About the March Hare™
As a revolutionary apparatus, the March Hare soil pasteurization unit allows farmers to kill weed pests and soil-borne plant pathogens that inhibit plant growth. There are several widely used solutions to these problems, ranging from crop rotation to herbicides and pesticides, but all of these so-called solutions brings with it its own series of problems.
Crop rotation is not always practical, especially for small farmers. Pesticide use has effects on the environment far exceeding the intended purpose as well as bringing along a series of difficult-to-negotiate regulations regarding their application, safety and disposal. The March Hare relieves farmers of all of chemical-related paperwork, EPA fees, and special chemical waste disposal fees.
The March Hare is comprised of a heating unit and conveyor for moving the soil through the apparatus. The March Hare heats the top soil to just below 200° F — the ideal temperature used in compost piles. At this temperature, soil pathogens such as nematodes and root fungi are killed.
Unlike compost or soil solarization (the use of a large tarp implemented to trap solar heat) which can take weeks to months to produce soil free of pests and soil-borne pathogens, this apparatus is able to break down vegetative matter in minutes. Imagine having your soil composted and ready for the garden in minutes rather than weeks!
The March Hare is superior to conventional means of soil pasteurization because it is not reliant on the unpredictability of nature and does not use environmentally hazardous pesticides. Designed to do in a few days what soil solarization takes weeks or months to accomplish, it treats the soil more uniformly and can heat to greater depths than the sun’s heat.
The March Hare effectively puts non-productive land back into production quickly, all while being friendly to the environment.