GuidePart VI: Keeping the Land Growing

Nutrient Cycling

Nature has no concept of waste. Our objective is to keep nutrients circulating within the farm for as long as possible, with animals playing a central role in connecting vegetation back to soil.

Nature has no concept of waste.

Leaves fall and decompose. Animals eat plants and return manure. Roots die. Fungi consume wood. Microorganisms release nutrients. New plants grow. The cycle continues. Our objective is to keep nutrients circulating within the farm for as long as possible.

Animals are particularly important. Vegetation becomes animal food. Food becomes manure and urine. Manure becomes compost. Compost feeds soil. Soil grows vegetation. The same principle applies to prunings, leaves, bedding and crop residues.

Not merely: "How do I feed this crop?" but: "How do I keep fertility cycling through this living system?"