Progress report for FNC24-1426
Project Information
Zumwalt Acres (ZA), a regenerative farm and youth-led agriculture organization, will carry out the project. ZA is located in Iroquois County, Illinois, and has an agroforestry system, vegetable production, mushroom growing, and large-scale carbon sequestration research with Yale University and University of Illinois (UIUC). Vegetable production is carried out on 1 of the 30 acres of the farm.
Eric Luu and Acacia Berg are farm co-managers leading this project.
Eric has a BA in Environmental Policy from Loyola University Chicago, where he worked as an urban agriculture intern. Eric joined ZA as an apprentice in Summer 2021, continuing on as a senior apprentice in Fall 2021. He currently oversees crop planning, data management, and apprentice mentorship at ZA. He worked as a lead garden educator at The Organic Gardener in Northbrook, IL, designing and maintaining 40+ residential, business, community edible gardens in the Chicago suburbs, and educating clients, students, and volunteers about horticulture.
Acacia studied Regenerative Agriculture at Knox College, and has farmed organically at a variety of scales for 6+ years. She was a farm educator at Knox College as a Post-Baccalaureate, and designed a school garden and regenerative-centered horticulture curriculum that she taught at Vinalhaven School in Maine. She joined ZA as an apprentice in Spring 2023, and has continued on to direct farm management, apprentice education, and community partnerships.
Gavi Welbel is a co-founder of ZA and has led research on carbon sequestration at ZA with Yale and UIUC for 3 years. Gavi’s research has been featured on NPR and local publications, and she has presented twice at Savanna Institute’s annual Perennial Farm Gathering conference, at the 2023 Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative Public Convening, at the National Association for Agroforestry Conference, and at the Illinois Stewardship Alliance Soil Health Week webinar series. Gavi has cultivated relationships with leading regenerative and conventional farmers throughout Illinois to apply basalt on trial plots in their fields. She will continue to advise ERW research at ZA and facilitate outreach.
JR provides on-farm mentorship for beginning farmers and supports infrastructural improvement and expansion. JR was born and raised on the ZA farm, holds a degree in Horticulture from University of Illinois, and is deeply embedded in this land and the local community.
U.S. agriculture contributes
significantly to the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, and
nowhere is that more relevant than Iroquois county—ZA’s location
and the 2nd highest corn producing county in the nation. For this
reason, a strategy of applying basalt rock to sequester carbon
and balance pH in agricultural soils, known as enhanced rock
weathering (ERW) is quickly gaining momentum among researchers
and investors. Most research and investments have been in
large-scale conventional commodity crop systems. Very little is
known about the effect of ERW in horticultural systems. ERW could
be a key component of the transition to a more sustainable and
abundant food system, but it must complement a shift towards more
diverse and nourishing agricultural practices, rather than
bolstering chemical-intensive monocropped systems.
Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants
will be grown in a 64’ x 30’ high tunnel oriented North-South,
researching the effect of basalt application on plant yield,
plant health, and soil quality. There are 6 in-ground rows
measuring 60’ x 3’. Rows 1 and 6 are divided up into 27’ lengths
each for the control and basalt treatment, with a 6’ buffer in
between. Rows 2 and 4 will receive basalt treatment and Rows 3
and 5 serve as controls (see attached planting layout). Treatment
plots will receive basalt rock fertilizer once in 2024, applied
and turned into the top 4-6” at Spring soil preparation prior to
planting; at a rate of 0.23 kg/sq ft, totaling 18.6 kg each for
Rows 1 and 6, and 82.8 kg each for Rows 2 and 4.
Crops by numbered Row are
outlined below:
- Japanese eggplant
-
Cherry tomato–Red, Cherry
tomato–Black -
Cherry tomato–Red, Cherry
tomato–Black -
Heirloom tomato–Yellow,
Heirloom tomato–Purple -
Heirloom tomato–Yellow,
Heirloom tomato–Purple - Bell pepper
Eggplants will be planted in 2
lines at 18” apart, totaling 80 plants; 36 plants as control, 8
plants as buffer, 36 plants receiving basalt treatment. Each row
of tomatoes will be planted at 18” apart, staggered down the
length of the row into 2 lines. For each of the 4 varieties of
tomato, 20 will be control and 20 will receive basalt treatment;
totaling 160 plants. Peppers will be planted in 2 lines at 12”
apart, totaling 120 plants; 54 plants as control, 12 plants as
buffer, 54 plants receiving basalt treatment. Crops will be
planted when soil temperature reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit
overnight for a week.
Eggplants and peppers will be
supported using t-posts, stakes, and twine in a Florida weave
method. Tomato plants will be pruned 1-2 times weekly to 2
leaders strung up overhead using twine and clips, and height will
be maintained at 10’ for accessibility using the lower and lean
method. For optimal plant health, temperature will be monitored
with a greenhouse thermometer and maintained between 70 and 90
degrees F by opening and closing high tunnel vents and raising
and lowering the high tunnel sides. Plants will be fertilized at
recommended rates with Espoma Tomato-tone granular fertilizer
applied to all beds and turned into the top 4-6” at Spring soil
preparation before planting, and Neptune’s Harvest Hydrolyzed
Fish Fertilizer once monthly when plants begin to fruit. Straw
mulch will be laid down to reduce evaporation and weeds and keep
lower fruit from coming into contact with soil.
When plants begin to produce,
fruits will be harvested 2-3 times weekly, after reaching mature
fruit size and at least 50% ripeness. Yield will be weighed in
lbs individually by plot and analyzed using ANOVA. Plant health
in each plot will be assessed with biweekly visual observations
of plant vigor, monthly Brix test of foliage and fruit. Soil
quality in each plot will be assessed by sampling and analyzing
in a lab once in the Spring and Fall.
-
Quantitatively evaluate the
effectiveness of applying basalt rock fertilizer on the yield
of eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers -
Quantitatively and
qualitatively evaluate the effects plant health using Brix test
on fruit and foliage and regular observations -
Quantitatively evaluate the
effects of basalt rock fertilizer on soil quality -
Share research with community
members through field days, website and social media, and
discuss feasibility of basalt ERW in diversified horticultural
systems
Cooperators
- - Producer
- - Producer
- - Producer
Research
To be updated in final progress report
Qualitative results were measured by visual observations of plant health and size. Eggplants with basalt applied notably appeared larger in plant size and fruits developed more quickly. Due to high winds, no field wind break from the south side of the farm, plastic on the southern wall of the high tunnel, and high tunnel plastic being installed in October, the more protected southern end of the high tunnel could have contributed to the larger eggplant plant size.
Quantitative results were measured by harvest weight and Brix. Harvesters anecdotally noted that yields across the crops were slightly improved for the treatment groups earlier in the season. Anecdotally, later in the season, the proportion of 1st-grade produce to 2nd- and 3rd-grade quality declined. Brix tests of fruits and foliage resulted in a marked difference--healthier plants and fruits for treatment groups. However, further data analysis overall is required to determine whether these differences are statistically significant.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Hosted field days, uploaded weekly farm journals of progress