Agrophenology Research

Using a standard calendar to determine when we plant our crops has become less reliable due to more variable and extreme weather patterns. Choosing planting times has always been difficult but in today's climate the risks are greater. Instead of using the standard calendar to determine the best times to plant our crops, we are combining agriculture with phenology create a more useful planting guide. We have identifying the best wild indicator species that provides us with a natural assessment of the growing conditions. We are experimenting with crop plantings as they relate to wild indicator species timing to create a nature-based planting calendar that can be more reliable than the standard calendar we use today. This research project is called Agrophenology.

Final MDA Agrophenology Presentation

MDA Greenbook Agrophenology Article page 54

WTIP Northern Gardening: Agrophenology   Listen Here

Yale Climate Connections Nature-Based Crop Planting Calendar 

Agrophenology calendar with and without dates - comming soon

Agrophenology  Crop Data Sheets - comming soon

Biochar Soil pH Research

With the new Wolf Ridge Organic Farm soils showing pH readings as low as 3.8, we were curious if biochar might help create the soil we were looking for. We compared 6 plots, a field of lime, ash, biochar alone and a field with lime and biochar together and another field with ash and biochar together and finally, added a control, no additives. After three years of study, we experienced on field, the biochar and ash field, was 10x more successful in transforming the soil to a near 7 pH reading. A full write up of this research can be viewed at the MDA Greenbook article Raising Soil pH Effectively in Acid Soils page 102 

Research - Food Systems 

                       Round River Farm Research

In assessing our food-sheds carrying capacity, David co-authored the IRRRB Regional Food Assessment, which built off his previous research with the Western Lake Superior Food Carrying Capacity project.  Other on-farm research through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture includes Integrating Livestock Profitably into a Fruit and Vegetable Operation.