Hedgerows are strips of perennial (long-lasting) plants that grow along a field’s borders, fence lines or waterways. Hedgerows can incorporate a diversity of plant species—from trees to shrubs to ground covers—offering a wide variety of functions. They provide habitat for wildlife, many of which are beneficial predators of pests. Greater on-farm biodiversity can also help break down organic matter, maintain soils quality and recycle nutrients. Hedgerows provide a barrier to slow water flow and can protection against winds.

Many hedgerows are also planted to attract pollinators, essential for the fertility of many crops and the overall health of the ecosystem.

A cover crop is a plant that is used primarily to slow erosion, improve soil health, enhance water availability, smother weeds, help control pests and diseases, increase biodiversity and bring a host of other benefits to our farms.

Cover crops can also increase crop yields, break through a tough earth, add organic matter to the soil, improve crop diversity on farms and attract pollinators. Growing cover crops increases resilience in the face of erratic and increasingly intensive rainfall, as well as under drought conditions. Cover crops mitigate climate change from greenhouse-gas fluxes by increasing soil carbon sequestration and reducing fertilizer use after the use of legume-based cover crops.

Dry-farming is crop production that relies on residual soil moisture to meet growth requirements. With sufficient winter rainfall and healthy soils with organic matter, the water retained in the ground can support plant growth and fruit development during the dry season without supplemental irrigation. Crops such as grapes, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, melons, grains, and some tree fruits are compatible with this technique. And with rainfall more erratic, dry farming can be an adaptive tool in the face of climate change.

Dry farming has a long history of use in Europe and California. Starting in the 1970s, drip irrigation in orchards and vineyards became common, and the practice of dry farming declined. However, throughout the state farmers are returning to this technique with renewed interest.

Crops and livestock have historically been integrated in farming systems. But while a trend towards monocrop specialization over the past century has made it rare, more and more farmers are rediscovering the benefits of integration. By combining livestock and crop production, the whole farm nutrient balance of imports and exports—fertility in, abundance out—evens out. Manure and compost applications improve soil organic matter, biological activity and potential disease suppression. Livestock provide a productive use for crop residue and waste and cull vegetable crops, and can enhance the benefits of cover crops. This can help reduce disease while providing a cost-effective source of feed for livestock by, for instance, turning animals onto a field post-harvest or grazing sheep through a winter cover crop.

No-till agriculture allows a farmer to plant crops and control weeds without turning the soil. While traditional plowing is effective for weed control and loosening compacted soil, it exposes the organic-matter-rich topsoil to the surface and breaks up the structure that naturally forms. Unbroken organic matter attracts and holds onto water, ensuring proper hydration for plant roots, even during dry periods. With the help of a healthy subterranean ecosystem teeming with micro-organisms undisturbed by tillage, the organic matter breaks down slowly, releasing vital nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium—essential for plant growth. When soil is turned, the decomposition of organic matter is accelerated resulting in the loss of beneficial soil organic matter. This decomposition releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, thereby increasing greenhouse gas emissions from the farm. With the help of these new techniques and the application of compost, no-till agriculture is yet another tool to use against climate change.

Holistic Management is an approach to land stewardship that harmonizes the economic, social, and ecological goals of working lands. This process first prompts stakeholders to articulate their needs and values—from ecological health to social well-being to economic profit margins. This information is then used to craft a grazing plan that informs the movement and management of wild and domestic animals within a landscape across time.  Most holistically managed lands seek to synchronize grazing and animal impact in a way that allows for the full recovery of grasslands that sustain them. By planning grazing around the ecological system, producers typically find their feed costs lowered while their grasslands become more abundant and diverse, animals are happier and healthier, native plant populations recover, soil health improves, and water cycles are restored.