GREEN PASTURES LLC​
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    • SOIL PIT--SOIL HEALTH FACTS
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FARMING PRACTICES

​Soil health is key to Healthy Plants and Healthy Food

 Our farming practices include No-Till, diverse cover crops, and livestock integration.  No-Till is not about the lack of tillage, but is about managing soil water, soil structure, soil biology and carbon compounds in the soil.  This Holistic farming strategy has allowed the health of the soil and water cycles to greatly improve. Soil health and structure have been improved. Healthier soil leads to healthier plants and lower input costs for cash crops. Improved soil health also leads to: healthier plant food for the livestock, healthier livestock, and healthier food for human consumption. We raise a variety of cash crops including food grade corn, food grade clear hilum soybeans, barley, cereal rye, triticale, sunflowers, and oats. Our clear hilum soybeans have protein contents of 40%+. Below is a brief description of cover crops and soil health benefits.

The Importance of Cover Crops

What are Cover Crops? A cover crop is a crop planted primarily to manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife in an agroecosystem (Lu et al. 2000), an ecological system managed and largely shaped by humans across a range of intensities to produce food, feed, or fiber. A multi specie vegetation cover is a bio-mimicry of nature. 
What is NO-TILL Farming? No-till farming is a way of growing crops or pasture from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage.

Benefits of Combining
NO-TILL farming and Cover Crops

Health of Soil
Increase Organic Matter and minerals available to plants
Food for micro organisms which feed the plants

Soil Structure
Preservation of Top Soil Reduced erosion, Provide soil depth for root growth


Infiltration Water Capacity
How much water can the soil hold? Organic matter a large key.
1% increase in organic matter increases soil water holding capacity of 28,000 gallons of water per acre [~.625 inches of rain].


Infiltration Rate
How fast can water infiltrate into the soil 

Reduces runoff of minerals, chemicals, and soil erosion

Soil Temperature impact on plants
Ground cover increases plant growth by better moisture utilization, reduced soil temperature, reduced moisture evaporation rate.
    Soil                                Plant                  Moisture                    Soil  
Temperature              Growth                 Loss                  Bacteria  
      70                                 100%                        0%                          
   100                                    15%                      85%
   130                                       0%                    100%
   140                                       0%                    100%                           Die


Weed Control and Suppression
Weed Suppression, Reduced chemical usage, less crop input cost

Soil Without Biology is Simply

Geology--Darin Williams Quote

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  • HOME
  • PRODUCTS
    • TURKEY
    • LAMB
    • BEEF
    • CHICKENS
    • CHICKEN PHOTOS
    • EGGS
  • FIELD DAY SOIL HEALTH VIDEOS
    • NANCY WILLIAMS POULTRY-SHEEP
    • SOIL PIT--SOIL HEALTH FACTS
    • KEITH BURNS--COVER CROP GURU
    • SOIL CARBON COWBOYS
  • FARMING PRACTICES
    • NON-GMO SOYBEANS
    • NON-GMO CORN
    • OTHER CROPS
  • LIVESTOCK PHOTOS
    • FARM PHOTO & VIDEO
  • FOR SALE
    • BRITISH WHITE BULLS
    • KATAHDIN SHEEP EWES
  • CONTACT