Our Journey
Farming, like life in general, is a journey. It is cyclical, centered usually on crop years, one of the more basic cycles of life. You sow, and with some luck, you harvest. There is typically a relationship between the two activities, but nature tends to keep us humble. Many operations are multi-generational, so the journey often extends beyond individuals. People come and go, but the land lives on, made better or worse by those who acted as it’s stewards. We do not really own the land, any more than it owns us. We probably are little different from soil microbes, other than that our scale of operation is perhaps a little grander, and longer term.
Growing up as a farm kid, we attributed year to year differences in crops to the weather more than anything we did. Few opportunities arose to compare our fields to others. In the early 1970’s we applied some lime to the fields, and that made a pretty significant difference. We also applied some P and K, and our fields got much more productive, with more consistently good crops. As our livestock numbers increased, we had lots of manure that was typically spread on what we now call the east field. These changes allowed us to grow pretty respectable crops. For a number of years we grew small grains, with annual tillage. This started out pretty good, but weeds got so bad it was hard to combine. Only more recently did we figure out that the frequent tillage was giving us bacterial soils that would favor weeds.
Around 2020 we decided to tile a couple areas where we had wet spots that often made proper tillage difficult, and these areas did not always produce consistently. The act of digging and exploring the soil layers produced an understanding of what would work best for the land. More research into the USDA soil survey maps confirmed what we had seen and provided a much broader understanding of the entire farm, not just the area we tiled. We had always thought our soils were way less fertile than some of the heavier soils in the Pelkie area, but for some crops they were actually much better. Fertility is important, but soil physical properties, specifically the soil structure, and the composition of the subsoils can be more important in consistently growing good crops. In farming, water trumps just about everything. Many soils in the central UP are sandy, and they are sandy all the way down. They cannot hold water, and as a result are not very productive. They are better suited to growing deep rooted pine trees. Other soils are heavier with clay on the surface. Although better, they are not suited for many crops, and can be too wet to be useful. They are also subject to compaction issues. Our soil structure with a good silty loam topsoil, and a thick layer of sand below is important in letting both water and roots penetrate. The secret sauce are the layers of red clay starting at about a 30” depth that prevents water from flowing deep into the subsoil. This layer allows the sand layers to remain saturated, acting as a reservoir for deep rooted plants like alfalfa. The clay layer also prevents nutrients from being leached deep into the subsoil. There is only a limited amount of soil in the UP with this structure, so we have a relatively unique ability to grow crops like alfalfa successfully. Although nutrients can leach down to the 30” depth, deep rooted crops like alfalfa can easily tap these reserves and move them higher in the soil profile. Shallow rooted plants would not be as well suited to this type of soil, since they might not be able to reach the deep fertility. Soil testing at several depths was completed confirming that the floor concept was very real. The east field also slopes to the south and west, providing a more favorable angle of incidence for sunlight. The higher sun intensity not only helps crops photosynthesize better, it also helps a hay crop dry a little faster.
A rain simulator at a soil health event around 2020 convinced me that I did not know anything about soils. This was my introduction into Regenerative Agriculture. The principles all seemed to make sense. I knew at some level there was biology in the soil, but like most, I never really gave it much thought. Having used electron microscopes quite a bit in grad school, I had some understanding of the micro world. I bought a couple optical microscopes and started growing corn plants in glass sided grow boxes, and then studied the living roots with the microscopes. See the micrographs below that resulted from my microscopy studies. This was the real beginning of my journey. Until then, I had been doing pretty much everything wrong relative to farming. My poor practices were multi-generational. We basically did not know any better! I knew enough to be dangerous, but really enough to be useful. We really didn’t know that anyone really understood what was going on. Only through considerable study enabled by the internet, was it evident that there were people that really understood on a deep level how plants and soil worked. This was quite an epiphany and a lot of fun. An early focus was on micronutrients. It became clear that to thrive, plants needed a number of nutrients and that there were threshold levels for each type of plant. We always interpreted soil test results, in terms of NPK, and thought everything else was kind of optional for people with lots of money to spend. Turns out, once you have some kind of understanding how plants work, that the threshold concept is more right than wrong. Once we learned to properly conduct sap tests, we were able to consistently identify deficiencies of a number of nutrients. Ever since I was a kid, I had this dream of finding some micronutrient that was really holding us back. After more years than I care to mention, we have found that deficiency, and have remedied the problem with encouraging results. That kind of experience is really fun!!! Once we get the nutrients right, we need to grow the biology. That is where we are at in 2025. Things will bootstrap themselves given enough time, but I am old enough that we want to boost things a little where we can. Adding carbon, and other microbe food sources will help accelerate progress.
The following year end summaries are included to provide additional insights into details from the past couple years. We have a ways to go yet, but we are convinced that we are moving in the right direction.
2023 in Review
Agronomically, 2023 was a challenging crop year. A relatively early warm up was interrupted by a very heavy wet snow that set back crops early in the season. Although there was good moisture, the Canadian wildfires produced long lasting hazy conditions that kept temperatures down and sunlight limited. High temperatures in early June triggered the orchard grass to head out early, while the alfalfa was developing more slowly. In order to assure desired forage quality, we opted to take the first cutting on 17 June. This was very nice first crop hay. Yields were similar to 2022. The second crop took off well with improved sunlight availability, but unfortunately, we did not get much rain. The second crop did not mature very rapidly. We gave it six weeks and the alfalfa was still not flowering. We cut on 28 July. This was a little lighter crop than 2022, although hay quality was quite good. We hoped for a decent third cutting, but rains were light. We cut on 2 Sept. The yield was very light. In retrospect, we would have been better off making two cuttings.
For 2024, we plan on doing only two cuttings, hoping to give the alfalfa an opportunity to flower. Alfalfa generates new roots when it flowers, and not allowing it to do this is likely hurting plant development.
We added 18 acres of new seedings in 2013. We seeded 6 acres last year but were not pleased with the population, so we reseeded in the spring. This too did not seem very thick, so we reseeded again in August, and this looks better. We have 7 acres of newly seeded straight alfalfa for 2024. This is a branched root variety, and it should recover more quickly after cutting than the current alfalfa strains.
In May we also seeded down 6 acres of straight sainfoin. This came up reasonably well, but so did the weeds. We mowed in late July to reduce competition. In mid-August we worked up another 5 acres and seeded that down to sainfoin as well. We got a good rain right after seeding, and this came up well. It got out ahead of the weeds, and prospects for a decent stand look promising. Late summer seeding seems the better practice. We will see what we have next spring. We are excited about this crop. Based on the deer population in the field, it looks like what we read about deer being attracted to this crop is proving to be correct. Sainfoin produces a lot of nectar, and it should attract pollinators of all sorts. His should be a positive for diversity and overall soil health. Sainfoin is hard to get established, with low vigor during the first year being frequently reported.
Equipment upgrades were a big focus for 2023. With future emphasis on forage production, we sold equipment used for grain production and upgraded to newer haymaking machinery that would be easier to operate. Actually, all of our haymaking machinery was updated, so there was a steep learning curve as it was put into service the first time. The mower for example has stub guards, which do not plug. This is really great, but you can break a sickle section, and it is not so easy to detect! On the first crop we found some streaks in the field when we raked. Knowing what to look for helps a lot. Simple new features like the hydraulic tongue eliminate headaches in getting the machine out of the shed and setting it up for cutting. For raking we got an 11-wheel trailer rake. This is very easy to hitch up, and it will rake three 9’ windrows into a single balanced windrow in light hay. On balers we initially went to a New Holland 315 with a super sweep pickup. This pickup was wider and there were many more teeth which is helpful in retaining alfalfa leaves when hay gets down below 13% moisture. We added a quarter turn chute, so bales sit on edge. This reduced moisture pickup from the ground, if there is any moisture in the ground! The better insure we do not get wet bales, we installed an in-chamber moisture meter, so we know the moisture level of each plunger stroke. This proved useful, and it saves time in not having to stop and probe bales.
This fall we found a New Holland BC5070 baler that is basically a state-of-the-art high-capacity machine, and it was well cared for, having only bailed wheat straw. Having hay down and a baler that will not bale is every farmers worst nightmare. Being far from servicing dealers is always an issue in the UP. Having newer machinery reduces concerns. The capacity of modern balers means we can bale fast, and we will get consistent bales. The BC5070 has a hydraulic bale tension system and additional side doors that can produce very dense bales. We are not looking to make bales that weigh 100 lbs, but we can tighten them up a little, and we will be getting better consistency, both is bale weight and length. We will also be adding an inline
moisture sensor to this baler, based on positive experiences with this technology on our 315 baler. We plan on shifting to poly twine in 2024, based on improved consistency. Sisal twine quality has been getting worse, and it is more expensive. As we tighten up our bales, twine strength becomes more important. The machine is set up for 170 lb poly twine, so we plan on using that to avoid any setup issues.
We conducted several experiments related to nutrition using foliar sprays. Foliar sprays of organic nutrients can correct any deficiencies nearly immediately. Tissue testing suggested that we would benefit from highly available carbon and calcium. We were also in need of more Selenium, Cobalt, Manganese, and Iodine. These micronutrients we added to the mix and applied to each crop and for the final growth after the third cutting. This year was a good reminder of what plants need. In order of importance, plants need: Water, Heat, Sunshine, and finally nutrients. If the plants do not get needed water, needed degree days, and abundant sunshine, nutrients are not going to make much difference. Hopefully 2024 will give more optimal conditions, and that some of the added soil amendments will make a difference in the future. We will continue to conduct plant tissue tests to assure we are not missing something important. We did a battery of soil tests to better understand where there might be some opportunities for next year. We did both Haney tests and a full nutrient assessment that tells us just what we have in the soil. It is important to know what is available to the plant, but sometimes you also need to determine just what is there, and what might not be. Healthy soils have adequate bacteria and fungi to recycle nutrients and to make micronutrients more available, but if critical elements are missing, the plant will lack what it needs to thrive. These elements will be the focus in 2024. The Haney test provides a measure of soil health by characterizing the biology living in the soil. This is the first time we conducted this type of test, and are a little unsure what it might show, given the extended dry conditions. Need to start somewhere. It should provide a starting point for our journey in improving the biology in our soil over time. We had interest in biochar, and are continuing to follow this alternative, doing grow box evaluations. If positive results are found, we will explore alternatives to evaluate in the field. Strip testing is very useful for side-by-side comparisons of treated and untreated effects.
One the highlights of 2023 was a decision to establish an apiary. The sainfoin, with its prolific nectar production, promises to make copious amounts of high-quality honey. The UP seems to be an excellent place to raise bees, free from herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides. The winters are a concern, but we are going to get some experience this winter with three colonies. If the bees and the sainfoin survive the winter, we will bump up our colony count considerably. Bees are interesting and there is a lot to learn in order to partner with them. The presence of pollinators should significantly improve soil health and all the critters that depend upon the soil.
We have a herd of about 30 deer that typically visit our fields daily. They bring microbes to the field and increase the diversity of the bacteria and fungi that live in the soil. This contributes to improved soil health, which helps improve the nutrient density of our forages.
After 110 years picking rocks on the Dynamite Hill Farm, we seem to be making progress. We are breaking fewer guards on the mower. We bought a mechanical rock picker for the bigger rocks, and then there are the grandkids for the smaller ones! We don’t expect to be rock free anytime soon, but we are making progress. Rocks are the one crop that seems consistent. Perhaps a warm winter with the El Nino will cut our rock crop and improve the weather pattern for 2024 crop year.
Plans for 2024 include multiple light applications of Potash fertilizer based on soil tests. Most other nutrients seem to be in the desired range. We extended a tile line this fall and rebuilt a washed-out road into the swamp with the help of our neighbor and his excavator. Relative to seeding intentions we plan on adding another ten acres of sainfoin, possibly with some orchard grass to reduce weed competition. We expect sainfoin to be a popular forage, and if the bees work out, it will allow us to expand the apiary. We have another 10 – 15 acres of low ground that will not work for alfalfa or sainfoin, but it might support Birdsfoot Trefoil and Orchard Grass. Trefoil, like sainfoin, has some unique characteristics. New varieties that grow more upright might be better for hay than early varieties like Empire that spread out. This would likely only produce a single crop, but it would allow those fields to be productive. The trefoil would also provide nectar for the bees and give them something other than sainfoin to work with.
Our forages feed goats, horses, donkeys, sheep, deer, cattle, and rabbits. Our intention is to provide quality forage that is as consistent as we can put up given the growing conditions mother nature provides. We use customer input to make decisions regarding what we grow, and even how we grow it, and put up our hay. We appreciate any feedback you can provide. With this, we can better meet your needs!
2024 in Review
2024 was a pivotal year for the Dynamite Hill Farm. For several years we have been embracing Regenerative practices, with encouraging, but not overwhelming results. In 2024 it became clear that we were on the right path and that what we were doing was making a positive difference. The use of sap testing was instrumental in finally understanding plant nutritional status. We switched labs and with mentoring from Advancing Eco Agriculture crop specialists, we identified a number of mineral and micronutrient deficiencies that were limiting plant performance. Most state universities and private soil testing labs focus heavily on NPK additions, but often ignore critical metals plants need to regulate their functions and insure high levels of photosynthesis. Many of these metals are needed only in trace amounts, so there is limited commercial infrastructure focused on selling the needed nutrients. Sap testing is also new, and it is important to understand the nutrient profile representing optimal nutrient levels for specific plants included in our forage mix.
A mild winter and early spring got crops off to a great start. In mid-March we applied a comprehensive custom blend of granular fertilizers based on detailed soil testing results. UP soils, particularly lighter sandy soils, tend to be highly deficient in Potash. We applied potassium sulfate in the amounts needed to get to the threshold level for this nutrient. We also applied Sulfur, Boron, Manganese, and Zinc. Consistent rainy and cloudy weather delayed the first cutting to July 9th. This gave us courser hay that we like, but you cannot make hay in the rain! Our first cutting yield was the highest we have seen on this field, probably going back a
hundred years! Although we cut later than we did the past couple years, and we had a lot of rain, we are clearly doing something right.
Soil fertility is important, and soil biology determines what nutrients in the soil are actually available to the plants. Sap testing is like a blood test for plants, and it tells you how well the plant is doing at extracting what it needs from the soil or air. By comparing results with sap tests performed on healthy and vigorous plants tested around the world, you can determine how your plants are performing compared to the ideal. This defines deficiencies and excesses, which provides critical insight into what is needed to optimize and balance plant chemistry. We ran sap tests in May and repeated them in mid-June. Deficiencies were identified, and prescriptions are developed for foliar sprays. Plants can absorb nutrients from their leaves, and this technique results in a much quicker response, with much less mineral application due to the greater absorption efficiency. The minerals applied are typically in a reduced form as opposed to an oxidized form, and this greatly improves absorption efficiency.
Getting plants to optimum performance produces not only higher yields, but a more nutritionally balanced forage, with a full dose of all the nutrients that particular forage crop can provide. There are big differences in the nutritional density of plants, even when comparing alfalfa to alfalfa. Initial sap tests showed deficiencies of Molybdenum, Cobalt, which are very important in supporting rhizobium, that fixes nitrogen for the alfalfa plant. Other deficiencies were not as severe, but supplementation of Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, and Copper were included in the foliar treatment, which was applied on 30 July. Giving the plant everything it needs relative to nutrients and micronutrients gets the plant to a point where it photosynthesizes at maximum capacity. This means that the plant stores excess sugars in the rhizosphere, allowing soil biology to thrive, which in turn helps build organic matter and a healthier microbiome, which is critical to the plant long term. Improving soil health is really our primary driver, and this will help us provide better forage crops in the long term. It is critical that 100% of the plant’s nutritional requirements are met throughout the growing cycle for plants to produce anything close to their genetic potential. A deficiency of even a singular micronutrient can sabotage hopes for a great crop, since the plant uses several metals to create enzymes and hormones that are used to control plant internal regulatory processes.
Testing, sampling, and remedial action are complex processes, and easy to mess up. Things like spray PH, water hardness, and leaf wetting must be carefully controlled for optimal performance. Details matter, a lot! Many of the nutrients needed have historically been applied to the soil with relatively poor efficacy, discouraging growers from spending money, believing that the particular application would not make any difference. Soil testing can be quite confusing too since there are many different procedures for extracting minerals from soil samples, and they can yield quite different results. Much of what is in the soil may not be available to the plant in a form that the plant can use, further complicating things. Some minerals are quickly oxidized in the soil and are not available to the plant in that state, so although some soil tests might indicate high levels of a particular nutrient, the plant might actually be deficient enough that plant health is significantly compromised. Most soils, even highly productive corn belt soils, are often deficient in important micronutrients. Removing crops year after year, without replacing micronutrients, eventually produces deficiencies. Upper peninsula soils have both macro and micronutrient deficiencies that significantly impact plant health. This compromises growth and nutrient density of forages produced. Soils that have been farmed for many years without attention to micronutrients are probably highly deficient in a wide array of critical elements. It is hard to know what nutrients are deficient in forages produced, so it can be difficult to determine what supplements are needed for animals consuming those forages. Our initial sap tests showed quite a few deficiencies. Some elements such as Molybdenum and Cobalt were basically absent. On our second cutting, we
applied the foliar spray prescription but left a test strip without treatment in order to make a comparison of the nutritional status of the alfalfa. A couple weeks after applying the foliar spray we did sap tests on both the treated and the untreated areas. The nutrient profiles were profoundly different. The treated samples showed balanced nutrition, and higher sugar levels indicating that the foliars made a huge difference. Some nutrients like Mo and Co went from being highly deficient, to highly available. The comparison was particularly useful because it showed just how powerful a tool foliar spraying can be. We purchased a computer controlled 1000 gal strayer with foam markers to assure we get uniform distribution of nutrients. Not only were yields significantly improved, but the Relative Forage Quality number from analysis of the alfalfa showed that we increased from our typical 165 range to 227. This is in the top half of the top one percent of alfalfa tested nationally. The process of sampling leaves is a boring, time-consuming exercise, but you cannot help but see things when you look that closely at the plants. The leaves from the treated areas were clearly larger, rounder, and with more hairs and more serrated leaf margins. These are all things you see in really thriving plants. We feel that we now have a good handle on the test procedures, target nutrient levels, and the nutrient application process. We will continue to fine tune our fertilization program, using foliar treatments to better manage micronutrients. Future emphasis will be on better supporting our soil microorganisms and soil biology in general. Getting the chemistry right, is just the first step.
In October we ran a new type of test that takes a very detailed look at soil biology. The test actually characterizes the DNA of the various soil microbes, allowing us to determine exactly what bacteria and fungi species are present, as well as their relative proportions. The test also characterizes the various hormones in the soil biology, and advises if levels are lower than seen in highly productive soils. Hormones determine plant physiology and impact characteristics like root architecture, branching, and root hair density. These features have a significant effect on plant growth and overall health. Testing showed we had excellent microbe diversity, but the microbes would do better if there was more carbon available as a food source. Although we had fungal microbiology present, our soil was predominantly bacterial. This suggests we have some significant opportunities if we can better support fungal biology. A challenge for the coming crop year will be to figure out how to do this most effectively.
We also ran Haney tests that characterize on a more general level the microbial activity in the soil. These tests showed some positive things like high levels of microbe activity as measured by carbon dioxide respiration rates in the soil. The results also indicated that although we had plenty of microbes they were basically starving for carbon. Over the past couple of years we have observed a very strong response when we left a little hay on the field. This was typically just a little tuff of hay that rolled out of the baler pickup. These areas were much taller and greener, suggesting that they were providing something in that localized spot that the plants needed badly! It appears that the nutrients from the discarded hay recycled quickly and made a very noticeable difference. Basically what we were doing was supplementing the soil in those areas with carbon. This explanation agrees well with the several different tests results, helping us understand what we were seeing in the field.
Recognizing we would benefit from adding carbon, we applied 2 tons/acre of lightly composted mulch and sprayed this with biology that accelerates the recycling process. A subsequent Haney test run shortly after application of the mulch did not show increased carbon, but it is believed the carbon was still in a form that the test would not detect. We will repeat the test in the spring to see if it shows up at that time.
Crops like alfalfa take a lot out of the soil, and if carbon is not applied, the microbes consume organic matter, and this impacts soil aggregation and the ability to hold water and
nutrients. This is a serious issue and needs attention in 2025 and beyond. Now that we have a handle on the soil and plant chemistry, the focus will be shifting to improving our biology. We have applied products that feed the microbes, and inoculated with desirable microbes. Our soil is still low in fungi, and improving this will be a strong focus in coming years.
On the equipment side, we bought a New Holland 166 hay inverter in 2024, thinking it would be useful in drying hay a little faster if drying conditions were not ideal. This machine combines a pickup like used on a baler, with a wide rubber belt like used on Drapier heads found on combines. The hay is then allowed to fall off the belt in a forward direction such that the bottom of the original windrow becomes the top. Placing the wetter hay that was on the ground on top of the windrow, allows is to dry much more quickly. The process is so gentle that leaves are not lost, even when some of the hay is quite dry. This machine turned out to be quite handy with our first cutting, because the windrows were too heavy to rake with the V rake. Our plans are to typically rake the hay into windrows using the V rake when hay is over 30% moisture. The inverter will be used to flip this windrow several hours later to get the windrow more consistently dry. The inverter is gentle enough that we can flip the hay without the typical alfalfa leaf loss. Since the leaves are much higher in nutrition than stems, this significantly improves hay quality. Avoiding moisture variation also provides better quality forage. The inverter was a good acquisition, and it has demonstrated that it will give us better quality hay. The machine is here to stay.
Our new small square bailer, New Holland BC5070, worked well on the first cutting, but broke a needle when we first started it when getting ready for the second cutting. The twine apparently got tangled up! Our first crop bales were really on the heavy side, probably pushing 50 lbs, and it is felt that lighter bales might be better for everyone. We adjusted the baler, but did not get a chance to fine tune it. We will do that in 2025, targeting a light 40 lb bale, with consistent length. The hydraulic tension should be helpful, once we get the machine dialed in.
We also tried a haylage bale experiment where we baled at around 60% moisture and immediately double wrapped it to keep the oxygen out. There is some interest in this, but we will need to invest in a turntable style wrapper if we want to do this at any kind of scale. This might be very useful when weather conditions are such that making dry hay might not be possible. People feeding deer find that the deer really like alfalfa haylage. We will have to decide if we want to invest in a more automated wrapper, and moisture monitors that are accurate at high moisture levels. We did go to a smaller bale to keep bale weight similar to dry hay, so people could handle them with existing equipment.
We also acquired a cultimulcher and were impressed with how nice a job it does relative to producing a smooth field and how it firms the soil after planting. This produces a much better and more uniform stand, particularly for small seed crops like alfalfa or birdsfoot trefoil. Another good acquisition.
In order to uniformly apply foliar treatments we bought a big spray rig with a hydraulic driven pump, 1000 gal capacity, hydraulic booms, and computer controls so the application does not change with vehicle travel speed. The unit also has an excellent agitation system that keeps mixes in suspension. It features a foam marker system that helps reduce skips and application overlaps. Since we are dedicated to foliar sprays, a more capable sprayer was needed.
In 2023 we planted about 10 acres of sainfoin. Our interest in this crop originated in it being a great forage for older horses with metabolic issues like Cushing’s. It also has anti parasitic properties, and it is highly favored by deer. Only later did we come to understand its value as a nectar source for pollinators such as bees. We were told that it can be difficult to
establish. Our experience is that it comes up well but demonstrates low vigor. It appears that the rhizobium that fixes nitrogen for the plant seems to have difficulty in getting established. The 2023 field did not come through winter all that well, but we will see what happens in 2025. In 2024 we planted an additional 10 acres but hedged our bets a little by also adding birdsfoot trefoil and orchard grass in the mix. All three species came up well. The sainfoin seemed to thin out, but it seems present. The trefoil is thriving. We fertilized the fields and applied micronutrients, so hopefully this will improve the stand. We will have trefoil hay in 2025, and it might have some sainfoin in it. These fields will be managed for the bees.
Knowing that the sainfoin was looking less than vigorous, we experimented with a bee pasture cover crop. The mix included more than 25 species that provide season long nectar and pollen sources for the bees. The soil where we ran this experiment was not the best, sandy with low organic matter, and pretty neglected. We figured with so many diverse species, we might have a few things that do well. Surprisingly most of the species seemed to do thrive. Millet, sorghum, and buck wheat did particularly well. The bees were highly visible in the patch. We will expand the experiment in 2025 to about 8 acres and may add some fertilizer as well. Will also add some trefoil and orchard grass so we have a permanent seeding in some of the field. The diversity of plants seems to suggest that the plants cooperate, and they all do better. We will reseed the 2024 patch with minimum tillage, and perhaps some of the seed left in the field will sprout in 2025. Cover crops help the soil and all pollinators, not just the bees. We did notice the fruit trees produced a lot more fruit, and wildflowers seemed to do better. More seeds will thicken stands and this will increase the exudates the plants put into the soil, helping grow organic matter.
The apiary was expanded to 13 colonies, and a bee wintering facility was built in late 2024. We extracted our first honey and worked the bees throughout the season. This was more a learning year. In June we lost a good friend who was an important part of the operation, and this was a significant setback. We decided to continue with the apiary. The bees survived the summer, but honey production was not what it should have been. Our sainfoin did not provide the nectar flow we were counting on, but there were multiple nectar flows, and the bees did not seem to exploit them to the extent we expected. Rainy weather when nectar flows were occurring might have been a factor. Our bees were an Italian/Carniolan hybrid, and they were not as active as some bees in cooler overcast conditions. A rainy May and June certainly did not help.
Our forages are all completely free of chemicals, and we resisted treating the hives for Varroa mites. Mites are believed to have weakened the colonies, resulting in very poor winter survival. In 2025 we will actively treat for mites and see if this makes a difference. Long term we want to minimize any treatments, but we have to help our bees survive in the short term. Commercial beekeepers treat for mites regularly, and at this point they know a lot more than we do. We will have more dedicated forage acres as well as a much larger bee pasture in 2025. We also plan on experimenting with bees that might do better in a cooler climate but will not go so far as to try Russian bees!
2025 in Review
2025 was a great year of learning, despite significant weather-related challenges. In the fall of 2024 we applied 55 tons of sawdust mulch on the 30-acre east alfalfa field, based on a need to boost carbon levels. DNA testing of our microbe population indicated that we had very diverse microbe biology, but that biology needed more carbon to thrive. We also left a good deal of standing biomass that would be recycled and available in the spring. The field greened up early and grew well with frequent rains. The early rains were helpful, but it kept raining. Lots of cloudy weather along with accompanying lower temperatures helped cool weather crops like orchard grass and trefoil, but delayed development of the alfalfa. We wanted to take a first cutting mid-June but did not get a weather window for haymaking until 30 June. Canadian wildfires reduced sun intensity, and this also effected growth and drying. The alfalfa was just starting to flower, so this was ideal from a protein perspective. The orchard grass was headed out but was not course like the first cutting of 2024. Testing the crop yielded a relative forage quality of 197, which was fantastic for a first cutting. The crop yielded three tons/acre and was heavy enough that we maintained single windrows for drying and baling. The ground was wet, but we did not get into rutting. It was apparent that we would need to dry out the ground and then flip the hay onto this drier area using the rake. The field dried out nicely and we raked a day after cutting when moisture levels were still in the 30% range, trying to minimize leaf loss. Drying conditions deteriorated after the first day. On the third day we inverted the windrows, hoping to get below 18% moisture. We eventually started square baling and the moisture meters shower levels between 12 and 15%. This looked perfect, and we were not getting any leaf loss. Bales were heavy, but they did not feel wet. We baled what we needed for orders of small squares and started making 4’x5’ rounds. All went well. With rain forecast, we moved the rounds into the shed, before the first drops fell. Figured we were pretty lucky. A few weeks later we were notified of a dusty bale. Moisture checks on bales in the shed showed levels much above what we had when we baled. This was due to intercellular moisture escaping the cell membranes. This is referred to as sweating. We inspected both typical bales and those that were highest moisture. We found some of the high moisture bales were also dusty, and did not know for sure what bales we good and what were not. We did separate the wettest bales and marketed the hay for cattle and a considerable discount. We baled over 180 large first crop rounds.
The second cutting regrowth was good, although the rains continued and temperatures were suboptimal. We applied foliar nutrients based on sap testing, and did a pretty good dose of Potassium Sulfate, DAP, and Boron to help build soil levels about critical thresholds. Based on moisture issues on the first cutting we recalibrated our moisture meters and reduced bale density on both balers. The second cutting was pretty decent, about 1 ½ tons/acre. We were disappointed that the alfalfa did not dominate, but conditions were pretty wet, and the orchard grass was lush. We were careful to bale within the 12 – 14% range. The haymaking window was narrow, and once we started baling weather conditions deteriorated, and we could see rain in the distance. We baled really fast, but got caught with a light shower. Looked pretty dismal for a while, but conditions changed again. Overnight the hay dried quickly, and the following day was the best drying day of the entire window. Rather nice hay, although we did get reports of some dusty hay. Not sure what caused this, as we did everything we could do. Sometimes prolonged wet conditions alter the microbiome on the plant leaves, and this could have been a factor. Next year, we hope for better conditions, and some leaf loss will seem like welcome insurance. Our crop was very healthy; the equipment was all good and properly set up. We even recalibrated our moisture meters. Propionic acid would be useful, but we have a range of animals we feed, and some would not like treated hay. The acid also causes the hay to lose its green color. The west field produced a nice mix of trefoil and orchard grass. Marginal drying conditions made it hard to dry the windrows adjacent to the woods on the south side of the field. Overall, it was quite a challenging year.
we can do. With a decent understanding of processes needed for nutrient balancing, our focus will be on improving soil biology, so fewer and less concentrated spray mixes may be needed. We identified a very healthy microbe diversity, but our soil was low in food to feed the microbes. The first order of business is to increase soil carbon, and this will allow expanded microbe populations. In the fall of 2023 we applied two tons/acre of compost to the east field, and also left a decent third cutting of alfalfa/orchard grass. This material will be quickly recycled for the benefit of the first cutting 2025. Plans are to do early spring Haney testing to see if carbon levels have improved. Since we do not typically do spring soil testing, this data will provide some new information. We also plan on an early sap test to assure the first cutting has everything it needs. Most likely we will not apply granular fertilizers until after the first cutting. During the spring, plant growth is typically limited by temperatures and sunlight availability. Minerals in the soil solution are typically pretty high, since the nutrient flux demand by the plants is lower, and the microbes had all winter to recycle minerals. Fertilizing after the first cutting will help the second cutting where plant nutrient demands are higher. We will also likely be applying another mulch treatment to help build soil carbon in the fall. Inoculants and microbe feeding items like fish hydrolysate will be applied once specific deficiencies are quantities are defined.
The east end of the alfalfa field is getting a little thinner. May try interseeding this after the second cutting. Hoping to do this with minimal tillage. Could be an interesting experiment. Could also try a little sainfoin to see if it does better in this field.
We will have a 10 acre field of birdsfoot trefoil/orchard grass we seeded and fertilized in 2024. This should provide a cutting, and perhaps two, of good mixed hay. Plans are to seed down another 8 acres of trefoil/orchard grass in 2025. We will use a diverse cover crop mix as a nurse crop this first year. This will actually be a bee pasture mix with about 25 species, including buck wheat, sorghum, and millet. Some of our sainfoin seeding from 2023 is pretty sparse. We might attempt interseeding here with more sainfoin and perhaps some trefoil, as well. Some areas have good clover, but clover is too difficult to dry.
Increasing honey production from the apiary will be another top priority. We will stick with our 13 colonies, but will shift at least some of the hives to straight Canilolans, from the Italian/Carniolans we had in 2024. More attention to Varroa mites and their control is needed. The Carniolans should do better in the cooler climate, and they fly even in overcast conditions, so they are expected to be more productive. We are exploring standard mite treatment options, but long term, would really like to not have to treat.
Apiary
The apiary was also impacted by the Canadian wildfire smoke and the frequent rains. The smoke interferes with the bee’s ability to navigate. The cloudy and rainy weather slows plant flowering, and the rain washes away nectar in the flowers. Frequent rains essentially make the nectar unavailable to the bees. We did harvest a little honey, just enough for neighbors and close friends. We did not have any colonies survive the winter of 2024-2025. Nationally about 70% of honeybee colonies were lost. By November 2024, most of our colonies had collapsed, with only one looking viable. We did not treat for mites, and this is believed to be a major factor in the losses. In the late summer of 2025, we treated with Apivar. Inspecting the colonies in November, we found seven viable hives. We provided pollen patties, insulated the covers, and tied down the hives, so winter winds did not shift the boxes. We will see what we have come spring. We may feed early once the snow settles and it gets warm enough to inspect. We had several strong colonies in 2024, but the strong hives swarmed. Our attempts to catch the swarms with baited boxes were not successful. This will be a priority in 2025. Our cover crops did very well, and would have been beneficial in better weather.
Cover crops
Based on much better than expected experience with cover crops in 2024, we decided to try again to see if we could repeat our explement. We actually upped our acreage to around 8 acres and planted it in better soil. We decided to use the cover crop as a nurse crop for establishing additional hay fields. We used orchard grass, trefoil, and alfalfa for perennials, and a mix of cool season and warn season pollinators. The seed we ordered from Green Cover included a total of 37 different species that flower throughout the growing season. The field received a good dose of potassium sulfate, DAP, and Boron. The seeds were treated with endophytes and rhizobium. Heavy rains started when we were planting, so we had two different seeding dated within the field. Was interesting to see the difference in what species thrived for each planting. I believe the early planted stand was impacted by a late frost. The second planting clearly had more broadleaf plants. See photos that show the differences. We also sowed some sainfoin into the mix, and believe we had some plants develop and mature. We will see what survives the winter. As can be seen in the photos, the cover crops did very well. It appears that what they say about diversity is true. Rather than compete, the diverse mix of plants appear to cooperate. We got a good stand of perennials for future hay, a lot of biomass that will contribute carbon to the soil, as well as nectar and pollen for the bees. We will clearly be doing cover crops somewhere every year based on excellent results. Wildlife also seem to thrive along these fields.
East Alfalfa Field
The east field is in its fourth year of production. The orchard grass dominated this year, although the alfalfa stand is consistent and is fairly thick. Cool wet weather was surely a factor, but the alfalfa plants are likely beyond their prime. With that in mind, we developed a plan on how to reseed the field and conduct a number of experiments at the same time. The field is easily divided into 5-acre strips that can each receive different treatments, and it is not necessary to do all the sectors at the same time. For 2026 we are focusing the east most sector. Although we wanted to minimize tillage, the field had some bumps, so we used the mow board plow. Although mow board plowing has lost favor, disadvantages are minimized if a cover crop is planted immediately. The soil was pretty mellow and plowed well. We went down 8”. Reworking a field provides an excellent opportunity to study the roots. We were surprised that the roots were not very deep, probably only a foot deep, and not that large. This was quite surprising, because alfalfa roots typically go down 3” or more. We also did not see a lot of rhizobium nodules. These observations explain why the alfalfa was not dominating. The orchard grass had a massive matrix of roots, and although not as deep as the alfalfa, there was a lot of root mass. Identifying problems identifies opportunities. Understanding why the roots were not deeper will help greatly in developing more vigorous alfalfa. We typically see a great first cutting, but later cuttings are typically moisture dependent. We have an 18” thick layer of saturated sand that can support deep rooted plants like alfalfa, if they can tap that reservoir. We always thought this was occurring! Digging a little deeper we discovered a hardpan area below the plow layer. Basically the 12” to 14” horizon was a compacted layer preventing deep root penetration. Although the top A horizon is sandy loam, there is a lot of oxidized iron in the 12 – 14” band that cements the sand particles together to form a tightly compacted zone. It appears that the compaction was more chemical and not due to tire pressure in wet conditions. The land has been farmed for over 100 years and was never tilled deeper than 12’. Deep tillage is needed to break up this compacted layer. It takes quite a bit of power to break hardpan. We bought a two-shank ripper that easily goes down 16” to get under the compacted zone and lift it while it rips through it. See the photo of the ripper on the John Deere 3155. Although it pulls hard, the 3155 can handle it well. We have some deep rocks, and they tend to break the ¾” shear pins. A spring trip style unit might work better, but you do not see too many two shank rippers. I suspect we need to rip the entire farm!
After plowing and planting cereal rye as a cover crop, we came back with the ripper and did the middle part of the field, and reseeded. The shanks lifted the soil about 4” on either side of the shanks for a band about 12” on either side suggesting that we are doing some real damage to the compacted layer. We might cross rip at 90 degrees before we plant just to assure that we have destroyed the entire compacted layer. Before planting the rye, we applied Mo and Co, plus some biologicals and sugars. One of the biologicals applied was intended to break down any complex chemistry in the soil. Specifically, we are trying to address any autotoxicity from the current alfalfa, that might impede good stand reestablishment next spring. The rye is intended to minimize any erosion and to tie up nitrogen from the plowed down alfalfa. This will be captured and made available for the young alfalfa seedlings early next summer. The rye will also support soil microbes with a living root, until the alfalfa is reseeded.
We expect the impact of removing the compaction layer to be significant. Rather then a 12” deep soil, we will now be farming a 36” soil bed. The soil from 12” down to 30” is mostly porous low fertility eluviated soil known as the E horizon. There is some nutrition here, but this is mostly porous sand that is filled with water. Breaking up the A horizon hardpan will allow water to more freely flow into this reservoir. This can be a big deal, particularly for later in the season when it often gets dry. In addition to being able to tap newly available water, the B horizon will also be accessible. The B horizon is actually very fertile zone with a high cation exchange capacity, much higher than the A horizon. This means it retains nutrients, and because of the high clay content, even the anions are not leached. Being able to finally access this layer is a game changer. Crops like grasses will not get this deep, but alfalfa can easily reach this horizon and the nutrients it holds. Soil test results for the different depths are shown in the test result section. We also have results for different extraction chemistries. We have been encouraged by yield improvements achieved over the past couple years, believing that we were tapping the E horizon moisture and the B horizon nutrients, but it is clear that we were not doing this. We will be farming 3’ deep as opposed to the top 12”, and the deeper soil has things the surface A horizon may not be able to provide in dry conditions. Very exciting.
The lack of well-developed rhizobium nodules might be impacted by the shallow rooting, but it seems more likely that low Molybdenum levels might be a more important consideration. Soils are built from local geology and are also likely impacted by glacial deposits. Many minerals, particularly anions, can be leached, resulting in levels low enough that crop production is impacted. Alfalfa plants need a trace amount of Molybdenum to process N. The rhizobium however needs more Molybdenum, and it becomes relatively inactive if it is not available. Sap testing shows that molybdenum is quite deficient. We apply fertility, typically as dry fertilizer, for materials that will not leach or get tied up and are not available. Molybdenum is very leachable, so we apply it as a foliar spray. We have been applying this the past couple of years and see no evidence of a buildup in the soil. I suspect that eventually we will see some buildup in the B horizon, but until then we plan on applying for every cutting. This also has potential to significantly improve alfalfa vigor. Our soil has reasonable P levels, but availability might also be impeding root growth. Newer test procedures and critical thresholds suggest we might also benefit from bumping soil levels. Much of the fertility applied in the past few years has been on the surface. Some nutrients do not move much in the soil, so incorporation into the root zone will be helpful. This will help ensure availability when surface moisture is low. These changes should help with second and third cuttings and increase the alfalfa/orchard grass ratio. Periodic deep tillage gets nutrients deeper in the soil profile and makes them more available during dry conditions. Removing the hardpan barrier will fundamentally change how plants grow in soil profiles like we see in the east field. The benefits of these changes are highly dependent on the soil horizons.
New Paradyme
At this year’s ACRES conference in Madison, WI we stumbled over a couple books that promise to be very helpful. Gary Zimmers, The Biological Farmer is quite comprehensive and highly recommended. Gary has lots of experience in regenerative agriculture, and he actually grows alfalfa in Wisconsin.
Another book I found useful is The Ideal Soil. This book is based on early work by William Albrecht and focuses on the ratios of nutrients found in highly productive soils. This is actually kind of a workbook. I have been using critical thresholds for nutrients for some time now, where critical levels are defined and if you fall below those levels, yields drop off pretty fast. One of the problems with focusing on absolute levels is that they are totally dependent upon the extraction chemistry used by the lab. Different labs use different extractants, and correlations between extraction methods are highly variable. What I like about The Ideal Soil, is that they only use one extraction and they clearly define this and the soil types where it can be applied. They use Mehlich 3 chemistry for everything. The availability of soil nutrients is often affected by the presence of competing nutrients, as expressed by the Mulder chart. Many nutrient levels are dependent upon levels of other nutrients, and specific ratios have been found to be useful. This gives us not only minimum levels, but levels that are actually ideal, and it also provides maximums. By starting with existing measured soil levels, and knowing the ideal level, we can easily calculate what we need to add. From there we can figure out lbs/acre needed and adjust for atomic weights and concentrations in the specific fertilizers we choose. We have developed fertility prescriptions for our fields and will be applying these materials before we plant.
We have also explored alfalfa varieties that offer better yields, faster regrowth, and greatly improved disease resistance. There are significant improvements compared to our current Vernal strain. We intend to get to ideal soil chemistry and then focus on improving soil biology. Seed treatments are critical for alfalfa. We double inoculate with rhizobium, and we will be applying endophytes to help assure that the seed has needed biology in its rhizosphere when it germinates. Plan on using Biocoat Gold and Seed Flare treatments from AEA. To provide maximum plant diversity we will be planting a mix of Viking alfalfas and a very late maturing Orchard grass, based on our positive cover crop experience.
We have found that use of a cultipacker can make a big difference in germination. We plan on cultipacking at right angles, before and after planting to help assure a smooth field, and to firm the soil around the seed. We also plan on double drilling at right angles to minimize the row effect we see in the orchard grass.
After the plants canopy, sap testing will tell us if any nutritional corrections are required. Nutrients such as Molybdenum and Cobalt will likely be needed. Humates and carbon sources such as molasses will be used in the mix.
By assuring we get the plants off to a strong start, our intent is to plant without a nurse crop in order to get a cutting or two during the establishment year. Shadowing by a nurse crop would delay development and stand density. A seeding rate of 20 lbs/acre of alfalfa will be used with a lighter rate of 4 lbs/ac of orchard grass. Giving some thought about adding a lb/ac of Timothy, to increase diversity, but concerned that Timothy is not really that nutritious, and we want a fairly high alfalfa/grass ratio.
Many customers are looking for the maximum alfalfa they can get, and this is probably alright for lactating mothers, but it can be more than needed for many animals. Balanced high fertility soils provide pretty rich feed with many times the nutritional value of hay grown on depleted soils, particularly when PH levels are not optimized. Alfalfa has very high levels of Calcium and Potassium, and protein levels of 20%. Feeding too much can cause issues in animals not needing this. Orchard grass is a super grass with much better nutrition than most other grasses. We like this alfalfa/orchard grass mix for a reason. It is a great forage for a wide range of animals. The key is getting forage grown on balanced well fertilized soil!
Accidental Fertility Experiment
For several years now we have been observing a spot in the field that consistently grew taller and thicker than the rest of the field. One year we found a little first cutting hay that roller out of the baler in this area and thought that the extra nutrients from the hay were be recycled from the first cutting to the next. This year we actually pulled soil samples, testing both the field average and the spot where the crop was at least twice and tall and thick as the field average. When results came in, it was pretty clear what was going on. Potassium and Sulfur were about three times the field average in the lush area. Only with these results did I remember breaking a key on the spreader in this general area. The spinner stopped and feed chain delivered fertilizer. When we restarted the spinner, it flung the K2SO4 in a big heavy ring, fertilizing this area much heavier than the rest of the field.
Over the past few years we have been bringing our K and S levels up, but K started out pretty low and we were not up to target. We figured that since we tripled original levels we would get most of the benefit, but we were seeing some farmers with much higher levels in premium corn belt soils. We were targeting a level of 200 ppm, and were running 115ppm, up from about 40 when we started. The lush spot came in at over 300 ppm. This test, within the context of our farm and our growing conditions, clearly demonstrated that the critical thresholds actually meant something, and that the consequences of being well below target can be pretty severe. The really good news here is that we can get a significant yield boost by correcting this problem!!! Getting healthy soils and crops is a journey. Discoveries like finding suboptimal K levels, compacted subsoils, and poor rhizobium colonization are significant steps forward, and together should produce a substantial effect in our operation. Based on improvements we have already demonstrated, it appears possible that we can grow far better crops than we ever believed possible. The efforts in 2026 are to demonstrate this! The trick will be in doing this across the entire farm, as most of our soils are similar.
