October 2018 Issue PDF

FEATURES

True Soil Health
by Gary F. Zimmer & Leilani Zimmer-Durand
Soil health isn’t just the capacity of soil to function, it’s the capacity of soils to function without intervention through resiliency.

Keys to Composting for Healthy Soil, Vegetable Crops
by Bryan O’Hara
The composting system resembles the mouth and stomach of the farm system and prepares the nutritive materials for absorption into the soil. Farmer Bryan O’Hara discusses appropriate materials to feed into this system along with an examination of mixing, piling and application.

Reducing Food Waste
by Debra Atlas
Rich healthy soil is essential to producing better quality crops and healthy nutritious food. The more we reduce food waste and turn it into compost applied to farmland to improve soil health, we ensure that our farms will be able to meet growing food demands.

Nutrient Management for High-Quality Crops
by Raymond Yoder, Jr.
Raymond Yoder, Jr. offers practical ways to achieve healthier soil based on soil’s three components: the chemical, the physical and the biological.

Bone Char Benefits
by Maria Dimengo
Farmers have been experimenting with animal waste for centuries, using it as a fertilizer or as a way to recycle healthy nutrients back into the soil. While some focused on traditional forms of waste, others directed their attention to the benefits of “bone black,” or animal char.

Biochar & Mycorrhizae
by Mike Amaranthus, Ph.D. & Paul Hepperly, Ph.D.
Biochar and mycorrhizae — two hot trends among agronomists — are beginning to converge in an effort to help address the various challenges posed by climate change and non-sustainable agricultural practices.

It’s About Time: Social Media Marketing Time Management
by Dr. Roxanne Bruce, D.B.A.
Learn how to successfully navigate the world of online marketing for your farm, ranch or other agricultural enterprise.

Ruin to Revival: the Dirt Trilogy
by David R. Montgomery & Anne Biklé
The soil these two researchers and authors faced at the start of a new garden project was a microcosm of the challenges soils face globally, particularly agricultural soils, that inspired their life’s work.

Interview: Gabe Brown
Building Resiliency: Farmer and author Gabe Brown discusses soil health and diversity.

DEPARTMENTS

View from the Country
Monthly musings from Acres U.S.A.’s publisher. 

Letters to the Editor
Readers share their thoughts on past articles and words of encouragement.5 Opinion

A Toxic Tide turning
Researcher and author Charles Massy delves into the glyphosate debate as increasingly voluminous medical and other research is exposing the canard that glyphosate is safe.

Eco-Update
News in brief from around the world on developments in eco-farming technology, organic food and farming, human health and vital environmental issues.

Science on Your Side
Acres U.S.A. highlights recent research and what it means for you.

The Harvest Table: The True Value of Food
Nick Barnard asserts that food is not a consumer durable; it is nature’s precious and fragile gift to us, and he suggests ways we can embrace and celebrate that gift. 

Stock & Flock: Noble Beasts on the Farm
Retired veterinarian, consultant and farmer Will Winter shares tips for getting the most of out of a canine farm hand in part two of this two-part article.  Small-Scale Success

Black Gold: The Power of Poo
Every farm that produces livestock has to find a way to deal with the manure their animals produce. The good news is that recent advances in manure-to-energy technology can provide the perfect solution to this timeless dilemma for farmers of all sizes.

Reviews & Recommendations
From in-depth book reviews to innovative websites and beyond, here’s what’s on our radar.  

Marketplace

Classifieds

Eco-Meetings
We let you know when and where exciting eco-farming events are happening.  

Meet an Eco-Farmer
Get to know fellow innovative farmers putting ecologically correct production principles to work, resulting in profitable, sustainable operations.