https://skillcult.com/ has a lot of information on biochar. Including research published back in the 1800’s, which took place in temperate climates. I found it fascinating.
Two of the articles, “The Farmers’ cabinet, and American herd-book, Volume 11 1847” and “The farmer’s magazine 1850”, convinced me it was worth the effort. My property doesn’t produce much firewood, so I’ve been experimenting with char made from crop waste. Mostly bean pods, because dry beans are one of my main crops.
I haven’t made enough to tell if it’s having any effect on the soil. But it has had a HUGE effect on odor control! By mixing it in with the bedding in my chicken coop, I was able to pretty much eliminate odors from their manure.
It worked so well that I’ve also started adding food-grade charcoal to my cats’ food. My family has 2 cats, and they tend to do what I refer to as “competitive pooping”. It doesn’t matter how often the litter gets changed. The moment the competition starts, the whole house fills with an eye-watering stench, forcing us to open windows in order to breathe. But, a tiny pinch of charcoal, mixed into their squishy food once a day, took care of the problem completely! They still hold pooping contests, but they no longer fumigate the house when doing so.
I hope all the research I’ve seen about the benefits of biochar hold true for my farm. But even if it doesn’t, the odor-control properties are worth the effort of making it, in my opinion.
Bkmk