Seven Simple Steps to Sustainability
Becoming sustainable doesn’t mean you have to overhaul the whole farm. Simple, incremental changes made year after year go a long way to sustaining your farm for future generations, to making it more profitable and to protecting the environment:
1) TEST THE SOIL
A soil rich in organic matter is one viable as a crop growing resource. It reduces reliance on pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.
“It can significantly increase your productivity and reduce your reliance on secondary amendments which makes everything less costly and more sustainable,” says Microbial Ecologist Jack Gilbert.
Leveraging organic matter inputs in the soil is key. But, do you know what nutrients your soil really needs? Not unless you test it first.
“I can open up that soil test and read what my dirt’s doing for me,” says Doug Ruth, a northeast Missouri farmer. “We’re very adamant about what we put on the soil and what kind of moisture the ground has in or on it. You can damage dirt if you’re not careful.
2) REDUCE TILLAGE
Minimum till or no-till practices help hold the soil in place. Limiting tillage reduces erosion, ultimately helping the soil hold both water and nutrients.
“We do a lot of conservation work with terraces, dry wall structures to protect draws, seeded draws,” Ruth says.
Increasing the glue or connectivity of the soil allows more nutrients to become available to plants, providing a better structure for growing plants and increasing the moisture uptake of those plants. “If you don’t till, you don’t destroy that biology which stops the glue from forming,” Gilbert says.
3) MANAGE SOIL NUTRIENTS
Practice the 4R concept of nutrient management:
Soil amendments such as compost and animal waste add diversity to the soil, helping to keep microbes healthy.
For Ruth, being a crop and livestock farmer works hand in hand. Using animal waste from his cattle and hogs, the northeast Missouri farmer is able to reduce fertilizer costs. He says that helps build the biological makeup of his soil and put it to better use. “We’re putting everything back on the ground that we’re taking off, and it is very minimal cost to do it that way,” Ruth says. “That helps with the bottom line.”
Precision agriculture techniques like grid sampling assist Ruth in identifying the location of a field that most need nutrients and other inputs.
“It’s important to keep track of what you’re doing, and a grid sample is part of that,” Ruth explains. “Knowing what you have, when you have it in front of you and can see it, it’s a lot easier that way.
4) PLANT COVER CROPS
Incorporating cover crops into your management plan enhances the soil’s water and nutrient holding capacity. By not leaving the ground bare, you’ll also reduce erosion by reinforcing the soil.
Rye and wheat are key cover crops for Ruth, but he also uses radishes. “Wheat as a cover crop really helps hold the ground, plus it gives us better organic matter and that helps use the fertilizer that is already there. The radishes help with that, too,” he says.
Dan Davidson, an agronomist and Nebraska farmer, adds that cover crops also reduce dependence on commercial fertilizers and crop protection chemicals.
“You want to build your soil resource (with cover crops) so you can begin to do things differently with your fertility program,” Davidson says.
5) ROTATE CROPS
Did you plant corn in a field and realize it wasn’t the best for utilizing the available nutrients in that soil? Next time, rotate to another crop. Smith says practicing crop rotation not only helps you better manage nutrients, but also aids with task management and soil health.
Well-planned crop rotations assist with pest management, disease outbreaks and weed control. Organic soil amendments such as compost and animal manures can supplement nutrients at specific times during a crop rotation further helping to build the organic matter in your soil.
6) USE WATER EFFICIENTLY
Most productive farmland depends on some type of water management. Some farmers in the Corn Belt have installed drainage systems in their fields to help address excess water problems. The result has been a longer growing season because farmers have been able to plant earlier in the spring and harvest later in the fall without causing extreme compaction to the soil.
Drainage systems also help reduce the amount of chemical losses to water resources.
Use of water probes can help increase irrigation efficiency for your crops and reduce runoff. The use of a water pump can help determine whether or not you are watering your crops at a time when the soil can best handle it to reduce runoff. “Putting in buffer strips also helps to reduce runoff,” Smith says.
7) CONSIDER A POLLINATOR HABITAT
Pollinators like bumble bees, honey bees and butterflies thrive in cropland. Their habitat can improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and provide homes for song and game birds.
According to the General Mills, Inc. website, nearly 30 percent of all ingredients grown for the company’s food relies on pollination. For example, Honey Nut Cheerios, the nation’s top-selling cereal, has committed more than 3,000 acres of pollinator habitat on 60,000 acres of oat farms by 2020.
This content originally was printed in " SustainABILITY - Big Impact Starts with Small Steps" in Farm Journal Publications, March 2019.
1) TEST THE SOIL
A soil rich in organic matter is one viable as a crop growing resource. It reduces reliance on pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.
“It can significantly increase your productivity and reduce your reliance on secondary amendments which makes everything less costly and more sustainable,” says Microbial Ecologist Jack Gilbert.
Leveraging organic matter inputs in the soil is key. But, do you know what nutrients your soil really needs? Not unless you test it first.
“I can open up that soil test and read what my dirt’s doing for me,” says Doug Ruth, a northeast Missouri farmer. “We’re very adamant about what we put on the soil and what kind of moisture the ground has in or on it. You can damage dirt if you’re not careful.
2) REDUCE TILLAGE
Minimum till or no-till practices help hold the soil in place. Limiting tillage reduces erosion, ultimately helping the soil hold both water and nutrients.
“We do a lot of conservation work with terraces, dry wall structures to protect draws, seeded draws,” Ruth says.
Increasing the glue or connectivity of the soil allows more nutrients to become available to plants, providing a better structure for growing plants and increasing the moisture uptake of those plants. “If you don’t till, you don’t destroy that biology which stops the glue from forming,” Gilbert says.
3) MANAGE SOIL NUTRIENTS
Practice the 4R concept of nutrient management:
- Right source
- Right rate
- Right time
- Right place
Soil amendments such as compost and animal waste add diversity to the soil, helping to keep microbes healthy.
For Ruth, being a crop and livestock farmer works hand in hand. Using animal waste from his cattle and hogs, the northeast Missouri farmer is able to reduce fertilizer costs. He says that helps build the biological makeup of his soil and put it to better use. “We’re putting everything back on the ground that we’re taking off, and it is very minimal cost to do it that way,” Ruth says. “That helps with the bottom line.”
Precision agriculture techniques like grid sampling assist Ruth in identifying the location of a field that most need nutrients and other inputs.
“It’s important to keep track of what you’re doing, and a grid sample is part of that,” Ruth explains. “Knowing what you have, when you have it in front of you and can see it, it’s a lot easier that way.
4) PLANT COVER CROPS
Incorporating cover crops into your management plan enhances the soil’s water and nutrient holding capacity. By not leaving the ground bare, you’ll also reduce erosion by reinforcing the soil.
Rye and wheat are key cover crops for Ruth, but he also uses radishes. “Wheat as a cover crop really helps hold the ground, plus it gives us better organic matter and that helps use the fertilizer that is already there. The radishes help with that, too,” he says.
Dan Davidson, an agronomist and Nebraska farmer, adds that cover crops also reduce dependence on commercial fertilizers and crop protection chemicals.
“You want to build your soil resource (with cover crops) so you can begin to do things differently with your fertility program,” Davidson says.
5) ROTATE CROPS
Did you plant corn in a field and realize it wasn’t the best for utilizing the available nutrients in that soil? Next time, rotate to another crop. Smith says practicing crop rotation not only helps you better manage nutrients, but also aids with task management and soil health.
Well-planned crop rotations assist with pest management, disease outbreaks and weed control. Organic soil amendments such as compost and animal manures can supplement nutrients at specific times during a crop rotation further helping to build the organic matter in your soil.
6) USE WATER EFFICIENTLY
Most productive farmland depends on some type of water management. Some farmers in the Corn Belt have installed drainage systems in their fields to help address excess water problems. The result has been a longer growing season because farmers have been able to plant earlier in the spring and harvest later in the fall without causing extreme compaction to the soil.
Drainage systems also help reduce the amount of chemical losses to water resources.
Use of water probes can help increase irrigation efficiency for your crops and reduce runoff. The use of a water pump can help determine whether or not you are watering your crops at a time when the soil can best handle it to reduce runoff. “Putting in buffer strips also helps to reduce runoff,” Smith says.
7) CONSIDER A POLLINATOR HABITAT
Pollinators like bumble bees, honey bees and butterflies thrive in cropland. Their habitat can improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and provide homes for song and game birds.
According to the General Mills, Inc. website, nearly 30 percent of all ingredients grown for the company’s food relies on pollination. For example, Honey Nut Cheerios, the nation’s top-selling cereal, has committed more than 3,000 acres of pollinator habitat on 60,000 acres of oat farms by 2020.
This content originally was printed in " SustainABILITY - Big Impact Starts with Small Steps" in Farm Journal Publications, March 2019.