Thursday, December 20, 2007

An End to a Twenty-five Year Search




On Left: Thin Slices in Pasture's Sod Surface after a Yeomans Plow with roller attachment has passed by.

In 1980 I first read Masanobu Fukuoka's - Natural Farming manifesto, "The One Straw Revolution". For those who have read and are also familiar with the texts tenets, the ideology of minimum or no primary tillage is intriguing for most. I felt that this principle was also important to my personal wishes to adhere (as much as possible) to the Natural Farming System and further I could understand not having to "plow" if producing within a strict pasture circumstance; ..but how would a crop rotation or breaking sod be accomplished while adhering to the principle of "No Tillage"?

This question would elude me for the next twenty-five years until when in early 2005 a fellow who had been intently reading my website posts for some time, a true kindred spirit by the name of Abe Collins, e-mailed to advise I consider the utility device called the "Yeomans Brand Keyline Plow". It deep tills sod without inverting the soil he said, thus (mostly) adhering to Fukuoka's first principle.

Very early the following year I visited Abe's farmstead in Vermont and witnessed the soil tilth after effects following the plows use and upon further research, ... I was impressed. The strong shank device could deep till with explosive sub-soil fracture effect with little or no surface sod disruption aside from a very narrow deep root kill zone that in turn develops into a natural soil food source in the presences of moisture and oxygen that enters the subsoil via the narrow deep pathway formed by the plows passing. When the plow is used by those aware of protocols, this in turn forms sub-soil conditions that lead to an explosion of humus and stable organic matter (SOM) growth; organic matter increases to exceeding depths and stays stable - increasing rain water and nutrient retention for years in the permanent pasture environment; or, in the circumstance of pasture "Ley" cropping, can be cashed in with the taking of grain crops in rotation and returned to pasture.

To establish this plow as the utmost premium field utility device you can own, the Yeomans Keyline Plow available from A. H. Tuttle and Company, supplies optional individual shank seeders and retrofit shank attachments to fit any kind of utensil tillage perishables you desire, rendering the plow total custom broad scale versatility in every circumstance, and Clear Choice (c) - Elysian (c) can show you how to accomplish this.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Yeomans Keyline Plow

A. H. Tuttle and Company is honored to be chosen as a Manufacturers Sales Representative for the Yeomans Brand of Keyline Plow.

Keyline Pasture and Ley Cropping concepts and principles represent what we feel are an important element necessary to elevate pastoral super systems to the next levels of land stewardship going forward.

If you are interested in any of the Yeomans Plow Company non-inversion tillage devices please email us at elysian@ahtuttle.com -or- call A.H. Tuttle and Company at (315)-986-7007