Laura was attracted for farming through a passion for soil science, and has put a lot of effort into re-mineralizing her soils. We discuss her approach to improving the soil in order to improve her crops, and the reduced insect and disease pressure she’s seen on her farm as a result. Laura also shares her experience with a recent foray into no-till production.
Laura is also an organic certification inspector, and we discuss the ways that being a certified organic farm from very early on fit into Long Life Farm’s business strategy. Laura shares her tips for record-keeping and staying in your certification agency’s – and your inspector’s – good graces.
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Quotes from the Show
Seeing the USDA organic label on our sign, definitely gave people confidence in the fact that they could trust us to feed their family. That was very important as brand new farmers.
Show Links
Long Life Farm uses a brix refractometer to evaluate the effectiveness of their soils program and the health of their plants.
Laura is particularly fond of the collinear hoe from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Laura received her organic certification inspector training through IOIA – the International Organic Inspectors Association.
Laura is the president of the board of directors for the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-MASS).
Laura is a big fan of U-Mass Extension’s Vegetable Notes, a newsletter about what’s happening in the world of vegetable crops in Massachusetts.