Tir na n'Og Farm

Sustainability

Most modern agriculture depends heavily on "outside inputs", such things as petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, to maintain soil fertility and control insect and plant pests. While these practices allow for increased yields and the continuous use of agricultural land, over time they alter the stucture and health of the soil. 'No-till' farming reduces the disturbance of the soil and can reduce erosion, but still requires large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides to produce good yields.

In sustainable farming we strive to reduce outside inputs to a minimum. Soil fertility is maintained by crop rotation, application of animal manures and plant compost, and the use of cover crops. In some cases the soil may require an initial input of ammendments (lime, organic matter, etc.) to help recover some of its fertility. In many ways this is a return to the way farming was done prior to the 1940's when adances in chemical and petroleum research began to provide synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in large quantities.

Sustainable farming isn't perfect: We still use modern machinery (and some antiques!) for working the soil, cultivating and harvesting. And much of this still requires the use of petrochemical fuels. While some crops can be sustainably grown using no-till practices, most still require frequent tilling and cultivating to control weeds and pests.

On Tir na n'Og I only use animal manure and vegetable compost for fertilizer, and plant nitrogen fixing cover crops in fall to help add nutrients to the soil. Weeds are controlled by mechanical means (cultivating and hoeing) as well as through the use of organic mulches. Some parts of the vegetable fields are left fallow for a year or more to allow the cover crops to rebuild the nitrogen and organic matter in the soil. I don't have too much trouble with insect pests, most are controlled by rotating the crops around each year, and by the judicious use of organic insecticides like soap and pyrethrin (a plant extract).