Category Archives: Conservation

Harms Farm Participating In CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project

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CTIC TourMy first stop on the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project field tour was Harms Farm. Our host was Kevin Harms (left) pictured pointing to a chart being held by Harold Reetz. Kevin’s farm is in southern Livingston County, Illinois. He’s one of the farmers that has volunteered to participate in this project.

Kevin says they’re trying several different practices to try to more efficiently use nutrients, especially nitrogen. These practices include cover crops, side dressing, split application and using “environmentally smart” nitrogen. He hopes to find out how to more efficiently manage nutrients while improving water quality for the area. The multi-year project will allow them to do testing under different weather and field conditions. He says the corn crop in his area is in great shape while soybeans got off to a late start but are also looking good.

You can listen to my interview with Kevin here: Interview with Kevin Harms

CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photos

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AGROTAIN Working On Indian Creek Watershed

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Martin Case AGROTAINField days and tours are heating up this summer along with the weather. During the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project field tour one of our stops put us right out in the corn, looking at the impact of various levels of nitrogen application. Martin Case, AGROTAIN, our sponsor for tour coverage, conducted one of the presentations. He’s seen here answering questions after his presentation. AGROTAIN is one of the sponsors of the tour as well.

Martin gave us an overview of AGROTAIN and the company’s products. He was showing initial results from a nitrogen use efficiency study. This type of study can take several years to obtain all the results needed. He believes that nitrogen management is critical not only for the environment but also for the financial sustainability of the farmer. The study going on here on this farm is intended to show how using new technology like that provided by AGROTAIN can achieve these goals. You can watch Martin’s presentation here:

CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photos

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Precision Conservation Technology

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We couldn’t have had better weather for a farm tour than today for the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Day. Several bus loads of participants visited Livingston County, IL area farms to see and hear how they are implementing best management practices for things like nutrient management.

One of the people working on the project with CTIC and a presenter today is Harold Reetz. I visite with Harold prior to the start of today’s activities. I’ll see him again next week in Sprinfield, IL for the InfoAg Conference. Since that’s all about precision agriculture and since that is an integral part of the BMP’s being implemented on the tour stops here we decided to call it “precision conservation.”

Harold says the project purpose is to demonstrate different best management practices for nitrogen. It’s a relatively small watershed with mostly corn and soybean crops. So the goal is to come up with practices to improve nitrogen efficiency which will reduce the amount that will get into the ground water. Local farmers have volunteered in this first year of the project to implement suggested practices and it is their farms we visited. I’ll have interviews with each of them in coming days.

The project is receiving funding from a variety of sources that includes the Illinois EPA. It is really a proactive approach to voluntarily manage natural resources without the need to have new regulations. That sure seems like a potentially win win situation for all parties.

You can listen to my interview with Harold here: Harold Reetz Interview

Post Update: I’ve updated the link to my photo album below:

Here are some of my photos from today’s tour. I’ll have more after getting back to ZimmComm World Headquarters. The internet access here pretty well quit about half way through uploading. CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photos

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Farm Conservation Technology In Action

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Hello from Illinois and the Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour. This project and farm tour is being conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center.

Farmers and corporate sponsors at the sites will focus on effective agricultural systems while they showcase products, practices and technology that can boost profitable farming and improve water quality.

Tour demonstrations will include nitrogen fertilizer split-application, slow release products, strip-till N application systems, and fertilizer use efficiency studies. These practices can improve both the farmer’s bottom line and water quality. Practices shown will emphasize the 4R cornerstones of nutrient management: use the Right source at the Right time, in the Right place at the Right rate. Producers can implement the four Rs and substantially reduce the amount of N fertilizer escaping fields, a clear financial loss, and detrimental to water quality.

During the day I’ll be conducting interviews with various farmers and stakeholders in this CTIC project. Most of these will be posted during coming days since we’ll be on a bus and out at farm locations. However, I’m pretty sure you’ll find some tweets throughout the day if you’re following along on Twitter.

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Agriculture’s Incredible Shrinking Footprint

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American agriculture has a great story to tell of increasing productivity while at the same time decreasing its environmental footprint.

The first of the Town Hall Forums held Saturday at AG CONNECT Expo in the Successful Farming Innovations Theater was “The Shrinking Environmental Footprint of Agriculture” which was moderated by former National Resources Conservation Service chief Bruce Knight, a third-generation rancher, farmer and conservationist from South Dakota. He says he’s amazed by the progress in agriculture just in his lifetime is amazing. “I think about my own father coming home from World War II and still using horses to put up hay. I got started using 16 foot equipment. Now we’re using GPS guidance systems. It is an incredible adventure for all of us in agriculture.”

Two excellent presenters provided some good information for people in agriculture to know and share about how American farmers and ranchers continue to produce more food while using less natural resources. Karen Scanlon, executive director of the Conservation Technology Information Center, talked about advancements in row crop production. “It’s fortifying for farmers and those who support farmers to recognize that there have been impressive achievements in the last few decades and it’s also encouragement that we can continue to do more.”

Dr. Jude Capper of Washington State University, a livestock carbon footprint expert, talked about the importance of looking at the footprint in terms of the production, not the animal. “Compared to 1944, now we have bigger cows, they eat more feed, but they also give more milk, so milk yield per cow has increase four fold since 1944,” she explains. “We’ve cut cow numbers by 60 percent, but we also make 59 percent more milk, so that cut the total carbon footprint per gallon of milk, which is huge.”

I interviewed Bruce, Karen and Jude about conservation, carbon footprints and sustainability which you can listen to or download – or both!

Listen to my interview with Bruce here: Bruce Knight

Listen to my interview with Karen here: Karen Scanlon

Listen to my interview with Jude here: Dr. Jude Capper

2011 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

No-till Cotton Provides Conservation Opportunity

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Jon BlackDuring the Conservation in Action Tour one of our farm stops was the Carter Farm where we met Jon Black (pictured left). He gave us a presentation on no-till cotton which he is standing in. I caught up to him on the phone afterward since we didn’t have time for an interview there.

Jon says continuous no-till farming is the main conservation practices he employs on his farm. He says most of the land on his farm hasn’t been worked up in over 15 years. He says this helps keep a cover crop or mulch cover on the ground all the time which controls runoff and keeps the nutrients intact. He says yields for corn and cotton have been good using this no-till method except when they follow corn with wheat but a lot has to do with the weather. Imagine that! He has employed nutrient products from AGROTAIN although he tries not to apply more nitrogen than the crop will take. He says these products become more important if there has been a lot of rain or heat. In the case of heat he says you worry about volatility and AGROTAIN products help with that.

Jon Black Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Conservation In Action Tour Wrap-up

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Tim HealeyConservation Technology Information Center Chairman Tim Healey, AGROTAIN, gave us a preview of the Conservation in Action Tour. Now you get to hear his wrap-up following the CTIC board meeting.

Tim says the tour was a real success and I echo that. We learned a lot about what farmers are doing in this Chesapeake Bay area and especially in the area of conservation. These were not only old farms but ones using the newest technology. That made for a real contrast. Tim says you can’t continually farm land like this without using good conservation practices. Public policy makers told him that they did not realize that these conservation practices we saw were being used on farms in this area. I’m glad they were with us! The CTIC board has announced that next year’s tour will be in northwest Ohio, probably the week of August 8th. I know you always like to to “better” next year but I’m not sure how you can beat this tour this year. Tim says it can be done though. Hope I’m there to see it. Tim Healey Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Corn Farming While Protecting The Environment

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Conservation in Action TourNot all the farmers I met during the Conservation in Action Tour were making presentations. One of them was Wayne Kirby, Virginia corn farmer and Chairman of the Virginia Corn Board. Wayne says a lot of people are interested in agriculture in their area and especially what’s happening with the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort.

Wayne says he’s glad to be able to share information with people. The restoration effort is very important to corn growers since regulations and policies are being set that have direct impact of farming and potential negative impacts. He says they’ve been working diligently to improve their production practices. He describes how much of what area farmers are doing is not being taken into account in the models used for watershed management. Wayne Kirby Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Precision Ag Evangelist

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Harold ReetzHarold Reetz is one of the board members for the Conservation Technology Information Center and has formed Reetz Agronomics. I spoke to him following the CTIC board meeting. He says he just retired after 28 years with the International Plant Nutrition Institute. But he’s not retired from working. In my interview you’ll hear about some other things he’s involved in.

Harold has three passions, high yield production systems, precision technology and conservation. He says those three are converging and he’s helping it happen. One of the events he helped start and is promoting next year is the InfoAg 2011 Conference on precision technology which will be held July 12-14 in Springfield, IL. Harold Reetz Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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The 4R Nutrient Stewardship System

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Kathy MathersRepresenting The Fertilizer Institute on the Conservation in Action Tour was Kathy Mathers, V.P. of Public Affairs. I spoke to Kathy during the Conservation Technology Information Center board meeting that followed the tour to

Nutrient stewardship is on the top of the list for TFI according to Kathy. She says they’re promoting the 4R Nutrient Stewardship System which means using the right fertilizer product at the right rate, right time and in the right place. She says they get involved with CTIC to interact with other stake holders in agriculture. She thought the tour was a “home run.” Kathy Mathers Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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More Organic Matter Good For Soil

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Making a sponge out of dust. That was pretty much the theme of remarks and a demonstration we saw on the Conservation in Action Tour at the Davis Family Farm. Conducting the demo was Chris Lawrence, cropland agronomist with Virginia NRCS. The point of his message was how no-till farmers are working to create more organic matter in their sandy soils to help hold water and increase yield.

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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AGROTAIN Assisting No-Till Farmers

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Daryl ClayDuring the Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo on the Conservation in Action Tour our sponsor, AGROTAIN, was one of the exhibitors. Manning the booth was Daryl Clay. He says many of the farms in this part of the country have used no-till for decades. However, using no-till does present some challenges with nitrogen management being one of them.

Daryl says that some of the farms locally are so dedicated to no-till they don’t even want to break the ground to plant a seed! So when it comes to applying fertilizer they really don’t want to use knives for side dressing. They like to use liquids or broadcast over the top. That creates a risk of volatility loss. So AGROTAIN has created some products to address this risk. One of those products is SuperU which is a granulated product which he describes in detail in my interview with him. He says farmers like it because it has big granules that can be broadcast over a very large area. Daryl Clay Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Variable Rate Application For Conservation

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Paul DavisPaul Davis farms in New Kent County, VA and drives a truck with a bumper sticker that says, “Never-Till.” His farm was a stop on the Conservation in Action Tour. He’s been in continuous no-till since 1999.

While we were on the farm he gave us a presentation about his use of the Trimble Greenseeker technology that makes variable rate application of nitrogen possible. It’s fascinating stuff since the precision ag equipment allows Paul to conduct over 3,400 different application rates on the field we were standing in! Without this technology he would have applied a uniform amount over the whole field. The precision ag equipment not only saves on nitrogen use but applies it where it is most needed and likely to increase yields. This is a great example of how farmers like Paul are using precision ag technology to help their bottom line while also conserving and protecting natural resources. Paul Davis Presentation

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Listening To Farmers Conservation Regulation Concerns

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Ann MillsThe Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment, USDA, is Ann Mills. Ann oversees the Natural Resources Conservation Service. During lunch on the Conservation in Action Tour she spoke to us about several initiatives under her oversight. She talked about her goals of getting 100 percent participation from Chesapeake Bay area land owners to help with the watershed cleanup efforts. She acknowledged farmers work on this and told people during the tour how much she was learning about the practices they employ. I think this shows how important it is to invite government officials out to the farm. If they’re going to regulate you it would be nice if they actually knew what you do!

Ann says that USDA has been conducting a series of America’s Great Outdoors Initiative Public Listening Sessions around the country to hear what people have to say. She encourages farmers to go to the website and make their views known. She also knows farmers have concerns about the Chesapeake Bay TMDL and she says NRCS is ready to provide resources to “put conservation practices on the ground that work.” Ann Mills Presentation

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Finding A Win-Win Between Farmers and EPA

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Kelly ShenkThe Conservation in Action Tour provides an opportunity for farmers to see how other farmers are implementing good conservation practices but it also allows policy makers a chance to learn more about this area. One of our tour participants who spoke to us at our lunch stop was Kelly Shenk, EPA. She works in the Chesapeake Bay Program office.

Kelly told us that she believes we can have viable agriculture and a restored Chesapeake Bay. She says that what she has seen on the tour shows that farmers are doing what needs to be done to control things like nutrient loss. She acknowledges that urban development is a real concern for her agency. Kelly Shenk Presentation

Before the tour got back on the bus I spoke with Kelly and asked her about one of the key concerns I’ve heard expressed from farmers that their best management practices and conservation improvements aren’t being accounted for in the Chesapeake Bay Model. She says that state government and perhaps FSA should started collecting data on this to provide to policy makers. Kelly Shenk Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Adapting and Diversifying Key To Long Term Success

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Charles CarterThe first plantation in Virginia was Shirley Plantation, established in 1613. This was the lunch stop for the Conservation in Action Tour. Tourism and education play a big part in the family business today.

Greeting us was Charles Carter who owns and serves as executive director for Shirley Plantation. He says they’ve been there for 11 generations! He says they’ve been able to do this through adaptation and diversification. Tobacco was produced on the farm from the beginning. Family members have been involved in everything from farming to government and they were even in the ice business. Recently he says they’ve built a marine terminal and they’re taking dredge material from the local rivers and placing it in old mines and on farmland to restore it. He says this has been working well. Charles Carter Presentation

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Conserving Soil and Nutrients

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J.N. MillsWhile the Conservation in Action Tour was parked under the trees in the shade at one stop, we heard from local farmer, J.N. Mills. Pictured behind him is Eric Randolph, another local farmer we also heard from.

A portion of the farm that J.N. operates was a grant from the king of England in the 1600′s. We were definitely seeing some historical places on this tour! One of the ways this farmer has worked to keep soil and nutrients in place is by installing waterways, stream buffers, stream fencing and wetlands. Besides row crop farming he also has a 165 unit cow/calf operation. J.N. says he hopes to have a family farm that he can pass along to the next generation. J.N. Mills Presentation

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Generations of Farming

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Archer RuffinDuring the Conservation in Action Tour we visited Evelynton Farm which is home to Archer Ruffin who told us about the rich history of this farm which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Our tour group sat in the shade of the largest magnolia tree I’ve ever seen.

You’ll be able to hear Archer describe the farm and some of the history. His family has been farming for about 8 generations. One of his ancestors is the “father of agronomy.” Archer Ruffin Presentation

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Precision Spraying Assists Conservation

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The Conservation in Action Tour provided some really good opportunities to learn about a part of the country I don’t normally get to see while hearing about some issues that are important to all farmers and that includes new regulatory efforts for watersheds like the Chesapeake Bay. I’ll be continuing my coverage of the tour today and over the weekend so travel along with me.

The second farm we visited was Renwood Farms in Charles City County, VA. Our host was David Hula. The farm actually covers 5,000 acres in four counties and has earned multiple National Corn Yield Contest awards. David gave our tour group an overview of how they utilize bmp’s to mitigate environmental impact while increasing yields. In this video clip you’ll hear him talk about spraying using precision equipment.

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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Continuous No-Till

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The Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District provided significant help to the Conservation Technology Information Center is setting up and putting on the Conservation In Action Tour. Brian Noyes received recognition at our tour dinner. I spoke with him during one of our farm stops.

Brian says the District deals with a lot of diverse issues in their area and works with farmers on how they’re managing their land and resources. He says one of the primary methods the farms we visited are using is continuous no-till. He says that they create a lot of biomass by planting a crop like corn followed by wheat followed by double crop soybeans and in some years even a cover crop. This can add up to 4 crops in two years. Some of the acres we were seeing haven’t been tilled in decades.

Nutrient management is also a major element of the efficient management practices being applied on these farms. He says they’re seeing a trend of cutting back on nitrogen use but still seeing yield increases. The ability to better manage nutrients is helped by the benefits farmers have seen using no-till practices. This is economically and environmentally positive. Brian’s office helps farmers be more “precise.” So speaking of precision, Brian says farmers have been “spoon feeding” their nitrogen for years. Precision ag is playing a key role in the management of this application.

One of the things that Brian says is a challenge is showing how these management practices are benefiting the local watershed. That’s where modeling comes in. But with models politics comes into play. So he says they need to do more measuring and urges people to take models in context.

Brian Noyes Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

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