Designing Sustainable Small Farms

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Biological Resources

Biological resources-like any other resource-provide an available means of support. By deriving production and management inputs for the small farm from biological sources whenever possible, the grower will need less human labor and his or her dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides can be all but eliminated. This concept may well be the key to creating a sustainable agricultural system. The potential for using biological inputs is enormous, and the ideas in the following paragraphs merely scratch the surface. Keep in mind, though, that many of the systems described below are still experimental and should be regarded as such.

Livestock Guard Dogs: For thousands of years, livestock raisers in Europe and Asia have employed various breeds of dogs to deter predators ... and some of these canines are now being introduced to the United States. Protection dogs offer an attractive option to shooting or trapping predators, nonselective poisoning, or costly physical barriers. The animal pictured in Photo A is a Maremma, a friendly breed that's considered well suited to small farm operations.

Weeding Geese: Geese are selective grazers, avoiding broad leaved plants and favoring grasses. In orchards, the waddling weeders will graze understory grasses, keep mulches free of weeds, consume windfall fruits (which are often a source of pest problems), and furnish manure. Geese have also been used for grass control in gardens and nurseries. You can have them weed strawberries (until the fruit is ripe!), raspberries, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, and mint, among other crops. The Brown Chinese and White Chinese geese in Photo B are harvesting their dinner from between the bean rows. These "biological herbicides" have the advantages of self propulsion; edibility, and manure production that their synthetic counterparts lack.

Chickens: In newly planted crops, chickens can be disastrous, scratching out young transplants and disturbing carefully placed mulches. However, in orchards or in early spring and late fall gardens, the common cluckers can be used to control insect and weed pests, destroy weed seeds, and increase the nitrogen content of the soil. Chickens housed in movable cages can be rotated through a garden to help prepare beds for successional crops ... and if you. employ slit row covers, cloches, or hot caps in your growing ground, these devices can serve the added function of protecting crops from foraging poultry. The hen in Photo C is munching on caterpillars of the white cabbage butterfly.

Ducks: Ducks are expert at searching out and devouring insects and slugs. However, the quackers sometimes damage vegetables especially leafy greens-so you should proceed with caution when trusting your garden to them.

Earthworms: Earthworms improve the aeration of the soil, rapidly recycle organic matter, and make nutrients readily availa ble to plants. Yield increases of up to 100% have been recorded following wriggler additions to worm-deficient soils.

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