> > Two presenters at the Organic Farming conference this > spring mentioned that the only 2 ways to increase > organic matter in the soil are 1) grass roots and 2) > livestock manure. They commented that all the rye, > clover, etc. cover cropping that has been promoted is > useful for other things, such as N retention, erosion > prevention, but doesn't do much for increasing OM.
It is not as well known as it should be, that cover crops, green manures, etc, in a tillage regime, do not in fact 'build' organic matter so much as they slow down its decline. Worth doing but not the thing that adds 'tremendous amount of organic matter to the soil' like those rototiller adds say.... But it is also not the case that only sod and livestock manure increase OM, compost generally can be used, and treatments such as leaf mulches, ramial chipped wood, and other such uses of clean organic matter in the field can also give ye olde og matter a boost. I am not saying never use animal manure, just that other ingredients can also bring up organic matter levels, and probably should be used along with animal manure for a nice diverse smorgasbord for the foodweb. My two cents, Frank Teuton
