Progress report for FW24-013
Project Information
The project addresses a critical need for implementing more windbreak solutions in arid southwest operations. Big sacaton is the ideal for this: it is native, xeric, deep-rooting, tall and productive. The project aims to provide quantitative data necessary for agricultural stakeholders to practically implement big sacaton windbreak solutions given their respective contexts thereby advancing sustainable agriculture.
To this end, the project propagates 2500 big sacaton starts. These are planted in five distinct types of hedges on two separate farms. Two hedge types are dryland (3324' and 2292' respectively). Three of them (1932', 1000', and 4000' respectively) are watered on a "need-to" basis. Trade-offs between watering and not-watering new hedges in terms of survival, productivity, and soil biology over three years are quantified. Altogether, the data provides a framework (time, labor, costs) for planning and budgeting for establishing grass windbreaks.
Moreover, ecological enhancements to soil, water and biodiversity provided by each hedge are compared between each other. Soil related enhancements are assessed via measurements of above and below ground biomass, and by comparing root and compaction layer depths. Enhancements to soil water holding capacity are assessed by two indirect indicators for soil structure: soil water infiltration rates, fungi and bacteria biomasses. Biodiversity linked enhancements are evaluated by comparing the functional diversity of microorganisms making up the hedge's soil food web with that found before the hedge installation.
The project is a balance of research and education. The latter comprises yearly hands on workshops, peer-to-peer stakeholder learning meet-ups, journalistic blog posts and a video. The events are held each year around key phases of the process of establishing grass hedges. Events and Research findings are disseminated each year through targeted outreach (NM Healthy Soils 1800+ subscriber mailing list, social media) ensuring broad dissemination among agricultural stakeholders in the area.
Research Objectives:
- Determine a budget and planning framework for establishing wind erosion hedges in semi-arid, USDA hardiness zone 6A, variable rainfall (5-13"), degraded pinon-juniper grassland plains (6000–7000ft. elevation).
- Assess the trade-offs in survivorship, productivity and speed of hedge establishment between dryland and irrigated hedges. Enhance biomass and diversity of fungi and protozoa in the soil surrounding big sacaton roots through the application of biological inoculants in order to improve soil structure.
Education Objectives:
- Facilitate networking opportunities on sustainable agriculture combined with hands-on learning among producers, agricultural professionals, and interested individuals by hosting yearly workshops.
- Encourage through NM Healthy Soil blog posts the establishment of wind erosion hedges on farms using easily cultivable native warm-season prairie grass, aiming to create ecological benefits. Disseminate data on ecological benefits of big sacaton at the two project sites.
- Facilitate collaboration and raise interest in integrating microscope assessments to support sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. Provide training in microscopy for soil health applications through peer-to-peer learning involving concerned stakeholders.
Three Gantt chart summarize project activity time-lines. Please note that months where no activities happen are not represented. SA: Starrlight Augustine, IJ: Isabelle Jenniches, JW: Josh Weybright. Please note (in white) the total number of samples for each type of biological endpoint in the Gantt chart tasks related to sampling and measurements.
Table with milestones associated with project meetings:
| Date | Activity | Project Milestone | Team members |
| April 2024 | Project Meeting | Decisions on: Exact planting plan), Logistics, Tasks recall, Fine-tune time-lines; Ordering supplies | Full team |
| November 2024 | Project Meeting | Data from Y1 visualized in graphs and tables | Full team |
| December 2024 | End of Y1 report | Report submitted | Full team |
| March 2025 | Project Meeting | Recap lessons learned Y1. Planning Y2. | Full team |
| December 2025 | End of Y1 report | Report submitted | Full team |
| March 2026 | Project Meeting | Data from Y2 visualized in graphs and tables. Logistics and planning for Spring Sampling | Full team |
| August 2026 | Project Meeting | Data from Y2 visualized in graphs and tables. Logistics and planning for final sampling. Logistics and Planning for Fall Sampling, Fall workshop and end of project tasks and deliverables. | Full team |
| Nov 2026 | Project meeting | Final project report content. Last editing of the end of project blog post. | Full team |
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor
- - Producer
Research
The project is articulated around three specific research objectives.
O1: Determine a budget and planning framework for establishing wind erosion hedges in semi-arid, USDA hardiness zone 6A, variable rainfall (5-13"), degraded pinon-juniper grassland plains (6000–7000ft. elevation).
Execute the propagation, planting, and establishment of big sacaton in four distinct types of hedges on two farms. Document costs, labor, and material requirements for propagation and planting. Record and assess the survival and productivity of big sacaton in each hedge over a span of three years.
O2: Assess the trade-offs in survivorship, productivity and speed of hedge establishment between dryland and irrigated hedges.
Implement four hedges, with two being irrigated and two receiving no water post-planting. Monitor survival, length index and yield for each hedge during the initial three years of growth. Measure the weights of roots and shoots in 3-year plants within each hedge category. Investigate the depth of root growth. Conduct a comparative analysis of root depths in relation to compaction layer(s) and hedge type.
O3: Enhance biomass and diversity of fungi and protozoa in the soil surrounding big sacaton roots through the application of biological inoculants in order to improve soil structure.
Utilize Light Microscopy to evaluate the quantity of organisms and functional biodiversity in compost, as well as compost extracts used for soil inoculation. Employ Light Microscopy for assessing the levels of organisms and functional biodiversity present in native soils as well as within the root zones of 1, 2, and 3-year hedges (spring and autumn). Compare the Soil Food Web (SFW) assessments obtained for each hedge at the project's conclusion to the initial levels in native soils prior to hedge planting. Evaluate whether the biological inoculations conducted during this project have led to an increase in biomass and/or functional diversity of microorganisms in the soil compared to the pre-planting state of the hedge. Assess the soil water infiltration rate close to 3-year-old plants and compare it with the infiltration rate in soils situated away from the hedge.
Project sites: There are two project sites: Synergia Ranch and Bright Way. 4 types of hedges will be planted as depicted on the figures. Number of plants per hedge type (zone) are provided. Two hedge types are dryland. Two of them are irrigated by drip irrigation and watered on a need-to basis.
Propagation methods 2024: 2500 plants of Windbreaker Sacaton seed from LLPMC [2] were propagated using T50 Deepots. Deepots are filled with custom potting mix:
- one third compost-based growing medium
- one third Kellogs organic certified peat based commercial potting mix
- one third farm-made activated biochar
Growing-medium is made with compost and biochar. Biochar is made on farm (Y1) by inoculating char with compost extracts to create "biochar". Compost is made in wire skirts set on pallets (Y1). Humidity is monitored (hand squeeze test) and maintained at approximately 50% moisture, temperature monitored (compost thermometer). It is composed of exact volumes of diverse feed-stock materials, with a dominant woody component like bark, mulched pinecones or wood chips. Compost logs are kept.
Compost extraction methods: Extractions are performed using clean washable bags (400 micron mesh) in either 5 gallon buckets (hand massage method) or with 30 gallon cone tanks (vigorous agitation of water with an air pump). Level of organisms in extract will be checked by SFW assessment and the extraction protocol (how much compost per bag, how long to massage etc) will be adjusted according to the desired range of organisms.
Planting methods: Strips to be planted were prepared at both sites in advance of planting. Compaction layer depths will be measured by penetrometer where hedges are to be planted in Year 2. Holes are either made by hand or drilled by an auger. Plants are plugged in and mulched about 2" deep.
Sampling and measurements (see Gantt). Survival (all), and length index (Foliage Height/Width [3], Inches, 100 plants per zone, ) are recorded. Penetrometer and water infiltration are measured according to [6,8]. Weights of root and shoots are measured before planting (20 plants) and in Y3 (25 plants per zone). Plants for weights sampling are randomly selected. Great care is taken to conserve the root ball, and the depth of the roots will be observed. Soil from three plant roots are combined to make one soil biology sample. Five representative samples from the ground before the hedge work commences are taken (to compare with initial state, see O3). We will perform soil biology tests on roots in containers before planting. After planting we will take 3 samples per hedge zone, autumn and fall, year 2 (Y2) and year 3 (Y3). See table below for main SFW (soil biology) assessment endpoints, and the Supporting Information. The total number of samples for each endpoint is in the Gantt chart. Every spring, big sacaton plants are cut back. The yield (biomass) from 30 plants per hedge is measured in Y1 and Y2.
| Bio-indicators (healthy soils) | Bio-indicators (conditions are degrading) |
| Bacteria and Actinobacteria (B) (µg/g) | Oomycetes (µg/g) |
| Fungi (F) - (µg/g) | Ciliates (#/g) |
| F:B Ratio | Root-feeding Nematodes (#/g) |
| Protozoa: Flagellates and Amoebae - #/g | |
| Nematodes: bacterial-, fungal- and predatory-feeding - #/g |
Data analysis. Meetings are held every year to discuss results, which are put into context with the objectives. Soil conditions (compaction, and infiltration) are categorized for each of the 5 hedge zones. Growth, survival and soil biology data are compared and contrasted across hedges and relationships between the contextual factors and the resultant plant growth are analyzed.
O1 success is determined by the percentage survival at the end of the project, as well as by reporting time, labor and money for propagating and planting. O2 success is determined by the sum of measurements obtained on the five types of hedges (see methods below), and summarizing the results in a table. O3 is successful if soil biology reports from hedge plants in year 3 reveal Fungal:Bacteria (F:B) ratios between 0.2 and 0.4, at least 32 micrograms/gram (µg/g) of fungi, and at least 10000 protozoa per gram.
Nursery propagation: 2500 plants of Windbreaker Sacaton seed from LLPMC [2] were propagated using T50 Deepots. Deepots which we filled with custom potting mix:
- one third compost-based growing medium (a mix of composts from Bright Way Johnson-Su and Synergia Ranch vermicompost),
- one third Kellogs organic certified peat based commercial potting mix
- one third farm-made activated biochar
Hot compost as described in the methods was made at Synergia in 2023 and overwintered in worm bins becoming fine vermi-compost. Brigth Way ag made a very nice compost using a Johnson-Su bioreactor. These two composts (compost A and B, in soil foodweb assessment table) were assessed by microscopy and then combined with the commercial potting mix.
May 18th 2024: The biochar was crushed, filtered and then soaked overnight in compost extract. The biochar was drained and then mixed in with the rest to make the mix we used for filling in the cones.
Five gallon buckets were filled with water, and a compost extract was made according to the protocol outlined in the methods above. Biochar was placed in the buckets and soaked in the compost extract untill seeding (11 days). This was too long ! There was a smell that emanated from the biochar indicating some anaerobic activity. In the future soak only for 24 hours and then drain (if soaking biochar in compost extract). We learned meanwhile that it is best to simply incorporate the biochar into the compost as the compost matures in order to have the best quality biologically charged biochar.
Once the pots were seeded we watered the pots and then covered in greenhouse plastic. The grasses started to germinate healthily on June 03. Starrlight tended the nursery daily as she lives at Synergia Ranch. She removed the plastic once she saw many pots with the germinated grasses.
From there things went not poorly. The starts were dampening off gradually, growth stagnated and many plants sort of disappeared or else got brown.
On June 24th 2024, the team assembled and counted 10% survival of the starts and reseeded. After re-seeding the empty pots, vermiculite was placed on top in order to conserve humidity.
Some of the re-seeded pots sprouted but the issue of stagnated growth and dampening off persisted. The best of the plants were used for a first planting at both Synergia Ranch and Bright Way.
We held a field day on Sep 14th 2024 and planted 212 plants in 5 irrigated lines (roughly) parallel to contour in the orchard. The lines were irrigated with 0.5" poly line, and 2 gph emitters. Plants were spaced 6' center to center. Each spot was mulched.
Most of the starts were so small it was not worth taking the length. The roots were also small, and the potting mix was crumbling making them hard to plant.
Planting sites were prepared on Bright Way August 17th and 22nd. 456 planting sites were prepared in total (see updated image of BrightWay trials in the methods sections). On September 30th we planted 160 plants (Irrigated zone Z5a). We set up an IBC tot and gravity fed the water from the tote to the plants using 0.5" poly fitted with 0.5 gph emitters.
We optimized the soil food web assessment protocol for this project over the course of 2024. In particular we developped a photographic scale for quickly assessing bacterial biomass. These scales consist in two series of photos of different bacterial biomasses in both native soil and compost. The assessment and the photographic scale are included as products in this report.
In a nutshell nematodes, protozoa and fungi are missing in the native soils in both Synergia Ranch and Bright Way Ag. These missing elements are present in the potting mix. Time will tell whether these beneficial organisms will populate the native soils from the compost mix around the growing roots of the big sacaton. The bacterial density in the native soils is very high- we hope that the introduction of nematodes, protozoa and fungi will bring down the bacterial biomass and increase the biodiversity of the soil food web over time.
Survival of starts was assessed at both Synergia Ranch and Bright Way Ag. Start that dies were replaced. Please find the data in the tables here below.
Tab: Breakdown of rows in zone Z3 (irrigated zone Synergia Ranch Orchard)
| Orchard row name | Lineal foot | number of plants planted 09/14/2024 | number of plants replanted 10/22/2024 | %survival October 22nd |
| R1 | 237 | 39 | 12 | 69 |
| R5-6 | 243 | 45 | 2 | 96 |
| R12-13 | 240 | 46 | 4 | 91 |
| R22-23 | 239 | 44 | 8 | 82 |
| R33 | 221 | 38 | 8 | 79 |
Table: Summary of plants planted in 2024 as well as their survival later in the fall at both Synergia Ranch and Bright Way Ag.
| Z3 Total lineal feet planted Synergia Ranch 2024 | 1180 |
| Total plants planted 09/14/2024 | 212 |
| Total plants planted 10/22/2024 | 34 |
| Total survival (percentage) | 84 |
| Z5a Total lineal feet planted Brightway Ag 2024 | 1233 |
| Total plants planted 9/30/2024 | 160 |
| Total plants planted 11/18/2024 | 11 |
| Total survival (percentage) | 85 |
Research Outcomes
We will re-propagate 1000 starts this year (year 2 of the project) and plant out the remaining plants needed for the Bright Way and the Synergia Ranch trials.
We will use a moisture meter to make sure the bottom of the deepot in neigher too dry nor too wet. We will also weigh the pots when they are dry and when they have adequate moisture. In this manner we will train ourselves to recognize if the pots are heavy or light (with or without water) just by lifting the pots to check. The calibration of our senses with the scale will help a lot.
We think that the pots had either insufficient or too much water and that is why the starts dampened off. It was new for us to use 8" deep pots, and it can be hard to tell if the moisture is adequate especially when propagating as many as we did (2500).
On the soil food web assessment front, we found that it takes time to count bacteria while it is fast to use the photographic scale to roughly assess the bacterial biomass. Since we have a lot of bacteria and hardly any other type of microorganisms in our soils, it behooves us to quickly assess the bacterial biomass and spend more time assessing the other categories of microscopic soil life.
Education and Outreach
Participation Summary:
There are three specific education objectives:
- Facilitate networking and opportunities around sustainable agriculture combined with hands-on learning among producers, agricultural professionals, and interested individuals by hosting yearly workshops.
- Encourage through NM Healthy Soil blog posts the establishment of wind erosion hedges on farms using easily cultivable native warm-season prairie grass, aiming to create ecological benefits. Disseminate data on ecological benefits of big sacaton at the two project sites.
- Facilitate collaboration and raise interest in integrating microscope assessments to support sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. Provide training in microscopy for soil health applications through peer-to-peer learning involving concerned stakeholders.
To achieve the objectives the education plan integrates three dimensions: organizing and hosting hands-on field days for achieving objective 1. Journalistic Blog Posts are published each year of the project thereby increasing impact and supporting achieving objectives 2. Finally, hosting peer-to-peer learning meet-ups between agricultural professional stakeholders achieves objective 3.
Hands-on field-days, hosted free of charge to encourage participation from under-served communities, rotating between farms and ranches has supported applied sustainable/regenerative agriculture in New Mexico since 2019. The Seeding Regenerative Agriculture network (SRA) and the New Mexico Healthy Soil Working Group (NMHS) have been co-organizing these events, thereby supporting interconnectivity, and creative problem solving (see letters of support). A related series of three hands-on field-days will be co-organized with SRA and NMHS in this project. Each is timed with a key point in the project. The workshops are hosted at Synergia Ranch using Ranch Conference and Retreat Center facilities. Its target audience are agricultural professionals, farmers and ranchers. Additionally, it targets local interested persons including families, town residents and prospective volunteers who are interested in sustainable agriculture and soil health. Outdoor walkabouts with talks, indoor presentations, food and refreshment, are combined with sessions of hard work in teams performing tasks related to a larger sustainable agriculture theme. Health and safety are paramount. Workshops are limited to 40 participants, described in NMHS registration page blogs.
First field-day (Sep Y1): planting – Workstations include sampling container plants, extracting organisms from compost, soaking roots in extract, planting, mulching. The second field-day (April Y2): soil biology - Workstations include sampling for biology, monitoring lengths and survival. The third field-day (September Y3): Above and below ground growth - Activities include surveying plants (survival and length), excavating plants for their biomasses, weighing, cutting, bagging. Workflow and station rotation is pre-organized to be optimal for all participants. The microscope handouts (Half letter 8-page booklets) will contain content from the project including microscopy images. These are distributed to participants informing on microscopy findings.
There will be an end-of-project celebratory dinner where local agricultural stakeholders as well as interested persons are invited to Synergia Ranch. We will give a talk and show the end-of-project video. The video will include images of the hedges growing over three years and the project results. Up to 50 participants can register for the dinner event, which will be free of charge to facilitate access for stakeholders traveling from under-served communities.
The project team, led by Isabelle, will publish informative blog posts yearly on NMHealthySoil.org. These materials will be strategically shared through multiple channels for effective dissemination. The project team will publish three comprehensive blog posts (see Gantt). The first post provides an overview of the project's background, objectives, and its significance in wind erosion protection. The second post presents time, labor and costs data and project updates from the 2nd year. Finally, the third post presents the project's comprehensive findings, featuring media and documentation of planting, propagation, and soil life imagery. The detailed documentation of propagation and planting is designed with the aim to assist farmers in evaluating labor and material costs associated with the process, thereby achieving Objective 2. Moreover, Josh Weybright will publish yearly blog posts on findings relative to soil biology on the www.BrightWayAg.com.
Utilizing light microscopy for soil biology testing offers an real-time approach to monitor soil health, allowing for frequent and cost-effective evaluations. Mastering light microscopy requires overcoming a learning curve, but the benefits include a budget-friendly monitoring tool and a valuable decision-making guide. Local soil health stakeholder meet-ups play an essential role in skill development within a collaborative group setting. It's noteworthy that many training platforms, like Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Foodweb School, are available online and that more interactive hands-on training opportunities are needed. Nurturing and advancing microscopy skills can significantly enhance on-farm biological inoculation efforts, aiding the transition to agriculture practices focused on fostering healthy soils. Incorporating soil health stakeholder groups with a focus on light microscopy at various project phases adds a robust third dimension to the education plan. This initiative aligns with Objective 3 by facilitating skill development and fostering interest in microscopy assessments.
Three Peer-to-Peer Meet-ups are planned: one per year (June, May and May Y1, Y2 and Y3, see Gantt). They are hosted at Synergia Ranch, themed around soil biology tasks in this project. Between 10 and 15 soil health stakeholders are expect to join.
The success of our education program will be measured by the number of participants (recorded during workshop and peer-to-peer training registrations) as well as by looking at the number of views on the two blog posts.
Events, as well as the published blog posts, are disseminated through different channels at regular intervals. The main channel is the New Mexico Healthy Soil email list, (1800+ subscribers). The information will be further shared via all of the team members Social Media outlets. The Quivira Coalition and the Seeding Regenerative Agriculture network (see Letters of Stakeholder Support for a description of their support) have additional social media and webpage dissemination channels which will be used to advertise events and disseminate the project results (journalistic blog posts). We will schedule the dates for workshops and other events at the start of each year (April for Y1), and regularly disseminate the events as we come closer to the event to increase visibility.
We held one hands on field day and one peer to peer meet up. We had 13 participants in the field day (Sep 14, see research section for photos). We only had 3 participants outside of ourselves for the peer to peer meet up. Nonetheless we were able to showcase the optimized soil foodweb assessment techniques (including the microscope assessments). In this year we plan to combine the peer to peer meet up with the fielday by having a 3-day week end event in May 2025. We think we will attract in this manner more people to both events as both groups overlap.