Spring, 1991 (v3n3)
	SAREP Project Update: 5 Encouraging Farms by Lyra Halprin, SAREP What are the consequences of adopting more "environmentally sensitive" farming practices? Does the farmer change along with the farm? Can changes be categorized or documented? SAREP is funding a two-year project that hopes to systematically document what occurs after a farm makes the transition by monitoring production systems at five farms in Tulare and Fresno counties. Called "Encouraging Profiles," the project is examining habitats, biocontrol and farmer experiences at the farms of David Mas Masumoto in Del Rey, Paul Buxman in Dinuba, Richard and Karen Peterson in Kingsburg, Rod Riffel in Parlier, and Fred Smeds in Reedley. The project is assessing the effects of biocontrol practices (use of beneficial insects to control insect pests) in relation to cover crop choices, natural fertilization, and IPM systems on grape and stone fruit farms. The baseline survey is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers and farmers headed by Ventura County entomologist Everett Dietrick, UC researcher Harry Shorey and farmer Mas Masumoto. Technical Findings Harry Shorey, entomologist, UC Kearney Agricultural Center in Parlier, has surveyed insects and arthropods on the five farms. He noted that beneficial arthropods were ten to 100 times higher in the cover crops per square foot than in nearby vines or trees. In a project report Shorey wrote that this was probably caused by the arthropods' response to plentiful food sources which were much higher in species diversity and numbers in the cover crop than in the vines and trees. Shorey noted that a comparison of data from farms with cover crops showed that they had a significant reduction in the number of variegated leaf hoppers, a serious pest in the area, compared to nearby farms without cover crops. His initial survey of species and numbers of pests and beneficials in the vines, trees and cover crops will be used as a baseline for further characterization of life on farms in various states of transition. Everett Dietrick noted in a report that the project reinforces his experience with cover crops and mulch management, particularly periodic alternate mowing. "Each time half of the cover crop strips are mowed, the other strips are left to regrow and attract the insects (pests and beneficials) from the cut area," Dietrick said. "This repeated removal reduces the food supply of plant-feeding insects. Many move into the adjacent uncut area instead of dispersing. This favors beneficials finding their prey," he added. Dietrick said the strips act like farm field insectaries for natural enemies, providing habitat for larger numbers of resident beneficials in relation to their hosts, and helping to control noxious weeds. Dietrick said that "proof that pests are under biological control on all five farms is evidenced by the farmers' ability to market quality fruit competitively, and pest population increases observed where beneficials are disturbed." He said diversity of cover crop species is less critical than the protection of soil surfaces with cover crops and mulches that provide habitat for living systems which improve biological control. The five farms range from the most complete coverage (shade from trees plus ground cover) maximizing biological control and allowing for minimum insect interference, to less managed land with large amounts of insect and weed problems. "The duration that a farm is sustainable is less of a factor than total soil coverage of some form of cover crop mulching system," Dietrick said. He noted that mulching systems to provide food and niches for key natural enemies and the elimination of interference with beneficials should be demonstrated in future project work. "The reason I have so much confidence in the effectiveness of strip cutting is that I've had about 30 years experience watching this," Dietrick said. "I'm excited about working with these farmers. We learned so much this last year. Now we can focus on some of things that will improve their farms next year." Farmer Perspective After one year of on-farm research, Masumoto said two concepts about the farms have emerged. First, it is clear that there is a lot of diversity, complexity and change going on simultaneously at the five farms. "This often equals chaos, but chaos isn't necessarily bad," he said. "In "Farms work, nature's ecosystems, it is healthy to have chaos and even in an economic/business/management sense, chaos has its advantages. Creativity and innovation come out of chaos. That's one of the keys to success, for business people, farmers and the environment." Masumoto said the other concept that has emerged from studying the farms is the fact that it is hard to pinpoint how they work. "There's no repeated pattern, in that we can't give anyone a recipe in order to farm sustainably, nor predict what's going to happen when they farm sustainably," he said. "I think that's good, in the sense that it rewards innovation, it rewards a farmer who is very close to his land, who has a good sensibility, not only about his farm but about management, business and the social community." Masumoto said it is important to explore the idea of chaos in farm work, and to tie the scientific community into this study. "Farms work, and we don't know why." "Here in the working world it's so much different than in a lab, or even on a research farm," he said. "We're trying to bridge some of those differences with our on-farm observations. It's important to research what is happening on our farms. Each farmer needs to conduct their own innovative on-farm research." Masumoto said the drought is illustrating that it might be important to farm differently. "Clearly the drought is showing how much change is occurring everywhere, but specifically in agriculture," he said. "With the changing dynamics of less water, there's a whole new agenda being formed. Sustainable farming is by its very nature farming differently every day. It gets back to 'change/diversity/chaos,' which some people see as a vicious circle, but we see as a natural circle." Masumoto said the project is continuing to observe how the individual farmers make decisions based on their own sense of their land, and their recognition that everything added to the land affects the entire farming system. In the next year, the project will be examining on-farm research. "How does science examine a changing environment?" Masumoto asked. "A simple example is what happens when you add less water to farms. How does that affect the farm and the sustainable practices you're using?" Additionally, the project will be focusing on specific farming practices, like the use of cover crops. "We'll be looking to see not simply if cover crops are good or bad, but how long does a farm need its cover crop? Especially in relation to water use," he noted, adding that cover crops use a lot of water, which may not be sustainable in drought years. Another specific process being examined in 1991 involves the appearance of thrips in orchards. "In one window of a nectarine growing season they're considered a pest, but in the next window they're beneficial insects. We want to look at that," he said. Masumoto said studying thrips will be useful in understanding both the "whole farm" picture and the "little microcosms" that occur, like "when a pest isn't a pest." An important component of on-farm research, Masumoto said, is the study of the farmers and the communities they live in. "The same themes that we see occurring in the farm ecosystems apply," Masumoto said. "Farmers are constantly changing, their needs are changing, they're very diverse. Most research projects tended to look at the farm only, and ignore the farmer. We're looking at management decisions and the decision-making process. We're examining innovation, how it works on farms. Sustainable farming by its very nature has necessitated innovation." [ Back | Search | Feedback ]