It is only going to get hotter…
Are you curious how adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing can change the trajectory of climate change for the planet? It is healthier for the soil and animals. There is a new series Roots So Deep, Roots So Deep Trailer I highly recommend watching it to see the comparison between AMP farmers and their conventional farming neighbors and the research that is discovered.
I hope everyone is enjoying all the beautiful, flavorful bounty from the garden. Our elephant heart plums started coming in so I am excited to share one of my favorite recipes soon!
Here are a few summer gardening chores that you should take care of in your garden. It is a great time to add compost and and mulch around veggies and flower beds again if your haven’t already done so. Pick roses and flowers often to promote new buds. Water deeply in the in evenings. For any new weeds cut them at the soil so the roots will feed the soil. See the July newsletter for information on soil health and weeds. July Newsletter
It has been a VERY hot summer - probably one of the hottest we have had since 2020. With 2 months of high 80’s and 90’s temperatures. I keep hearing people say, “Well it is only going to get hotter…!!” This makes me want to SCREAM. It doesn’t have to keep getting hotter. Yes, it will if we do NOTHING - meaning don’t make any changes to the way we grow out food or manage our soil.
It won’t keep getting hotter if we manage our soils properly, the way nature intended. For example, the grass lands around Petaluma and Sonoma County in general could be regeneratively farmed if cows are using adaptive multi-paddock grazing techniques. (Note, there are some local farmers that are using these practices). This means giving cows smaller areas to graze so they can trample pee and poop into the soil and allow the grasses to regrow before the cows come back to eat it down again. Here is how it works:
Cow hooves break up the soil
Cows eat grass then poop and pee in the broken up soil.
Cows then stomp and walk through pee and poop causing microbes to appear and fertilize build healthy soil.
New plants grow in the healthy soil
Photosynthesis happens and finally transpiration which creates moisture and rain.
This creates plants that grow year round, holding water capacity and self fertilizing with poop and pee as opposed to grass that goes dead and brown in summertime. When the grass is dead and brown the soil dies and the temperature increases. Soil that is covered in plants and plant life has a fraction of the temperature that bare soil gives off. Bare soil temperature will be in the 80-90’s. Soil covered in plants will be in the 60’s. When soil is covered in plant life it brings our outside temperature down.
We have a choice…continue accepting the extreme weather changes around the globe, or make changes to promote a healthy climate. I challenge you to look around your own garden or your neighbor’s garden to see where more plants can be utilized to cover bare soil. In addition, please share this newsletter with 5 people you know that would be open to learning why regenerative agriculture can change the course of climate change and put us on a path to climate rescue.
