AgWired

Since Delta region farm runoff makes its way eventually to the Gulf of Mexico, the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour heard from Phil Bass, acting director of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. This is a partnership started in 2004 by the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Phil says the Alliance has survived ten governor changes which shows that the work it is doing is perceived as vitally important. He says it’s the first regional ocean project in the country. One of the things he’s proud of is that after the BP oil spill when the company had to fund independent research they turned to the Alliance. He’s “tickled to death” at what he’s seeing farmers doing in the Delta region.

Listen to my interview with Phil here: Interview with Phil Bass

Managing special projects is Richard Ingram’s specialty. He does it for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. He supports the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Nutrients Priority Issue Team and co-leads the Nutrient Action 4 Work Group. By now you may be starting to understand how many different organizations there are working on water conservation in this region!

He talked about the action plans created by other organizations like the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and how his department has helped implement them up river. He says that in Mississippi people work together and that’s why so many of the speakers on the tour are talking partnerships.

Listen to my interview with Richard here: Interview with Richard Ingram

2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Rob Coker farms corn and soybeans in Yazoo County, Mississippi. He’s currently serving as the President of the Mississippi Corn Promotion Board and just completed his term as Chair of Delta F.A.R.M. He’s a progressive conservationist who is always looking for new technologies and practices.

He shared some of what he’s learned with the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour. Land forming and using pads and pipes is helping him keep sediment on the farm. He’s says the “older” farmers would say it’s all about drainage, drainage, drainage.

2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Water quality was the theme of the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour stop where we met Robbie Kroger, Mississippi State University. You’ll notice a drainage ditch in the photo. After some opening remarks we got down there to see some of the creative ways that this farm is managing runoff water using pipes, pads and weirs.

Robbie says the Delta region typically gets nearly 60 inches of rain and sometimes up to 6 inches in a three hour period. He says the region is rich in topsoil. In fact, the topsoil at the spot we were standing on was almost 24 feet deep. Typically farmers in the area don’t apply any phosphorous. He says the area has one of the highest sediment loss rates in the country. All the practices he spoke about were structural to hold back sediment from draining off the farm. It’s called controlled surface drainage. Precision ag and input management is very big. Land leveling is the highest requested cost share practice in the region. Pads and pipes are important. Pads are the raised area around a field after land leveling which allows the channeling of water runoff. Pipes are used to convey the water. Finally there’s drainage, hence the ditch you see in the photo.

Listen to my Robbie’s remarks before getting down in the ditch here: Robbie Kroger Remarks

2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Travis Satterfield grows mainly rice and soybeans in Mississippi. He has also served as Chair of Delta F.A.R.M. and is a member of the Mississippi Delta Sustainable Water Resources Task Force. I visited with him during the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour.

He got involved in the tour because of his concern about the availability and quality of water and the need to be a good steward of the land. Travis is a great example of a farmer who cares about his land. He has sons that he wants to be able to turn the farm over to and therefore he believes it’s important to practice good conservation so it will be there for them. I asked him about the task force he is a member of. He says it was formed to bring together all the organizations involved in Delta region conservation to address actionable approaches to solving water problems. One of those approaches he’s using on his farm is land forming.

Listen to my interview with Travis here: Travis Satterfield Interview

2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

The first stop on the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour was Stovall Farms. Our host was Pete Hunter, one of the farm owners. In the photo Pete is receiving a thank you gift from Conservation Technology Information Center board member Lara Moody, The Fertilizer Institute.

Pete provided us with a history of the farm that includes legendary blues musician Muddy Waters. He also gave an overview of the current production and conservation systems they have in place. One of the techniques they’ve put into place is land leveling which reduces topographical variation. This reduces the speed that runoff escapes the field protecting the soil from sheet and rill erosion. Pete says that farming has changed today and he believes, “We need to hold on to what we’ve got.” That means implementing a lot of conservation practices.

Listen to Pete’s remarks here: Pete Hunter - Stovall Farms

2012 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album