Going organic: Couple works to save family farm
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Herb Bartel and his wife, Patricia, live on the farm he grew up on about four miles northeast of Hillsboro.
After earning degrees in geography and ecology from the University of Colorado, Bartel became involved in land use planning in Colorado and the North Slope of Alaska.
In 1981, when the couple learned that the home place was in danger of becoming incorporated into a large farming operation, Bartel decided to come back home.
"I told Pat, 'We've got to go save that farm,'" Bartel said.
After moving back, Bartel still worked in Alaska seasonally and later was employed as Marion County sanitarian.
The farm borders on Marion Reservoir. Bartel owns 340 acres and leases 60 acres owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and managed by Kansas Wildlife and Parks.
Approximately 15 years ago, Bartel decided to change his farming operation from conventional to organic.
He found out it is a long process.
"The ground gets addicted to chemicals, and when you stop that, a lot of things happen," he said.
Things had to be done to restore the natural microbial activity in the soil.
He purchased several tons of rock phosphate and spread it on his land to balance the pH level.
He explained that using nitrogen fertilizer creates a high level of acid in the soil after many years. Adding natural phosphorus to the soil prepared it for legumes such as clover and other cover crops of alfalfa, cowpeas, or field peas.
These crops are rotated with wheat and are returned to the ground as green manure. Bartel uses a 14-foot rotary mower to cut down the legumes, then allows them to break down naturally and become incorporated into the soil. Other organic inputs are applied as needed.
Because of the wet spring and late freeze, Bartel may return his 100 acres of wheat to the soil if the stand is not good enough to combine.
Because he grows a lot of clover, Golden Heritage Foods partners with him by placing bee hives on his property.
He harvests some of the clover for seed, then cleans and bags it for use on his farm.
A gully running through the property provides drainage for runoff after rain. Bartel was concerned that chemicals from fields upstream were being channeled to the reservoir through the gully.
He deposited felled trees, brush, and other organic matter into the channel at various intervals to slow the flow of the water and create ponds in between. The debris and ponds provide shelter and food for wildlife while filtering the water.
Bartel said the only thing lacking in his operation is cattle to run on the land and provide natural fertilizer. His prairie grass is harvested for hay and sold or used on the farm.
Wildflowers are a natural accompaniment to organic farming. Rambling stands of wildflowers can be found around the Bartels' home and throughout the yard.
Profuse yellow-blooming coreopsis and colorful blanket flowers are interspersed with other varieties such as purple poppymallow, larkspur, fleabane, phlox, and spiderwort.
Pat is a secretary at Tabor College. Although she isn't involved in the farm operation, she shares her husband's enthusiasm in taking care of the land and seeing it thrive naturally.
She also shares his concern that the move toward mega-farms is destroying small family farms and farming communities. They also believe the use of huge amounts of synthetic fertilizers is creating acidity in the soil, air, and water, creating an unhealthy environment in which to live.
At age 72, Bartel acknowledges his farm doesn't provide for his living, but he enjoys working with his little spot in the world to preserve it in its natural state.
