Yamhill Valley Grown, Your Guide To Local Food | Página 4

Farming Practices
Ever feel a little overwhelmed by all the terms you see and hear at the market and
unsure where to start? The terms identified on this page will help you begin that
journey. As you read through this guide farmers have listed out their farming practices
and certifications along with how to contact them. We encourage you to check them out,
go to the farm, visit them at the market. Get connected with your food and where it
comes from. It also needs to be said that we took the information provided from the
farms at face value. We did not verify any practices, techniques or certifications and
cannot vouch for the accuracy of any statements made in this guide.
Management Intensive Grazing is a system
of grazing in which ruminant and nonruminant herds are regularly and
systematically moved to fresh pasture to
maximize the quality and quantity of forage
growth. Herds graze on portion of pasture, or
a paddock, while allowing the others to
recover.
Resting grazed lands allows the
vegetation to renew energy reserves, rebuild
shoot systems, and deepen root systems, with
the end result being long-term maximum
biomass production.
Compost is plant matter that has been
decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and
soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient
in organic farming. Compost tea is a liquid
solution or suspension made by steeping
compost in water.
It is used both as a
fertilizer and to prevent plant diseases.
Diverse crop rotation is the practice of
growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in
the same area in sequential seasons to balance
the fertility demands of various crops and to
avoid the build up of pathogens and excessive
depletion of soil nutrients.
Cover crops are crops planted primarily to
manage soil fertility, soil quality, water,
weeds, pests, diseases, and biodiversity.
Many are grown for a specific period, and then
plowed under before reaching full maturity in
order to improve soil fertility and quality.
Integrated Pest Management IPM combines
organic and synthetic methods of pest control
in order to minimize hazards to people,
property, and the environment.

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Organic soil amendments and fertilizers are
derived from natural sources instead of synthetic
compounds. Naturally derived fertilizers include:
manure, slurry, worm castings, peat, seaweed,
and guano. Processed organic fertilizers include
compost, compost tea, bloodmeal, bone meal,
humic acid, amino acids, fishmeal and seaweed
extracts.
No-Spray typically means “no chemical pesticides
have been sprayed on the edible portion of the
plant”, but it is a problematic term, since there are
severally organically approved fertilizers and
pesticides that are applied in a spray form.
Set Stocking, also known as continuous stocking,
is a grazing system in which stock remain in one
field or paddock for a long period without rotation.
Frequently used in the spring with beef and sheep
to keep rapidly growing pastures under control.
Seasonal Pasturing incorporates grazing animals
on a particular area for only part of the year. This
allows the land that is not being grazed to rest and
allow for new forage to grow.
Heritage Breeds are historic and often
endangered breeds of livestock and poultry.
Heritage animals were bred over time to develop