Regenerative Agriculture at the Farm Park
The Rio Grande Farm Park sits on soil nourished for centuries by sediment from the Rio Grande. The land is some of the most fertile in the San Luis Valley. To keep it that way, we focus on soil health as the centerpiece of ecologically sound food production. Healthy foods and healthy ecosystems all begin with healthy soil. We encourage and train farmers to utilize regenerative practices such as minimal or no tillage and cover-cropping to maintain optimal soil health, an emphasis on crop and plant diversity, no biocides, and the conservation of pollinator habitat and water resources. We also split the farm park into 2 sections for growing, enabling us to rotate between fields every 3 to 5 years to rest and regenerate the soil.
The Farm Park’s vision maintains the “preservation of the San Luis Valley’s precious water resources” as central to our stewardship of the land. We use a combination of flood irrigation and an acequia system to provide water to farmers for growing. In 2019, we installed a drip irrigation system to improve water efficiency and distribution. In a drought-prone region where water is the centerpiece of both economy and politics, RGFP recognizes the valuable opportunity we have to lead our community in conservation-minded water usage and to reduce water-related conflict through thoughtful planning and open communication.
We seek out organic seeds and practices but are not organic certified. To meet the intent of our regenerative farming philosophy, we use untreated, non-GMO cover crop seeds in our non-active fields and organic seeds in the commercial and community farming sections.
Soil Health Practices at the Rio Grande Farm Park
Soil Armor
At the Rio Grande Farm Park, we armor our soil through various means. For example, we cover-crop our farm plots during the off-season with rye and cover-crop our fallow fields with perennials.
We also mow our farming fields in the fall to incorporate organic matter into the soil. Trees and dormant beds around the park are mulched with natural materials such as straw and wood.
2. Minimal Soil Disturbance
The Farm Park prepare seed beds with minimal tillage in the spring before farmers plant their crops, which allows our soil to maintain its structure and hold onto water and organic material more efficiently. We do not till at all at the end of harvest.
We also have a small, designated no-till section in our commercial farm plot area.
3. Plant Diversity
We encourage farmers to plant a diverse range of approximately 30 different crops for the growing season. This helps to increase environmental and plant resilience while reducing nutrient depletion in the soil.
We intentionally plant and maintain a diverse range of beneficial native and pollinator plants around the park for soil and ecological health.
4. Continual Live Plant Roots
All active farming plots are cover-cropped with annual cereal rye soon after harvest.
In our non-active farming plots, a perennial mix of clover, pea, sunflower, barley, oat, and wheat is used for cover-cropping. The combination of shallow and deep roots improves our soil structure and organic matter content. The addition of nitrogen-fixing plants aids in soil fertility.
5. Integration of Livestock
In 2019, chickens were piloted at the Farm Park as a regenerative agricultural model to increase soil fertility and improve soil structure.
In the future, we hope to integrate sheep in the fallow fields as another tool to build soil health through animal husbandry.
More information about the Five Principles of Soil Health can be found on the NRCS website, linked HERE.