This week, a large insect splatted on my windshield. It reminded me of the endless insect swarms we used to see as kids, and pulling over halfway through a long drive to clean the windshield. Scrubbing the insects off glass twenty years ago, we didn’t know how lucky we were.
It’s hard to notice an absence. Over the last 500 years, this continent has witnessed the drastic decline of bison, old growth forests, and more. Now it’s insects. As somebody living in 21st century Wisconsin, it’s hard to know what a healthy ecosystem is supposed to look like.
The growers at Westport Farm have also noticed the decline in insects, not by looking at their windshields, but by looking at their crops. Simply, there aren’t enough insects to pollinate all of the flowers anymore. So, we are adapting. We make actions daily – both small and large – to bring our farm into balance with the ecosystem.
Newly planted trees at Westport Farm. Photo by Sam Douglass
At Westport Farm, we are addressing the loss of native insects by creating more pollinator habitat alongside our fields. In early May, we planted 50 elderberry and serviceberry shrubs along the property boundary. These native shrubs also serve as a windbreak to block herbicide drift from the neighboring corn and soybean field.
This planting is part of an ongoing effort to make Westport Farm a haven of biodiversity. Over the past two years, we’ve transplanted more than one hundred native trees and shrubs across the property. We’ve also placed micro-prairies throughout.
Some vegetables, like summer squash, need insect pollinators in order to grow fruit. Without pollination, squash flowers bloom and then drop off, fruitless. If you’ve ever grown a misshapen cucumber, you may have already seen the effects of poor pollination.
Surrounded on three sides by corn and soybeans, we can feel the impact of habitat isolation. Not by coincidence, the largest crops we grow in Wisconsin don’t rely on insects the way that most fruits and vegetables do. Corn is pollinated by not by insects but by wind. Soybeans are self-fertile. So, as farmers are pushed to maximize yield to stay afloat, habitat is tilled under and most of those acres doused in chemicals to simulate healthy growing conditions.
Preparing soil to expand pollinator habitat, seen in the foreground. Photo by Ben Lam
Our farm relies on what are called “beneficial insects” to keep pests in check. Think lady beetles eating aphids, or green lacewings consuming thrips. Without beneficials, pests boom out of control and farmers are encouraged to use insecticides.
Most insecticides are “broad-spectrum,” meaning they also kill the good insects. Once the good insects are gone, pests have no natural population checks and farmers are forced to spray more and more frequently. Meaning, as we go down the path of chemical agriculture we consume more and stronger chemicals in our food.
The choice to grow no-spray vegetables supports the health of both consumers and farmworkers. Look at the health conditions of farmworkers in Central Valley, California, and you may decide to eat (and grow) differently.
Instead of pesticides, Groundswell staff work together with our farmers on natural solutions. We have a long road ahead of us to return to a harmony between agriculture and nature. It is clear to me that the way we treat the earth is the way we treat ourselves, and that our small actions add up.
Cheers,
Sam Douglass
Farm & Land Manager
P.S. If this work inspires you, please consider making a gift to Groundswell to keep the momentum going!