{"id":29189,"date":"2018-06-27T04:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-06-27T09:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/civileats.com\/?p=29189"},"modified":"2018-07-05T09:25:20","modified_gmt":"2018-07-05T14:25:20","slug":"farming-with-intentional-biodiversity-klaas-mary-howell-martens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2018\/06\/27\/farming-with-intentional-biodiversity-klaas-mary-howell-martens\/","title":{"rendered":"Farming with Intentional Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe day will come, probably in the near future, when prophylactically killing pests and weeds with toxic chemicals and neurotoxins will seem primitive and irresponsible,\u201d Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain<\/a> exuberantly predicts.<\/p>\n

In addition to operating a feed mill, Mary-Howell, her husband Klaas, and their son Peter farm 1,600 certified organic acres of grains and vegetables in the Finger Lakes region of New York on land they both rent and own. If anyone’s predictions on the demise of conventional farming\u2014using chemicals to control pests, diseases, and weeds\u2014should be taken seriously, it is that of the Martens\u2019.<\/p>\n

Klaas, who is a third-generation farmer, and Mary-Howell started out decades ago as conventional farmers.\u00a0In their early years, they relied heavily on external inputs like herbicides and synthetic fertilizers and routinely plowed soil left bare outside of the growing season.<\/p>\n

Then, following a pesticide-related health scare more than 20 years ago, the Martens switched \u201ccold turkey\u201d from conventional farming. Today, they are highly successful certified organic farmers and well-respected leaders who never tire of sharing their expertise with anyone who asks, including those who doubt that organic farming can feed the world.<\/p>\n

\"Frederick

The couple\u2019s influence stretches far: Klaas was featured as this year\u2019s OGRAIN keynote speaker<\/a>, and the two jointly gave the keynote presentation at the Canadian Organic Farmers Eco Farm Days 2018<\/a>. They have contributed numerous articles to sustainable farming publications, were featured in several documentary films<\/a>, won the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Patrick Madden Award<\/a> in 2008, and have served on various government or non-profit boards associated with sustainable farming.<\/p>\n

The couple are keenly aware that certified organic practices are often misunderstood. Many conventional farmers don\u2019t understand how eliminating synthetic chemicals can produce healthier crops without sacrificing yields or profits, they say. Others simply want to substitute permitted certified organic sprays into their existing system in an attempt to reap the higher pricing associated with organics\u2014but they do not make any other fundamental changes, such as using cultivation practices as a first defense against pest and disease concerns.<\/p>\n

The Martens are also concerned about what they see as industrial-style organic farms skirting around the USDA National Organic Program\u2019s standards<\/a>, and in their view, seemingly operating outside the fundamental tenets that have guided the organic farming community since its inception.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften, organic farmers are defined by the \u2018shalt nots\u2019: no pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms [GMOs], growth hormones, sewage sludge,\u201d Mary-Howell says, referring to practices that are prohibited by USDA Organic regulations. \u201cBut in reality, it is the \u2018shalts\u2019 that make organic farming possible. The secret for success in organic agriculture is the substitution of a more skilled level of management and observation, rather than the substitution of alternative organically-approved materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOrganic farming at its best uses management inputs in the place of outside inputs,\u201d Klaas explains. As an added benefit, \u201cour costs per unit of production are lower today than when we farmed conventionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Yellow

Cultivating Biodiversity, Patchwork-Style<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When asked for a concise description that could convey the reality of organic farming, Mary-Howell has a ready reply: \u201cintentional biodiversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA farm that practices intentional biodiversity develops multi-year, whole-farm crop rotations, including a variety of row crops, small grains, forages, and cover crops to deliberately nurture a healthy, diverse soil microbial population, break weed and pest cycles, build soil organic matters and enhance nutrient cycling, and prevent erosion and soil degradation,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

The Martens\u2019s farm may feature amber waves of grain, but not with uninterrupted acres of a mono-crop often seen on a conventional commodity grain farm. Instead, it\u2019s a patchwork. A field of spelt awaiting harvest may bump up against a field of soybeans ready to flower. As the Martens harvest one crop, they quickly plant another in the same location. Two crops, such as a clover cover crop planted between rows of a grain crop often share the same acreage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe total acreage appears to be much higher than our land base because over half of our land is double-cropped each year,\u201d Klaas explains.<\/p>\n

The key to this abundance is paying attention to the interaction between the crops and the role each crop plays in the farm system. As an example, Klaas highlights ancient grains\u2014spelt, Einkorn wheat, and emmer wheat\u2014now included in the farm\u2019s rotations.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery new, well-adapted species we introduce to our system makes it stronger and more resilient,\u201d he says. \u201cAncient grains have traits that make them more stress tolerant than our more highly specialized crops.\u201d As a result, the system tolerates drought, increasing temperatures, and other less-than-ideal growing conditions much better.<\/p>\n

\"\"

\u201cThe goal is to feed the animals without reducing our production of other food crops,\u201d Klaas explains.<\/p>\n

Because of their expertise, the Martens work regularly with Cornell University researchers <\/a>on trials related to soil health and nutrition, small grains breeding, weed science, and seed propagation. They also work with the Rodale Institute<\/a>, perfecting no-till best practices, including crimping and rolling rye<\/a> to terminate cover crops, then planting a soybean crop into the residue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe overall principle that has tied all of the research together is that every agronomic problem we encounter in farming can be relieved or often eliminated by introducing the right new species into our system at the right point,\u201d Klaas says. \u201cEvery pest, pathogen, or problem that we encounter is rooted in a chemical or biological imbalance in our farming system and is a symptom of that imbalance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Moyer, the executive director at the Rodale Institute, first met the Martens in the 1990s when they visited the Institute to learn. \u201cKlaas was eager to learn everything he could about organic production, especially weed management. Learning soon morphed into teaching as both Klaas and Mary-Howell excelled in their transition\u00a0 an intensive conventional approach to a dynamic organic approach,\u201d Moyer says. \u201cStudent and teacher both at the same time, that\u2019s Klaas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building Community with an Organic Grain Mill<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In addition to their focus on biodiversity, the Martens have also worked to develop economic diversity on their farm and in their community. Two decades ago, they bought a defunct mill and brought it back to life as the\u00a0Lakeview Organic Grain<\/a>\u00a0mill, which enabled them to find multiple markets for their crops\u2014for example, their corn and rye are used for distilling, feed, and seed; their soybeans for seed, feed, and food; and their wheat for feed, seed, and straw.<\/p>\n

The mill also revitalized the organic farming sector in the area. \u201cThe Martens have had a positive and lasting impact on the Finger Lakes Region,\u201d says Moyer. \u201cBy creating marketing opportunities for their own farm they\u2019ve created opportunities for the entire region. They truly are a model for how one farm can grow an organic community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chef\u00a0Dan Barber<\/a>, who is a longtime customer of the Martens, credits the farm with widespread impacts, chronicled in his 2014 book\u00a0The Third Plate<\/em><\/a>. He calls the mill \u201cone of the most vital contributions to the town\u2019s economy,\u201d creating jobs and incentivizing regional farmers to grow grains like triticale, oats, and barley, which improve the health of the region\u2019s soil.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn just two decades,\u201d Barber writes, \u201cKlaas and Mary-Howell have gone from harvesting a few organic grains to complex rotations that include heirloom wheat, vegetables, and legumes\u2014many of them farmed on leased land. They\u2019ve added seed production to the mix, and a seed distribution company to supplement the thriving mill and grain distribution business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mill sells locally adapted seed and feed crops that meet the particular needs of organic farmers in the region. It buys grains from neighboring farmers, too, providing a reliable and equitable market for local operations. And it pays farmers a fair price and does so in a timely fashion\u2014two things often missing in commodity grain sales.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the very start, we envisioned Lakeview Organic Grain as a community resource, providing the tools that our upstate New York organic farmers need to be successful,\u201d Mary-Howell says. \u201cWe intentionally build the sense that this is a community, that we are all in this together.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Martens learn new techniques and insights, they also actively share them with other farmers\u2014in online forums, in published articles, at conferences, at farm open houses and on their\u00a0Facebook page<\/a>. \u201cIf we can help other farmers feel more secure, hopeful, and successful,\u201d Mary-Howell says, \u201cthen our time is well spent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Einkorn

Their Future of Organic Farming<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Martens\u2019 farm is now well into its second generation, with their 30-year-old son Peter farming independently and in conjunction with his parents since his teenage years. He has taken over the operation of some of farm\u2019s rented land. The two farms, integrally linked, share the same shop, barn, equipment, and philosophy as father and son work the land together.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeter is of an interesting demographic of \u2018next-generation organics<\/a>\u2019\u2014these young people who grew up on organic farms, never learning to farm conventionally,\u201d Mary-Howell says. \u201cOrganic farming is just normal to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, farming organically may be the only way, she continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the climate changes and we experience increasingly unpredictable weather and market conditions, a diversified, flexible cropping system gives us more chance that at least some of our crops will be adapted and successful each year,\u201d Mary-Howell says.<\/p>\n

The argument that organic farming can\u2019t feed the world will be debunked in the near future, says Mary-Howell, as new technology allows larger-scale organic production.<\/p>\n

Although he is a steadfast proponent of soil-based farming, earlier this month Klaas\u00a0expressed an openness<\/a>\u00a0to gene-edited crop varietals, as long as potentially breakthrough technologies like CRISPR are used to \u201cmimic naturally occurring varieties,\u201d rather than serving to further corporate consolidation of seeds and expanding the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.<\/p>\n

The Martens currently use technology such as mechanical in-row cultivators, GPS systems, and solar energy generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying to use GPS for planting and cultivation, and we would use much more, but that is made unnecessarily difficult because of the poor internet service and poor tech support\u201d in their rural region, Mary-Howell states.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith diverse and well-planned crop rotations and the right equipment, we can now be completely true to organic standards and intent and grow high-quality, high-yielding crops with effective weed control on thousands of acres,\u201d she says. \u201cOrganic farming is now on the cutting edge, and there is nothing old-fashioned about where this is going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top photo: The Martens family; from left: Klaas, their daughter Elizabeth, Mary-Howell, their son Daniel, their son Peter, Peter’s wife Hanna.<\/em><\/p>\n

All photos courtesy of Mary-Howell Martens.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe day will come, probably in the near future, when prophylactically killing pests and weeds with toxic chemicals and neurotoxins will seem primitive and irresponsible,\u201d Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain exuberantly predicts. 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