A new report from Dr. Paul Galpern from the University of Calgary is showing an interesting phenomenon on farms. Galpern has found that having land in fields that is wild or not crops can help increase the productivity of the field around those wild areas.
This research was conducted on a 627-acre plot of land in which 50 acres were planted with salt-tolerant grass. Approximately 8% of the farmland in this study was converted to grassland, the result was that by covering portions of soil with grass it cut costs and lead to benefits of between $10.00-16.84 per acre. Galpern suggests that the use of grass and other controlled wilderness can help fortify the ground, protect crops from clubroot, and improve the ecosystem around the field.
Dr. Galpern’s work is interesting, it has been documented that small farms statistically have higher output per acre. This research may explain some of the reasons. Backyard and small farms are typically in closer proximity to wild plants and can be mulched with these same plants. If wilderness and native plants are the key to improved production, it may be a contributing factor to why small farmers can produce as well as they do.
If the research maintains its legitimacy when scaled down, small farmers will have to think carefully before cutting the grass and draining small ponds, as both might be the key to increased output.