More Maine farmers are giving up the plow

There’s no such thing as bad soil, just soil that doesn’t do what people want it to.

So says state soil scientist Matt Boucher when he hears people claim Maine has poor ground for farming. There are ways to change soil. Low- and no-till practices are one set of options that have taken off in Maine and across the country.

A range of practices can be used, and they vary by each farm’s goals, according to Boucher. They aren’t perfect, and they won’t solve every problem.

But they are gaining attention. No-till practices were used on 729 Maine farms across 25,000 acres in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s census. That’s almost 85 more operations and 4,000 acres than five years before.

On conventional farms, the plow blade shatters connections between soil particles, according to Boucher. When they are exposed to air this way, microbes in the soil activate and start consuming the organic matter necessary for soil to support plants.

Organic matter is what allows soil to hold onto nutrients, make those nutrients available for plants and reduce erosion.

No-till or low-till practices to reduce this effect can include piling up compost every year without tilling at all or large commercial operations knocking down their cover crops with industrial equipment or herbicide.

It also includes the use of cover crops like clover, rye, winter wheat, tillage radish and oats, which are planted in a field after vegetables or grains grown to sell. Cover crops supply different nutrients or break up tight soil. Roots of dead plants are left in the ground to decompose.

Farthest Field Farm in Freeport is one of the newer farms in this movement. Alyssa Adkins and Nathan Broaddus have been growing tomatoes, peppers and other ingredients for their hot sauces since 2022 on about two acres.

The land has never been a farm before. Soil is compacted from past logging and features slow-draining clay layers, which might challenge a conventional farmer.

But on Thursday, two hoop houses were full of tall, healthy plants rooted in compost beds surrounded by wood chip-covered paths. Their roots won’t reach the native soil.

Another hoop house is under construction, and a fourth plot is covered by a dark tarp to kill perennial plant roots in preparation for one more.

Currently, the farmers order about 40 yards each of compost and woodchips in a season. They till only once, ever, to prepare the beds.

Their intensive no-till practices take a lot of labor, are expensive at first and would be difficult to make work on a larger farm.

Compost can cost several hundred dollars per yard, and a “tremendous” amount is needed to establish beds. They’ll need to keep buying it every year to add an inch or two atop their beds.

Over time, though, Farthest Field and similar farms can grow lots of food in a small space with fewer pest and disease issues using methods they value.

They learned from a community of other Maine no-till farmers. Frith Farm in Scarborough draws apprentices from across the country, and Stonecipher Farm in Bowdoinham is an oft-cited influence for small no-tillers here.

Larger farms in Aroostook, Penobscot and Waldo counties have used no-till practices for years on hundred-plus-acre operations. They report higher yields and lower fuel costs.

Adkins and Broaddus said they believe their material costs will go down and farm yields improve over time.

That’s true for existing farms transitioning into no-till practices too, according to Boucher, the soil scientist. Yields will likely dip for three to seven years, then increase.

“When you get your system down, which takes a while, it is worth it,” he said.

Many of the farmers who contact Boucher through the Maine Healthy Soils Program are interested in no-till practices because they think it’s the right thing to do. Others seek solutions for declining yields on their farms. His services are booked out until August.

Also in Freeport, the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment is helping distribute $35 million from the USDA to farms across the country adopting conservation practices from a list which includes no-till.

“We are in an exciting moment,” said Alex Gulachenski, the center’s senior manager of research collaboration and regional farm networks.

She sees no-till as one tool among many as more farmers develop less rigid ideas of agriculture. There is more research to do and more conversations to be had, she said, and it can be difficult to completely stop tilling.

Boucher has seen some challenges too, especially with Maine’s short growing season. Spring tilling opens up soil and warms it for planting. Leaving plant matter on the fields can also mean it stays wet and cold, reducing seed germination.

Losing two to three weeks this way makes a difference financially. To adapt, farmers can use “strip tillage,” or tilling only the thin strips where they will plant. Others might just till once every few years. Even a 20% reduction in tilling and the addition of a few cover crops makes a big difference, Boucher said.

Farmers here may not have the capital for industrial equipment either, such as the “roller crimpers” attached to tractors that flatten cover crops.

Weeds may spread, especially in the first few years when the seed bank hasn’t declined. But Boucher notes that plant matter provides habitat for insects and small animals that eat those weed seeds.

Overall, many Maine farmers are partly driven by their values, which makes the extra time and attention worth it. At Farthest Field Farm, part of the owners’ focus is on community education and connection, which Adkins said extends to the natural world.

“Community is the centerpiece of this farm and an enormous strength we have,” Broaddus said.