BALANCE AND DIVERSITY Biodynamic Farming in Upstate New York

摘要

NUTRIENT-RICH GLACIATED SOILS and regular rainfall have made the northeastern states attractive for farming since early times. The soils got a bad rap at one time for a specific reason: the first cash crop in many regions was potash for the glass industry, obtained by burning the forests. Thus, potash became the limiting nutrient, and our soils were called "depleted." The potash from deforestation is also easily leached away by rain, and takes on average 100 years to be rebuilt from soil parent materials where secondary forests grow up. But potash and other cations can be rebuilt and held much quicker in a closed farm setting, where water and nutrients are carefully retained through biodynamics, holistic grassland management and Keyline practices.