Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
of certification, producers must establish a comprehensive management plan
and implement practices to improve soil function and productivity.
3.3 Demeter Biodynamic Farm Standard
The Demeter Association's Biodynamic Farm Standard
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encourages produ-
cers to utilise the principles of living organisms in the management of their
farming operations. The ultimate goal is to create a farming system that meets
its needs from the living dynamics of the farm itself, and depends only
minimally on off-farm materials. Soil fertility management plays a key role
within the standard toward meeting this objective. Producers are required to
incorporate practices that build soil humus and promote soil biological activity
through the recycling of raw organic materials generated on the farm.
Supported practices include using legumes in crop rotation, recycling livestock
manures, incorporating green manure into the production system, and using
biodynamic compost preparations. Several types of fertiliser materials, such as
raw manure, biosolids and all forms of synthetic fertilisers, are restricted so as
to minimise adverse impacts on soil biology. The standard requires the use and
timely application of nine types of biodynamic preparations aimed toward
revitalising the soil and stimulating plant root growth, enhancing development
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microorganisms
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promoting
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3.4 Food Alliance Whole Farm/Ranch Inspection Tool
The Food Alliance Whole Farm/Ranch Inspection Tool
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is a self-assessment
tool that contains both fixed and variable evaluation criteria intended to guide
crop and animal producers toward Food Alliance certification. Producers self-
evaluate their production practices under four areas of sustainability -
Reducing Pesticide Usage, Soil and Water Conservation, Safe and Fair
Working Conditions and Wildlife Habitat - and tabulate the composite score
to determine whether they quality for certification. Alternatively, third-party
inspectors may walk producers through the assessment. Evaluation criteria are
categorised according to four levels, with producers earning more points for
successive levels of achievement.
The Soil Conservation component of the standard is paired with Water
Conservation and focuses on such elements as implementation and manage-
ment of buffer strips around waterways, soil erosion prevention, tillage
practices, soil compaction prevention, nutrient and soil organic matter
management and continuing education for soil and water conservation. At a
minimum, producers are required to meet all applicable federal, state and local
legal requirements related to erosion control. Additional points are earned for
regularly monitoring soil erosion potential, utilising a tillage regime that
conserves soil, maintaining soil pH to ensure proper nutrient availability and
uptake, implementing a nutrient management plan and actively managing soil
