“Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.” International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements

At Cottage School Acres, organic farming practices include…

• using compost and green manure crops to replace chemical and synthetic fertilizers and improve soil tilth

“Compost is the core, the essential foundation of natural gardening and farming. It is the heart of the organic concept.” Jim Rodale, The Complete Book of Composting

• maintaining buffer zones of trees and grasses to protect waterways and provide wildlife habitat
• planting permanent waterways with native grasses to provide wildlife habitat and prevent erosion of precious topsoil

"Organic agriculture… relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects." International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements

• utilizing crop rotations to interrupt pest life cycles using the following crop rotation: winter wheat followed by black beans, barley and popcorn
• disking the wheat stubble under after harvest to improve soil tilth for black beans
• utilizing barley after black beans to improve soil fertility and as a cover crop
• planting soft red wheat as a cover crop for winter

“Cottage School Acres’ goal as an organic farm is to create and maintain a natural balance between nature and man.” Meghan Dixon, Cottage School Acres

Tilth, c. 1100: the state of aggregation of the soil especially in relation to it’s suitability for crop growth

Cover Crop, c. 1899: a crop planted to prevent soil erosion and to provide humus

Topsoil, c. 1836: surface soil usually including the organic layer in which plants have most of their roots and which the farmer turns over in plowing

Green Manure, c. 1842: an herbaceous crop (as clover) plowed under while green to enrich the soil

Disking, c. 1884: to cultivate with an implement (as a harrow or plow) that turns and loosens the soil with a series of discs

Crop Rotation, c. 1909: the practice of growing different crops in succession on the same land chiefly to preserve the productive capacity of the soil

Winter Wheat, c. 1665: wheat that is planted in the autumn, sprouts before freezing occurs, then becomes dormant until the soil warms up in the spring; ready to be harvested by early July; brought to Kansas by Russian Mennonites in the 19th century.

Soft Red Winter Wheat, c. 1700: Soft, low protein wheat used for cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, and muffins. Cake flour, pastry flour, and some self-rising flours with baking powder and salt added for example, are made from soft red winter wheat.

Barley, c.1100: a cereal grass (genus Hordeum and especially H. vulgare) having the flowers in dense spikes with long awns and three spikelets at each joint of the rachis; also its seed used especially in malt beverages, breakfast foods, and stock feeds

Black Bean, c, 1668: a black kidney bean commonly used in Latin American cuisine