Subject: (Fwd) Re: Life in the Soil->Nature Farming, Biodynamics, & Lue (fwd)

From: [email-masked] (Lawrence F. London, Jr.)
Date: 27 Nov 1996 12:25:06 -0500

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 10 Nov 1996 14:11:56 WST
From: Victor Guest <[email-masked]>
To: Permaculture WA <[email-masked]>
Subject: (Fwd) Re: Life in the Soil->Nature Farming, Biodynamics, & Lue (fwd)

From: "Jeff Goebel" <[email-masked]>
Subject: (Fwd) Re: Life in the Soil->Nature Farming, Biodynamics, & Lue

FYI.  It may be a helpful video when talking about the ecosystem.
 
"Life in the Soil" is a high-quality 30-minute video produced
by the Mokichi Okada Association and Sakura Motion Picture
Company in Japan.  The video uses root microrhizotron
photography to capture underground images of root growth, 
soil microflora, soil microfauna, and the all-important 
root rhizosphere.  The video demonstrates the benefits of
Nature Farming practices--such as green manuring, crop
rotation, and compost application--on the complex ecosystem
underneath the soil surface.

"Life in the Soil" is available for about $10 through Nature
Farming Research and Development Foundation (NFRDC) in
Lompoc, California.  As of Friday 10-25-96 NFRDC was out of 
copies of the video but was expecting to get more in
November or soon thereafter.  Contact: 

Nature Farming Research and Development Foundation 
6495 Santa Rosa Rd.
Lompoc, CA  93436
Tel:  805-737-1536
Fax:  805-736-9599

Nature Farming parallels organic farming in many ways.  Both
systems advocate soil quality a the fundamental basis for
healthy crops and healthy people.  The word "kyusei" in Kyusei
Nature Farming means "saving" in Japanese, and broadly 
interpreted Kyusei Nature Farming means saving the world 
through natural or organic farming methods.  

Since the mid-1980s Kyusei Nature Farming has gained wider 
recognition for its innovative use of microbial preparations
known as Effective Microorganisms, or EM.  EM was developed
by Dr. Teruo Higa, a research horticulturist at the
University of Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan.  EM technology is 
closely associated with microbial inoculation of green
manures, composts, kitchen garbage waste-compost, and
irrigation water.  

Interestingly, there are three biologically-based farming
systems sharing an emphasis on microbial inoculation of 
composts and green manures (at ploughdown as opposed to seed 
inoculation):  (1) Nature Farming, (2) Biodynamic Farming, 
and (2) the Luebke system of Humus Management and Controlled 
Microbial Composting. 

EM preparations are available through EM Technologies in 
the United States. 

EM Technologies
1802 W. Grant Rd. (#122)
Tucson, AZ  85745
520-629-9301

The whole topic of Nature Farming and Effective
Microorganisms should be of interest to any person engaged
in sustainable agriculture for its contributions to the 
advancement of knowledge associated with natural/organic 
cropping systems and EM technology around the world.  

Among the most informative publications on Nature Farming 
are the Proceedings of the First and Second International 
Conferences on Kyusei Nature Farming, which are available 
for about $5.00 each through NFRDC in Lompoc, CA.
Proceedings from the 3rd conference will be available in 
November. 

The NFRDC is located at NaturFarm in Lompoc, CA.  NaturFarm
is a commercial organic vegetable farm recognized for its 
innovative practices such as permanent wide-row (80-inch) 
vegetable beds, EM technology, mechanical spading implement 
for soil tillage, and pest control habitat strips to attract 
beneficial insects and subsequent reliance on biological 
pest control. 

In addition to microbial inoculation to enhance organic
amendment-based production systems, the three biologically-based 
farming systems mentioned above are also trend setters for
the adoption of new and unique soil quality evaluation
procedures such as circular chromatography, sensitive
crystallization, potential pH, and humus value; these methods
are often combined with standard laboratory soil tests as
well as field measurements such as those associated with the
U.S.D.A./Rodale Soil Health Test Kit which measures bulk density,
soil respiration, and other parameters.  Included is a soil 
penetrometer to measure the condition of soils in a spectrum from 
compaction to good soil tilth. 

Steve Diver
ATTRA - Sustainable Farming Information