Upcoming Biochar Workshop in Massachusetts- July 17th
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Dan Bensonoff
Jun 24, 2016, 12:11:18 PM6/24/16
to Soil Age
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Massachusetts is excited to offer this upcoming workshop that brings together a biochar researcher, producer, and produce farmer who's works with biochar in a no-till system.
For centuries, biochar has been used throughout the world as a natural and easily-obtained soil amendment that builds microbial communities and long-term fertility in soils. Created through a process known as pyrolysis, biochar adds stable carbon to the soil, functioning to sequester atmospheric carbon, retain moisture, sweeten soil, and build rich habitat for microbes, nematodes, and fungi that aid in plant nutrient availability.
Dan Pratt of Astarte Farm will discuss how, when, and why they incorporate biochar into their diversified vegetable farm. Dan will show trials on their farm that compare biochar/compost amended soils with a control. He will also discuss many of the other innovative systems on their farm, including no-till, pollinator habitat islands, and more.
Dr. Emily Cole, assistant professor of soil science at Westfield State University, will share the results of her multi-year research project on biochar. Her research focused on how soil biota changes in response to biochar. She will share best practices and talk us through creating our own on-farm trials.
Hugh Mcloughlin, owner of Nextchar, an Amherst-based biochar manufacturer, will also be on hand to talk about different types of biochar and answer questions about the manufacturing process.
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Building Long-Term Fertility with Biochar
Sunday, July 17 2016
10:00am to 4:00pm
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Astarte Farm
123 West Street
Hadley, MA
For centuries, biochar has been used throughout the world as a natural and easily-obtained soil amendment that builds microbial communities and long-term fertility in soils. Created through a process known as pyrolysis, biochar adds stable carbon to the soil, functioning to sequester atmospheric carbon, retain moisture, sweeten soil, and build rich habitat for microbes, nematodes, and fungi that aid in plant nutrient availability.
Dan Pratt of Astarte Farm will discuss how, when, and why they incorporate biochar into their diversified vegetable farm. Dan will show trials on their farm that compare biochar/compost amended soils with a control. He will also discuss many of the other innovative systems on their farm, including no-till, pollinator habitat islands, and more.
Dr. Emily Cole, assistant professor of soil science at Westfield State University, will share the results of her multi-year research project on biochar. Her research focused on how soil biota changes in response to biochar. She will share best practices and talk us through creating our own on-farm trials.
Hugh Mcloughlin, owner of Nextchar, an Amherst-based biochar manufacturer, will also be on hand to talk about different types of biochar and answer questions about the manufacturing process.
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Dan Bensonoff
Policy Director/ Education Events Coordinator
Northeast Organic Farming Association/Massachusetts Chapter (NOFA/Mass)
"How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used" -Wendell Berry
Seth Itzkan
Jun 24, 2016, 12:16:02 PM6/24/16
to soil...@googlegroups.com
Thanks Dan,
That looks great.
- Seth
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Also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Soil4Climate/
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