get our soil testing done. And did you know there is a collection of William Albrecht's writings on the internet? If you haven't seen it, it's <a href="http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010143albpap/010143idx.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-70763558323695751612013-02-20T11:37:44.293-05:002013-02-20T11:37:44.293-05:00You can't go wrong following William Albrecht....You can't go wrong following William Albrecht. I wish I had just a <b>10th</b> of the knowledge that man had!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-43855428751471524152013-02-20T10:40:38.726-05:002013-02-20T10:40:38.726-05:00Anonymous, sounds very interesting and I'd lik...Anonymous, sounds very interesting and I'd like to read more. Right now, were committed to the Albrecht method, and will likely see that through on this field at least. We have several more to go. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-23739761154805129542013-02-20T10:34:32.174-05:002013-02-20T10:34:32.174-05:00We have a similar situation with some of the land ...We have a similar situation with some of the land we just purchased. But rather than purchase all of the minerals and till it in, and then sow in new seed as well, we will be trying Greg Judy's process for healing pastures. It involves using grazing animals that you already want to purchase or have (for us it would be a steer and a couple of goats), in a high density grazing pattern. This is the technique that the Japanese use on their incredibly small farms, and it works great. It's too much to explain everything here, but you section off very small grazing areas with electric fencing/netting, and then move as they eat off the existing vegetation. The pulling effect on the plants, soil disturbance with hooves, and their dung will do all of this work for you. If you have area that doesn't have grass or anything at all on it, that's okay. You still section it off and either roll out some cheap grass hay in large bale form, or throw out hay from square bales (again, the cheapest you can buy) all over the section so that they 'graze it'. They'll eat the hay, which has seeds in it, and broadcast with their dung. By doing this, the earthworms and dung beetles will till in the nutrients for you. (This will re-establish your dung beetle population!) I plan to use a steer and a couple of goats. The steer will do the fertilization/mineralization of the field, and the goats will provide friendship for the steer and eat down the weeds that the steer doesn't want. You "kill two birds with one stone" with this method: You heal and reseed the pasture and soil, plus you raise the animals that you want too. You'll also be surprised that as the PH levels of the soil begin to come back, where they are suppose to be, that you'll have good grazing grass and legumes come back that you never knew were there! He's got a book too, that explains all of this in detail, if you want to check it out. It's called "Comeback Farms" by Greg Judy. You can get it from the Stockman Grass Farmer's magazine site. They have the best price for it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-63853052953443635332012-10-22T20:44:28.652-04:002012-10-22T20:44:28.652-04:00DFW, everything growing on the property is yellowe...DFW, everything growing on the property is yellowed from nitrogen deficiency and purple from phosphorous deficiency. We had to do something!<br /><br />Debbie, I surely hope so. Yes, I'm familiar with Chiot's Run and have gleaned a very good tidbit or two. :)<br /><br />Badgerpendous, it's huge! Of course we have a few more to go, but this was the worst one so it's a start.<br /><br />Janice, me too! It was certainly a long enough time coming. <br /><br />Renee, thanks. It's recommended that we have follow-up soil tests for three years. Even with nothing being done, soil tends toward an acid pH, so this at least has to be monitored. Some of the minerals will last for years, but plants will utilize them and the goat will eat the plants. They'll give back to it with manure too! Bad soil is tough, but not impossible. :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-30549853787763825262012-10-22T19:11:30.564-04:002012-10-22T19:11:30.564-04:00I hope you get a bumper crop. Do you know if you&...I hope you get a bumper crop. Do you know if you'll continue to need to improve this soil or are there things you can plant or do so that you're not having to work so hard for it?<br />I am pretty sure that the reason we can't really get grass in our back yard is that it is planted with shade loving grass seed. But we have pretty bad soil on the yard too. sigh.Renee Nefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08167893445846427824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80351219898460023432012-10-22T16:17:42.373-04:002012-10-22T16:17:42.373-04:00You and Dan continue to amaze me with your organiz...You and Dan continue to amaze me with your organized way of doing most everything. I can't wait to see that field in abundant growth!CaliforniaGrammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05137556336315915924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-56730867783732845822012-10-22T12:34:52.430-04:002012-10-22T12:34:52.430-04:00There's nothing like crossing things off the l...There's nothing like crossing things off the list, eh? Especially something this large! Those are some lucky goats!badgerpendoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02540038174008061800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-71377110888833054962012-10-22T11:08:56.510-04:002012-10-22T11:08:56.510-04:00Well done, you! That's a MAJOR improvement, on...Well done, you! That's a MAJOR improvement, one that will give benefits for years to come. Chiot's Run (another blogger - I don't want to plop a link in your comments, but you can easily Google) says that the most important thing you can grow is your soil. Get it right, and the rest will follow.DebbieBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00508692845369401119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-79193468930849792042012-10-22T10:49:59.836-04:002012-10-22T10:49:59.836-04:00Wow. That's a lot of research & perseveran...Wow. That's a lot of research & perseverance. congratulations. Can't wait to see how everything does.DFWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18345712839702427280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-22214535455229682322012-10-22T10:41:50.249-04:002012-10-22T10:41:50.249-04:00Barb, I would recommend Kinsey Ag for the soil tes...Barb, I would recommend <a href="http://www.kinseyag.com/" rel="nofollow">Kinsey Ag</a> for the soil test if you want organic soil amendments. I'd also highly recommend Neil Kinsey's book, <i>Hands-On Agronomy</i>. It explains the entire philosophy behind the remineralization method. He backs it up with <i>results</i>, which is the most convincing argument of all. <br /><br />Sherri, time flies! The goats are a hoot. Ziggy in particular never passes up an opportunity to give Riley a good head butt!<br /><br />Nina, it's recommended to follow through with repeat soil testing for at least 3 years. Since we are moving on to another area, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get this one retested next year or not. Maybe we'll just make the rounds and test one or two a year for awhile. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-33858657315467799552012-10-22T09:14:00.254-04:002012-10-22T09:14:00.254-04:00Will you re-test the soil in a year or two to see ...Will you re-test the soil in a year or two to see how your efforts are working and if anything needs changing?<br />It's certainly an important aspect of growing anything. Depleted soils even affect our veggies and other "people" crops as well as forage crops.<br />Goats have such funny personalities and make it enjoyable to watch their antics.Ninahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07049476969325691637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-13117858119027431642012-10-22T09:08:00.873-04:002012-10-22T09:08:00.873-04:00Wow, it seems like yesterday that you were sharing...Wow, it seems like yesterday that you were sharing phase 1 with us.<br /><br />I'm sure it is a good feeling to get all of those goodies into the ground.<br /><br />I got a kick out of the goats all looking in the same direction at the cat, probably wishing that they could be 'out and about' doing their thing too!<br /><br />Have a lovely week! xo<br />Sherri B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03956294100834139745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-39027718820565996222012-10-22T07:59:36.500-04:002012-10-22T07:59:36.500-04:00Ok. Ok. Now WE'RE going to have to soil test...Ok. Ok. Now WE'RE going to have to soil test. I have been so busy getting the place cleaned up, but if I want a field to provide forage, I need to know what is under it.<br /><br />Thanks! As always, you and Dan provide clarity. Farmer Barbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07596672416236302171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-63529460412458037372012-10-22T07:59:26.230-04:002012-10-22T07:59:26.230-04:00Martha, we have to. Our soil is so very poor, and ...Martha, we have to. Our soil is so very poor, and the overgrowth from neglect was horrific. In the end, it's their health that dictated it. They simply aren't in top condition on what they eat here, and that was my main concern.<br /><br />Stephanie, thanks! Prayers appreciated. :)<br /><br />Bettina, I've had mixed success with buckwheat too. In the areas I get it established, I love it! Its attractive and it reseeds itself easily. :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-29450654695177519812012-10-22T07:54:55.538-04:002012-10-22T07:54:55.538-04:00it looks as if the goats are already watching out ...it looks as if the goats are already watching out for the new growth:) I don't have pasture, but I think most of my buckwheat seeds for groundcover were eaten by birds:( I could count the plants that came up in that area - from quite a large bag of fresh seeds:( which meant that I had to cover it again with plastic for autumn/winter, to keep the weeds from spreading:( Woolly Bitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11961632742998726155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-32727957409217309322012-10-22T07:43:45.925-04:002012-10-22T07:43:45.925-04:00Very impressive! Praying and crossing fingers tha...Very impressive! Praying and crossing fingers that you have huge success with this :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-1690529960934364922012-10-22T07:30:53.888-04:002012-10-22T07:30:53.888-04:00I admire the work you put into having the best fie...I admire the work you put into having the best field for your animals. Looking forward to seeing it in spring!Weaving Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10938839067108601527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-2197424155355890452012-10-22T06:30:13.274-04:002012-10-22T06:30:13.274-04:00Mary Ann, if you want recommendations for organic ...Mary Ann, if you want recommendations for organic soil ammendments, I recommend <a href="http://www.kinseyag.com/" rel="nofollow">Kinsey Ag soil testing services</a>. It costs $50 for a standard test, and I paid an extra $10 to test for cobalt. They give recommendations in organic or conventional. I can't recommend them enough!<br /><br />Jaime, I first got the idea from <i>Sepp Holzer's Permaculture</i>. I noticed Gene Logsdon talks about it too, in <i>All Flesh Is Grass</i>. It just makes so much sense, especially for goats!<br /><br />Tami, me too! Now's the temptation to worry however. Will it rain enough? Will it rain too much? Will the temps be just right? Did we do it right? I'm on pins and needles, LOL Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-71511102091218538502012-10-22T05:22:43.728-04:002012-10-22T05:22:43.728-04:00Sweet! That's a HUGE check mark. Can't w...Sweet! That's a HUGE check mark. Can't wait to see the results!Tamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06597093453934852571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-22837325883107756452012-10-22T01:18:04.595-04:002012-10-22T01:18:04.595-04:00Whew! That is a biggie! Congrats! I love that you ...Whew! That is a biggie! Congrats! I love that you planted root crops along with the more typical fare. I had the idea to plant some kale and pumpkin seeds in our chicken and goat fields as an additional treat for them. Plus, I think it would be fun to see those things growing all wild-like among the weeds :)<br />-Jaime Ngo Family Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15484243776589015749noreply@blogger.com