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Photo on the left shows Ann and Andrew with their wedding gift, an Allis Chalmers tractor, a vintage machine still in good running order, and perfect for organic farming on a small scale. Conventional farming has only existed since the mid 1940s. After WWII, government administrators needed a way to use chemicals left over from biological warfare weapons, and a way to use the manufacturing plants built to make such chemicals. Pesticides and herbicides were developed for agricultural use. In actuality, Andrew Mefferd's great-great grandfather was an "organic" farmer. Refined methods of modern organic farming stem from new research that includes such techniques as natural compost teas and biological controls. The Mefferds use a combination of old-fashioned farming methods recycled for the present-day environment, improved versions of old techniques, and new methods and equipment that Grandfather wouldn't recognize. |
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The parasitized caterpillar in the photo on the left demonstrates a biological way to reduce pests.Practices: Cover crops and green manure crops are important to One Drop farm. To feed the soil is to feed the people. We practice minimal till techniques to give the soil biota all the support they need to support the crops. We also have a unique system of farmscaping our acreage to encourage populations of natural predators (like parasitic wasps, lady beetles, and leatherwings) which in turn reduce populations of insects bent on eating the veggies before you do. Tens and tens of different kinds of flowering plants are allowed to bloom and give their shelter, nectar and pollen to the winged workers of our farm. |
In the photo above, Andrew Mefferd is mowing down a stand of sorghum sudan grass which was used as a cover/weed-smother crop in the summer of 2005. This process added much-needed organic matter to the soil. The Mefferd's now run the John Deere tractor on biodiesel. Biodiesel is an alternative, vegetable oil-based fuel that reduces the farm's energy footprint, part of a plan to build a petroleum-free and locally-based way of living.
For more information on biodiesel, see our links page, "What We're In To."
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In the photo on the left, Fall Color flares into beauty at One Drop Farm.
In the photo below, fog blankets the lowlands near One Drop Farm.
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Andrew and Ann Mefferd enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done when their new greenhouse is completed. Steve Mefferd, Andrew's father (right), helped with the construction project.
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In the photo below, left, Ann and Andrew are solarizing weeds, and patching clothing with duct tape. Both the weed reduction method and the clothing repair method are in occasional, but not frequent use on the farm.
“Sustainable agriculture depends upon personal commitment, that of the farmer and eater. There is an interconnectedness that is palpable; the city with the country, the eater with the farmer, the food with the health, and joy with living.” – Kim Miller, PASA Board President 2000-2007
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