HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1989-03-08, Page 39Farm Edition Pape 18
Fanner makes complete switch,
conventional to ecological
by Ron Wassink
CHEPSTOW -Raping the soil and
pollutii g4he environment will have to end
if farmers want to continue to enjoy a
healthy relationship with nature, govern-
ments and environmentalists.
Curtailing and ending the use and abuse
of herbicides, pesticides, man-made fer-
tilizers, and planting wind breaks and crop
rotation are but a few of the principles of a
growing group of ecological farmers in
Ontario.
Ted Zettel, a Chepstow area dairy
farmer, is one farmer concerned with the
health of the environment. A member of
the Ecological Farmers' Association of
Ontario, he made the switch to ecological
farming five years ago. He is also an avid
believer that farmers must take respon-
sibility for the stewardship of the land.
The ecological farm movement is grow-
ing. Back in 1979, the association had about
40 members. Today it has 600 members
throughout the province. As more farmers
realize that many of the farming practices
used earlier this century were good, and
can be moulded to today's farming opera-
tion, the move to ecological farming has
become a more accepted way of life.
Zettel made a complete switch from con-
ventional farming to ecological in 1984.
Looking back on his experience, his advice
to farmers concerned with the environ-
ment is to make the move to ecological far-
ming in a staged progression.
He says he made the switch because he
saw other ecological farmers using_ the
'new' principles. He says he saw it was
working, and if other farmers were suc-
cessful, then it would also work for his
operation.
"I was impressed with the science
behind it and decided to go out on a limb
and try it."
To make,the move, it's a "leap of faith"
on the farmer's part, he says. By switching
to ecological farming, farmers take the
role of being revolutionary, something that
isn't popular when most farmers are using
conventional methods.
"There's a real peer pressure to per-
form," he says, referring to the fact
farmers use certain practices because
their neighbors are doing it.
Zettel operates a 30 -cow dairy herd on
250 acres. For the dairyman, moving to
ecological, or organic farming, is easy. It's
the best type of farm to make the gradual
switch because most dairy farmers make
use of manure and crop rotation anyway.
It's more difficult for the pork or cash crop
operators, but ecological farming can
work for those farmers too.
Any farmer who doesn't have a forage
based rotation will have the hardest time
changing over, he says. But there are
many who want to -change. It's taking the
first step that's the most difficult part.
"Before I changed, I was already con-
serving manure and making the best use of
it. And I was rotating crops. It was not that
like it was a blatant abuse of the soil."
It's also easier for dairy farmers, he
says, because they receive a good price for
their product. However, for other farmers,
who are on the verge of going under and
have "no room to fool around, they don't
want to take anymore risks than they have
to.,,
LOOK AT PREVENTION
Farmers should look at prevention,
rather than cure, says Zettel. They should
take a step back and look at why they're
using fertilizers and sprays. If they ask
themselves why weeds are a problem, he
says the answer most often is because of
misuse of soil.
The basics of ecological farming are
simple. It's why the method works. Look-
ing at it from a4science angle, Zettel says
soil will remain fertile as long as crops are
being grown. Remove the crops and plow
Ki
the fields, and the soil begins to break
down.
Only now are farmers realizing the im-
portance of growing cover crops. In fact,
Zettel says he plants crops he never
harvests. Instead, crops such as red clover
are worked into the soil as fertilizer.
He says he rarely plows a field, but
chisel plows. Also, he stresses that fields
should not be plowed in the fall and left
bare until spring. Besides the nutritional
value to the soil, cover crops also stop soil
erosion.
On fertility, Zettel says conventional
farmers supplement soil fertility by bring-
ing in fertilizer. In his operation, however,
Zettel arranges his crop rotation and
manure disposal in such a way that his soil
has no deficiencies.
Soil fertility, he says, has to be looked at
in the long-term. That's why he doesn't
recommend making an overnight change
in farming practices, but to do it gradual-
ly. Otherwise, a farmer will see substan-
tial yield losses.
Nutrients are lost if soil isn't covered. If
there isn't a cover crop, nutrients can
either evaporate, or be lost through wind
and water erosion
A lot of soil and nutrients end up in
streams and rivers, which he says is a real
environmental concern. It's not just the
loss of soil that worries ecological
farmers, but the loss of organic matter.
Stopping that loss will reduce or
eliminate fertilizer needs.
"As soon as we get the grain off, we
plant something else right away: The old
timers used to say if you had green fields,
Turn to page 21 •
At -
ECOLOGICAL FARMING—Ted Zettel, a Chepstow area dairy farmer, made the switch
from conventional to ecological farming five years ago. He is the public relations director
with the Ecological Farmers' Association of Ontario, a group that has 600 members and con-
tinues to grow. (Wassink photo)
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