Category Archives: Conservation

USDA Announces New Conservation Collaboration

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USDA-LogoAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new federal-private collaboration with DuPont to safeguard natural resources on private lands used to supply bio-based feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol production.

The joint agreement between USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service and DuPont aims to set voluntary standards for the sustainable harvesting of agricultural residues for renewable fuel, and supports rural job creation, additional income for farmers, bio-based energy development, and the safeguarding of natural resources and land productivity.

The announcement involves the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NRCS and DuPont. USDA, through NRCS, will provide conservation planning assistance for farmers who supply bio-based feedstocks to biorefineries as the industry begins to commercialize. Conservation plan, written for individual operations, will ensure sustainable harvest of corn crop residues while promoting natural resource conservation and land productivity. A conservation plan is a voluntary document, written in cooperation with farmers, which helps them protect natural resources while promoting a farm’s economic sustainability.

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Precision Ag More than Just Tools and Technology

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With the introduction of conservation and horticulture, precision ag is branching out. “This is an indication that precision agriculture goes beyond just tools and technology. It’s really a mindset,” said Steve Phillips with the International Plant Nutrition Institute and moderator of a session entitled, Precision A to Z for Practitioners III, at the recent International Conference on Precision Agriculture in Indianapolis, IN. During an interview with Chuck, Phillips said that a more holistic view is being taken of the entire cropping system, looking at environmental, economical and social sustainability. He added that his institute recognizes the value precision agriculture can have for implementing the 4Rs in crop inputs: the right source, at the right rate, in the right place at the right time. “[It] protects our waterways, protects grass buffers… any type of conservation structure we have in place.”

And with precision horticulture, Phillips sees the value in using some of the techniques from large-scale crops on the smaller, high-value specialty crops, such as wine grapes, that will gain a larger international acceptance of these ideas.

Phillips said they will look at the well-attended sessions from this conference and use that as a guide for next summer’s InfoAg Conference, July 16-18, 2013 in Springfield, Illinois. “We really hope to build on the momentum from last year, with 700 attendees and over 60 exhibitors. We’re really hoping to grow on that.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Steve here: Interview with Steve Phillips with the International Plant Nutrition Institute

11th International Conference on Precision Agriculture Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the International Conference on Precision Agriculture is sponsored by John Deere

Soybean Growers Also Interested in Conservation

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While much of the focus of the Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour has been on corn, and in particular, nitrogen use and runoff in corn, soybean growers are also interested in the event. “Corn is a major crop, but soybeans are also a rotational crop, and lot of the research they’re doing on nitrogen management is on corn-soybean rotation farms,” said Ron Moore, an Illinois soybean grower and At-Large Director of the Illinois Soybean Association. In an interview with Chuck, Moore said his association is involved in this year’s tour because they want to make sure opinions of soybean growers are heard in research discussions.

Moore continued that much of the same type of research being done on corn would also apply to soybeans. “Some of the new opinions are that maybe we need to think about putting fertilizer on for the soybean crop prior to planting in the spring,” adding that we probably need to think about soybeans the same as planning the corn crop and not just as an afterthought to corn.

He also pointed out that the fact that a lot of non-agricultural groups attended the tour should help farmers in general get their message out to the general public that producers are responsible curators of the land and just as interested in conservation as the non-farming groups are.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Ron here: Interview with Ron Moore, Illinois soybean grower & At-Large Director of the Illinois Soybean Association

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Tour Demonstrates Ag’s Commitment to Conservation

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Events such as the the recent Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour are giving agricultural producers a chance to show their commitment to conservation practices in the field. “We see this great opportunity for a volunteer collaboration between environmental groups and the farm community,” said Richard Breckenridge, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Advisor for the Illinois EPA during an interview with Chuck. He said it’s been an evolving, successful relationship, and agricultural interests need to tell their story.

“A lot of times we have forgotten about how to talk about that message of conservation on the farm, and because of the water quality issues, we now see a number of opportunities to not only talk about it from the agricultural and environmental perspective, but we can also begin to look at what are the things we can do,” Breckenridge said. He added that best management practices, such as water sampling and modeling, slow-release nitrogen products, tile drainage, buffer strips, and biomass, help the ag community talk about how it is taking care of the water quality. Breckenridge concluded that these kind of practices happen every day. This tour is just highlighting how those efforts actually happen across the country.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Richard here: Interview with Richard Breckenridge, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Advisor, Illinois EPA

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

GROWMARK: Uniting for Conservation is Refreshing

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Different groups coming together for a common good… that’s the name of the game on the recent Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour. Chuck caught up with one of our good friends from GROWMARK, Howard Brown, manager of agronomy services and one of the participants during the tour. He said it was refreshing to see various groups coming together to promote that common cause: conserving resources.

“It’s not about selling one thing or promoting one idea. It’s collectively a systems approach to nitrogen management,” Brown said. He added that if farmers dedicate themselves to only one approach to nitrogen management, they will fail. The dry summer was a classic example of that this year. If farmers only put all their nitrogen on at once post-emergence, they wouldn’t see much value out of that nitrogen because the rains didn’t come. And that also sets up more nitrogen runoff later on. Brown suggested an incremental approach to nitrogen application to minimize any liabilities. It’s just part of GROWMARK’s overall approach to making things work better for their member owners.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Howard here: Interview with Howard Brown, GROWMARK manager of agronomy services

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

USDA: Conservation Project Tour a “Real Gem”

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You can’t underestimate the value that an event like the recent Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour. “It’s a real gem,” Ivan Dozier, Illinois State Conservationist with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) told Chuck during one of the stops on the tour. He said he’s been involved in water shed planning for a long time, and it makes him feel good to see this project being so successful.

During the tour, Dozier said he’s been most impressed by the number of producers who are willing to take the chance with their livelihoods to have these conservation test plots. And he’s also pleased to see so many people from around the country coming out and seeing for themselves how it works. “Those people look at what’s going on here and start sharing some of those ideas, take them back with them, so they don’t have to start from scratch everywhere. They can start trying things in their areas.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Ivan here: Interview with Ivan Dozier, Illinois State Conservationist, USDA-NRCS

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Ag Lender Sees Value of Conservation Tour

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Who better than a person who makes long-term investments in the land, an ag lender, to offer an evaluation of the long-term conservation efforts on display at the recent Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour? “It’s a wonderful thing. It’s trying to let others know that farmers are being very responsible stewards of the land,” Gary Bressner, an ag lender at the State Bank of Graymont and one of the local organizers of the tour, told Chuck during an interview. Bressner said farmers are natural conservationists because of their long-term investment in the land.

He continued that the tour is helping producers learn about new technology that helps them cut down on the amount of chemicals needed to farm and how to prevent the loss of those enhancements into the watershed. Bressner also said that he was impressed with the wide variety of attendees to the tour, including farmers, folks from Washington, D.C., trade organization representatives, and many others. “It’s really nice to see the interaction between all of them.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Gary here: Interview with Gary Bressner, ag lender and tour organizer

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Checking Soil is Dusty Work

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Getting down and dirty during the Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour is Roger Windhorn, Illinois NRCS State Office. You can watch his presentation in the video below. Roger had a tough job since it is dry and hot in Illinois and as you’ll see in his presentation, there’s a big lack of moisture even down past four feet in the soil pit he had dug. This meant he needed a water spray bottle to use on a sample he chopped out to show soil coloration! The drought has not only had an impact on crops but also on field test plots. During this stop on the tour the nice breeze we had meant swirling dust clouds through the field. We can only hope they’ve had some rain there by now.

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Monsanto Learning More on CTIC Tour

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The more you learn, the more you know… that seems to be the approach our friends at Monsanto are taking, especially this year when drought is making for some real challenges on Midwest farms. During the recent Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour, Chuck caught up with Dave Gustafson, who serves on Monsanto’s sustainable agriculture team and is a board member of the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), one of the organizers of the tour. He pointed out how what he does at Monsanto really goes hand-in-glove with what the CTIC is trying to accomplish.

“One of the things I’ve really been impressed by is the way CTIC is able to get information to growers in a way that actually helps influence their adoption of conservation practices. So Monsanto sees CTIC as playing an extremely valuable role in helping to encourage the greater adoption of conservation practices that really benefits everyone… and not just in agriculture but society in general,” he said.

Gustafson said he’s also learning more about nitrogen management and the adoption of cover crops, a new interest for Monsanto. He said he’s hearing from farmers that cover crops can help with water penetration into the soil, especially important in the drought-stricken Midwest this year.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dave here: Interview with Dave Gustafson, Monsanto

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Real Farms Show Real Results on Tour

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One of the nicest things about trips such as the Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour is the chance to see real farms with real crops growing under real conditions. Chuck stopped at Marcus Maier’s farm in Illinois where they were showing split application of nitrogen on corn. Maier explained they’re trying to display how varying rates of nitrogen in particular areas and depths across a field can be effective and how it fits into the overall conservation theme.

“We’ve always done no-till beans and minimal-till for corn, so hopefully, this is just showing us some ways to fall apply and spring apply some nitrogen to take advantage of the product itself,” Maier said. He added this also cuts down on the amount of nitrogen that might leach into groundwater, showing good conservation practices in that sense.

Maier said this is the first year they are using AGROTAIN‘s SuperU product to control nitrogen loss. He’s looking forward to the results, especially since he’s heard from others that SuperU has increased yields by 20-30 bushels an acre.

Listen to more of Chuck’s interview with Marcus here: Interview with Marcus Maier

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Flying High to Provide Good Ground Cover

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A dozen years ago, if someone told me they were flying to create good cover for the field, we would have been talking about fighter pilots protecting troops on the ground. Well, it’s not exactly warfare, but after hearing one of Chuck’s interviews with some folks on the Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour, now that phrase means using aerial application of seeds for cover crops.

“Typically your crops will [still] be out in the field, and we need to get the seed out there,” said Eric Smith, a pilot with Pontiac Flying Service and a northern Illinois family farmer who presented at one of the tour stops looking at the benefit of cover crops, such as tillage radish or rye grass. Smith explained in his part of the country, they are applying the cover crop seed in mid-August to mid-September, when the corn is already pretty tall. The aerial application allows for a nice, even distribution of seed, and the resulting cover crop doesn’t interfere with harvest. In fact, he says some farmers have even told him it actually helps by cutting down on dust.

Check out Chuck’s interview with Eric here: Interview with Eric Smith, Pontiac Flying Service

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

AGROTAIN SuperU to the Rescue

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The extreme dry weather in the midwest was very evident at this week’s Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour. Out in the corn fields we had a nice breeze, but that breeze was blowing a lot of dust! On our first stop, Martin Case, AGROTAIN, was a presenter. This is the second year of this tour and we’ve gone from one weather extreme to the other. As Martin puts it, “We’ve got the tale of two years,” since last year’s weather was abnormally wet and this year is abnormally dry. Maybe comparing nitrogen use data for both those years will yield an average?

Martin says that AGROTAIN is trying to evaluate nitrogen stabilizer strategies in this project which can also be used in other areas of Illinois and beyond. It’s all about improving nitrogen use efficiency to not only increase the return on investment to the farmer but also to the environment. He says that last year they saw an extreme advantage to using their SuperU technology. Data for this year is not available yet. Listen to Martin explain more about the two technologies contained within SuperU in my interview with him: Interview with Martin Case

2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Controlled Release Nitrogen on Corn

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The Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour stopped at Herb Steffen’s farm again this year. At his farm we received presentations on the use of controlled release nitrogen on corn that according to Herb includes our sponsor’s products – AGROTAIN!

Herb says he and his family have farmed in the area since 1863 so you know these people really take care of their land. We talked about the dry weather which is some of the worst he’s seen. He says that even if it rains now it won’t help the corn but perhaps the soybeans. The corn has very little root system so let’s hope he doesn’t get much wind! He says they’re working with several companies on the controlled nitrogen release project. He says that last year it was too wet and this year it’s too dry. He thinks it is hard to get enough good data on the results yet. Maybe he’ll have a “normal” year next year.

Listen to my interview with Herb here: Interview with Herb Steffen

You can find my photos from today’s field tour here: 2012 Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Preview of Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour

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The 2012 CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour is about to kick off in sunny Illinois. I spoke with CTIC Executive Director Karen Scanlon this morning to get a preview of the project and our tour. Internet access and time is limited today since we’re on a farm tour but I’ll be collecting stories and interviews to share in the coming days. Thank you to AGROTAIN once again for sponsoring my coverage of the tour!

Get a preview of the tour in my interview with Karen here: Interview with Karen Scanlon

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

NRCS Chief David White Receives ASTA DSA

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The American Seed Trade Association presented their Distinguished Service Award this morning to NRCS Chief David White, pictured on right with ASTA Chairman Mike Gumina. Mike says the award recognizes people who have gone above and beyond or made some special contribution to the industry. He says that in the area of conservation ASTA has had very good success.

Chief White talking about cost sharing between NRCS and private land owners says, “You can do whatever you want with public lands but the fate of the environment rests in private hands and voluntary incentive-based conservation is where we should be.” He says ASTA members provide 90% of all the seed used in NRCS programs. He ended his comments quoting a question often posed by former Rep. Kika de la Garza, TX, “How long can a nuclear submarine stay under water?” The answer: As long as they have food.

Listen to Chief White’s comments here: NRCS Chief David White Comment

2012 ASTA Convention Photo Album

New Mississippi River Basin Conservation Projects

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Today Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that $8.4 million in financial assistance is available to support 23 new partnership projects in several Mississippi River Basin states under USDA’s Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI). On the phone with reporters to talk about it this morning was NRCS Chief David White, seen here talking with participants in the recent Conservation in Action Tour conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center.

These projects will fund producer activities that will avoid, control and trap sediment and nutrient runoff from agricultural lands, improving water quality throughout their operations.

“We are building on our Mississippi River actions from previous years by continuing to target priority conservation practices in priority watersheds to improve water quality in the basin,” Vilsack said. “USDA is committed to working cooperatively with agricultural producers, partner organizations and state and local agencies to improve water quality and the quality of life for the millions of people who live in the Mississippi River Basin.”

The MRBI was first announced in September 2009 and provides financial assistance for voluntary projects in priority watersheds in Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

I asked Chief White how well these partnerships are working after he saw some of them “in action” recently. He pointed to one of the farms we visited that is using two stage irrigation ditches which is one of the projects previously funded by USDA-NRCS in 2011. He says they hope to expand that practice to other areas. He also mentioned being impressed by the younger farmers who were on the tour and making conservation work, including financially. He says, “We can have conservation in harmony with agricultural production and we’re going to prove that.”

Listen to my Q&A with David here: Q&A With NRCS Chief David White

Wrapping Up Conservation in Action Tour

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ZimmCast 353It’s time to wrap up my coverage of the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour. To do so I’m sharing a couple of interviews I did at the end of the tour.

To start with you’ll hear Danny Murphy, Mississippi soybean grower and First Vice President of the American Soybean Association talk about what he saw and learned during this year’s tour. Then you’ll hear Pauley Bradley, John Deere, who is also on the board of the Conservation Technology Information Center, talk about why this year’s tour was “the best tour ever.”

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Conservation in Action Tour Wrap-up

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Finding Balance Between Business and Environment

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Trudy FisherAt the closing dinner for the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour, Trudy Fisher, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality spoke to our group. Trudy told us that she’s a farmer’s daughter and has farming experience herself. For that reason, the things we were seeing and hearing about on the tour are near and dear to her heart.

Trudy told the group that they don’t have to sacrifice aggressive farming practices and tremendous business opportunities to protect the environment and that “we can do it right and we are doing it right.” It’s all about finding the right balance between what’s good for business and what’s good for the environment. She says that “if we continue to do this right future generations of farmers will be able to carry on the long tradition of feeding the world from the heart of America.”

Listen to Trudy’s remarks here: Trudy Fisher Remarks

2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN

Precison Ag Puts Medicine on the Hurt Place

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John McKeeWe like new technology and we like our gadgets. We’re called AgNerds. And AgNerds are pretty open to precision agriculture. John McKee is one of us. John is a farmer of corn, cotton, soybeans and wheat. He was a civil engineer prior to farming so precision ag has come natural to him. He was also one of the speakers on the Conservation in Action Tour.

He says the bottom line is “control.” He micro-manages every piece of his farm. He thinks it’s a good business plan. As he puts it, “We’re just able to put the medicine on the hurt place.” And that makes for a good conservation practice. He says that if the dirt and crop don’t need an input like nitrogen then “we certainly don’t want to put it there.” For one thing, it’s expensive. By being able to pull back with variable rate application it saves him on his pocketbook and the environment which is a win-win for everyone. He says equipment is getting better and cheaper but it needs to continue to get better and cheaper.

Listen to my interview with John here: Interview with John McKee

2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN