Doug Crabtree: Thoughtful Tillage Is An Important Tool

#079: Montana grain farmer Doug Crabtree  grows grains, lentils, flax and a handful of other crops, and relies on various tillage practices and biodiversity designs to succeed. Farming in a cold, dryland climate on the Canadian border, Doug and his wife Anna see the ruinous effects no-till agriculture with a heavy reliance on biocides is bringing to their area.

Doug Crabtree is a lifelong grain farmer who started  Vilicus Farms in Montana with his wife Anna Jones-Crabtree in 2009. Unlike the majority of commodity grain farms, Real Organic Project-certified Vilicus aims for diversity in the fields and among its income streams and contracts. Doug served as the Organic Program Manager for the Montana Department of Agriculture from 2001 until 2012. He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Economics / Farm Management from Purdue University and a M.S. in Plant Science/Agronomy from South Dakota State University.

To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:

https://www.realorganicproject.org/doug-crabtree-thoughtful-tillage-important-tool-seventy-nine/

The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.

The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).

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We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.

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