Glyphosate Harms Mycology and Earthworm Populations

Agriculture, Fungus, Geoponics, Mushrooms, Soil Quality

What role do earth worms play in productive soil life?

A great video about the role of earth worms and their gut bacteria on feeding microbes that help fix nitrogen in soils.

What are humans doing to harm Mycology and Earthworm Populations?

    Humans are harming the soil by:

  • Watering their lawn with tap water high in cholorine with little to no living microbes.
  • Using Round Up to “manage weeds”
  • Using Nitrogen only Fertizlers without microbes to “fertilize their lawns.”

“A profound shift in bacterial populationswas observed in all exposed earthworms with Proteobacteria becoming the dominant phylum. Affected bacteria were mostly from the genus Enterobacter, Pantoea and Pseudomonas, which together represented approximately 80 % of the total abundance assigned at the genus level in exposed earthworms, while they were present at a minor abundance (∼1%) in unexposed earthworms.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214750021000627

Glyphosate is the main igredient of Round Up, a Monsanto product. Monsanto is owned by Bayer Chemical Company.

“Our findings indicated reduced species number, density and biomass of earthworms, and increased net carbon mineralization rate in plots with GBH. The plots managed with glyphosate presented a negative effect on the earthworm parameters measured, and we conclude that the earthworms therefore acted as indicators of perturbation. It is also possible that this effect could be due to factors unrelated to the glyphosate that were not considered in this study, such as chemical fertilization or legume litter spatial variability, among others.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0929139313002382

Both Nitrogen only fertilizers without microbes, with salt cystals as the main medium to prevent microbal growth produced by Bayer, as well as Round Up are contributing to the decline of life activity in our soils world wide.

“We found that herbicides significantly decreased root mycorrhization, soil AMF spore biomass, vesicles and propagules. Herbicide application and earthworms increased soil hyphal biomass and tended to reduce soil water infiltration after a simulated heavy rainfall. Herbicide application in interaction with AMF led to slightly heavier but less active earthworms. Leaching of glyphosate after a simulated rainfall was substantial and altered by earthworms and AMF. These sizeable changes provide impetus for more general attention to side-effects of glyphosate-based herbicides on key soil organisms and their associated ecosystem services.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep05634?origin=ppub

Community Supported Agriculture | CSA Offerings for the North Fork Valley in Colorado

Agriculture, Fruits, Mushrooms, Vegetables

It would be nice if there was an “UberEats” for fresh foods, and healthy nutritious foods were available at a truck stop, or a gas station. Welp, that is our goal with healing food deserts around the earth. Lot’s of talk about the growing of food in outer space, because it would be very interesting to see that happen, but the truth is that our current home here on earth needs our upmost attention. Our efforts and energy have transitioned from using synthetic lighting in a shipping container for the purposes of growing food for restaurants and schools in food deserts, to using natural sunlight in greenhouses as well as our Patent Pending SKU Generation technology using Geo-location for Food Production and Adulteration so that consumers know:

  • where their food was grown,
  • how it was grown,
  • what ingredients were used in the soil and foliar feedings,
  • as well as How much energy was used to grow the food.

This is what we call the “carbon fingerprint” of our food. The recipes that we cook with require fresh ingredients of nutritious fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and nuts. Increasing our soil’s health will increase our soul’s health as we continue to feed or surroundings with all natural ingredients. We want to share that interaction with our earth with as many as possible. From non-fertilized, farm fresh chicken eggs, to Oak Grown Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Blue Oyster, Pearl Oyster and Wine Cap Mushrooms.

We aim to deliver fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, eggs, mushrooms and more to our neighbors in the North Fork Valley using the CSA or Community Supported Agriculture model to supply homes, schools, restaurants, gas stations, truck stops, and eventually grocery stores with fresh foods. In order to make this dream happen, we need help with resources, in equipment, in labor, in finances, in delivery as well as getting the word out to potential food share holders who are willing to pre-purchase shares of crops.

Here is how that works with the social distancing protocols that seem to be shaping our world. We will list our potential produce for sale here on our website, in a check list style order format. Each crop varietal will have a cost associated with each produce, such as an apple will cost $.50 and we will have a limited supply of them usually harvested in September and October. These apples will be for sale now, with a delivery date at the time of harvest. Only 200 will be available.

First come first serve basis, so once a crop is sold out, that is it, and it will not be available until next season, with our goal to increase our ability to produce as our customer base grows. We have already purchased our seeds for this season with heirlooms being our goal to grow. We had plans to offer a discounted version of our products with the trade off in labor, meaning food boxes could be free for those folks who would work in exchange for food. Customers could come and harvest their own foods for a discounted amounts, however we are limiting this option until the world calms down with it’s virtual insanity.

Kimber the dog looking all majestic
Kimber the dog looking all majestic

Winter was a great lesson in preparedness. We are just now thawing out in the shade, and have had to thaw out several times this season. Glad spring has sprung.

Sanity Farms Winter Overburden
Sanity Farms Winter Overburden

 

Enclosed Automated Garden Prototype

Infrastructure, Types of Automated Units

Building an Enclosed Automated Garden has been a goal for many years as a solution for combating insects and harsh climate environments. NASA has been doing research and studies on this type of gardening for years so that they could grow food for astronauts in space.

NASA Rendering Graphic of Possible Space Gardens
NASA Rendering Graphic of Possible Space Gardens

“As NASA prepares the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1, it’s also turning its attention to exploring the possibilities of food crops grown in controlled environments for long-duration missions to deep-space destinations such as Mars.” – NASA Plant Researchers Explore Question of Deep-Space Food Crops

By Linda Herridge Feb. 17, 2016
NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center

Currently Food is being grown in space on the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson harvested another crop
The Veggie hardware used to grow the cabbage will now be temporarily stowed.

We Grow Live has built a prototype that is a design prototype in the most raw form imaginable. The unit is producing limited growth at the moment due to a lack of attention and funding from Lee West, as he has been traveling the country to acquire land for future projects. *Updated 2/22/2021* Land has been secured and a CSA type model will be in place for Delta County Colorado for the 2021 season.

We Grow Live Prototype
We Grow Live Prototype
Inside the Lower Unit viewing the Root Bags
Inside the Lower Unit viewing the Root Bags

In the image above the water was drained out to do maintenance. The largest pump was left on and the hose was clogged so that led to a motor burn out. A typical problem in pump dependent gardens usually using Hydroponic and Aeroponic methods. One of the main reasons to have LIVE monitors for sensor and actuator failures, or drastic readings for water temperature, ambient temperature, light strength and many more concerning events, would be so that proper modifications can be made remotely. Leaving town is an impossible feat for most gardeners who do not have skilled workers to maintain the status quo whilst the gardener is gone.

We Grow Live is attempting to gain crowd sourced funding for this project so that the proper sensors and actuators can be implemented on a small scale to ensure the proof of concept in the entire model. The current prototype shown does NOT have any sensors broadcasting data, sans the IP camera with IR that can see the heat of the light when used in a modified mode. (The OpenAG Project has been shuttered for several reasons in 2019) There is a parts list that was used by M.I.T. with their Open Ag project  that totals around $2,500 USD and we estimate that we can under bid that cost, with more industry quality products, and with wholesale prices. We will compare the same square inch of other existing automated gardens, and out perform the current yield of fruit per plant/gallon of water used.

The Next Generation of Automated Greenhousing

Project Scope
US botanic gardens Washington DC 2016
US botanic gardens Washington DC 2016

By collecting and aggregating the automated garden’s data, a grow recipe can be tweaked and shared with a community.

A grow recipe incorporates the variables required to grow a specific plant. Some of the variables that would be included:

  • nutrients/amendments which are used
  • light cycles
  • environmental temperatures
  • root zone temperatures
  • water temperatures
  • humidity