Potato harvest 2024 is coming to a close on the farm! Click here to help us celebrate!

Farm Stewardship at Red Hill Harvest

written by

Nathan Masser

posted on

April 17, 2024


Last Easter, I shared the fact that we always try our best to nurture our community and environment through decisions based on our faith, ancestorial knowledge, and new information gained from experience and education.

I want to share with you, exactly how we do this day in and day out on our farm.

Before we get started I do have a brief disclaimer.

How our farm operates is not the only way or the perfect way to farm. However, we strive to do what is best for our farm, with the resources we have available, and to be good stewards of our land and animals.

We understand every farm and situation is different. We want to share the steps that we take to make sure we are putting the safest and most delicious food on your table for generations to come.

Now that that is out of the way, let's begin with how we care for our animals.

Animals

Daily Pasture Moves

I'm sure while taking a drive through the countryside, you've seen a pasture grazed down to nothing. It may be eaten to a length shorter then your lawn, leaving nothing but dust and dirt to try to regrow.

We avoid leaving our soils in this state of despair by moving the animals daily. Whether it be our chickens or cows, we arrange fencing in a way that keeps them from grazing an area of land too much.

We allow them to eat no more then 50% of the grass which helps the pastures to regrow quicker, allowing us to utilize our farm more efficiently as well as keep their stomachs full of high protein, nutrient dense plants.

We also allow the pasture to fully recover before we return to graze again (usually around 60 days, but it could be longer depending on the weather and time of year). This way we improve our pasture resource instead of degrading it.

Space per animal

Space for animals can be a big issue on the farm. To keep the business profitable, it is important to maximize the amount of animals per acre.

The number of cattle we run becomes incredibly hard to manage because, during the spring/fall, when the grass is growing at a rapid pace, we could feed up to 200 head of cattle, whereas in the summer/winter, when the grass is growing very slowly or not at all, 50 head would be a much more suitable number. We typically end up running around 110 head in the spring and decrease the amount throughout the summer and into winter to match our land's carrying capacity.

We like to feed as little amount of hay as possible by keeping the animals grazing out on the pasture, where they were designed to be. When the cattle are out grazing, they have the freedom to roam over the acre or two we have them temporarily fenced into, giving them plenty of space while still improving our land and giving it the rest it needs before regrazing.

Low-Stress Handling

We have about 250 acres of land, spread across 3 separate farms, fenced in for our cattle. Thankfully, 2 of them are adjacent to each other, so we can walk the cows across the road. However, to get to the other farm, we have to load them on a truck.

Every time you have to load an animal, it exerts some form of stress on them. We limit the amount of stress on moving days by starting early in the morning on the hot summer days, only using rattle paddles for encouragement (not electric prods), and keeping our voices calm to help them stay calm.

Protection from the elements

As you may know, we do not have a barn for our cattle. This is mainly because cattle are naturally protected from the harsh winter elements. Their thick fur coats help to keep them warm and they also have the ability and instinctive knowledge to huddle together in a herd. When the weather calls for a heavy wind storm, we set up a windbreak to make sure they can get protection from the elements.

The same goes for the warm summer months when they shed their thick winter coats and know where to look for the coolest spots on the farm. We always try to find a shady spot for them to graze during the dog days of summer.

Land

Limited-tillage

We limit the amount of tillage we use between crops to allow the microbiology to survive in our soil. These tiny organisms cling to the roots of our plants and help them to bring in nutrients needed for life. By keeping the roots in the soil intact, we can also reduce the amount of erosion that happens during major weather events.

These microbes also need water and air to thrive. Soil with lots of pore space allows for both water and air to move into the root zone (like water flowing through a sponge). Tillage breaks up these pore spaces and collapses the soil structure, leading to less water and air and ultimately less microbiology.

Why not no-till?

We do as much no till as possible, however in some instances tillage is a necessary tool. We use tillage in ground we will plant potatoes in and also to establish new seedlings in organic fields.



Cover crops

Cover cropping is a farming practice that is used to keep living roots in the soil in between "cash crops". This cover crop helps to reduce erosion and compaction, as well as, builds soil fertility.

We typically plant multi-species cover crop which pulls nitrogen, carbon, and other important elements from the atmosphere into our soils. This biodiversity of species allows each plant to feed off one another and be utilized to the fullest extent.

Soil always wants to be covered by some type of living plant. If you take a drive throughout the countryside in the spring you can see a green hue over the brown corn and soybean stubble. These are weeds popping up trying to cover the soil. We plant cover crops in the fall, to keep the soil active and also eliminate the need for a spring herbicide spray.

See if you can pick out which fields are ours in the picture below!



Natural Amendments

Another trick we use to boost our soil health naturally is by using natural soil amendments. In unison with our other practices, we are able to increase fertility without harming our soil biology with synthetic nitrogen and fertilizers.

Some forms of natural amendments we use on our farm -
Liquid Humus
Compost
Animal Manure
Seaweed
Fish Oils
Molasses

These amendments are much easier for our plants to access compared to their synthetic counterparts, making it a much more effective solution for us.

Contrary to popular belief, there is plenty of fertility found in nature to grow profitable crops, we just need to equip our plants with the ability to bring it out of the atmosphere and into the soil.



Animal Impact

Putting animals back on our farm is arguably the best decision we have ever made.

Animals provide so many benefits to our farm it would be impossible to fit them all in this newsletter! Not counting their manure, they kickstart life in the soil, combat unwanted weeds without tillage or chemicals, and even their saliva has microbiology that goes into the soil and helps plants to grow. Crazy right?

By bringing animals back onto our farm, we have begun to close the nutrient gap of making our farm self sufficient. So many farmers rely on costly synthetic inputs to boost their soil health. If one of these inputs would become unavailable, our ability to produce food would be gone.

One ongoing example of this is the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge which shut down the Baltimore port. Most if not all of the synthetic fertilizer used in the eastern United States comes through this port. Now that the port is shut, fertilizer is much harder to find, making the price skyrocket.

By closing the nutrient gap, we are able to make our farm more resilient. This keeps us safe from relying solely on outside and often unreliable supply chains.

We take pride in being your farmer and we always want to strive to create healthier food for you and your family to enjoy.

I mean, that's why you're reading this blog right?

You are invested in becoming more informed and confident about the way your food is being produced. You understand that it's not just a label that says 100% grass-fed beef, or pasture-raised eggs, or organic, it's a product cared for by 3 generations working together with a common goal in mind.

To provide HEALTHY, SAFE, and BETTER food, from our family to yours.

Invest in your health today!

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From field to barn! How we harvest potatoes at Red Hill Harvest!

From field to barn! How we harvest potatoes at Red Hill Harvest!

This week on the farm, potato harvest was all we had on our minds! The weather has been a challenge during this year's harvest, from being too dry early in the season to 10 days of rain in late September, but hey, that’s farming. This week's goal is to get as many of the remaining potatoes out of the ground and back into the storage. Here’s how we do it! Step 1: Prep fields for harvest -  Before a field of potatoes is harvested, the tops of the potato plants must be killed. This tells the potatoes to put all their energy into growing thicker skin instead of growing in size. We terminate the potatoes 2-5 weeks before harvest, depending on the variety. (Some varieties take longer for the skins to set.) In a non-organic system, potatoes are terminated using a chemical desiccant. This is a very effective way to get the potato vines to die and leave the field ready for harvest. However, we must take a different approach to the 50% of our potato crop that is certified organic.   Once our organic potatoes have matured, we will run a flail shredder through the fields to mulch the vines into tiny pieces, killing the plants and sending them into full skin development mode. While we wait the 2-5 weeks before harvest, weeds tend to pop up now that the crop canopy is gone and sunlight reaches the soil. We often run the flail shredder or our weed burner ahead of the harvester again to help separate potatoes from other materials during harvest. Step 2: Dig - Once the fields are prepped and the conditions are right, we head out to the fields to bring in the spuds. We have a harvester that can dig two rows at a time. We chose this smaller machine because it matched well with the destoning system we use in the spring. To briefly explain the long process of planting, we make a bed of soil, use a destoning machine to pull the rocks from the bed and lay the stones into the tire tracks, and finally, we plant two rows of potatoes in the rock-free bed. Using this system, we can limit the damage caused by handling potatoes and rocks together. Here’s how the harvester works… First, the potatoes are dug out of the ground and transferred onto a slatted conveyor belt. This conveyor is the first separation method, removing all the loose dirt and small rocks. The remaining material continues up the belt and onto the main separation table.  This table has a series of counter-rotating shafts that grab onto vines, mud clumps, rocks, and other foreign materials and pull them down below and back into the field. From there, the potatoes go to another conveyor, where we have two people standing to remove all of the foreign material that the harvester missed. At this point, it is crucial to get all of the rocks that the destoner missed out of the potatoes because the next stop is the truck! The potatoes ride up the conveyor and into the truck, which drives alongside the harvester. Once the truck is full, it returns to the shed, where it gets unloaded! Step 3: Unload - When the truck returns to the shed, we back it up to our ELIMINATOR…  Dun, Dun, Dunn! Ok, maybe it's not that scary! The potatoes unload from the truck and ride up yet another conveyor, which dumps onto a star separation table. The table allows any soil that may have passed the harvester to be removed from the potatoes. Then, the spuds get one final hand grade. Removing all of the material before the potatoes head into storage is important. After the final grade, the small potatoes are removed. These potatoes are not desirable for making french fries and do not look nice in a package with bigger potatoes, so we remove them and pack them separately. Once sizing is complete, there are only two more conveyors before they reach the bins! We use an automatic bin filler, which uses sensors to fill each bin to its optimal level. After the bins are filled, they’re off to the cooler! Step 4: Storage - Most potatoes in the United States are stored in bulk, which means they are stored in one big pile. We choose to use the bin method for variety separation and quality.  The first reason is simple: we grow over ten varieties of potatoes on our farm. It is much easier to keep them separate in bins rather than piles.  Most importantly, though, we use bins to keep the quality of our potatoes high. With varying field conditions, potatoes in one area of the field may be more prone to rot. Rot will spread like a disease in storage if not properly addressed. Separating the potatoes into boxes can better control an outbreak of rot; we only lose 1,000 lbs of potatoes rather than the whole pile. This method takes a lot more time and money, but it is necessary for our operation, especially storing potatoes for nine months like we often do!   Each bin is labeled with the variety, field name, and date harvested. The organic potatoes are then put into a cooler at 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the non-organic potatoes are put into a cooler kept at 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit.  Why do we store them at different temps? Almost all of our non-organic potatoes are sold to vendors who make fresh-cut French fries! If the potato's temperature gets colder than 45 degrees Fahrenheit, it will turn dark brown when fried. YUCK!!  On the other hand, we keep our organic potatoes at a colder temperature because they keep much longer. 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3 reasons why you should (NOT!) go vegan.

3 reasons why you should (NOT!) go vegan.

A recent study by Vegetarian Times shows that 7.3 million people follow vegetarian diets in the U.S.A. alone, and the number is rising daily!  It’s almost understandable why this trend is rising in a world full of fake news and food mislabeling. Recently, I did some research concerning these common misconceptions. Without further adieu, here are the top three reasons people go vegan (and the truth about these polarizing issues). #1 Environmental Impact Over 90% of all meat produced in America is raised in CAFOs. (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) What is a CAFO, you ask? CAFO stands for Confined Animal Feed Operation and includes all farms that raise more than a set number of animals. For example, a CAFO of cattle is 1,000 animals, whereas a CAFO of chickens starts at 30,000. To learn more about CAFOs, click here. Large amounts of carbon emissions are released into the atmosphere in a CAFO. Feed needs to be grown, processed, and trucked in. 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Red Hill Harvest

205 Mt. Pap Road, Pitman, PA 17964
570.492.3425

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