This year LaFarm went “no-till.” That means that we never till the soil: breaking it up or turning it over. Farmer’s till for a number of reasons: incorporating fertilizer, preparing soil for mechanical planting or seeding, to kill weeds, etc. But it’s very easy to till in a way to damage the soil, leading to compaction, erosion, and destruction of the soil microbiome, which is crucial for healthy crops. Tilling also is one of the main sources of emissions in agriculture; not because of the fossil fuels used in tractors, but because it releases carbon that is sequestered in the soil in the form of CO2. By stopping tillage and adopting different practices to accomplish the purposes it previously served, we are reducing our carbon footprint, need for fertilizer, and weed pressure, while also increasing soil health, protecting beneficial insects, and making our farmwork simpler and safer.
In 2022 our production dropped compared to the previous two years. There were many factors that contributed to this, but a major one was a real stroke of bad luck. In July, just as we were entering an usually long period without rain, our well pump broke. The faithful little pump was a student project that had worked flawlessly for almost a decade. We look forward to having our irrigation system back next year!
Thanks to our wonderful alumni donors, as well as Capital Blue Cross, we have nearly completed our brand new propagation greenhouse. This greenhouse will help LaFarm grow even better seedlings for planting in our field, and also serve as a much needed indoor space for classes to visit during nasty weather. The greenhouse should be operational for the 2023 growing season.
Thanks to the generous support of Capital Blue Cross, we were able to crew four new student positions at LaFarm. The Food and Farm Apprentice works for a full growing season, acting as the assistant manager of LaFarm and earning a state certification in diversified vegetable production through Pasa Sustainable Agriculture. The three Landis-LaFarm Fellows work throughout the summer in many aspects of the local food system: doing farm work at LaFarm and the Easton Urban Farm, helping establish the new West Ward Market downtown, and doing research on food justice.