ral growth as possible by not using

ral growth as possible by not using chemicals,” Bird said.

Bird has been fanning with his father, Lee, for 10 years ever since he graduated from college with a degree in environmental science. “I’ve been learning farming by doing, but I did learn about the land, like geology and ecology, in college,” Bird said.

One of the basic premises of biological farming is to build rich soil so that the soil can be used to produce good crops. “We don’t use any herbicides to control' weeds,” Bird said. “We cultivate for row crops like com.”

The Birds farm about 250 acres in all, and they have a herd of Angus/Hereford cattle. Bird uses no insecticides since the chemicals can be carried over to crops and meat products. “Our major insect problems are with the cattle, and they’re just tolerated,” Bird said. “Putting insecticides on the cattle can lead to the multiplication of the toxic substances in the food chain until ultimately humans take in the chemicals.”

The main idea behind biological agriculture is to produce pure, non-toxic foods by using natural methods of fertilizing crops, controlling weeds and feeding livestock. Most of the fertilization needs of the farm are filled by using compost, a mixture using cow manure.

Compost is the fertilizer most favored by Bird since it is produced and used on the farm. Compost is low in1 phosphate, so Bird utees a fertilizer made of fossilized seashells in combination with the compost.

For the first time, Bird is also using an organic fertilizer that is green sand, seaweed and tankage. Tankage is the cattle’s blood that is drained from the floors of slaughter houses. “All of this does the land good and increases the fertility of the land from year to year,” Bird said.

The toxic substances in chemical fertilizers have too many potential side effects for Bird to use them. “Chemical fertilizers kill all