As we drove to the farm this morning, we were bewildered by the brown foggy haze all around us. We could see barley more than 15 feet in front of us. At first we wondered, could this be smoke residue from the wildfires? Then we grew near the neighboring farm, and saw the massive tractor barreling through the field, stirring up a cloud of soil.
Frog Hollow farm is surrounded by miles of commercial farms, most of which cultivate the fields in a very different way than us. This time of year, the hundreds of acres of conventional corn, tomatoes and peppers have been harvested, and now the remaining plant residue is being tilled, ploughed and disked in. Upon observation, one might assume that the fields are being prepped to be re-planted. But because of the lack of available water in the winter, most of the fields will sit fallow until they are planted in the Spring. To avoid topsoil depletion, it would be best for the plant residue to be left behind until just before planting occurs. Better yet, the fields would be planted with a winter cover crop, ideally a nitrogen fixing legume, which would prevent erosion and replenish organic matter and soil nutrients. However, instead the fields are tilled and then sprayed with an herbicide that ensures nothing grows at all.
Most of you are probably aware that due to deforestation and agriculture, we are losing topsoil much faster than we create it. Volkert Engelsman, an activist with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, reported on Monday that “we are losing 30 soccer fields of soil every minute, mostly due to intensive farming.” According to another UN report this week, as-
suming current rates of soil degradation persist, “all of the world’s top soil could be gone within 60 years.”
At Frog Hollow Farm we make a concerted effort to combat the loss of soil. We practice no-till agriculture that leaves the soil undisturbed and with our compost program we actively create new soil daily. Coupled with these practices, we leave the rows between our trees growing with a lush native cover crop, ensuring that we do our part to protect California’s topsoil.