Farm406

farm406 28 and increases water-holding capacity. Each percent of organic maer built equates to about 10-20 units of nitrogen. "My soils now are 1.5-2.3 percent. In homestead days this area was probably 5- 6 percent," said Wicks. "I'm convinced that if cover crops were more highly utilized, chemical and fertilizer inputs would be reduced; stewardship of the land would be moved to a new high; climate change would be reduced; and in the end, the farmer would have greater profits from cash crops." e whole point is to build soil health by sequestering as much carbon to feed all the microbes and life in the soil, which, in turn, gives the plants what they need. It is a simple idea with a complicated science behind it. Building mycorrhizal fungi is the key to making those nutrients available to the plants. In a growing season, 65 percent of Wicks' farm is in crop production, and 35 percent is resting with a cover crop. "e cost reduction to my total operating note dropped around 25 percent by shiing inputs from conventional practices to regenerative," said Wicks. Wicks has worked directly with Timeless Seeds at Ulm since he has taken up organic farming and has contracted lentils and chickpeas with the company. As Wicks developed his farming beliefs, his wife, Gwyn Givens, a Big Sandy native, who had studied at the culinary school at Johnson-Wales University in Denver to become a chef, became an active part of his team. Gwyn suggested they make changes so that more of their food would come from the farm. ey have planted a garden for five seasons, and they have started raising chickens. ey have dreams of creating an orchard and raising a few pigs. Wicks wants to raise the ancient wheat, Black Winter Emmer or a rare variety of Emmer, which is almost extinct. Because the seed is so expensive, he has a plot of it where he will harvest the seed to save for planting next year. As this process is repeated, his seed supply will become large enough to plant a field of this grain. Gwyn and John have a joke about the progress that he has made in his farming by using an analogy from Gwyn's culinary background. Before he started farming organically and using cover crops to build up the soil and reduce weeds, he was just a cook following the recipe big Ag prescribed by spraying and fertilizing at their recommended rates. When he started learning about these alternate methods, he became a chef and created his own recipe for a farm in a particular location and with certain aributes. Wicks is making a checklist for his 2020 equipment conservation plan. AD

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