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This year the Farm Hub planted 90 acres of no-till edible dry beans. The process begins with a field of flowering rye that was planted in August of 2022. We use an implement called the roller crimper that flattens the rye by rolling over it and “crimping” it at the base, effectively turning it into mulch. We then follow behind with an 8-row planter that cuts a slice through the flattened rye and plants a bean seed about an inch deep in the soil. After a week or so, the beans germinate and begin to slowly push up through the thick rye mulch.  Throughout the course of the season, this mulch layer provides many services for not just the beans, but the soil as well. Weeds are suppressed, erosion prevented, carbon sequestered, and beneficial soil microbial communities’ flourish. The beans will be harvested in September, and most will be distributed into the regional emergency feeding system.