Hey Animal, and anyone else who reads this...
Thanks for your reply to my other post. I am not certified organic but I have had zero inputs in my fields for 20 years and am wanting to get certified in the near future (within 3 years)
I got my soil tests back for my fields that I'd like to put into good hay and my pH levels are all acidic ranging from 5 to 5.8. I'm looking at roughly 4tons/acre of lime. How do you handle liming as a certified organic operation? is there such thing as organic lime? do you hire out or do it yourself?
Also, how do you handle you're other fertilizer requirements as an organic operation. Are there certified organic sources for N-P-K available for purchase (I compost my manure from my sheep but I surely don't have the voulme for what the soil tests are calling for in order to bring a full yield off of my fields)
I'm trying to decide if I delay organic certification by 3 years and just get all my fields up to par with non organic inputs this year in order to get a good baseline to start from or if I stick with organic inputs pay the extra money in order to get certified sooner and see a return from a certified organic product. I would rather stay with organic inputs, but I have to run the numbers myself to see if it's feasible.
I'd be really interested in hearing what you do, or any other organic operations do, when trying to bring their fields up to par.
Also, I'm re-thinking planting Sudan grass and wondering if I could plant a clover, alfalfa, or timothy with a cover crop of oats in order to get a perennial hay crop in this year? If I lime (and fertilize) now, will I be able to plant the fields this spring with any hope of a decent yield in the late summer?
Thanks in advance,
Jameson
Thanks for your reply to my other post. I am not certified organic but I have had zero inputs in my fields for 20 years and am wanting to get certified in the near future (within 3 years)
I got my soil tests back for my fields that I'd like to put into good hay and my pH levels are all acidic ranging from 5 to 5.8. I'm looking at roughly 4tons/acre of lime. How do you handle liming as a certified organic operation? is there such thing as organic lime? do you hire out or do it yourself?
Also, how do you handle you're other fertilizer requirements as an organic operation. Are there certified organic sources for N-P-K available for purchase (I compost my manure from my sheep but I surely don't have the voulme for what the soil tests are calling for in order to bring a full yield off of my fields)
I'm trying to decide if I delay organic certification by 3 years and just get all my fields up to par with non organic inputs this year in order to get a good baseline to start from or if I stick with organic inputs pay the extra money in order to get certified sooner and see a return from a certified organic product. I would rather stay with organic inputs, but I have to run the numbers myself to see if it's feasible.
I'd be really interested in hearing what you do, or any other organic operations do, when trying to bring their fields up to par.
Also, I'm re-thinking planting Sudan grass and wondering if I could plant a clover, alfalfa, or timothy with a cover crop of oats in order to get a perennial hay crop in this year? If I lime (and fertilize) now, will I be able to plant the fields this spring with any hope of a decent yield in the late summer?
Thanks in advance,
Jameson