Our Farming Model: Basic Principles
John, Keren and Mikey transition these four 85 foot long beds in this 45 minute time-lapse going from one set of standing, photosynthesizing crops, to the next photosynthesizing crops (including intercrop) without any soil disturbance.
You know about us because we're a small farm with a big name.
We've shown that no-till vegetable production is not only possible, but can be highy productive and profitable. We've quintupled our soil organic matter, without nutrient leaching, while nearly quadrupling the total microbial life in our soils. We've increased bird and native bee populations and diversity. We've increased native perennial plant diversity and density. We've dramatically reduced water usage per crop, and we're producing roughly $170,000 in vegetable sales per crop acre per year with over three-quarters (75%) of that revenue paying our year-round employees' salaries.
Singing Frogs Farm continues to be a living experiment.
As we, and leading soil scientists, learn more about the biology of the soil beneath our feet, our methods and farming systems here at Singing Frogs Farm are constantly changing and being improved upon.
Nearly every aspect of farm management hinges on a few basic principles of soil management…
Basic Principles of Soil Management
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Disturb the soil as little as possible.
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Keep as many living plants in the soil, as often as possible.
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Grow as many different species of plants as practical.
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Keep the soil covered all the time.
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Incorporate animals.
When one understands the myriad scientific reasons for each of these principles, one quickly sees how tillage in all its forms is the complete antithesis of soil health.
See our farming methodologies in action in this video and throughout our site, and dive deep into the details on our Resources Page. →
A Virtual Tour of Singing Frogs Farm