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BY JOYCE HARMAN
Rappahannock News Contributing Writer
This is the first in a series of articles on having healthier farm animals, and healthier profits because of it. We will look at nutrition, homeopathic and herbal treatments for common diseases and anything else people are interested in. Let me know your interests.
Farming often becomes a struggle between the weather, the banker and the hired help. Farming does not have to be a struggle. The use of sustainable practices is discussed regularly, in magazines, at Acres USA conferences and on the web.
Worldwide most soil today is devoid of the healthy microorganisms and organic matter that would make it “alive”. Soil today is compacted i and hard, with areas of erosion and bare patch- J es or places where growth is poor and weeds m take over if we forget to mow for a while. Jp Weeds are not always a bad thing, however, m as many of our common “weeds” are really mm medicinal plants that horses/livestock will MM eat as they need. However, weeds also JpP* appear in poor soil to try to correct some of m the imbalances there and when weeds want jVA to take over, it is an indication of severely wMm imbalanced soil.
Sustainable and organic management of wj|| soils puts life back into the soil so that it % becomes more resistant to extreme weather wgj conditions, producing crops and growing grass when everyone else’s crops are failing. f|
Healthy soil drains well and is rich in % microorganisms and earthworms. The earthworms keep the soil aerated, and since soil is supposed to be full of oxygen in order to be healthy, the earthworms are of vital importance.
Good soil has an excellent supply of carbon in the form of organic matter and plenty of calcium, which is the major nutrient needed for healthy plant growth. One of the major factors in healthy soil is the presence of lots of microorganisms that break down organic matter into nutrients for plants and also to help make nutrients more available to the plants. -
Healthy soil also has many different trace minerals available to enhance plant growth and. livestock health.
Chemical fertilizer replaces only nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. All the trace minerals that are needed by both the plants and the ani
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