Rice straw is usually burned after harvest, leaving little to no organic matter to build the soil. Lundberg Organic fields are never burned. The rice straw is chopped, rolled, and turned back into the soil. Cover crops grow over winter, adding a substantial amount of organic material and nitrogen to enrich the soil. Vetch is the primary source of nitrogen in our organic fields, although we have experimented with other nitrogen-fixing plants.
Organic fields lie fallow every two to three years, allowing the soil to replenish itself naturally.
Compost and aged manure are the primary fertilizers added. Soil enrichment methods for Nutra-Farmed fields are the same as those used on organic fields with the addition of synthetic fertilizer. Planting Conventional soil preparation begins with a chisel plow, a disc, and a land plane to prepare the seedbed. Conventionally farmed fields are flooded and seed is broadcast by airplane. Organic soil preparation is the same as conventional, but nutrient-rich vetch is incorporated into the soil.