MLT Newsletter

August 1984

It was  the afternoon of the August MLT meeting.  There was a boisterous  volley ball game  going on in our backyard.  The game was proceeding under a couple of handicaps-as usual when you want it the volleyball net had disappeared, so two ropes made of baling twine outlined the top and bottom of the nonexistent net.  Neither side could be sure whether the ball  had gone OVER or THROUGH the net.   In addition a flower bed was  the boundary on one side.  It seemed the handicaps made the game sharper - the score was 2 games to 1 - and the  potluck was a half hour late!   Sorry you missed it?  Well, come play 4:30 in the Kaufman's backyard, followed by a potluck  supper 6:30 (?) and the meeting at 7:30.

It's an important meeting. Thom and Jan have given notice that they are resigning their job at the Land Trust Farm as of October 31, and that coupled with a shortage of cash and students makes a serious discussion on the future of MLT necessary.

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The summer issue of the Newsletter is focused on changes  in  agriculture.  The  first article  is  a continuation  of Jonathan  Towne's plan for the use of the Land Trust Homestseading Farm incorporating principles of Permaculture. It  will  be  of  special interest  to  those of you who have been on the farm as visitors or residents. It will also be of interest to those who are evolving land use plans for  your  own  farms  or mini-farms  because  it details varieties of trees and their uses in relation to small scale agriculture.

The second article, by Ken Dahlberg, reflects on an important conference at Michigan State University on sustainable agriculture.

-Sally Kaufman, editor

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SETTING UP THE PERMACULTURE SYSTEM

-Jonathan Towne

In  the  last  newsletter aspects of the physical environment at the Homesteading Farm were discussed. The Permaculture system must also incorporate human needs.  Zones of intensity can be developed based on proximity to human habitation and farm buildings, enabling  immediate  areas  to  be  developed  into  intensive  gardens, permaculture nurseries  and chicken forage systems. More distant areas would be three story systems with livestock.  The  most  remote  areas  (and  regions  in  terms  of  environmental conditions) would be for managed and unmanaged woodlands.

I  have  divided  the  farm  into  three  regions  to be approached consecutively. The long-term goal is to set up a three story cropping system of perennials,  but  in  the interim, the regular annual crops will be grown to maintain the cash flow. . . Another consideration  is  that  cattle  are  presently being raised, presenting problems with protection of planted stock... .

I. The first Region is made up of four  separated  problem  areas  that  aren't  being utilized very productively.

The  first  area is roughly one acre, . . . characterized by the Thetford [loamy sand] soil type, and has been in alfalfa. The alfalfa has done poorly due to  low  fertility and soil moisture. It was limed five years ago and may be quite acid now. . . Thetford is  probably  the best soil type on the farm for chestnuts, although its seasonal high water table [February to May] may cause problems. . . This area may be a frost  pocket which  lends  support  to  the  use  of  the  hardy  chestnut.  About  30 trees may be. needed. . . Hazelnuts would be a  good  understory.   Another option is to plantChristmas  trees  as  an  understory.  This  is  a  good  place for them. Brambles and strawberies would grow well here with added fertility. . .

The second area. . . is the southern edge of the field that is heavily shaded by the neighboring  woods.  A shade tolerant tree is needed. The trees available that fit the bill are the beech and the sugar maple. I vote for the maple since  it  is  likely  to grow  better  here. . . These trees, which would be widely spaced to serve as a buffer between the woods and the field, would  eventually  be  a  sugar  bush. . .  [Improved varieties] can have twice the sugar in their sap as current ones.

The  third  area  is. . .a  very  wet  depression  that  has been very unproductive. A savanna-like system could be set up using  swamp  white  oak  and  burr  oaks  as  the dominant  species.  A  couple  of honeylocust  would fit in also. With an appropriate understory such as mulberries and a grass-legume ground cover, this area could produce pork. . . Planting stock could be obtained from  native  stands. . . About  12  trees could be needed.

The fourth area, . . .a field of 2.5 acres, has heen fenced and pastured and has mixed stand  of  saplings  in it.  This stand, consisting mostly of white ash, cherry, soft maple, and elm, should probably be thinned and allowed to reach marketable size  (save the  one pin oak!). The rest would be planted to walnuts, hickories, and honey locusts. The honeylocusts would go in wetter  depressional  areas.  About  50  trees would  be needed.  Black  and  English walnuts, since they produce very marketable crops, should predominate. Depending on the needs of  the  managers,  the  surface  layer  could  be pastured or cropped.                                                                  '

II.  The  second region could be considered next year or later. It is the six acres of Thetford soil type remaining. . . Much more research and resources are  needed  to  do it.  The  just  planted row of chestnuts and walnuts will give us a better idea of how these trees are suited to these conditions. A coniferous windbreak needs to be planted across this region to protect the lower areas from  surprise frosts  and  the  higher areas from the wind.

III.  The  last region is [along the road] in the moister soils. This ten acres can be developed more intensively. Wet spots can be planted sooner. A row  of  lower  growing butternuts,  English  walnuts, chestnuts  and/or other trees can be planted under the wire next to the road.

Additional Areas of Focus.

-Soil tests. All areas should be tested to determine phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and lime requirements. While rock minerals and lime can be  applied  on  the  surface, they incorporate sooner if tilled in.

-Nursery.  Any  permaculture  system  should  be  supported  by  a  tree  and  variety propagation system. It is recommended that a good sized nursery be set up this spring. Considering the limited funds, this is an inexpensive but slower way to stock the farm with quality varieties. By both planting seeds and even just a few improved varieties, through grafting, we can produce many of the quality  trees  we  need.  A nursery is important also to ensure the propagation of rare species such as the American Chestnut and  Kentucky coffee tree. The nursery will provide for replacement and improvement in the established tree farm as our understanding continues to evolve.

-Woodlots. These  areas  should  be  managed  for  wood  products,  maple  sugar,  and ecological  values. Scarce  plants  and  animals  should  be preserved. Wood products include timber, poles and firewood. Some trees that there should  be  more  of:  tulip trees,  red  oak,  sugar maple, and beech. [Jon has also suggested that a "wilderness" area be set aside whare no management be exercized. -Ed.]

-Bees. Five to ten hives should be  managed  on  the  farm.  They  provide  honey  and pollination.,

-Research  and  Development. The available literature should be searched and awareness kept up to date on new varieties and  research.  Because  the  concept is new, any answers  can be found through experimenting right on the farm. Being pioneers, our experiences should be made available by publication. 

-Farmstead. Little has been said about  designing  household  systems  to  be  applied around  the farmstead. Systems could be set up using chickens pastured on mulberries, Siberian pea shrub and comfrey, for example. A coniferous windbreak  definitely  needs to be established north of the house. . .

-Aquaculture.  There  are pond sites that could be developed and incorporated into the permaculture system.

To apply permaculture techniques  to  the  homestead  farm  both  local  environmental variables  and human variables must be considered. As Aldo Leopold succinctly put it: "Land is but the community on which we live." We must design a  community  to  satisfy human needs as well as environmental needs - This is a beginning.

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Spring  brought  a  great  deal  of  activity  to  the  Homesteading Farm. Under Jon's direction planting in the first area of Region I was  begun  with  Chinese  chestnuts, walnuts,  pecans,  Christmas  trees,  and blackberries. Along the road young filberts joined earlier plantings of chestnuts and black  walnuts.  The nursery  was  started. Honey locusts, persimmons and burr oaks are growing. More varieties will be planted in the  fall. An evergreen windbreak was planted north of the house. Special thanks go to Elwood Holton for his workshop on grafting and generous donations of trees-and to Ken Asmus of Oikos Landscape Design, who also donated trees.

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A CONFERENCE REPORT

-Ken Dahlberg

An important conference, "Sustainable Agriculture and Integrated Farming Systems," was held at Michigan State University in early June. The conference was sponsored  by  the Experiment  Station, the Extension Service, Rodale Press, and IFOAM (the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements).  The  latter  was  only  identified  by acronym, since evidently the term "organic farming" is still somewhat of a red flag to the  agricultural establishment. The main purpose appeared to be to encourage dialogue and to provide more internal  and  external  legitimacy  for  the  Kellogg  Biological Station  project on reduced energy farming systems. In those terms it appeared to be a clear success. In terms of advancing our understandings of sustainable and  integrated farming  systems,  there  was less success-at least for those of us who have followed alternative  agricultural  literature.  Hopefully,  the  proceedings  (which  will  be
published)  will  help  to  bring members of the agricultural establishment more up to date.

Much of the conference dealt with detailed agronomic reports, many from  the  European biological agriculture  people  (IFOAM). Fortunately, there were also sessions on the ecological dimensions and on ethical and value questions. Both Maynard Kaufman  and  I gave  papers  in  the latter session. One of the frustrating aspects of the conference was that there was no time to discuss papers at the time  they  were given.  We were promised  a  day  (which  turned  out  to  be  half a day) to discuss all aspects. Unfortunately, by the time that day arrived many speakers and panelists had  left  and new  people had arrived for the summary session. Thus, while there was some discussion of general issues,  there  was little focussed  discussion  of  the  many  important questions  that  individual  papers raised. After a big, and quite self-congratulatory reception and dinner, there were keynote talks given by  Harold  Brelmyer  and Robert Rodale. These were interesting, but again broke no new ground.

The next day, there was a tour of the Kellogg Biological Station areas involved in the reduced  energy farming  systems  program.  After  that there was a discussion led by Richard Harwood of the Rodale Research Farm with  the  Michigan  Organic  Growers  and farmers from the area. In the afternoon there was a tour which included visits to both Mark  Thomas'  and  the  Kaufmans' farms. The day was mainly for MOG and IFOAM people, plus a few people staying on from the more academic portions of the  conference. From all  reports,  the  tour  went very well. Overall, then, it is encouraging that MSU is taking an interest in exploring more sustainable approaches to agriculture, but a  bit frustrating  that  it  is  apparently still so difficult to try to introduce a serious consideration of the larger dimensions and alternatives into the Land Grant system.

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MANIFESTO: THE MAD FARMER LIBERATION FRONT

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion-put your ear
close,and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie easy in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is Highest in your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

-Wendell Berry

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