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Article to Farmers Weekly.

 

ORGANIC FARMING

BY

Freelance Environmental Consultant Richard B.L.Higgins, NDA., Perm., Des.

 

I have recently attended the London Conference entitled 'Organic Farming:

Implications for the Environment' held at The Society for Chemical Industry

in Belgrave Square.

 

This event had an exceptional turn out of ninety delegates I am told by Dr.

Mark Shepherd, an eminent soil scientist from ADAS speaking at the

conference, due to the great increase in the interest and up take of organic

farming in this country.

 

My specialist organic studies include different cattleshed management

systems for farmers in any part of the world.

 

It is mentioned by the now acclaimed Grandfather of Organic Farming 'Sir

Albert Howard' who was indeed the cause of the formation of the Soil

Association, that 'the manure heap of the west is deplorable.'

 

This statement was made due to losses of valuable nitrogen from the

cattleshed and afterwards in the manure heap.

 

Having studied and tested in depth the 'Indore Cattleshed Management system'

devised in India by Sir Albert in my role as an independent consultant and

advisor to six farms around Europe and a large urban project in West Bengal,

India. I have completed and documented composting trials based on his daily

system of cattleshed management.

 

When time came for discussion at the conference I took up the point that was

mentioned by Dr. Shepherd that nitrogen was lost in the normal covered yard

system through cattle bedding at a rate of 5 - 10 %. However when the

bedding is removed after about three months or so there is always a further

loss of nitrogen evident by the strong smell of ammonia that is given off at

the time of clearing out. A further 15 % or more can subsequently be lost

in the manure heap itself. (Howard)

 

The method I described to avoid this loss was to remove the soiled bedding

in an evenly mixed fashion daily, as is commonly done with slurry, to a

properly made compost wind row. If the straw bedding is initially laid down

with a 30% green matter addition, either through fresh green fodder or

simply cut weeds etc., the correct formula will be underway for the optimum

C:N ratio of a balanced nitrogenous fertiliser.

 

If a farmer wants to utilise to the maximum his animals bi products he

should follow this simple and most effective procedure.

It probably entails less embodied energy doing this on a daily basis than

the big effort of digging out the compressed and compacted three month old

stable manure that becomes hard and unmanageable.

 

This change in daily routine will be seen to pay off when the value of the

end product is realised. It is at least three times more valuable than FYM

(Howard) because:

1. By the nature of its fine state of division it can easily be incorporated

into any soil and exert its maximum effect on the internal pore space.

2. The product manufactured is known as fresh humus, which is the cement

that holds the soil particles together and is the major water retaining

factor in soil.

3. It is a highly nitrifiable material that can be readily assimilated by

any crop, unlike FYM that has to be further broken down by the soil and thus

overworks it, in order to become available as plant food.