Monday, June 7, 2021

No-Till Farming

Want a vibrant, healthy garden that produces nutrient-rich vegetables, herbs, fruits, etc. while sequestering carbon by increasing soil organic matter (SOM)?

Disturb the soil as little as possible.

At Singing Frogs Farm north of San Francisco, a “No Till No Kill” system is an example. 

They cover their planting beds with mulch and compost instead of plowing or using herbicides. New plants are inserted directly into the compost; they use a high biodiversity of cash & cover crops which are continuously rotated to break weed, disease and pest cycles.

This system retains more water, requiring less irrigation, & produces high crop yields. 

It has increased SOM by 400% in under six years, sequestering significantly more carbon.

        The Singing Frogs system is applicable to more than 80% of farms around the world---the majority of farms are under 5 acres.  https://regenerationinternational.org/2021/03/08/best-practices-how-regenerative-organic-agriculture-and-land-use-can-reverse-global-warming/

Listen to a podcast by owners of Singing Frogs Farm at https://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-05-27/paul-elizabeth-kaiser-sustainable-farming-2-0/  


Monday, May 31, 2021

"Noisy" Knees

  If you hear a “crunching” or “grinding” noise in your knee when you bend it, this is a sign of an arthritic, or degenerative, condition called Chondromalacia Patella.

For various reasons, the patella, or kneecap, may begin tracking abnormally as it slides up and down in a groove on the front of the femur with bending of the knee, resulting in abnormal “wear & tear” in the articulation.

If not corrected with the proper treatment plan, the condition can advance to painful and debilitating arthritis.

The patella should be adjusted by vectoring the ACTIVATOR instrument appropriately to correct its tracking. I also give the patient exercises to prevent recurrence.