Betsy RossRoss Farm – Granger, Texas

October 3, 2011Texas Recycling & Sustainability Summit

Ross FarmRoss Farm

04/19/23 2

Ross Farm Goal: Nutrient Rich FoodsBetter Soil, Better Life

Healthy (alive) Soil =

Healthy (vigor) Plants =

Healthy (nutrients) Beef =

Healthy People!

Can’t Do This On Grass in Texas?www.rossfarm.com

No burning No synthetic fertilizers No herbicides No insecticides No hormones No corn – ever!

Real Hard Without Life in the Soil…

What is compost?• Aerobic decomposition of a mix of organic matter• Thermal compost:– Heat minimum 131 F (55C) for3 days to kill weed seed,

pathogens, pests– But NOT HIGHER than 155 – 160 F (70 C) so beneficials

NOT killed– Turned whenever too hot because too hot means lack of

oxygen, loss of N, S, P, build acidic conditions

• Worm or Vermi-compost (cold composting)– Worms turn the compost, kill pathogens, pests

• Static compost

Compost Standards• Measured in fresh compost, expressed per gram dry compost• 15 to 30 or more µg active bacteria /g dry weight compost • 150 µg (fungal compost) to 300 or more µg (bacterial compost) total

bacteria /g dry weight compost

• 2 to 10 µg or more active fungi /g dry weight compost• 150 (bacterial compost) to 500 or more (fungal compost) µg total

fungal biomass/g dry weight compost• Hyphal diameters on average 2.5 micrometers or greater

• 50,000 or more protozoa per gram dry weight compost 25,000 or more flagellates 25,000 or more amoebae 50 - 100 ciliates. Higher numbers indicate anaerobic conditions resulting from compaction, water-logging, discontinuities in soil

• 20 to 100 BENEFICIAL nematodes per gram dry weight of compost

Compost Tea Definitions• Actively-Aerated Compost Tea – brewed water extract– Active, total bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes (sp vs #s)– soluble nutrients from the compost– aerobic (O2 above 6 ppm) vs anaerobic (pathogen growth, loss of

nutrients, toxins)– with or without added foods to grow beneficials

• Non-aerated Compost Tea – variable results• Compost Extract – no brewing time• Compost Leachate – no brewing, few organisms removed• Plant tea – compost not involved– bacteria, fungi from plant surfaces, aerobic or anaerobic

• Manure tea – compost not involved– anaerobic (pathogens present, 90 to 120 day rule required)

•Put-to-sleep teas – loss of species, minimal activity

Must Have Good Compost!

©Sustainable Growth Texas LLC, design by Joyce Hankins

Life Below the Ground!

Life Above Ground!

An Overview of Managing Our Eco-Systems

Too Often We Manage the Trophic Levels Independently and Out of

Order…

©Sustainable Growth Texas LLC, design by Joyce Hankins

How We Add Life to Soils

Bio-Augmentation (Add Biology)• Hopefully Good Top Soil• Add Good Compost• SGTx Liquid Compost Extract

(LCE)– Good Compost– Good Vermicompost– Good Humus

• Brew Activated Compost Tea (ACT)– Good Compost– Good Vermicompost– Good Humus

• Selected Bio-Inoculants• Cover Crops…

www. soilsalive.comwww.sustainablegrowthtexas.com

Differences LCE & ACT

SGTX Liquid Compost Extract

Aerated Compost Tea

Make Larger QuantitiesLonger Response TimeActive & Dormant Organisms Extracted (lasts longer in the field)

Original Recyclers• Soil Food web insures fertility – they recycle the

elements and make them available to plants!– Nitrogen into nitrates– Phosphorus into phosphates– Boron into borate– etc

• Soil food web digests/breaks down wastes, then food building microbes begin to build living organic matter, store up nutrients in mass by growing plants, changing basic elements so they can be absorbed into plant roots.

Wow! Is this possible?

Let’s Go Check Out this Job Opportunity… before we spray.

More Clues: Hard Winter

Got a Earthworm – but…

Clue: Grubs

Clue: Fungi Present?

The Job – this acreage

Lets Make an Application… 5-24-10

• Put out 20 gallons/acre of LCE plus– dry micronized fish;

humic acid, kelp, molasses, biozome, SGTX probiotics, trace minerals, phosphorus, proprietary biological inoculants.

May 27, 2010

Lets Make another Application… 11-18-10

• Put out 20 gallons/acre of LCE plus– dry micronized fish;

humic acid, kelp, molasses, biozome,fulvic acid, trace minerals, phosphorus, proprietary biological inoculants.

– Used blend of composts from different suppliers

Which Soil Do You Want?

Let’s Take a Look Nov 2010

Cows Look Good

Dung Beetles & Micro Arthopods

Progress with Organic Matter

Six Months and a Little Rain…

• Bastrop County• Large Cattle Grazing

Operation• Sand Land?

Let’s Look at the Numbers

5-10-10 11-10-10

Total Exchange Capacity (CEC)

4.23 8.29

pH 5.90 7.40

Organic Matter (%) 1.27 2.53

Sulfur (ppm) 15 13

Mehlich III Phosphorous (lbs/a)

22 103

Calcium (lbs/a) 1064 (62.7%) 2250 (81.39%)

Magnesium (lbs/a) 84 (8.28%) 179 (10.79%)

Potassium (lbs/a) 82 (2.49%) 164 (4.00%)

Sodium (lbs/a) 53 (2.7%) 25 (0.79%)

Erosion ControlDetention Basins - Parks

6 Months LaterMUD 230 Houston, Tx

Bare Parent

Material

100% bacterial

CyanobacteriaTrue BacteriaProtozoaFungiNematodesMicroarthsF:B = 0.01

“Weeds”, Johnson Grass - high NO3 - lack of oxygen F:B = 0.1

Early Grasses Bromus, Bermuda F:B = 0.3

Mid-grasses, clovers,vegetables F:B = 0.75

Late successionalgrasses, row crops,Native plants F:B = 1:1

Shrubs, vines,bushes, cottonMore natives F:B = 2:1 to 5:1

Deciduous Trees F:B = 5:1 to 100:1

Conifer, old-growth forests F:B = 100:1 to 10000:1

Soil Foodweb SuccessionFungal : Bacteria Ratios

Match Below Ground with Above Ground

Soil Food Web, Inc.

Where Do Most of Invasives Fall on

this Chart?

The Right Microbes…

Here Is Our Paradigm• Nothing Bad in Mama

Nature• Everything Has a

Purpose/Reason• Everything out of ground

returns to ground• Mama Nature Moves

Energy Via Food Chain/Trophic Levels

• Air, Water, Food and Shelter All Necessary Below Ground as well as Above Ground

©Sustainable Growth Texas LLC, design by Joyce Hankins

Thanks. Betsy Ross and the teams from:

Soils AliveSustainable Growth Texas, LLCBetsy Ross Grass-Fed Beef

Recyclers… Give Us the Good Stuff So We Can DoA Better Job Everywhere. After-all, its About LIFE!