Eat Alaska First!

We are acutely aware of the blessing we have to be stewards of our farm. I will be gone some day and my children will continue to care for our land. We are committed to improving the health of our soil because it is the basis for everything that we make in the flour mill and bakery. In my previous segment, I discussed our no-tillage program and this week I want to share my experience the first year we used no-tillage. Spring rains are critical to our getting a good stand. If the spring rains are delayed, the barley emerges unevenly leading to uneven ripening. In our area, there seems to be a cyclical change to timing of the rains, sometimes coming in late May and sometimes not until late June. 

The first year we switched to no-till the rain was late. I had planted one field using tillage, while the rest of the farm was planted using the no-till drill. About three weeks later, again, after no rain, I went to check emergence on the fields. The first field I checked was the tilled field. The barley had emerged in spots and was bare in other spots. I dug down into the soil and found the seed lying in dry soil about an inch deep. However, the soil moisture was an inch and a half below the seed. It was disappointing because I knew that when the rains came, the rest of the barley would germinate, but it would be uneven. 

I next went to check the no-tilled fields, where I found the crop evenly emerged. I could see down the rows with no breaks in the stand. That experience confirmed for me the value of having residue on the surface of the soil. The residue shades the soil, conserving moisture. When it does rain, the residue absorbs the moisture and then wicks it out to the soil, which help keep the soil damp. 

Later that summer, I watched a dust devil move across a gravel road, lifting dust high into the air. As it crossed into the field that was planted by no-till suddenly the dust disappeared. The wind still swirled the barley as it moved along, but I couldn’t see any dust lifting off the field. It was another evidence of the benefit of leaving the soil covered. 

After no-tilling for the last 15 years, I cannot imagine farming differently. I have seen so much positive change in the soil, from it’s ability to absorb heavy rain without runoff to its ability to hold a crop during dry spells. Our experience with no-tillage made me want to do more to benefit the soil, which we’ll discuss next time.

Bryce Wrigley

Alaska Flour Company/Wrigley Farms

Learn more about Bryce and his Alaskan Farming operation at alaskaflour.com