Organic Research Database

The number of small farms on Lopez Island has increased in response to a desire for local food security. Many farmers raise grass-fed livestock, increasing the demand for farm-produced hay and forage. To compensate for the low availability of nutrients in the island’s acidic soils, farmers periodically apply lime, which is expensive to transport and apply and oxidizes organic matter. Lopez Island farmer Henning Sehmsdorf has applied compost and mulch to heal acid soil, but his supplies of those materials are limited. In this project, Sehmsdorf will team with Washington State University agronomist Steve Fransen to test whether biological stimulant materials can be created on the farm as economically and ecologically viable alternatives to liming. They will compare liming, biological stimulants and no treatment on a 1-acre plot, assessing the effects on soil characteristics and forage yield and quality.