by W. Diane Van Zwol

Created on: May 01, 2008   Last Updated: May 07, 2008

Go Green Like Yesteryear: Ten Greening Tips For Farmers

Looking back for a moment at my grandfather's farm, it appears that at least ten greening tips can be discovered, by examining what he did so successfully, with respect to farming practices.

1. Free Range Cattle: The dairy herd was generally assigned certain designated areas on the farm. As the acreage was quite large, the thirty head of cattle had plenty of room to graze. During the day, they would often be allowed to roam freely, through a large well-treed, fenced area that had good water. In the evening, they would be brought to the barn for milking. At times, they would be directed to specific fields and allowed to spend their time eating the grass, or resting there in the pasture. Those fields, after having been fertilized naturally, would be plowed under and used for specific crops. Thus there was both cattle and crop rotation.

2. Clean Water: At the very back of the farm, there was a large pond which contained a few fish. The cattle were allowed into that fenced off area and the grass came to be fertilized naturally there too. On one side of the farm, there was running water in a creek. At times, the cattle would be allowed to graze in that field and wade through the water. As a result, the cattle were generally very clean and content.

3. Fertilizer: The fertilizer from the barn was spread over the fields, where specific crops like corn, wheat and oats were to be grown. It was also used in the garden. There was no such thing as commercial fertilizer on the farm. In fact, at that time, that was almost unheard of, in terms of farming.

4. Composting: Everything that had to be disposed of, was composted, if at all possible. This included all of the kitchen and garden greens that could not be eaten, dried or canned, for use at a later date. Even the egg shells, from the eggs laid by the free roaming chickens, went into the garden. In the garden, things like the rhubarb leaves were composted right under the rhubarb plants.

5. Clover: Clover was one of my grandfather's favorite crops, partly because of the high nitrogen content, but also because the cattle thrived on it. Clover fields have a marvelous scent.(We loved to hunt there for four leaf clovers and found quite a few too.)

6. Horses: Our grandfather had a team of work horses, so the tractor that he could have used, was often parked in the shed. The horses only needed food and water, not fuel. They also contributed to the natural fertilizer used on

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