Soil Foodweb in Organic Farming: Broad-Scale Landcare Examples in Texas.

Soil foodweb processes mediate multiple soil functions and make it possible for plant ecosystems — the vast prairies and forests — to thrive without fertility inputs from man.  Organic farmers, by design, strive to mimic these natural eco-system processes for the purpose of building soil health and sustaining crop production.  A growing number of organic farmers are employing compost teas, liquid compost extracts, microbial inoculants, micronized and solubilized minerals, microbial food sources, and related methods to enhance soil foodweb functioning.  The sites profiled in this presentation are based on the experience of a family farm that transitioned to organic by employing these methods and subsequently developed into a full-time biological landcare business.  The three sites include a 530 acre grassfed beef operation located in Central Texas, a 700 acre ranch with five parcels of land ranging from native little bluestem prairie to bermudagrass hayfields located in North Central Texas, and a 25 acre organic pecan orchard located in Central Texas. Soil sampling and laboratory testing provides data on both soil chemistry and soil biology and serves as a guideline for managing soils.  Qualitative biology assessments are conducted on-farm using brightfield microscopy. Different parcels of land receive different treatments based on their fungal-to-bacterial ratio and related soil test data.  Large tracts of land are managed with a liquid bio-spray, applied with agricultural spray equipment at 20 to 40 gallons per acre at critical times during the year.  Liquid biological amendments are blended to achieve bio-augmentation and bio-stimulation with an aim to influence plant succession, mycorrhizal symbiosis, eco-system functioning, and plant growth.