Soil and water are some of the most valuable resources for farmers. Farmers can apply their own skills to stay resilient through proven methods of soil stewardship.

Farmer and rancher Gabe Brown, a 2012 NRDC Growing Green Award winner, is the owner of Brown’s Ranch in Bismarck, North Dakota. For over 15 years, Gabe has merged back-to-basics agrarian practices with innovative science-based sustainable farming techniques on his 5,400 acre diversified family ranch. In this video, Gabe explains how a few simple water-smart techniques have powerful effects on the health of his soil and crops.

Read Gabe’s OnEarth.org column on the transformation of his land from barren range to fertile farm: http://www.onearth.org/articles/2013/08/this-north-dakota-rancher-turned-barren-range-into-a-fertile-farm

See NRDC’s Soil Matters report recommending a new blueprint for resilient farms that would reward farmers for their healthy soil practices: http://www.nrdc.org/water/your-soil-matters/

Take action and tell the USDA that soil health matters to our food future: https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3185

The Vegetable Garden - The FHC Show, ep 16

In episode 16 of The Farm Hand’s Companion Show, Pa Mac demonstrates the basic ins and outs of growing a vegetable garden, including laying off rows, planting, and cultivating the garden plot using all types of methods: Human power, draft animals, tractors, and tillers. Learn a little about soil fertility and soil improvement using homemade fertilizers, dealing with threats to your garden plants (ever try to keep deer or crows out of your garden?), as well as three basic purposes of an organic vegetable garden for the small farm or homestead.

Be sure and subscribe to the Farm Hand’s Companion channel to keep up with the progress as Pa Mac takes an undeveloped piece of property and turns it into a small subsistence farm. Watch for new episodes as often as Pa Mac can crank ’em out and still run a small farm. (As long as he’s alive and kicking, he’s most assuredly farming and filming!)

Also visit http://www.farmhandscompanion.com to find articles, posts, photographs, and encouragement for today’s self-sufficient farm or homestead. (And be sure to check out the General Store for books or DVD’s by Pa Mac at http://www.farmhandscompanion.com/general_store.html)

And if you enjoy the show and want to gain a little more knowledge, insight, and inspiration for “farmin’ ways”, become a supporter of The Farm Hand’s Companion Show by going to the FHC Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/farmhandscompanion

Soil Matters On the Farm

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