![Soil Sense](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/anchor-generated-image-bank/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/883589/883589-1563934435528-78d00ee5c0d95.jpg)
Soil Sense
By Tim Hammerich and Abbey Wick, Ph.D.
![Currently playing episode](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Soil SenseSep 28, 2022
![Building Soil Health for Soil Function](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695942778929-608553b551734.jpg)
Building Soil Health for Soil Function
In this episode we wrap up season seven of the soil sense podcast with a well known and well respected farmer and long-time soil conservationist, Barry Fisher. Barry recently retired from his career at the USDA, where he most recently worked in the soil health division. In that capacity he met and spoke with farmers about soil health throughout the central part of the US. Since retirement, Barry manages his family farm in Greencastle, Indiana and has a consulting business where he does training and soil health education for organizations through Fisher Soil Health LLC. Barry discusses soil health principles, important considerations for transition to regenerative practices, and the essential role of a knowledgeable advisor.
“If you really think about it, our current crops are only feeding the biology June, July, a little bit of May, and maybe a little bit of August. That's a very small percent of the total year… We did a lot of talking about no till as far as protecting erosion, but when we added cover crops to it, that was a game changer in that now the cover crop immediately fed more biology longer. That biology immediately started providing aggregate stability which absolutely helps the surface infiltration of soil, the aeration of soil. You know you start getting better structure to the surface of the soil and that can happen in as little as one season when we add cover crops.” - Barry Fisher
One visual Barry has used to help demonstrate soil health to producers is what he has called the “fence row effect.” Previous fence rows can illustrate the value and yield potential when incorporating the four principles of soil health. There is a reduction in disturbance, added diversity of plant life, maintained living roots in the soil and because of that the soil is kept covered. These four principles can allow producers to see a bump in yield in these areas. Barry goes on to explain how to generalize some of those principles on an operation-wide basis.
“Generally there's some farmer in the front row that says, “Okay Fisher, that's great, but, my landlord wants me to farm the whole farm, not just the old fence rows.”... I can show those aerial photos where management on one farm had the four principles kind of in place and the management on the farm right next to it did not. And the aerial photo is very telling that yes, we can manage beyond the fence row. We can get that fence row effect across the entire farm.” - Barry Fisher
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Barry Fisher a current Indiana farmer and retired USDA soil conservationist
Explore what Barry calls the “fence row effect” and how that can be applied to demonstrating the four principles of soil health
Discover Barry’s recommendations in transitioning tillage and cover crop practices
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Farmer-to-Farmer Soil Health Education with Mike Lewis](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1696014646804-02834cee665e1.jpg)
Farmer-to-Farmer Soil Health Education with Mike Lewis
Throughout this series, we have featured a lot of large scale commercial farming operations, but soil health is just as important to farms that operate on smaller acreages as well. Mike Lewis is a farmer, military veteran, and the senior manager for the National Center for Appropriate Technologies. Mike farms in southeastern Kentucky on a small farm in the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. His farm consists of 126 acres, 12 of which he uses to grow fresh market vegetables and the other 114 is a forest-based pasture system where he raises cattle, pastured pork and pastured poultry.
“For me, soil health is the most critical thing to the success of our operation… One of Wendell Berry's quotes is, “What I stand for is what I stand on.” And I think that soil is what we all stand on. And it's the foundation for all life and sustenance on this planet. So there's nothing more important than healthy soils.” - Mike Lewis
As the senior manager in the sustainable agriculture and rural communities division of NCAT Mike focuses on building resilient communities and supporting farmers in sustainable production systems. The Armed to Farm and Soil For Water programs are two of the many programs he contributes to. Mike also opens up his own family farm to other producers to demonstrate some of the soil health principles he has incorporated on his operation.
“I think that one of the things that we're really focused on is being able to have a place where we can show other producers other alternatives to production, right?
We open our farm up three or four times a year for other producers to come on and look at our hog production system and to learn how we've reduced our feed inputs by timing of our farrowing and our pasture management skills.” - Mike Lewis
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Mike Lewis, a Kentucky farmer, military veteran, and the senior manager for the National Center for Appropriate Technologies
Discover Mike’s journey from the farm to the military and back to the farm to raise his family
Explore the Armed to Farm and Soil For Water programs and the opportunities they offer producers
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Theory vs Practice in Soil Health with Frank Rademacher](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695942503491-cff06e2349c4a.jpg)
Theory vs Practice in Soil Health with Frank Rademacher
Eisenhower famously said “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.” That resonates with a lot of farmers who know the theory of farming doesn’t always directly translate to the practice. Farmer and agronomist Frank Rademacher joins us to talk about what’s working on his farm in East Central Illinois, and the work he does as a conservation agronomist with The Nature Conservancy. Frank discusses the theory vs the practice when it comes to soil health, what has worked and what hasn’t worked on his farm, how they’ve arrived at some of their current practices, and a little bit on Frank’s work with retailers on behalf of The Nature Conservancy.
“What we kind of found is we were doing diverse mixes, kind of buying into some of that messaging that diverse mixes are always best. And again, I think that's kind of where the theory versus in practice discussion happens because we would have some harsh winters and no snow cover. And so some of those species would not overwinter. And so, we start off on a bad foot if we're really depending on cover crops and we can't get the consistency. So what we've really tried to build over time is a portfolio of cover crops that perform consistently.” - Frank Rademacher
Frank found a passion for agronomy while in college, and started helping his father implement some conservation practices on their farm. Over the past 10 years, Frank and his father have gone 100% no-till and insecticide-free on their 600 acre farm. They’ve also ramped up their cover crop program which includes using a roller-crimper and high biomass cover crops. Frank also works as a conservation agronomist with The Nature Conservancy, where part of his focus is working with ag retailers and other farmer advisors to add conservation advice to their business models.
“I understand what some of the environmental goals that Illinois has set out are and I also understand that some of these things are difficult to do at the farm level. And so, how do we scale conservation? That's a lot of what we look at now is not only shaping that cover crop mix to be a little bit more flexible, depending on spring weather, but also just understanding the operation as a whole.” - Frank Rademacher
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Illinois farmer and conservation agronomist Frank Rademacher
Explore the balance Frank is finding between operational success and incorporating conservation practices
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![The Swine to Soil Connection with Jamie Burr](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695942352032-41d85e8497259.jpg)
The Swine to Soil Connection with Jamie Burr
When you think about soil health, you might picture a soybean field or a corn field.
It may not be immediately apparent how many other industries rely on soil health, like pork. National Pork Board Chief Sustainability Officer Jamie Burr joins us to share about the importance of soil health, conservation, and sustainability to the pork industry. He’s been in this particular role for about six months, but has spent most of his life in the pork industry.
“The reason that the pork board is so involved in that is if you look at all of our footprints, whether it be carbon, land or water, a vast majority of our footprint has to do with making feed. So those crops are as much as 60 to 70 percent of each one of those footprints.” - Jamie Burr
Prior to the pork board, Jamie spent almost 24 years at Tyson Foods in various environmental and sustainability roles, most of which were on the live production side in both pork and poultry. Jamie shares how he defines sustainability, why the pork board prioritizes soil health for people, planet and pork, how the industry is striving forward in key areas of sustainability and conservation, and how they’re leveraging data to tell that story to consumers.
“The goal that we have as a pork industry is a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. And that's the farm gate emissions. So that would be from the time the grain is grown til the pigs leave the farm gate…So we have stood up a platform to begin collecting that data so that producers can enter data and then we can start publicly reporting on those metrics from a transparency perspective. Without that data, it's hard to tell a story.” - Jamie Burr
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet National Pork Board Chief Sustainability Officer Jamie Burr who shares about the importance of soil health, conservation, and sustainability to the pork industry
Explore the sustainability priorities of the Pork Board and the oversight they offer producers
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Diversity in Crops and Business Models with Jay Baxter](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/883589/883589-1563934435528-78d00ee5c0d95.jpg)
Diversity in Crops and Business Models with Jay Baxter
There is a lot more information about soil health available today than there was a decade ago, but it’s still up to each individual farmer to figure out what works best for their operation. Delaware farmer Jay Baxter grows soybeans, corn, sweet corn, and lima beans on Baxter Farms. Jay is the fourth generation to do so along with his sister who farms with him as well as some other family stakeholders that include his 93 year old grandmother who is still engaged with the farm. In addition to the crops, they have eight chicken houses. At any one time they have about 225,000 broilers on the farm. That’s enough to keep anyone busy, but Jay and his wife have also started a couple side businesses: a greenhouse company growing contract potted flowers for a wholesale distributor, and a custom cover crop application business. He shares about the cover crops, equipment, biosolids, and poultry manure that are part of his operation.
“We're starting to understand what different cover crops do to our soils, and we're starting to understand what different mixes and how different cover crop species mix together, how they interact with one another, and what they can do to benefit us on our farm and our particular soils. And what they can kind of bring to the table and help us to utilize some of our, well, our number one resource, which is our soil.” - Jay Baxter
One interesting thing about Jay that is unique is that he has included hairy vetch in his cover crop mix for about 20 years. He has heard all of the concerns others have about hairy vetch, and says for him every year is different, but they’ve learned to manage the cover crop in a way that has been very beneficial to their operation. His unique techniques have paid off in the past specifically with his lima bean practices.
“Because they were sitting on top of a mulch, as opposed to sitting on top of bare soil, they had no blemish on them, and therefore were A grade beans, and that's what the processor really wanted. So we immediately became no till and cover crop farming lima bean growers.” - Jay Baxter
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet fourth generation Delaware farmer Jay Baxter who shares about his operation including cover crops, a greenhouse company growing potted flowers, a poultry operation and a custom cover crop application business
Explore the many facets of Jay’s operation and the trials and successes he has found over the years
Discover the regulations of using biosolids and waste water on a farming operations
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Seven Generations of Stewardship with Susan Watkins](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695942021807-bae380186882a.jpg)
Seven Generations of Stewardship with Susan Watkins
When it comes to sustainability, it’s hard to argue with results. For Virginia farmer Susan Watkins that means seven generations and counting of stewarding highly productive farmland. In this episode we get to talk about that rich history and the soil health building practices that she is implementing on her operation. We talk to Susan about their legacy of caring for the soil, how they transitioned to no-till over 20 years ago, how they incorporated cover crops about 15 years ago, and what she’s looking forward to next.
“We farm Five Forks. So Five Forks was pretty instrumental towards the end of the Civil War. And we actually farm on that original land too. The house is still standing. The owners of the house still have the portraits from their ancestors and it has slash marks through the portraits where the soldiers came in and slashed them. So yes, a lot of rich history here.” - Susan Watkins
Susan farms in Dinwiddie County along with her husband Maxwell and her son Cody. She grows soybeans, corn and wheat on about 3500 acres. A lot of that ground is rented, but they still farm some of the original land that was granted by the king of England to the Watkins Family, at least seven generations ago. More recently though they have been exploring biological inputs on their operation alongside their no till practices and cover crops.
“We're all farmers. We all want to preserve our lands and pass it along to our children if possible. And that's the goal of everyone. But the margins are so slim. We have to be conscious of new technologies, new ideas and adapt to those. We can't stay stuck in one era. We have to keep moving forward.” - Susan Watkins
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet seventh generation Virginia farmer Susan Watkins
Discover the rich history associated with the Watkins family farm land
Explore the crops and practices they are using on their operation to improve soil health and yields including no-till, biological inputs and cover crops
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Beef and Cover Crops with Ed Lammers](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695941817149-09170b10294d5.jpg)
Beef and Cover Crops with Ed Lammers
Fine-tuning any system that involves biology and mother nature is going to take time, especially when all of those changes have to happen while also running a business. Nebraska farmer Ed Lammers has spent over 30 years implementing new practices and business models on his farm. He joins the show to talk about cover crops, incorporating livestock, and embracing technology to build healthier soils. In this episode we talk about cover crops, incorporating livestock into the operation, technology, and Ed’s desire to start raising some rye for seed.
“I’m trying to improve my soil health in any way I can. Being open to changes is crucial, but the economics to allow you to be open to those experimental challenges or changes are crucial also.” - Ed Lammers
Ed has been farming for 35 years and has tried a lot of different practices over that time. In addition to row crops, Ed and his son raise about 200 cow/calf pairs, and market the beef farm-to-table. He said that business has really grown since his son took it over, and they are now able to sell around 40% of their beef through that channel.
“The animal nutrients all go back into our soils. It's a big part of our input costs and just being a good sustainable farmer..” - Ed Lammers
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Nebraska farmer Ed Lammers
Discover Ed’s journey into cover crops and incorporating livestock onto his operation
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Building Soil Health as a First Generation Farmer with Ryan Bivens](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695929411852-8555bb4294361.jpg)
Building Soil Health as a First Generation Farmer with Ryan Bivens
It’s always neat to hear of farms that have been with a family for generations, but is it still possible for a first generation farmer to get started? Ryan Bivens is proof that it is possible, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. First generation Kentucky farmer Ryan Bivens talks about his path to getting started in farming, why wheat is his favorite cover crop, and how he manages 88 different landlords in his area of central Kentucky.
“Just because somebody says you can't do that.…Try it yourself. Do it on a small basis. You have to figure out what can and cannot work for you. You can't break the bank doing it. If you're gonna screw something up, do it on a small trial. Try it out there. And who's to say, if it works, then next year expand it but you know what's best for your own soils.” - Ryan Bivens
Ryan farms soybeans, corn and wheat on about 7600 acres, 1200 of which he owns and the remaining he leases from 88 different landlords. Ryan grew up around agriculture and started farming in FFA. After college his wife took an ag teaching job in the community they now live in so he had to start over. He searched for farmland to rent through an ad in the local newspaper and built from there. Ryan shares how he got his start, his approach to soil health, and a whole lot more.
“We can't tell each other how to farm. There is not one right way or wrong way to do it. Everybody has to know their own land, they have to know their soils, and they have to know what works for them. If I don't go out and learn something every day, that's the day I need to hang it up and quit. Because that's the day when you're done as far as I'm concerned.” - Ryan Bivens
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet first generation Kentucky farmer Ryan Biven and discover his unique path to farming
Discover his business model including both owned and rented land and explore his approach to soil health on that land
Explore Ryan’s practices with rotation and his experiences with cover crops
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Learning and Sharing About Soil Health With Jennifer Simmelink](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695928984259-24f38bcef6695.jpg)
Learning and Sharing About Soil Health With Jennifer Simmelink
Sometimes in agriculture we are so consumed by work that needs to happen on the farm that we don’t get much of a chance to share what we’re doing or visit others to see what’s working for them. Kansas Soil Health Alliance Coordinator Jennifer Simmelink is helping to make this communication happen more frequently. Jennifer grew up surrounded by agriculture in York, Nebraska. Although she didn’t grow up on a farm, she studied Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Kansas State University. It was there that she met her now husband, which led her to settling down on his family’s farm in North Central, Kansas. We asked Jennifer to wear both hats today as a farmer and the coordinator of the alliance to share her journey to spreading soil health awareness.
“We talk about the impact that water and wind erosion and things can have on your communities. Whether it's cleaning out ditches or cleaning out contaminants in drinking water. To go out and be able to be a part of that and to help meet others where they're at to take their step forward. It's a complex process.” - Jennifer Simmelink
The Kansas Soil Health Alliance is a 501c3 organization that is producer led with the mission of improving and protecting Kansas soils through farmer and rancher led education. Jennifer spends a lot of her time traveling throughout the state coordinating field days and working alongside farmers and other organizations to provide educational opportunities for both current and future farmer generations.
“I think that's what we all want to do is we want to give the next generation better than what we had. Not easier. We're not trying to pave things down, but can we give them a good start? We want to improve on things. So you can tell them this is for you. This is why it should matter to you.” - Jennifer Simmelink
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Kansas Soil Health Alliance Coordinator Jennifer Simmelink and learn about her job spreading soil health awareness through producer led events and education
Discover the many efforts of the Kansas Soil Health Alliance and the programs and events they have going on
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Bio Strip-Till with Donn Branton](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695914266730-57087aeb32d3b.jpg)
Bio Strip-Till with Donn Branton
One of the valuable aspects of this series is that it has given us a chance to talk to farmers at all different stages of their soil health journey. It’s particularly inspiring to talk to someone who has been at this a long time and is really seeing the benefits of some of these practices. New York farmer Donn Branton discusses how decades of experimenting and learning has led him to develop his system of growing no-till non-GMO corn and soybeans with practices like cover crops and bio strip-till in Western New York.
“The water infiltration, the earthworm activity, those are the biggest things. Drove around with one of the soil water technicians one winter day and I said, you see that brown snowbank there? Yeah. Drive up the road a little further next to our field. What color is that one? It's white. What's going on? I said, it's wind erosion. You know, some things like that are so obvious when you're keen to it.” - Donn Branton
Don has a really interesting story that led him into farming on his own in 1979. Since that time he’s often been ahead of the curve with everything from reducing tillage to adding cover crops to embracing variable rate technology to planting corn into biostrips.
“One of the biggest things when we first started doing reduced till, heavy rainfall come through. Neighbors would have standing water, we wouldn't. Okay, what's going on? Well, we got water infiltration and had earthworm middens.” - Donn Branton
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet New York farmer Donn Branton and discover his long term efforts towards soil health on his operation
Explore Donn’s different soil health practices, the many benefits he’s observed and the additional revenue he’s enjoyed
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Advancements in Ag Research, Technology and Outreach with John Butler](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695830504043-5514ba13a3a96.jpg)
Advancements in Ag Research, Technology and Outreach with John Butler
Advancements in ag research and technology not only help farmers produce more with less, but also have had a big impact on their ability to build healthier soils. John Butler is the CEO of Agricenter International and a 5th generation farmer from Northwestern Tennessee. Before joining Agricenter International about seven years ago, he worked on his family farm for about 25 years and had a career with Cargill where he worked across multiple geographies in North America. He shares his unique perspective as someone who has worked in agribusiness, operated a more traditional farm, and now is running an urban farm and research hub. He shares his take on soil health, how they adapt principles to their local context of the Mississippi Delta Region, the impact of their research and education efforts, and new technologies as well.
“I can't farm the way I farm today if I had the same tools I had in the 80’s. What's allowing me this flexibility is the chemistries that we have, the fertilizers that we have, and the equipment that we have. On our AgriCenter research plot last year, we flew fungicide with the drone over our corn crop. I mean, I don't know if I would have said that five years ago. I don't know if I would even have known to have said that five years ago. So it's a pretty cool space. We're evolving significantly.” - John Butler
Agricenter International was founded in 1979 as a joint effort between Shelby County and the state of Tennessee which set aside 1,000 acres to operate an urban farm. Today, the nonprofit organization is an education, agribusiness, research and agricultural hub of the Mid-South. They have over 1.5 million visitors annually, and partner with around 80 companies every year to conduct research that includes over 20,000 replicated plots on around 700 acres of land. The breadth and scale of the organization is impressive enough, but the diversity is also remarkable, including row crops, specialty crops, tree crops, and a wide range of new products and growing practices.
“Our mission is to advance the knowledge and understanding of agriculture. And so we do that through a lot of different lenses and some of it's very, very intentional. And some of it is not so intentional… We have a commercial kitchen. We have canning classes through extension. Everything you can think of from A to Z. And so, because we have so many resources here on campus, we have about 40 companies that are located here…. It's really an opportunity for both consumers and producers to connect.” - John Butler
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet John Butler, the CEO of Agricenter International and a 5th generation farmer from Northwestern Tennessee.
Discover the opportunities Agricenter International offers the agricultural industry and visitors alike to experience and learn
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Water and Soil Conservation with Ryan Britt](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695754653099-d6b3843a6522e.jpg)
Water and Soil Conservation with Ryan Britt
Fifth generation farmer Ryan Britt talks about the practices he’s combined over the years and the results he’s seeing in North Central Missouri. Ryan has been a full time farmer of soybeans, corn and wheat alongside his father ever since returning after college about 23 years ago. Ryan shares the journey he and his father have been on to transition their farm to no-till, add more cover crops, plant green, and incorporate livestock into their row crop operations. We also talk about various incentive programs that Ryan has been able to take advantage of, and how their soil health practices set them up for the drought conditions they’re currently experiencing.
“Between the no till practices, the cover crop, and the terraces, we've actually greatly minimized some of our nutrient runoff concerns and our erosion concerns. So you kind of have to keep stacking all those things together. It's not one particular practice that makes a significant change, it's the whole system. We've seen that through the course of time, through stacking all those together, we're actually seeing some improvement in some of our land.” - Ryan Britt
Ryan has become very involved in volunteer leadership positions, including his current role as an Executive Board Member for the National Association of Conservation Districts where he represents the north central region. He’s also the immediate past president of the Missouri Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and a former Randolph County Farm Bureau President, among other service positions. He says these roles have exposed him to how other farms operate and given him countless lessons that he’s been able to bring back to his farm for conservation, efficiency, and profitability.
“My father and my grandfather always encouraged me to try to improve things, to try to leave it better than you found it… As I got to seeing the different things that actually had lasting impacts, conservation and specifically soil and water programs are one of those things that I felt was a great investment and I feel like we're able to continue. And it's something that I feel like my kids will be able to be proud of or at least get some of the benefits from.” - Ryan Britt
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Fifth generation farmer Ryan Britt who shares the soil health practices he’s combined on his operation and the results he’s seeing in North Central Missouri.
Discover Ryan’s journey to soil health and the organizations he participates in to promote its practices
Explore Ryan’s recommendations for introducing soil health practices to any operation
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Experimenting with Cover Crops with Joe Rothermel](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695360273516-f8f2386506c0f.jpg)
Experimenting with Cover Crops with Joe Rothermel
Farmer Joe Rothermel joins the show to talk about cover crops, strip tillage, and experiments he’s trying on his farm in East Central Illinois. Joe is the fifth generation to operate his farm and he is someone who loves new ideas and approaches and is always experimenting with new ways to improve his farm. He is motivated to find ways to lower his inputs while maintaining profitable yields.
“I have an air seeder where I can plant twin rows in between the bean rows. So then we went in and planted various clover mixes. So, what I'm going to try and do is modify the platform so it pushes down the cover crops in between the bean rows so we can cut the beans and leave the cover crop. We're just trying to have our cake and eat it too. That's basically what we're trying to do. I don't know if this is going to work. It all depends on the weather, just like anything else in farming, but... if we could get 30 bushel beans and 75 pounds of nitrogen I think that'd be kind of cool.” - Joe Rothermel
Joe originally thought he wanted to be a crop duster. He ultimately decided he didn’t quite have the right personality for it, but it led him into a career in the aerospace industry. In the mid 1990’s he came back to the family farm and took over which is where he has been ever since. At that time his father had been incorporating no-till practices for years and in his retirement he continued to encourage Joe to pursue soil health with cover crops. Despite some early mistakes, Joe continued these efforts and has found some real success.
“My goal has always been to try and minimize inputs, chemicals, fertilizer, and trying to at least maintain yield. I'm not trying to be a corn yield champion or anything like that. I would like to maintain yields and reduce input costs.” - Joe Rothermel
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet East Illinois farmer Joe Rothermel and explore his use of cover crops and strip tillage as well as ongoing experiments he is trying on his farm
Discover the process Joe took to incorporate cover crops into his operation and the different techniques he is attempting
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![All Soil Health Is Local with Garrett Marsh](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695159346047-d190da07cdd18.jpg)
All Soil Health Is Local with Garrett Marsh
There are a lot of similarities amongst farmers, but there is no denying the fact that every farm is different. Never is that more apparent than when you learn about a farming operation in a different part of the country than where you’re from. Louisiana farmer Garrett Marsh shares about some of his early experiences with cover crops, why he switched from flooding to row rice and how that fits into his rotation. Garrett shares about how his lifelong interest in soil eventually led him to cover crops.
“It's worked out really well so far. Like I said, it's cut down on erosion. I hadn't had a whole super lot of weed pressure. So far, it's been working good. I'm kind of wanting to get into some of the other cover crops that cost a little more. Just for the fact of, I want to try to do a little experimenting with the nitrogen savings on it.” - Garrett Marsh
Garrett and his wife farm near Tallulah, Louisiana which is just across the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, MS. His grandfather started out sharecropping in the area, so he is now the third generation of his family to farm that land. They farm around 1700 acres of soybeans, corn, rice, wheat, and cotton. Garrett offers advice to producers considering incorporating soil health practices into their operations.
“Rather than jumping off into it head first and planting every acre you got in it, you know, I would suggest just kind of starting off slow, a couple of fields and experimenting with them. See how you like it. Cause I mean, it's different for everybody. It really is, you know your neighbor is going to do something different than what you are and you just got to find the little niche that's right for you and there's no doubt that it's going to.” Garrett Marsh
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Louisiana farmer Garrett Marsh and discover his journey into cover crops
Discover the many similarities and differences in farming in different parts of the country
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Conservation For Both Ecology and Farm Economics with Laurie Isley](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695159267284-e298c127f65b9.jpg)
Conservation For Both Ecology and Farm Economics with Laurie Isley
We love to talk about soil conservation practices on this show, but it’s always important to frame it in a realistic context that acknowledges farms are businesses. This means that the right thing for the soil has to also be the right thing for the farm’s profitability. Michigan farmer Laurie Isley shares how she’s embraced new practices at Sunrise Farms, from strip tillage to precision technology to biologicals and beyond on today’s episode of Soil Sense.
“We've also found that we continue to be profitable in the same way that we were before using these other practices. And that's really the point we try and get across to the farmers we talk to. Profitability is not this one and conservation this one. They can be very close together. It's not like they're two ends of a spectrum. Some of it isn't that I'm getting a greater yield. It's just, I have fewer costs related to the tillage that I was doing prior to that.” - Laurie Isley
Laurie is one of the owners of Sunrise Farms in Southeastern Michigan along with her husband, Jim and their son Jacob. The family farm grows about 1100 acres of corn and soybeans and implements a lot of different conservation practices including strip tillage, cover crops which they have flown on, filter strips, soil tests, and precision ag practices. Laurie, who also spent decades teaching agriscience at the high school level, now also contributes to the industry as part of the Michigan Soybean Committee and the United Soybean Board, where she is the chair of the Communication and Education Committee.
“It requires people that are open to seeking more information. So I guess my major message to them is don't settle. Be willing to look for what are new opportunities that I can use on my farm that will help me to be more profitable, but also help to ensure that the soil that I leave behind for the generations to come is as good as it possibly can be and still viable for other generations to continue farming in this area.” Laurie Isley
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Michigan farmer Laurie Isley as she shares how she’s embraced new practices at Sunrise Farms
Explore the introduction and use of cover crops on her operation and the efforts she’s making to share her experiences with other producers
Discover Laurie’s journey from agriscience teacher to the Michigan Soybean Board and United Soybean Board
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Patience and Persistence Pays Off With Fred Yoder](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695133342642-9fbf5e248f9a7.jpg)
Patience and Persistence Pays Off With Fred Yoder
Improving soil health doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s amazing how a series of small changes, compounded over time, can really make a difference. In this episode, we talk to 4th generation Ohio farmer Fred Yoder about things he’s been implementing over the past four decades to improve his soil health and what he has experienced firsthand that he wants farmers everywhere to experience as well. Along with his wife Debbie and his 2 children, he grows corn, soybeans, and wheat. He also has operated a retail farm seed business for over 36 years and sells seed and other technology products to farmers.
“I think we should be building soil and the things that we're doing today, I think we're building rather than even maintaining, we're actually improving soil. Dad wasn't the first to say it, but I asked him when I bought the farm, any last minute, recommendations. He said, “Just leave it in better shape than what you got it.” And today the farm is the most productive it's ever been and in the best shape it's ever been. And I think that's because of some of the things that we've been doing over the years.” - Fred Yoder
Fred is also a founding board member and now Co-Chair of “Solutions from the Land,” a non-profit that explores integrated land management solutions to help meet food security, economic development, climate change and conservation of biodiversity goals. He also serves as Chair of the “North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance,” representing all factions of production agriculture, and working to ensure that farmer-to-farmer education and economics will be the driving force to adapting to a changing climate while feeding the world.
“I look at my soil as my 401k, you won't get instant gratification from it… What they have to be convinced of is the fact if you invest in some of these practices that it'll pay dividends later on down the road. The first couple of years, you have to actually get your soils conditioned for less tillage and for cover crops and things like that. You give me a farmer for three to five years and I'll have him for life because once you go through that transitional change, then all of a sudden it supports itself.” Fred Yoder
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet 4th generation Ohio farmer Fred Yoder and explore his soil health journey over the past 4 decades of farming
Discover the advice Fred offers all producers on pursuing soil health practices on their operations
Explore the organizations and efforts Fred participates in to support soil health practices
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Practical Ideas for Building Healthier Soils With John Burk](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1695070720047-52321f8241d64.jpg)
Practical Ideas for Building Healthier Soils With John Burk
There is no substitute for experience. Michigan farmer John Burk has a masters degree in crop and soil science, spent 10 years as an ag and natural resources agent for Michigan State University, and has spent over two decades farming full time. Even though he’s been farming full time for over 20 years now, he still remains involved in a lot of cover crop work with the university as well as some conservation districts. His real world experience and knowledge are invaluable in our discussion about the future of soil health.
“Get some green manure back in. You've gotta replenish them soils. You've gotta keep them soils healthy, and you need to keep them in one place so they're not all over the neighborhood. At the same time, I'm gonna tell somebody don't go out tomorrow and this fall and say, I'm gonna plant a thousand acres of rye. You're never gonna do it again. Do a hundred acres of rye. Figure out how you're gonna manage that hundred before you do a thousand.” - John Burk
John shares specifics about his planning strategies and things he has implemented or at least tried over the years. He brings a unique perspective as someone who not only grows corn and soybeans, but also sugar beets and dry edible beans. John says you need to “replenish your soil somehow and tillage isn't gonna do it all.” He recommends cover crops as a natural answer that will provide great benefits to soil health.
“If you really think about it…the more root mass you have in the soil, the harder it is for that soil to compact. Plus it gives more air pockets for the rain to flow through rather than pond on top or pack those soil aggregates together. So that's why I always like to have a bunch of different masses of roots or even the mass up top worked into the soil.” - John Burk
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Michigan farmer John Burk as he shares extremely practical and detailed information about finding a way to build healthier soils on the farm
John shares a lot of specifics about things he has implemented or tried over the years, including some really useful tools and strategies.
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Community and Soil Health With Ray Gaesser](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1694710179970-9551e02044d2b.jpg)
Community and Soil Health With Ray Gaesser
Ray Gaesser grew up on a small farm in southern Indiana and said he visited Iowa for the Farm Progress Show one year and never wanted to leave. So that’s where he and his wife moved when they had the chance to start their farming careers. Over the decades Ray has improved his own soil health and enjoys working with neighbor farmers to do the same. Ray shares about his adoption of soil health building practices, no-till and cover crops, what he did to survive tough times in the 1980s, and how the interest in soil health is bringing new economic opportunities to his community.
“My message has always been when we work together, we all benefit. We're providing soil health benefits with cover crops and no-till and all that. But we're also working with our neighbors to add to that benefit and help them at the same time. And, you know, we don't have to be in competition all the time, do we? Why don't we think about our community a little bit.” - Ray Gaesser
Ray first gained experience with no-till on a farm he worked at in Indiana. After moving to his own operation in Iowa he began to integrate that same practice in the 1990’s. He is still hesitant to plant his corn into a green cover crop and prefers to have the cover crop terminated prior to planting. His soybeans on the other hand get planted “green or nearly green.” This difference is based on past experiences and successes. He admits that “not every practice fits for everyone” and that as a farming community we need to try new practices to continue to “invest in our next generations.”
“It's a process and we continue to adapt and to learn and to find opportunities.” - Ray Gaesser
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser as he reflects on his soil health journey and his desire to support other farms in his community today
Discover Ray’s experience with adopting soil health building practices, no-till and cover crops
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Strip Till in Diverse Rotations with Jason Swede](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1694104950808-b676509b33cfb.jpg)
Strip Till in Diverse Rotations with Jason Swede
Farms are complex systems and everyone’s soil health journey is different. For some, one change or new piece of equipment can really be the missing piece that starts bringing everything together. Western New York farmer Jason Swede shares about his crop rotation, how strip tillage has been a game changer for them, his experiments with things like biostrips, how he approaches cover crops, and much much more. He shares how these practices including growing a diverse mix of crops has helped him to maintain a profitable business while building healthier soils.
“Looking back at it, I think we were tilling ourselves into a position where we weren't getting good crops… We felt like we had to have that perfect seedbed. And we'd till the ground and it wasn't quite right. We'd till it again and then we'd till it again if we had to. And we were putting compaction layers in there that I don't think our crops could get through. And once we went to strip till, it completely changed everything for us. I think our roots were going deeper, getting into moisture that we weren't seeing other times of the year, and just everything kinda came together for us.” - Jason Swede
Jason grew up on the farm and although he went to school for ag business, he has always loved farming. Jason farms with his father, brother, nephew and son on 4,500 acres. It’s a diversified crop farm where they grow corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and processing vegetables like sweet corn, peas and string beans. They are also partners in a dairy operation and own an alfalfa pelletizing plant. Continuing to improve their biostrip protocols, dialing in their planting green technique and adjusting their fertility is what the future holds for their operation.
“We're working on a study that is comparing planting green with early burn down with no cover crops. It's a four year study that we're playing around with to see the differences over time. And first year I think we saw a yield drag with planting green, but it was our first time trying it and I think as time goes by, we're gonna learn some things. I'm more interested in seeing what happens with soil health planting green continually for four years to see what the long-term effect is.” - Jason Swede
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Western New York farmer Jason Swede
Explore his soil health journey in incorporating crop rotation, strip tillage, and experiments with things like biostrips, planting green and cover crops
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Swine Manure and Cover Crops with Gary Asay](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1693325708987-92053df059571.jpg)
Swine Manure and Cover Crops with Gary Asay
Trying new ideas on the farm, especially those that involve innovative approaches, will not always be easily understood by neighbors or other people who drive by. But for those willing to follow their own curiosity, the benefits can far outweigh the costs. Illinois farmer Gary Asay talks about his farming system that combines no-till, cover crops and hog manure. Gary farms in Henry County in Northwest Illinois. There’s a lot of hard-earned wisdom in Gary’s path to getting into no-till, and the impact that has had on his farming operation.
“A lot of people look at what I do and … they think I'm crazy. You know, it can't be done. We want to tell people it can be done. No-till cover crops is not easy. A lot of people expect just to go out there and have a prescription, you do this at a certain time and everything works just right. With cover crops you gotta manage even better. So it is a challenge and it takes time, but I do believe the benefits are good enough to keep working at it.” -Gary Asay
Soil erosion and maintaining the soil’s nutrition along with less need for equipment have motivated Gary to incorporate these practices. He has been in continuous no-till for over 20 years and started incorporating cover crops in 2010. He began raising hogs as a kid in 4-H, and after many years he finally sold his hog operation to a young farmer getting into the business, but he still uses the manure from that operation as a major source of his fertilizer.
“I feel more and more that it is very important to keep that microbiome in the soil healthy and working for you...every time I dig in the soil, I was turning up earthworms and seeing the holes in the soil from the earthworms that they leave. It tells me that, you know, there's a lot going on underground and the microbiomes are a part you can't really see but they have added benefits there too.” - Gary Asay
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet farmer Gary Asay from Henry County in Northwest Illinois
Discover how Gary incorporates no-till, cover crops and hog manure in his operation and his journey to that end
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Our Soil is Our Strength with Nancy Kavazanjian](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1692632510125-521473f0d6705.jpg)
Our Soil is Our Strength with Nancy Kavazanjian
Nancy Kavazanjian and her husband Charlie Hammer farm in the south central part of Wisconsin where they grow corn, soybeans and wheat in rotation. Over the years they have been innovators in no-till and strip till farming, and were the first in their area to regularly use cover crops. We'll talk about her farm and her soil health building practices, but we also get into things like how she looks at soil biology and what prompted them to want to implement prairie strips and pollinator habitat and the experiments she's still conducting on the farm.
“We've been farming together for over 40 years, and when we started farming, we took a motto for our farm and it was “our soil is our strength.” Because we knew as crop farmers here in the middle of dairy country that what we could do best was to grow good crops. And we knew to grow good crops, we needed good soils. And what that has involved has evolved over the years. So we were early adopters of no-till, and we're now mostly either no-till or strip tillers.” - Nancy Kavazanjian
Kavazanjian talks candidly about what has worked and what hasn’t worked on their 2,000 acre farm, and the questions they’re still asking themselves about how to be the best stewards of the land they can possibly be. The area they farm historically was glaciated leading to lots of rocks and inconsistencies in their soil types.
“I think maybe because I didn't know what I didn't know I wasn't afraid to try things. I didn't know that women weren't supposed to go to those meetings 45 years ago; the crop meetings and the machinery meetings. You know, a lot of times I was the only woman. There wasn't a woman on staff, but I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be there, so I was always there. I didn't know that we shouldn't be trying things.” - Nancy Kavazanjian
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Nancy Kavazanjian who farms with her husband Charlie Hammer in the south central part of Wisconsin where they grow corn, soybeans and wheat in rotation.
Explore their soil health journey in no-till, strip-till and cover crops that complimented their operation
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Planting Green with Trey Hill](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1692630710474-39f5e41e9f1b1.jpg)
Planting Green with Trey Hill
Not every soil health building practice is going to work the same way on every farm. That’s one of the reasons we call it a journey. Sometimes, it can lead to unexpected places like in this episode's example, figuring out how to plant green. We are joined by Trey Hill of Harbourview Farms in Maryland. He has an interesting story of how practices such as cover crops, no till and planting green have made farming more fun for him and improved his soil without sacrificing yields.
“One day he was planting green and the turn rows had been killed off, and he is like, Trey, come out here.You gotta see this. You gotta quit killing these cover crops. This is just planting beautifully. And this was two people that shouldn't have liked it. We were both kind of looking at each other going, what's going on here like this? This doesn't make sense. Neither one of us should believe this or agree with it but we both saw it and we're like, wow.” - Trey Hill
For years, Trey has been a vocal advocate for engaging with consumers and environmental groups to find solutions that are both great for the planet and for farmer viability and profitability. Trey grows corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and peas on just over 10,000 acres. Trey shares that this transition hasn’t always been easy. Adjusting from a “procedural standpoint” to not being able to scout his fields and do stand assessments has been difficult. He goes on to share the benefits that make that adjustment well worth it.
“In a drought, we definitely do better and I think that I like it in the spring. I think it keeps the soil a little more even temperature. We don't get as much replant unless it's from slugs, but we get a lot better emergence if the cover crops are there. We're seeing a lot more earthworms. We're building organic matter. We're doing a certification now for regenerative practices…We’re seeing some pretty significant increases which makes me feel good.” - Trey Hill
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Trey Hill of Harbourview Farms in Maryland where they produce corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and peas
Discover Trey’s unexpected journey from cover crops to planting green
Explore their transition to no till and cover crops and the effects Trey is observing
Learn more about the Farmers for Soil Health Program
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Farmers for Soil Health with Jack Cornell](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1692630667027-1e0a7cae6942f.jpg)
Farmers for Soil Health with Jack Cornell
United Soybean Board director of sustainable supply Jack Cornell joins us to kick off this brand new season of Sense Sense. Changing any practice on the farm, no matter how well intentioned and well researched, comes with risk. A new collaborative effort called Farmers for Soil Health is rolling out in 20 US states to try to help take some of that risk off the table. Farmers for Soil Health is a collaboration in partnership with the Soy Checkoff, Pork Checkoff and National Corn Growers Association to create a farmer-led cover crop program that advances the use of soil health practices, meets sustainability goals and improves farmer profitability.
“It's important that technical assistance is right along with the financial assistance to mitigate any risk to a farmer.” - Jack Cornell
Jack explains his role with the Farmers for Soil Health program as helping to create sustainability and profitability for farmers through project development, program management, and creating partnerships.
“I love problem-solving with a farmer. It's always a fun mental exercise. And when I walk on a farm, I never say you need to be doing cover crops and no-till. I go, what is the thing that drives you insane that you just can't handle? And then I think through a sustainability approach to help them solve that issue...Our program is farmer led and farmer driven.” Jack Cornell
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Jack Cornell, director of sustainable supply at United Soybean Board and leader of the Farmers for Soil Health Program
Explore the purpose and initiatives of the Farmers for Soil Health program
Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.
If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.
![Season Six Reflections and What’s Next for Soil Sense](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1690926057431-1df617fb29675.jpg)
Season Six Reflections and What’s Next for Soil Sense
This episode is our chance to close out season six, set the stage for season seven, and talk about some big changes that are taking place. Those big changes include Dr. Abbey Wick’s new job, but also a big shift in the scope and direction of this podcast. Of course we will remain focused on what soil health looks like in practice and the curiosity, collaboration and communication needed for systems change on the farm. But in doing that we will also be expanding across the country.
“The thing that I thought about in taking this job was our network maps with Soil Sense and thinking about how our target was North Dakota and we had all these dots in North Dakota, but then all of a sudden it was being listened to all over the world and so that kind of scaling almost made it more comfortable for me…that it is totally possible to translate soil health and the concepts and the structure and the framework for delivery of information and network building to a global scale. I know we can do it.” - Dr. Abbey Wick
Soil Sense is also expanding its borders beyond North Dakota. Through the Farmers for Soil Health Initiative we will be incorporating many other states in the discussion. You should expect “a lot of the same types of stories that you’ve been hearing but with a more expanded scope.” Soil Sense will continue to focus on the “people leading the way when it comes to soil health, but also addressing the realities of the challenges that they’re facing locally.”
“Sometimes those behind the scenes roles that people are playing are really important. Like the farmers will say they can't get to where they're going without a crop advisor, without an organization that's giving them information or helping them, or testing what they're doing or giving them feedback or even just having a conversation about it.” Dr. Abbey Wick
This Week on Soil Sense:
Close out season six of Soil Sense and explore the exciting news and new directions for season seven
Discover Abbey Wick’s new role with Syngenta and her new platform for taking soil health practices globally
![Making Agronomy Fun with Jason Hanson & Kyle Okke](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1690306306924-a3b0d2f7fcd72.jpg)
Making Agronomy Fun with Jason Hanson & Kyle Okke
In this episode we take you back one more time to Agronomy on Ice in Devils Lake, North Dakota. We hear from the man who started it all, Jason Hanson, along with his partner in crime on the Agronomist Happy Hour podcast, Kyle Okke. Jason has been a regular contributor to Soil Sense and we featured both him and Kyle on our Agronomy on Ice episode last April. We talk to the guys about their knack for making things fun when it comes to learning about agronomy and soil health, their approaches to soil health as independent agronomists, Jason’s experience with the Trusted Advisor Partnership, what they’ve learned from their podcast, and more.
“It feels to me to some degree, like how Agronomy on Ice started. It's just like, here's an idea. We implement something that gets more people involved, ideas come in and then all of a sudden, boom, it takes off. And then you’ve got people like, “Hey, I wanna be a part of this. I’d like to join. I see what you're doing.” Or they kind of hang back and then it registers.” - Jason Hanson
Both Jason and Kyle have left corporate ag retail jobs to start their own independent agronomic consulting businesses: Jason several years ago with Rock and Roll Agronomy in Webster, ND; and Kyle Okke just this past year with Agile Agronomy in Dickinson, ND. The two also joined forces with Bridget Readel to form Ag Mafia which put on Agronomy on Ice and is offering training, coaching, and other media services.
“I absolutely really enjoy what I did before and I'm very thankful for the opportunity I was given and the development I got and just everything, crop protection and adjuvants and all that. But for me it was time. And doing this on my own has been the best move I felt like I could make because it's a lot of fun to be able to be impactful to the local group of farmers and retailers that I work with.” - Kyle Okke
This Week on Soil Sense:
Join Jason Hanson of Rock and Roll Agronomy and Kyle Okke of Agile Agronomy, both hosts of the Agronomist Happy Hour podcast
Discover their career journeys and what projects they are working on right now
Explore the future of biological inputs to better manage water, soil and pests
![Soil Health in Sugar Beet Rotations with Mike Van Eps](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1688858477021-34cfa17628aa7.jpg)
Soil Health in Sugar Beet Rotations with Mike Van Eps
Mike Van Eps of Centrol Ag Consulting has been a crop consultant for over 20 years in the Southern Red River Valley. He’s in the heart of sugar beet country but also scouts a lot of acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat. He joins us to discuss the soil health building practices he implements with his growers including things like rye strips, spring barley, and increasing strip tillage. We also talk more generally about some of the barriers to adoption of some of these practices, approaches that are successful and some that aren’t in his area, and a little bit on his experiences with the trusted advisor partnership.
“We're able to maybe push the limits, but tradition and people are set in their ways. It's difficult to change those habits, but we are. We're starting to see changes to where we can begin to do some more less tillage, more conservation type planting, cover crops, integrating into our rotation in front of sugar beets.” - Mike Van Eps
Changes in technology have allowed for expansion of sugar beet soil health practices. Producers have access to GMO crops, availability of different herbicides and because of that use of cover crops. “There weren’t a lot of options” to battle wind erosion with cover crops prior to these advances.
“I have yet to have a field of rye blow. Last spring was a disaster for wind erosion for us. We replanted 20% of our sugar beet acres from wind sand blasting. It was just an awful spring including where we had spring barley cover crops. They blew out as well. But the rye, it's big enough and aggressive enough where it doesn't move…it’s a little early in this season to tell yet but I have complete confidence that we’re going to weather anything that mother nature can throw at these sugar beets right now where the rye is.” - Mike Van Eps
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Mike Van Eps of Centrol Ag Consulting
Discover soil health building practices for the sugar beet producer
![Root Biology with Dr. Christopher Topp](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1687902955740-3feaa7ceead9.jpg)
Root Biology with Dr. Christopher Topp
Dr. Christopher Topp is the principal investigator and associate member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Topp runs a root biology lab where they develop techniques to study root systems both in the lab and in the field. They work with a number of novel imaging approaches to better understand root and soil biology beyond the current state of the art. Ultimately, he hopes this knowledge will be used for the benefit of farmers to improve the productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems.
“The fundamental observation is that, we know so little about root systems…And this has real important impacts on plant health, plant productivity, soil health and our ability to meet the challenges of the modern day which are to at least not decrease the amount of soil we have and the quality of it, if not to actually regenerate it, but also to to feed a growing population under challenging conditions.” - Dr. Christopher Topp
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science, research, education and outreach. They aim to have an impact at the nexus of food security and the environment.
“The mindset is to develop new technologies or bring them in from other areas and really learn how to apply them to roots. Once we do that, once we can see them or measure them in a meaningful way, then it's really every plant scientist's dream…Once we're able to get a good idea of what's the best kind of root system for a particular environment, we can then learn about mechanisms that allow us to breed or otherwise develop technologies that can improve root systems.” - Dr. Christopher Topp
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Dr. Christopher Topp, the principal investigator and associate member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri
Discover the work being done at the Danforth Center and the impact they can make for future farming practices
![A Crop Consultant's Approach to Soil Health with Brett Peterson](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1687365132784-448b8aced4328.jpg)
A Crop Consultant's Approach to Soil Health with Brett Peterson
Bismark-based crop consultant Brett Peterson has been working at Centrol Ag Consulting for the past 15 years alongside farmers to provide the best agronomic advice possible. He doesn’t sell products but is paid to make his clients farms the best they can be such as by building the health of the soil and the productivity of the system. Peterson discusses what’s working on the farms he works with on the east and south sides of Bismark. We cover how he incorporates soil health principles into his agronomic advice, how irrigation changes his approach and the process of considering and adopting new ideas on-farm.
“We work with a lot of large clients and the thing is you need to make sure that you're not stopping the process and slowing up the farm…So I would say that's the biggest thing. First and foremost, you gotta just look at it. Is this even possible with a large amount of acres? Because at the end of the day, we have to get across the land and we have to make money doing this too.” - Brett Peterson
Peterson shares that practices like intercropping are very difficult to incorporate in large operations. He’s noticed that the use of rye has encouraged producers with large operations to start some cover crop initiatives. Education, conferences and communication between producers has also helped these advances. He goes on to share soil building practices in between potato rotations and how the occasional required tillage can actually benefit the soil.
“No-till isn't the end all be all. You have to really find that perfect mix of really light tillage but preserving that top layer of organic matter and whatnot to keep that ground cover. It's kind of a teetering cycle that we're dealing with right now.” - Brett Peterson
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Bismark-based crop consultant Brett Peterson of Centrol Ag Consulting
Explore the soil health practices he is using in his part of the state on large acre productions
Discover the benefits he has seen to light tillage and the potential pitfalls he has observed in going full no-till
![A Systems-Based Approach to Carbon with Nick Reinke](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1686693218969-c52cb5364b7f3.jpg)
A Systems-Based Approach to Carbon with Nick Reinke
Nick Reinke, is not only the CEO of HabiTerre but also grew up on a farm, worked in soil health with an agricultural coop, and has a background in ag finance. He is uniquely qualified to help us explore how all of this “carbon talk” fits into soil health practice adoption, company involvement and sustainability goals. HabiTerre uses deep science and technology to quantify environmental outcomes for agriculture. But where many other companies focus on trying to measure soil carbon, Nick says HabiTerre looks at things in a really comprehensive systems context. Their goal is to try to determine how productivity and environmental sustainability relate to farming outcomes like productivity, nutrient management, and soil health. Nick says he was most excited to join HabiTerre because he saw too many people focused on soil carbon measurement missing the picture of what that means for real farm outcomes.
“I saw something just fundamentally groundbreaking about the technology that he had developed. So a lot less dependency on manually gathered data and still generating really accurate outcomes. But again, getting back to that systems perspective. Not just looking at soil carbon, but let's think about this through the lens of the farmer… Like how does this relate to inputs? How does it impact productivity? Things like that. So that's where I've been really excited to kind of join this scaling team here.” - Nick Reinke
Reinke shares that HabiTerre is collaborating with the National Association of Conservation Districts in creating field specific scenario modeling for what future soil health practices could produce. This “feedback loop” to farmers will serve as another “value added tool” for agronomists and advisors to use in order to support on-farm changes and practices. Furthermore Reinke breaks down the role agriculture plays in big corporations reducing their scope 3 emissions and why practices on the farm are of a great interest to them.
“Well, if you're gonna track progress, you're gonna need a lot better data, that's just logistically and cost prohibitive. It's very difficult for them to get. So we're trying to streamline that process. And the big thing that I don't wanna lose there is streamlining that process means more of these resources go to farmers…So if we make that quantification piece more efficient, that's more resources to farmers.” - Nick Reinke
![Dairies and Soil Health with Brett Blackwelder](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1686584025819-ae5873a3b6096.jpg)
Dairies and Soil Health with Brett Blackwelder
Brett Blackwelder traveled from West Central Minnesota to participate in the Agronomy on Ice event and that's where this interview was recorded in February of this year. Blackwelder farms with his dad and brother in Chokio, Minnesota. Together they have a 320-cow dairy and about 2700 acres of cropland. When it comes to their dairy production, they knew they needed to either get bigger, get automated, or get out. They chose to embrace robots. A big part of his job is managing the automated part of their operation. Blackwelder shares his views on soil health, the relationship between the row crop side of their operation and the dairy, and how they have managed the transition to using robots on the farm.
“You just see stuff on the internet about how we're wrecking soils, especially on the dairy side with silage. We don't have any cover in the fall and seeing firsthand soil blowing like crazy the way it was so I wanted to at least try to do something … just to make ourselves feel like good stewards.” - Brett Blackwelder
The Blackwelders refer to themselves as “lifelong learners” and are slowly implementing more soil health practices including reducing tillage and adding cover crops to avoid bare soil. Learning how to keep packing wheels on his implement and how to time the process of the cover crop planting has been part of the learning process. Other learnings are involved in the introduction of more automation in their dairy operation. He has noticed “the less time you spend in the barn, the more milk you get.” Flying the cover crop seed on was another new practice they tried.
“You know, our time is so valuable still at the farm where if we had to inter-seed it or do something ourselves, that actually probably would be more expensive in our case.” - Brett Blackwelder
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Brett Blackwelder from Chokio, Minnesota where he farms a 320-cow dairy and about 2700 acres of cropland with his family
Discover how a dairy producer like Brett made big changes to improve his family’s soil health on the crop side of their operation
![Soil Health Assessment with Jordon Wade, Ph.D.](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1685499167481-939227e1aaa35.jpg)
Soil Health Assessment with Jordon Wade, Ph.D.
Dr. Jordon Wade is an assistant professor of soil health and soil fertility at the University of Missouri. Wade is also the director of the Soil Health Assessment Center, which is one of the few places in the US that offers the full gamut of soil health measurements. The USDA and Soil Health Institute have both put together lists of relevant soil health measurements. And these empirical ways of measuring soil health is what this episode explores from aggregate stability to organic matter to microbial biomass and beyond.
“We really want to be able to get that holistic picture from around the state, you know, all of our ag producing regions...You know it gives us a lot more insight into that context specificity than if we were to be referencing a national database or something like that. We just have so much information, so much granularity from those samples that are coming in.” - Dr. Jordon Wade
Wade explains the wealth of data the Soil Health Assessment Center is acquiring and how they are enriching it with surveys, trials and collaborations. The results are “truly decision support tools.” Measurements help producers pivot and track their efforts to improve their soil health. Wade shares that one of the measurements he finds most impactful is aggregate stability which “integrates the chemical and physical components” of the soil leading to benefits like less erosion potential.
“We're really at a crossroads here in Missouri in terms of climate and soil types. I always say that farming in Missouri is playing the farming game on hard mode because shallow soils and drought prone weather is tough.” - Dr. Jordon Wade
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Dr. Jordon Wade, an assistant professor of soil health and soil fertility at the University of Missouri as well as the director of the Soil Health Assessment Center
Explore the significance and value in the operation of the Soil Health Assessment Center for the state of Missouri
![Soil Health Challenges in Long Term No Till with Josh Hammond](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1684275992267-77d9edd5c8e41.jpg)
Soil Health Challenges in Long Term No Till with Josh Hammond
In this episode we are joined by Josh Hammond who owns FarmAssist Consulting where he works with farmers mostly around the Beach, North Dakota area. Josh talks about some of the challenges his farmers face in that area including pH challenges, residue management, strip till, livestock and compost. Josh is also a member of the Trusted Advisor Partnership that you’ve heard about in earlier episodes of this season.
“I grew up in an area that was one of the pioneers of no-till, so a lot of those farms started back in the eighties. I was just a young kid when that got started, but everything was changing from a lot of wind and water erosion every spring and full tillage to switching over to managing for erosion and conserving moisture. So I just grew up with that being normal.” - Josh Hammond
Josh shares the common conversations he has with his clients and how he approaches some of these challenges including cover crops, no-till and livestock. As with anything, no-till has its advantages and consequences. Josh shares some of the issues his no-till producers are facing including stratification of soil nutrients and managing soil pH. One unexpected mitigation for these issues is permitting some weed growth to simulate a cover crop in saline stressed areas.
“For so many years guys have thought we just keep working up the saline seep areas and it'll get better. Well, it never does. That's what grandpa did, that's what dad did. And the areas never improve. And once guys have turned into, whether it's mowing the kosha, let it regrow, something like that, then we start shrinking it down and we keep getting a little smaller each year. And then we control the weeds.” - Josh Hammond
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet Josh Hammond who owns FarmAssist Consulting where he works with farmers mostly around the Beach, North Dakota area
Understand his background and how it influences the advice he offers his producer clients
Discover some of the challenges no-till producers face that were previously not a concern
![Practical Soil Science Research with Brady Goettl](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1683223033915-491c94042ccb7.jpg)
Practical Soil Science Research with Brady Goettl
In this episode we revisit Agronomy on Ice for another great conversation this time with NDSU extension soil health research technician Brady Goettl. If you’ve benefited at all from extension soil health work in recent years, you’ve probably been the beneficiary of Brady’s work in some form or another. Brady discusses his research, what led him into the soil science field, his extension work which includes direct interactions with farmers regarding soil health, and his quest to better understand soil fertility and nitrogen management.
“In order to get a full picture of what's happening when you plant that cover crop, you have to do a really intensive sampling and through a ton of different avenues. So what I'm doing with my research is more of a traditional approach where we're looking at nitrate, ammonium and non-exchangeable ammonium in the soil.” Brady Goettl
Brady hopes to “develop some sort of either nitrogen credit or recommendation” for producers based on the cover crop biomass produced. The research is ongoing but could lead to less input needs based on “credits” attributed to different practices after determining how they all interact with each other.
“We know that there's a lot of these microbes that can fix nitrogen and do it symbiotically. So we don't necessarily need a legume, for example, to fix that nitrogen… If we can harness the power of those guys to help us fix nitrogen, that's gonna be a game changer if we don't have to rely on synthetic nitrogen anymore.” - Brady Goettl
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet NDSU extension soil health research technician Brady Goettl
Explore his research interests and the benefits and insight he hopes to be able to provide producers in their nitrogen needs
Understand the focus Brady has taken in his approach to address the problems producers are most concerned about
![Salinity Management with Darren Dunham](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1681318054657-b68b25f60291a.jpg)
Salinity Management with Darren Dunham
In this episode, crop consultant Darren Dunham shares about some of the soil related challenges farmers are facing in his area of North Central North Dakota. Darren lives in Maxbass, and has worked there for Centrol Crop Consulting for the past ten years. He grew up on a farm in the eastern part of the state and those early experiences have stuck with Darren and informed how he gives advice to the farmers he works with. Unfortunately soil blowing away is still an issue in many areas. Where Darren is now, north of Minot, minimum till and no-till have been really common pretty much since the advent of the Concord Air Seeder. That’s not the case in the Red River Valley, where Darren grew up.
“As they were pulling these fence posts out of the ground, they realized that they were on top of an old fence. That the old fence had been covered by soil from wind erosion…That's four feet of soil that had drifted in there…..but that was back in the day of plows and pony drills. Everything was tilled black and lost a lot of soil. It's heartbreaking to think about it. Just the massive amount of soil, nutrients, organic matter that is rearranged for one, but gone, period.” Darren Dunham
Darren finds himself addressing a different issue with a lot of his clients. Salinity issues have become a significant problem for North Dakota producers. The right answer for how to handle salinity is not always straightforward or quick. Moisture management and getting saline-tolerant crops established in some of these spots is easier said than done. All of this salinity management gets back to a fundamental principle of soil health of keeping a living root in the soil as much as possible.
“Salinity is a water issue. You have to manage the water. So other than putting tile into the field, we're gonna suck the water through plants and alfalfa is the number one water user crop that we have in North Dakota…. So the alfalfa is hopefully intercepting that water that is moving by capillary pressure to that salient spot, intercepting it before it has a chance to percolate to the top of the soil, evaporate and leave its salt as precipitate on top of the soil.” - Darren Dunham
This Week on Soil Sense:
Meet crop consultant Darren Dunham from north central North Dakota who works with Centrol Crop Consulting
Explore his personal history with wind erosion and adjusting tillage practices
Discover his process for addressing and managing salinity issues that are faced by the majority of producers in North Dakota
![Talking Tillage at Agronomy on Ice](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1680029888119-abdb7127f0af2.jpg)
Talking Tillage at Agronomy on Ice
In this episode you’ll hear from four different farmers and one crop consultant about their individual perspectives and experience with tillage. To use tillage or go no-till is sometimes controversial and often treated as a form of identity. This discussion explores a more practical approach from people trying to reduce the harmful effects of tillage, but still keeping the necessary tools in their toolbox that their operation needs.
In order of appearance, you’ll hear from:
Greg Amundson, farmer in Gilby, North Dakota
Dr. Lee Briese, crop consultant with Centrol Inc.
John Aamodt, farmer in Arvilla, North Dakota
Matthew Krueger, farmer in East Grand Forks, Minnesota
George Herman, farmer in Brinsmade, North Dakota
“One thing I've really struggled with lately is labels…You know we try a no-till, and that's our philosophy but I'm not afraid to run our vertical till out there if we have to.…I'm a conservation minded farmer…. I will do what I have to do to get a crop. You know, the labels be damned pretty much.” - Greg Amundson
Agronomy on Ice was a great place to capture different perspectives on soil health. Every one of these farmers and consultants in Lee’s case is finding the tillage practice that optimizes soil health and productivity for each individual field and each individual circumstance. It’s not helpful to apply labels or identities around these practices. Rather, producers should find the best approach for their situation with soil health in mind as a consideration for the overall system.
“That's what Greg's doing. He's doing something that doesn't fit the quote unquote no-till marker, but it's getting his soil health journey because now he's fixed that field, let it repair, rebuilt it again in that spot, which is a little frustrating, but it's better than leaving that wound wide open… I support diagnosing the challenge, finding the right solutions, putting them in the practice at the right timing, whatever they may be. That to me is more of a soil health thing.” -Dr. Lee Briese
This Week on Soil Sense:
Listen in on a discussion of real world tillage experience with four farmers and a crop consultant as they navigate how to prioritize soil health in a practical approach to field management
Explore the limitations created by labeling practices and operations as no-till or reduced tillage
![Soil to Cereal with Dr. Steve Rosenzweig of General Mills](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1678229915685-384c62e82d06c.jpg)
Soil to Cereal with Dr. Steve Rosenzweig of General Mills
Dr. Steve Rosenzweig is a soil scientist and the agriculture science lead at General Mills. General Mills is a leading American producer of consumer foods, especially flour, breakfast cereals, snacks, prepared mixes, and similar products. Along with co-host Dr. Abbey Wick, we discuss how General Mills is looking at soil health and regenerative agriculture, how they view their role in agricultural sustainability, and what insights they’ve learned from being involved in soil health initiatives for several years.
“We wanted to be out there helping to figure out how do we conduct on-farm research with farmers to really understand what they're learning and what they're seeing on their farms. So that's kind of where we started, was really on that research side. And then it's really just been about forming partnerships with folks that are in the communities that we are sourcing these ingredients from and really understand that local context.” - Dr. Steve Rosenzweig
Steve joined the company in 2017,after earning his Ph.D. in soil science at Colorado State University. He says his role is to help find scientifically-driven ways to increase adoption of soil health principles in the areas where they source key ingredients for their products. He also works on the science side to see how to measure things like soil health, biodiversity, water, and farm economics at scale.
“Our entire business is resting on the resilience and ability of farmers to keep farming essentially. So increasingly our leadership investors really want to make sure that we are investing to make sure that General Mills is going to be around for another 150 years… And really forming these kinds of partnerships and really helping to support farmers and increase their viability, longevity, and resilience is what we've realized is a business imperative. Their business is our business essentially.” - Dr. Steve Rosenzweig
This Week on Soil Sense:
- Continue the discussion and explore some of the support behind the Trusted Advisor Partnership program
- Meet Dr. Steve Rosenzweig, a soil scientist and the agriculture science lead at General Mills and learn about the purpose behind their involvement in the TAP program
- Explore the role General Mills will play and the initiatives they are taking to promote soil health
- Visit Trusted Advisor Partnership to learn more and sign up for more information
![Trusted Advisor Partnership with Abbey Wick, Ph.D.](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_episode400/883589/883589-1678392418767-4c7e2dcdd4257.jpg)
Trusted Advisor Partnership with Abbey Wick, Ph.D.
Many food companies have become increasingly more interested in what part they can play in building healthier soils. If they’re in it for the long haul and truly want to develop partnerships with farmers, it will take an intentional and dedicated approach to collaborating with growers and their trusted advisors to figure out what might be right in each individual situation.
“What if we all just worked on this together and used this great organization out of Vermont called the Sustainable Food Lab that works with all these companies regularly? How about we bring all these ideas together and come up with one program for the entire state of North Dakota? And let's not base it on these ideas of just paying farmers to adopt practices, but let's actually make those practices stick.” - Dr. Abbey Wick
That’s exactly what the Trusted Advisor Partnership is seeking to do. In this episode you’ll hear about how a group of food and beverage companies is working together with the mission of introducing new soil health building practices on 500,000 acres in North Dakota in the next five years. To make that happen, they have enlisted the help of Dr. Abbey Wick, the Sustainable Food Lab and crop consultants like Dr. Lee Briese and Jason Hanson, to lead certified crop advisors through the process of trying these practices. This is a great episode for understanding how food companies can work together with farmers to create lasting change.
“I think if we can get these companies to work together like they are, the CCA has the knowledge of all those programs and can pick the best one for the grower, take it to them, then the grower signs up for it and then the company now can say we've influenced “X” acres in North Dakota.” - Dr. Abbey Wick
This Week on Soil Sense:
- Discover the Trusted Advisor Partnership program and how this may impact soil health in North Dakota over the next five years and the benefits it offers producers beyond improved soil health
- Learn how the program hopes to gain traction over time towards its initial goal of influencing soil health practices over 500,000 acres in North Dakota
- Explore the roles crop advisors Dr. Lee Briese and Jason Hanson will play in creating content to deliver to participating CCAs
- Visit Trusted Advisor Partnership to learn more and sign up for more information
![Field Check Season Finale: No Such Thing as a One-Size-Fits-All](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check Season Finale: No Such Thing as a One-Size-Fits-All
In this episode we revisit some highlights of the most useful and important information shared through the first fourteen Field Check segments. You’re going to hear from experts like Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Lee Briese, Mark Huso, Jason Hanson, and Angie Johnson. These highlights cover topics ranging from cover crops, moisture management, crop rotation, salinity, farm safety and more. The overall message throughout is that there is no one right way to build healthier soils. It’s all about finding out what each individual field needs, and having the tools and expertise to execute on that.
“Tons of ways to get cover crops in the system, whether you have the equipment to broadcast and that seems like the best fit for you time wise and logistics wise. Or if you have the time to put somebody into a tractor with a drill and seed the cover crop after harvest… I think they're gonna improve the soil in many ways. Not only trafficability at harvest, but managing moisture at harvest and also again in the springtime at planting.” - Dr. Abbey Wick
Crop consultant Lee Briese says it’s all about assessing each individual field and designing the right system on a field-by-field basis. “You make sure you’ve got the right tool for what you’re doing.” It’s this field by field approach that has led Mark Huso down the road of using the term “field health” to reference not just soil health. He chooses to focus on overall long term productivity of a particular field. “A healthy field raises a good crop and there’s different ways to get there.” Mark and his farmer customers are finding success in diversifying crop rotations to manage issues such as saline areas. Jason Hanson also shares some of his thoughts on approaching the issue of salinity and consulting with peers to tackle similar obstacles.
You're gonna have to use the weapons you have in your arsenal, and that is going to be if you can get any surface drainage, any internal tiling done…. No one likes to split up fields and do that type of thing. I think more people are listening to that because other people are doing it. The best peers out there are other consultants, other farmers in particular that are actually doing these things. They just said, “This isn't working. We gotta try something else.” And that's what you do. - Jason Hanson
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Soil Sense Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.
![Field Check: Systems Thinking](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Systems Thinking
In this episode you’ll hear from a number of farmers and consultants about their systems-based approach to farming and soil health. Starting with Ontario farmers Woody Van Arkle who recalls the first time he heard Dr. Lee Briese speak to a group of farmers. His practical approach is the result of looking at a field as a system. Lee, who is a crop consultant for Centrol Ag Consulting, stresses this systems-based thinking approach to farming and soil health.
“What are you gonna do? Where's your next crop? Where are you going? How's this gonna be? So I can't just stand in front of a room of 300 people and say, there you go. You start here and then you go here and you go here and you go here. You simply can't do that…. There is no prescription, but you're trying to teach people to be an ecosystem's manager. To do that, you have to be observing what's happening.” - Dr. Lee Briese
North Dakota farmer Mark Olson found out that strip tillage was the right approach for his system. He’s seen the results in both his soil and his yields, and he even says the approach saved his crop a couple of years ago. He tells other farmers to “keep learning, never quit and keep trying.” Mark’s crop consultant, Matt Olson (no relation), said he had a few concerns when Mark wanted to dive headfirst into cover crops and strip tillage but said the results have been undeniable.
“All of a sudden we started going from 40 bushel soybeans to 60 bushel soybeans by implementing strip till and cover crops. Also seeing that we probably weren't introducing any new weeds. We were actually getting better weed control by having the ground covered which is huge for us in our water hemp neck of the woods and kosha neck of the woods and stuff like that.” - Matt Olson
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Soil Sense Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.
![Field Check: Residue Management](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Residue Management
In this episode we talk about a problem that many farmers run into on their soil health journeys: residue management. But rather than just focus on one field, we’ve collected a handful of different perspectives and experiences for you. You’ll hear from two farmers and two researchers about this challenge and how they’re finding ways to maximize the benefits of residue while managing the challenges that can come with it. Farmer Sam Landman describes the problems that residue has caused on his farm in the past, and how he’s tried to address them. He is in the process of trying different seeding equipment and timing to better manage his residue issue.
“We're wrestling with high moisture in our soils, being able to get into it, and then also high residue. We have hair pinning problems with our no-till equipment, like our single disc drills and disc planters and stuff. If the residue isn't quite dry or if it's too thick it'll hair pin and then the seed won't have any soil contact and it won't come up…. so we're having residue management challenges and moisture challenges and that's the biggest thing.” - Sam Landman
Soil Scientist Dr. Caley Gasch addressed this challenge at a previous DIRT workshop. Caley has since moved from NDSU up to Alaska, but she is included in this episode to help explain how a more biologically active soil can eventually help reduce some of these residue issues. Caley’s colleague Dr. Aaron Daigh, who is now at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln speaks to the challenge of getting soil with residue to heat up in the spring. He says shallow vertical tillage might be a good option for many farmers.
“You kind of have to get a little creative by incorporating some cover crops to change those carbon-nitrogen ratios so that that residue starts to decompose. Or maybe you try strip till as sort of your transition tool to migrate into a reduced till system. But as that soil begins to recover, as those microbes and fungi and, and earthworms and insects return to that soil and boost their numbers in response to the lack of disturbance, they're gonna take care of that residue over time.” - Dr. Caley Gasch
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![Field Check: Barley and Soil Health](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Barley and Soil Health
In this episode we talk about the challenge of getting cover crops implemented in a system, and highlight how barley can be a helpful crop in overcoming some of these challenges. You’re going to hear from two guests today: Dr. Dave Franzen, soil scientist with NDSU Extension, and Jason Hanson, crop consultant and owner of Rock & Roll Agronomy. Dr. Franzen shares about the challenges of getting cover crops established in a corn/soybean rotation in North Dakota.
“If you just look at the corn and soybean rotation, the opportunity to grow some kind of a cover crop is pretty low in this region. But with barley, you're taking it off early in the season. You often have two months time for you to grow a cover crop. And it's not unusual to grow a ton of dry matter with rye or oats and or radish or just leaving the barley as a volunteer and using that as the grass, which is to me, the cheapest thing to do. So that's a big win.” - Dr. Dave Franzen
Unfortunately, every year we see soil from farmer’s fields blowing away. Dr. Franzen has been studying the impacts of barley added into these rotations, and says he can confidently answer the question on whether or not it can help the soil health. Jason echoes this solution and introduces us to one of his farmers’ fields of barley and how they’re approaching their management and soil health. Jason says that going no till is definitely an option for some of his farmers, but others don’t want to go down that road. He points out that even for those who have to work the field, there are options for minimizing disturbance.
“It's all part of a system that you gotta sit and look back and look at your rotation, your farmer, his equipment, how the harvest is gonna go. I guess that's the fun part and the challenge. It's not easy…. It's like if we do this, we have to think ahead of time as to what we want to do.” - Jason Hanson
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![Field Check: Crop Rotation with Mark Huso](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Crop Rotation with Mark Huso
In this episode we are back with Mark Huso of Huso Crop Consulting based in Lakota, North Dakota. Mark shares about the value he has found in diversifying crop rotations. Over the years in working with several different farmers, Mark has seen the value both agronomically and economically in adding crops to the rotation, as long as they contribute to what he calls field health: which combines soil health and productivity. It can be difficult, he admits, for some farmers to initially get excited about the idea of considering new crops for the rotation.
“We've always had the option. It feels like we're choosing simplicity over crop rotation…So don't fix what's not broken. However, as the guys have included a third crop, a fourth crop, a fifth crop, a sixth crop, a seventh crop. We have two farms that have seven crops on their farms because they're seeing a benefit to adding different crops in the rotation.” - Mark Huso
Mark has seen firsthand how this diversification can improve field health, water utilization, weed suppression, operational efficiencies, and even help to manage salinity. While barley is known for being a great crop for saline areas, Mark says changing things up to include not only barley but also other crops, can really help.
“It's taking away the saline areas, you know the corn grew past the soybean ground. The sunflowers are growing past where the corn stocks were. So it's managing the salinity as we're seeing that ground improve. Now, if we had just stayed barley soybeans, barley soybeans, barley soybeans. It would be the same or get worse, but because we changed rotations and the roots in the soil are changing, we're utilizing more water. We're managing salinity that way by simply changing the crop.” - Mark Huso
We often talk about soil health on this show, but talking about field health is a very intentional distinction in the way that Mark looks at things. Once a farmer heads down this road, just like anything else, it’s not always going to be smooth sailing. Mark says the overall results have been positive, but sometimes logistics can become a challenge.
“A healthy field is a field that raises a great crop. And so that is based on drainage, it's based on crop rotation and it's based on the field being weed free, a clean field. And so sometimes my no-till fields are some of the dirtier fields, because they're tougher to manage. But after a couple years they're the cleanest fields because they've been managed the right way. And so I'm trying to change my soil health more to field health.” - Mark Huso
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![Field Check: Practical Approaches to Soil Health with Mark Huso](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Practical Approaches to Soil Health with Mark Huso
In this episode we are joined by Mark Huso of Huso Crop Consulting based in Lakota, North Dakota. After working in ag retail, Mark decided to start his own company over a decade ago doing independent crop consulting. This year has been especially challenging for Mark’s producers. He was really happy with the way things were looking with cattails and with the fields in general last fall, but 2022 snow and rains really have made things difficult. He shares about some of the unique challenges his farmers have experienced, how they have approached prevent plant acres, and how he wishes more people would look at tillage.
“We had a lot of fall tillage done, fields were in really nice shape. We were gonna get a lot of acres back. And then towards the end of fall right before freeze up, we had a fair amount of rain. Then we had a lot of snow and then we had a lot of rain coming into March, April and into May. And so, very challenging, very late start, awfully wet….So what we were hoping was going to be a tremendous 2022 in terms of acres, production and efficiency did not happen.” - Mark Huso
In difficult times like this in North Dakota, we end up with a lot of prevent plant acres. Initial considerations involve weed management, cover crop selections and residue management followed by what crop will they pursue in 2023. And this is an important consideration for cover crops in general. Before deciding what to plant it’s important to make sure it’s compatible with whatever you’re hoping to plant into that ground the following year.
“I would try to let that (cover) crop go as long as you can. The benefits of cover crop and radish and turnip is letting them grow in the soil and get a nice established root system. So if we do get a lot of rain again, this fall and winter, it has somewhere to go...When we put a soil probe in a prevent plant field that has a full season radish, turnip and rye mix. I mean, there is no compaction. Those roots are doing what they're supposed to do, and they're providing a nice root structure for that soil, allowing for water to drain through that. We can smell it. We can feel it. You can see it. There's something real to those cover crops being in the soil.” - Mark Huso
Over the years, Mark has seen the pros and cons of a variety of farming practices. His overall advice to farmers is to experiment with what works best for your particular operation and to use tools such as tillage in a way that's as needed rather than applied generally across the farm.
“Not jumping in with both feet. That has hurt more than it's helped. I mean I'm all for trying new things. My brother Scott would say, “You can't swim if you don't dive in.” And sure, that's right for a lot of applications, but you know, this year for example, to be honest…the straight up no-till was some of our most troublesome fields….And so you don't need your great-grandfather's tillage. You need your type of tillage for 2022…I'm calling it tillage by assignment.” - Mark Huso
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Soil Sense Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.
![Field Check: Vetting Biological Inputs](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Vetting Biological Inputs
Field testing new products is an important and sometimes overlooked role that agronomists and crop consultants can play. Jason Hanson joins us again on the program to talk about the types of products he has been testing, what has worked and what hasn’t worked for him in the past. He shares how these trials help to lower risk for farmers on products that even if great, might not be great for their area. You may remember, Jason is a crop consultant and the owner of Rock and Roll Agronomy based in Webster, North Dakota.
“Consultants are inherently very conservative when it comes to spending their clients money and trying to find things that will benefit them, whether that is post emerge spraying, fertility, or trying to find information on bio stimulants. All these things that are approaching the market. I'm gonna look at some products they are saying can alleviate or work on salinity…Now, I don't know how it's going to do what it does, but I want to see what is out there because sometimes you gotta step out of your comfort zone and give anything the benefit of the doubt.” - Jason Hanson
Just like farmers only get one opportunity a year to make a crop, researchers and agronomists only get one shot to get good data on these emerging products. Jason says ultimately, it’s all about trying to lower the risk for farmers, and save them money. He says at the moment he’s looking at a few different biological products, including biostimulants.
“I'm really interested in some of the things they have to say and what they're doing but I have to validate it with my customers to see that it's there as well. So to go from putting on N P K to reducing it and putting on something else… I'd still like to try it, because a lot of times companies will come out with this is the national average, and then you can find parts of the country, whether that's fertility, whether that's fungicide, where it's a lot higher.” - Jason Hanson
In the past Jason has found success with soybean innoculants. Biofungicides and insecticides have not been proven more beneficial than conventional methods for Jason and his clients. At the core of his recommendations is research, data and results in his area. While he sees biostimulants as the future of agriculture he hasn’t seen sufficient data to be able to know when and how to confidently recommend their use at this time.
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Soil Sense Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.
![Field Check: Perennial Cover Crops and Baling](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Perennial Cover Crops and Baling
In this episode we talk about full season and perennial cover crops. These are great options in not only prevent plant situations, but also trying to manage the health of saline soils. As we’ve done on several episodes of this season of Field Check, we will also highlight the agronomic, logistical, and safety considerations when growing these types of cover crops. Assistant professor and soil health extension specialist Dr. Abbey Wick, said she has been expecting a lot of prevented planting acres this year.
“I think farmers are working as hard as they can as quickly as they can to get crops in the field, but some of those areas, or some of those fields are just gonna be ones that they're not gonna get to. And so in that case, we really wanna encourage a full season cover crop to manage that field just like you would with a cash crop.” - Dr. Abbey Wick
Abbey recommends looking at the NDSU Soil Health Cover Crop Booklet and the Grazing Cover Crop Booklet for more insight and information into this process. Dr. Kevin Sedivec, who as many of you know is a professor of range science at NDSU, says to prioritize soil health first when selecting full season cover crops. He also recommends considering whether you’ll be leaving it idle, grazing it or haying it.
“We should always think of soil health first. If I can create a food base to enhance the soils, I can then tweak that to make it good for livestock.” - Dr. Kevin Sedivec
Kevin highlights that if bailing is selected you need to understand that you are removing carbon from your ecosystem. He says there is a balance to be considered and achieved with regard to how much carbon you are adding with manure from livestock and how much you are removing with bailing. If you do decide to bail your cover crops, there are some really important safety considerations to also keep in mind. NDSU extension farm and ranch safety coordinator. Angie Johnson says it's especially important to remember safe practices when operating baling equipment.
“There are so many moving parts, whether you've got a belt baler, a chain baler, or a roller baler. With all of those rotating parts, you have extra areas where we call pinch points or rat points, so areas where you can get your fingers or limbs in some pretty serious danger. And so focus on reading that operator's manual on how you perform maintenance.” - Angie Johnson
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![Field Check: Soil Health and Moisture Management with Dr. Lee Briese](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Soil Health and Moisture Management with Dr. Lee Briese
In this episode we explore the question of how to improve soil health in fields that are just too wet. From drainage tile to cover crops, Dr. Lee Briese visits some of the strategies and tactics he uses with the farmers he works with. Lee is a Crop Consultant covering Stutsman and Barnes Counties in North Dakota for Centrol Ag Consulting. He has been scouting fields and providing recommendations for farmers in North Dakota for over 20 years. He says there hasn’t been a year he would classify as ‘normal’ in quite a while, and that this year has been especially challenging.
“We went from this field's going to be corn, this field's going to be wheat, this field's going to be soybeans to what field is dry enough to plant today. So a lot of those plans just went out the window. And so we're at the point now once we get them planted, then we figure out how we can deal with those weeds.” - Dr. Lee Briese
And especially in years like this, there are fields or areas of fields that are just always wet, and present their own set of problems like trafficability issues, weed pressure and salinity. Lee relies on his creativity and the tools in his toolbox to address these types of growing conditions.
“It's the same kind of principles, but it's a different thought process and it's a different prescription…Really what we're trying to do here now is use moisture out of sync of our cash crops… Instead of using tillage, because the tillage uses moisture through evaporation, but that evaporation increases salinity making the salts worse and we already have salt problems…We're using plants for the roots to go to 6, 8, 12, 14 inches deep to move the water from below instead of evaporating off the surface.” - Dr. Lee Briese
Lee mentioned their using crops like cereal rye to address these saline spots. This technique then distributes the salt throughout the soil profile reducing the risk of excess salinity while still capturing some of the moisture. Cereal rye can also serve as a “bridge to get across to move through that field” when trafficability becomes a concern. Lee reminds growers that you really need to assess the needs of each individual field first and then have the necessary tools to apply whatever that field needs.
“There's so many influencing factors that when you're trying to put together this plan this is why you have to look at the field. What are you trying to do? What can you work into your system? What is not gonna work?... It's about looking at your field, assessing each individual field with what are the challenges or problems that you're facing, and then designing a system that addresses those challenges.” - Dr. Lee Briese
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![Field Check: Building a Soil Health Legacy](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Building a Soil Health Legacy
In this episode we explore one of the most wonderful and unique aspects of farming, the ability to leave a real tangible legacy for your children. The sentiment and realization of that legacy is predicated on the quality of soil you pass along to them. NDSU Soil Health Specialist Dr. Abbey Wick and farmer Kerry Swindler about the importance of protecting the soil for this legacy. NDSU Extension Farm & Ranch Safety Coordinator Angie Johnson goes onto share about how to safely involve your children on the farm.
“Farmers in general, they're not farming for themselves. They’re farming for the next generation. They're thinking of the future of their farms, how they're going to set up the next generation for the best possible situation financially, but then also in their resources…..So if we’re really thinking about farm legacy, protecting that soil is your number one priority.” - Dr. Abbey Wick
Mott, North Dakota farmer Kerry Swindler has experienced this firsthand. He remembers how much topsoil they lost from tillage, and he actually remembers the day over 40 years ago he and his father decided to make a change to preserve their topsoil and promote soil health on their operation.
“I stopped my combine and I went over and I got on my dad's combine and I said, “Dad, we gotta do something here or there's not gonna be any land left for me to farm, much less my kids.” And he could see it….And it was a shock in a lot of ways, but it didn't take long to start seeing some of the benefits.” - Kerry Swindler
Farming is unique in that it is multi-generational, and it’s certainly a joy to watch the next generation get interested in agriculture. But tragic farm accidents involving children are all-too-common, and NDSU Extension Farm & Ranch Safety Coordinator Angie Johnson says it’s important to remember that farms are job sites.
“It's the only work site where children are ever allowed. You don't bring your kids to a construction zone or you don't take them on to work with you in most cases. And so it's very unique and we need to realize that at some point we need to be mindful and …..I think it is so crucial that we match a child's ability with a task on the farm.” - Angie Johnson
Angie recommends creating an open dialogue with kids where they can communicate questions and concerns while working on the farm. Incorporating them into the operation is not only teaching them what tasks are appropriate and how to perform them safely but also having open lines of communication so they can voice their concerns and stay safe.
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![Field Check: Managing Saline Soils with Jason Hanson](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Managing Saline Soils with Jason Hanson
In this episode crop consultant Jason Hanson discusses a soil-related issue many farmers have to deal with, salinity. Jason owns Rock and Roll Agronomy based in Webster, North Dakota. He said while salinity is a constant issue in many of the fields in his area, it’s especially concerning this year after a wet spring. Those wet conditions paired with high commodity prices can make it tempting to plant ground into cash crops when it might not be the best approach. He shares the story of one field that even after years of a salt tolerant grass, the saline spots still weren’t ready to go back into corn or soybeans.
“Some of this ground, the best thing for it is to just square it off, get it into a grass that you can hold habitat. You can hay it. You're not pouring money into it. And that's its use because it's not an economic drain and you're gonna get some of the benefits you don't have.” - Jason Hanson
Obviously every farmer wants to plant as much of a field as possible into crops that will generate the most revenue, but Jason says you have to look at both profitability and long term viability of the land. He is encouraging farmers to stick with these salt-tolerant grasses to prevent the salinity problems from getting worse.
“Barley is the thing I’m gonna tackle it with because people have some barley left over in bins and that's what we're gonna do to try to mitigate it. Because it's going to want to spread out. We got our water tables high. This thing's gonna get worse before it gets better.” - Jason Hanson
Some farmers look to tiling fields to help with drainage in situations like this, but Jason says even with tile, salinity problems can persist, especially when they’re coupled with sodicity problems. Jason recommends addressing any salinity issues early to prevent them from spreading. Jason says there are some crops that will handle salinity better than others.
“Even when you tile in some of these scenarios, the worst case is it's gonna take a long time. And I think people have to realize that some of this stuff, if it's mild, low key, you can manage it. That's still probably 5, 6, 7 year type of deal to get it back to better than it was. It probably isn't going to be the same as some of your other ground that you have…We can try our best but it's a slow process.” - Jason Hanson
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![Field Check: Cover Crops and Farm Implement Safety](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Cover Crops and Farm Implement Safety
In this episode we “cover” planting cover crops including some of the ways to get cover crops planted and established. We also discuss some really important and often overlooked safety considerations to think about before hooking up a seed drill or any other implement.
A common farm activity such as hooking up an implement often can be among the most dangerous. So we want to provide a refresher on the safety of hooking up any implement on the farm. NDSU Extension Farm & Ranch Safety Coordinator Angie Johnson says it’s all too easy to forget how risky working with moving machinery can be, especially with multiple people around who may not always be on the same page.
“You need to have a plan in place, and it's really important, especially if you're working with your employee or your son or daughter, or even your spouse, who's helping you hook up this piece of machinery. We need to be open and clear with our communication. Where is it safe for you to stand? When is it safe for you to drop that hitch pin?...When we're working with growers, we really emphasize using the 11 universal hand signals to help operators be able to back up farm equipment, because you can't always hear the other person.” - Angie Johnson
There are resources for these safety measures available on the NDSU Extension website. They have both posters and window clings to serve as great training tools and reminders of these universal hand signals for farmers and their employees.
Dr. Abbey Wick continues our discussion by sharing a few things to keep in mind as you start this part of your soil health journey.
“With the backing up and using a drill, that's probably your best way to get a cover crop established because you're getting really good seed to soil contact. So as long as you hook it up the proper way you could get that cover crop seed out there…..lots of ways to get them in the system.” - Dr. Abbey Wick
Farmer Sam Landman discusses the SHARE Farm which he runs in collaboration with NDSU Extension. SHARE stands for Soil Health and Agriculture Research Extension (SHARE) Farm, and it’s designed for field-scale, long-term, farmer-driven research into soil health building practices. Between his work on the SHARE farm and on his own farm, Sam says once you start to see the benefits from these practices like cover crops, you only want to do more of it.
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![Field Check: Every Field is Different with Dr. Lee Briese](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/883589/883589-1563934436800-d3feadc682cdc.jpg)
Field Check: Every Field is Different with Dr. Lee Briese
Today, we single out one field in particular to see how a crop consultant utilizes soil health principles and practices to improve both profitability and viability over time. Dr. Lee Briese a Crop Consultant covering Stutsman and Barnes Counties for Centrol Ag Consulting. He has been scouting fields and providing recommendations for farmers in North Dakota for over 20 years, and received his Doctor of Plant Health from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Lee was nice enough to provide an example of one field that he and the farmer decided to take a different approach with.
"So that's really where we started. We just kind of looked at what we were working with and said 'ok, planting corn and soybean that needs a lot of moisture midsummer is not working'. So what can we do to use the attributes of that field to our advantage?" - Dr. Lee Briese
"I just really think that when somebody is looking at this soil health thing, it's not about 'I'm gonna go no-till or I'm gonna plant cover crops or I'm gonna do this particular practice'. It's about looking at your field, assessing each individual field with what are the challenges or problems that you're facing, and then designing a system that addresses those challenges." - Dr. Lee Briese
Briese discusses how he and his farmer client approached managing a field that was drying up midsummer. He shares how they approached diversifying the rotation on that crop, and what happened when they tried soybeans again years later.
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Soil Sense Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.