Breaking Down Deep Compost Mulch Research with Ryan Maher of the Cornell Small Farms Program

Hey listeners, it's Natalie and today I've got a conversation with my friend Ryan Maher from Cornell, formerly from the Cornell Small Farm Program about deep compost mulch. If that sounds familiar, it might be because Jesse talked about Ryan's research on his daily podcast several weeks ago or months ago. I don't know. I lose track of time. Ryan and his colleagues were able to do an eight-year research project comparing essentially different farming systems, not just different farming practices, and it yielded a wealth of agroecological and economic data. As Jesse discussed, and Ryan readily admits, there were some limitations to the research as there always are. But as with any good research project, it set the groundwork for additional questions, especially when it comes to the different phases of a farming system, sort of the setup or establishment phase, the maintenance phase, and how we might best manage that balance between nutrient management and weed management when it comes to using mulch, especially compost mulch. This was farmer-led research and I want to give a lot of credit to the researchers at the University of Maine and Cornell for recognizing this emerging deep compost mulch system when they did nearly a decade ago. It's no small feat to maintain a research trial for eight years and it's really great to have this wealth of data!

Natalie's Tarping Cover Crops Facilitates Organic No-Till Cabbage Production & Suppresses Weeds research

Folks who make the show possible...

Rimol Greenhouses are strong, durable and easy to assemble, offering the quality you need to grow productively year-round. Visit Rimol.com today.

Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – at bcsamerica.com.

When you need proven varieties you can count on and detailed guidance from seeding to harvest, consider Johnny's your trusted growing partner. Visit johnnyseeds.com

Farmhand is the only all-in-one virtual assistant built by and for farmers. Sign up for a free trial with the link in the show notes, because NOW is the best time to dial in those systems for the next growing season.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat