Our farm is no different to the majority of farms that have dysfunctional soils. There are a lot of fancy words being used in modern agriculture to describe what the problem is: some you may have heard of- regenerative agriculture, hollistic farming, sustainibility, organic. However these words are starting to loose their meaning. What we are focusing on is the creation of a Maree Farms soil manual.
First of all we are in a mediterranean winter rainfall region with an average of 250mm of rain per year. This normally falls in the winter leaving the summers dry, hot and arid. Our soils are sandy loam and are slightly acidic. Our existing problem is that the soils are dysfunctional due to being plowed and harrowed annually since the tractor was invented. This in turn has caused the destruction of the natural soil cover, compaction resulting in anaerobic soils, little or no presence of microorganisms and a disrupted relationship between the microorganisms and the plant life.
We have identified these problems and now the time has come to rectify this by doing the following:
- We have stopped harrowing and ploughing of the soil. We are a no till farm. As a result the soils will become more aerobic which will lead to an increase in microorganisms that will create a more vibrant, fertile and porous soil for plant growth
- After pruning the olive trees the firewood is removed, the smaller branches and leaves are processed in the wood chipper and are used for soil cover as a mulch. This is a means of increasing the humus content on the soil surface. This aids moisture retention and acts as protection to keep the soil surface cooler.
- Introduced chicken tractors holding approx. 12-14 chickens, that are moved daily on the terraces between the olive trees. These birds fertilise the soil. Chicken manure in particular is lower in nitrogen and higher in phosphate compared to other manures. This way they can prepare the soil before planting seeds to encourage faster growth. Following the movement of the chicken tractor we are looking at a 6 seed mix: specifically researching plants that can draw moisture from different levels, a variety of shallow to deep rooted plants. We are hoping to broadcast the seeds: raking the soil, spreading the seed and covering with a light sprinkilng of alfalfa hay followed by watering.
We dont have all the answers but we are working towards the solution. As we develop effective techniques we will keep you updated. We value your constructive input, please comment below.
I bought a small finca of empeltre olives (400 trees) near Calaceite 1/2020. With Covid and work here in the states I have not had much time in the groves but did get some pruning and mulching done in January. Hope to be back and calling it home by December. Would love to see what you are doing up in Flix!
Hello Jim! You are welcome anytime on our farm for a chat and a look around! I hope that you will enjoy your new lifestyle soon which i can assure you is most fulfilling, to live in nature away from the madding crowd!