Have you seen the movie Field of Dreams? In the film, Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, inspired by the voice, wants to build a “totally illogical” baseball field where his cornfield once was.
If you’ve seen the movie, you’re probably familiar with the instructions of the cornfield voice – “if you build it, they will come.” Ray decides to listen to the voice and, despite the disbelief of his friends and neighbors, he created a place where dreams come true.
Farmers create their own “Field of Dreams” by following them soil health principles.
Farmers know that if they build biodiversity in and around their farmlands, beneficial insects and microbiology will emerge. Building soil biodiversity turns ordinary soil into an energetic, living organism.
Many of the practices farmers already operate to sequester carbon also augment biodiversity. Preserving and protecting soil health creates space for beneficial microorganisms to grow and contribute to a fit ecosystem.
Diversity occurs in all forms of life. Grasses, flowers, crops, and even landscaping have the ability to support a variety of insects and organisms.
Planting cover crops builds soil biodiversity by providing it with fuel during rest periods before planting and after harvest. Cover crops are plants used to snail-paced erosion, improve soil health, augment water availability and control weeds, pests and diseases while building soil biodiversity. Cover crops also provide food and habitat for pollinators. Introducing up-to-date species by planting cover crops increases diversity and introduces beneficial microbiology into the soil food web.
Minimize soil disturbance helps protect existing biodiversity. Regular plowing can deplete valuable soil organic matter and release carbon stored in the soil. Less soil disturbance leads to better protection against various forms of erosion, keeping the beneficial soil biology in place and allowing it to be utilized by plants. Minimum tillage systems contribute to long-term soil productivity.
Crop rotation is another form of increasing soil biodiversity. Each crop has its own nutrient needs, but also leaves its mark on the soil. For example, a farmer might plant soybeans, which leave nitrogen in the soil one year, and corn, which needs nitrogen to grow, the next year. A varied crop rotation is key to the long-term sustainability of soil resources.
The final step towards increasing soil biodiversity is introduction of farm animals. Animals, plants and soil share mutual benefits. Livestock can be integrated through grazing or seasonal application of manure. The advantage of grazing is that the cows spread their own manure, but the farmer can also spread the manure precisely and appropriately to provide the soil with similar benefits of integrating livestock.
Farmers nurture all forms of life – from cattle and animals to beneficial microbiology in their fields.
“Field of Dreams” reminds us that sometimes when you believe in the impossible, the unbelievable becomes reality. Farmers often approach their work with the same concept. Farmers are eager to try up-to-date things and develop up-to-date technologies to improve production methods and produce safe and sound, sustainable food.
Like players on a baseball field, diverse plants and organisms work together as a team to build biodiversity. Grass, garden vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs around your home and community also contribute to soil health and biodiversity. As you plan your landscaping and gardens this spring, you can build biodiversity by introducing native species and planting a variety of plants that support all forms of life.
If you build biodiversity, the soil will be fit.
