Kootenay Worm Composting

05/08/2024

04/24/2024

🪱 Without soil, there is no food, and there is no us. Our planet is losing soil at an alarming rate.

🌍 That's why Kiss the Ground exists - to teach the world about regeneration, a way of farming that builds back our soil instead of degrading it.

🌿 Learn how your $10 donation supports the transition of 1 acre to regenerative this Earth Month: kisstheground.com/impact-statement/

03/12/2024

Join us for an inspiring event that fosters climate change solutions, innovations, resilience, creativity and hope.

03/12/2024

By tapping into underground fungal networks, farmers are learning how to build lush, spongy soil that supports healthy plants and stores carbon underground.

02/04/2024

02/04/2024

organic carbon is a treasure beneath our feet! ✨🍂🪱💨

have the potential to sequester greenhouse gases and help mitigate/adapt to climate change.

🔍 Learn more on the relationship between soils and carbon 👉 https://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/areas-of-work/soil-organic-carbon/en/

02/04/2024

Carbon Math- WE NEED TO TEACH THE TEACHERS.

I was asked about carbon by a school teacher the other day after I spoke to his class. He said that he was under the impression that cattle were bad for the environment. WE NEED TO GET INTO THE SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES and educate the educators. These are the people teaching the next generation. This is scary.

I told him that we just need to manage the system so that we use the animals to sequester more carbon than we emit. Carbon has a cycle. Livestock are just one part in the cycle. Matter canot be created or destroyed. The livestock do not produce a single molecule of carbon.

Most industries will never get to "carbon neutral" like they claim. In agriculture, we have the ability to go beyond neutral and actually make a difference, because we can sequester carbon.

Most of our industry is just looking for ways to reduce emissions on single measurements. Usually they are just looking for a new product or a magic bullet that will just fix it. The issue is not to just reduce emissions, the issue is to improve net carbon. It's a math equation. We need to sequester more than we emit. A more useful target in our drive to be sustainable needs to start with actually sequestering more carbon. In agriculture, we are one of the few industries on the planet that actually has the ability to sequester more carbon than we emit. But currently as an industry, we are not.

There are 3 processes that we need to manage in order to sequester carbon and store it in the soil. Here is a quick version.

1. Photosynthesis. We need to use the plants to pull carbon out of the air.
2. Exudation. This is where the plants push glucose out through the roots into the soil.
3. Soil biological conversion. We need an active living soil full of biology to convert and store the carbon in a stable form.

But this is about net carbon. Can we increase the amount of carbon we sequester while at the same time reducing the amount of emissions? A crop that only grows for 100 days and requires excessive equipment use and lots of inputs will not accomish this. We also need living roots in the soil for a longer season with more ground cover. How about 200 days of Sequestration, with a full canopy of plant cover? To sequester more carbon, we need to capture more sunlight.

We need to get back to the basics in our school systems. Let's teach our kids about carbon math and stop blaming the cow.

God bless.
Steve Kenyon
Greener Pastures Ranching Ltd.

02/04/2024

Vermicastings are more than just a fertilizer. Their potency can be measured in the classical N-P-K format, but that doesn’t fully capture their potential. See, NPK comes from a time when soil and plant growth were viewed primarily from a chemical perspective.

Now, it's clearer than ever that chemical elements are just building blocks utilized by the microbes in our soil. Plant roots enter into relationships with these microbes, and that is what drives healthy plant growth.

Vermicastings are a slow-release amendment that provides microbial life, essentially a mining crew, living inside it. They make available what’s already in the soil because often, those minerals and nutrients are just locked away and not accessible to the roots.

Did you know that some microbes can even 'eat rocks'? Yes, that's right! That's how they can transform degraded soil into a healthy world for our plants

01/27/2024

These samples are the same soil type and have been in a corn-bean rotation for the past 20+ years, however their treatment has been substantially different. The soil on the left has not been tilled or had anhydrous ammonia applied for over 20 years and has had a cereal rye cover crop grown after harvest for the last 5 years. The soil on the right has been tilled each year, as well has had anhydrous ammonia applied in the fall. This picture was taken about 2 minutes after the samples were submerged in water. The tilled soil essentially “exploded” as soon as it entered the water. Repeated tillage has destroyed the structure of the soil, eliminating pore space and destroying the biological “glue” that helps hold soil together, and as a result the soil has collapsed. In contrast, due to minimal soil disturbance the tillage-free soil has excellent pore space and extensive biological activity, and as a result has provided the soil with a healthy structure that can withstand the impacts of water.

Within 5 minutes the tilled soil was completely gone, whereas the tillage-free soil remained almost entirely intact. We decided to see how long it could last and kept adding water to it (to keep up with evaporation) over the course of several weeks. We gave up after 6 weeks, in which the tillage-free soil sample was still about 95% intact.

01/01/2024

$250,000/acre.
That is the current worth of my farm to a developer.
We are in this pocket of what they call a "land shortage" or a "housing shortage" with a "high demand for commercial space." The open space that this farm sits on is in high demand to builders and developers. Sometimes I feel they visit me more than my neighbors do to shop for their groceries.

The large tracts of land that still remain around here are mostly privately owned and many that fill that category are "working farms." Those working farms around here are mostly orchard, specialty crops, small livestock, some cattle and very few dairy. Many of which are open to the public. Some seasonally. Some year 'round. But in reality there are not nearly as many as there once were and the number that we claim each year will dwindle by one or two when we have this discussion again next year. And I have this discussion every year in some way or another.

I personally have been approached by three different developers in just the last six months. It is not uncommon. I am sure my friends that do the same thing I do get the same thing. My farm is no different than the next when it is looked at by the number of lots one can get in. They are waiting to catch us in a weak moment; a bad season, a stressful month, a day of struggle. We own 52.25 acres here. Most cultivated. Some dormant and awaiting the reclamation process when the funds allow for it to get completed.

I have said it before and I will say it again...this way of life can be really hard. It can test you mentally, physically and emotionally. But it is the only life I know and no matter how hard it can get, I truly love being the caretaker of this 313 year old working landscape. I am only the fourth family to ever call it home and to call it my farm since 1710. I feel lucky to be on it! I love to grow and produce crops from it that help nourish and feed not only my family but the community members that support it in their daily routines. If you are lucky this year, you can make an honest living. But next year, Mother Nature may swoop in and kick you down just like she did this year. And at the end of that year, no matter how good or bad, you will always lace up your work boots and look forward to the growing season that lies in the year ahead.

As we close out the 92nd year of my family farming here and look forward to the incoming New Year, I sit back and wonder how much further this little piece of ground will make it. It has withstood a lot through time. And pondering the future of it is always a common thought as I close out my year and eagerly await the new one.

As you make resolutions for the New Year, please add LOCAL FARMS to your list.
- Cook at home more in 2024 and let the Farm Stands inspire your next meal.
- Consider a Farm Share
- Choose the Local Milk
- Shop the Farmers Market near your work
- VISIT THE FARMS, CHOOSE LOCAL, EAT LOCAL, SHOP LOCAL

There are less than a half dozen here in Littleton alone. Maybe less in the Town you are from if you are reading this beyond the community of Littleton.

Once land is gone, it is gone forever. The future of your working landscapes, farms and pastures relies on the community just as much as the owner and caretaker.

Farms will stand strong against development pressure as long as their neighbors support them.
You have the distinct opportunity to vote with your food dollars. Put those votes toward LOCAL FARMS, YOUR NEIGHBOR THAT CULTIVATES FOOD & THE FARMER THAT KEEPS LAND TILLED RATHER THAN BUILT ON.

Let's work together ❤

10/25/2023

10/10/2023

Little wrigglers contribute one slice to every loaf of bread, adding more than 140 million tons per year to global food supply

10/06/2023

This is called ‘rainscaping'. What do you think? 🌱
https://gardeningsoul.com/best-20-diy-ideas-create-decorative-downspout-landscape/

07/12/2023

What is regenerative agriculture?

I have 5 points that might help answer that question.

1. We need more roots

We need to increase the polyculture of plants. By adding in a diversity of plants, we get a diversity of root systems. I have said it before: the plants do not grow from the soil, it is the soil that grows from the plants. The plants get over 95 per cent of their growth from water and the air. They convert these into sugar through the magic of photosynthesis which is then added to the soil through the root systems and through leftover residue. With good management, we can use plants to grow soil.

2. We need more bugs

As we build our soil with more root systems, we are improving the environment for our soil life to develop. We need to take care of all of our underground employees: bacteria, fungus, dung beetles, earthworms, yeasts and nematodes, just to name a few. These employees work with the plants and, in exchange for sugar, find and trade the needed nutrients. There are rarely any nutrient-deficient plants in nature. This only occurs in our current agriculture model. We need the soil life healthy and active to provide the free fertility for our plants.

3. We need more water

Water-holding capacity is an important aspect of agriculture that is not emphasized nearly enough. Water is our most important nutrient. If we need 50 pounds of nitrogen to grow X amount of crop, we require approximately 10,000 pounds of water in comparison. That is a pretty significant difference. We should spend more time and money on improving our water-holding capacity than on any other nutrient management. This applies even if you are in a high-rainfall area or under irrigation. Building up your soil and water-holding capacity will allow better retention and a more stable soil. Would you rather pump 12 inches of irrigation in a season or 25?

4. We need more solar panels

Agriculture is in the business of capturing solar energy and converting it into usable forms of energy. The energy that flows from the sun, to the plants and to the animals can become more efficient with proper management. By providing proper graze/rest periods, we can simply capture more sunlight. Catching more sunbeams should be every farmer’s goal because that is exactly what we do.

5. We need to recycle

Nothing can be created or destroyed — it simply changes form. Every element and nutrient we deal with in agriculture has a cycle. It just changes form throughout its cycle. As a manager, can you take those nutrients that you need to grow a crop and recycle them back into your farm? Can you recycle the carbon back into your soil? How about the nitrogen that is in your system? Can you recycle it without having to export it and then pay to import it again? Our advantage is that our livestock are 80 per cent inefficient. We just need to have the byproduct deposited in the right place.

This is both on the regenerative grazing side and the regenerative farming side. We are on the same team.

Our mission statement at Greener Pastures Ranching is “economic and environmental sustainability for generations.” This is pretty clear on what we think is important for our operation. To be sustainable, we need to be profitable and maintain that ability to remain profitable for many years. Making a quick buck is not our priority. If there is a production practice that makes money but degrades the environment, it will not pass the test here.

Steve Kenyon.
Greener Pastures Ranching

07/06/2023

06/28/2023

Greener Pastures makes a living custom grazing livestock, cattle mostly. The cattle are the TOOL to impact our world in a positive way - growing amazing soil by sequestering carbon out of the atmosphere!

06/20/2023

Great illustration of how effective worm casting extracts are in working with the plants to add life/growth! 👏👏

06/05/2023

Dung Beetles are your friends in the fields!

06/02/2023

This is an awesome sight!

05/27/2023

Want to teach kids about , and the most dangerous threats.

You can use the experiments 🔬 !

Check them out here:http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7957e.pdf

05/21/2023

Regenerative Agriculture- it is the answer to our changing climate. It seems everyone blames the cattle but if managed right, they can be the solution. I am a regenerative grazing farmer and my passion is in healing our soil and repairing our broken water cycle.

Cows are not the culprits in climate change. Its how the cow is managed by us that is the problem.

It’s simple biology. Livestock do not produce carbon. They can not add a single atom of carbon to the atmosphere that wasn’t already there in the first place. Yes, livestock emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), both contain one atom of carbon. This is a basic fact of biology.
But ... A cow is only a part of the carbon cycle. Matter can not be created or destroyed. Livestock eat plants and all the carbon in a plant comes from the atmosphere, not the ground. 97.5 % of every plant comes from the air, not the soil. (If we look at the typical dry matter composition of a plant, it looks something like this — carbon: 45 per cent, oxygen: 45 per cent, hydrogen: six per cent and nitrogen: 1.5 per cent.) all of this can come from the air.

The carbon in the plants leaves comes from the air around them via the process of photosynthesis. The carbon in the roots of plants also comes from the air as it get transported from the leaves to grow roots. Even the carbon in the exudate that the plant sends out the root tips and gives to the soil microbes in a swap for nutrients, comes from the air.

When a cow (or any livestock) eats a plant it is ‘eating’ carbon from the atmosphere. The animals simply recycle that carbon back where it just came from. The air. The magic of regenerative agriculture comes from the plants with their symbiotic relationships with the soil organisms. With proper management, we can take so much more of this atmospheric carbon and store it in the soil. The plants add sugar (carbon) to the soil. We can build the soil. Modern agriculture mines the soil and releases C into the air. We are the problem. Not the cow. Regenerative agriculture is how we can build soil. We use the livestock to manage the plants.... the plant can then sequester the carbon and we can store it in the ground. Modern agriculture grows plants from the soil. With regenerative agriculture, we use the plants to grow the soil. Big difference.

Steve Kenyon.
Greener Pastures Ranching

05/16/2023

05/13/2023

I love this concept. What do you think?!

05/10/2023

All this happens underground IF you have BIOLOGY (organisms). If NO biology then you have dead dirt!

From the smallest bacteria🦠 to the largest earthworm 🪱 every creature in the soil plays a vital part in maintaining the health of our 🌍

Let's take a moment to appreciate the incredible role of the life beneath our feet!