Craig Deall
Craig Deall shared with the farmers what the 5 giants were:
1. Compaction: Tradition tells us that by ploughing we are loosening the soil to prevent compaction and to get better water infiltration. But in fact, the opposite is true! When rain falls on unprotected soil, the sheer weight of the water and it’s velocity on impact with soil actually COMPACTS it and it slumps. If you protect the soil with mulch, this cannot happen. Also, the roots from the previous crop act as scaffolding, holding the soil up preventing compaction and loosening the soil. When the soil structure is damaged by ploughing, the soil is more prone to compaction.
2. Pests: Rotations are key in slaying this giant! With good rotations you will not get a pest build up. Remember that a healthy plant has a waxy protective surface to their leaves, helping to protect the plant from pests. There are many methods of pest control without resorting to harmful chemicals. For example, stalk borer can be controlled by breaking the life cycle of the pest, by knocking the stalks over at ground level at harvest time. Another example is termites that might be seen in your mulch, but they are actually your friends. They much prefer to eat dead material, so they eat your mulch instead of your crop, at the same time benefiting the soil. Ploughing does not prevent pests – rotations do!
3. Disease: Once again, a healthy plant can resist most diseases. Rotations are very important in preventing disease build up. By ploughing you are damaging the soil structure and therefore pests and disease can build up in the soil because the soil is no longer in balance, with anaerobic and aerobic bacteria being killed.
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