This March we acquired the tools that we are going to use to ready the soil for our energy, compost, and annual crops. When selecting tools, our goal is to utilize intermediate technology that maximizes the amount of work done while involving little to no petroleum inputs. Our tools are built to last, easy to find, and quick to learn. Below is our “bed-prep” method that employs two new tools:

1. First, we use a Glaser wheel hoe to break the sod layer and loosen the top section of the soil.
2. We rake behind the wheel hoe to remove loose sod.
3. Finally, we use a Broad fork to loosen the soil to a depth of about 10 inches. The broad fork will aerate and loosen the soil without completing overturning and disrupting the microbial life.

We have decided that Dale sorghum will be the main energy crop for Brookside in 2007. A 2004, USDA funded report out of Modesto California titled: Ethanol in California a Feasibility Framework suggests that ethanol production is not economically feasible in California. However, it mentions that Sorghum is the only economically feasible feedstock to be considered for ethanol production in the state. We are interested in discovering whether ethanol will be feasible for our own on-farm use within the intensive, small scale application we are working in.

Since we will not be using herbicides, pesticides, inorganic fertilizers, or mechanized means of harvest, we may have a shot at a net energy gain with ethanol in Willits. We will also grow sections of oil-rich Peredovik sunflowers to test their appropriateness for the area. Both of these fuel crops can also be used as food for humans or animals. They represent crops that have stacked functions; they provide food, fuel, or compost crops depending on the demand for each part of the plant. For example, the sunflower oil could be used for biodiesel or included in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) baskets, while extra processing of the sorghum could yield sorghum syrup.

In the final days of February we experienced a snow storm that lasted two days. The storm brought us up to 11.42 inches of precipitation for February. With a quarter inch of rain by mid March, we have received a total of 12.96 inches since January. As of now, we are still 13.54 inches below average for the Willits area and are hoping to get a more rain before the wet season ends. In the last three weeks following the snow storm, we have had sunny weather with highs of 76.9 °F. With such wide fluctuations in temperature, who knows what is in store for us as we begin to ready ourselves for the planting season?

---- Chris Hansen, Brookside Energy Farm, Willits, CA