“The farm economy is a tough life to make ends meet,” says Frankfort, South Dakota farmer Jamie Johnson. Of course, if you’re reading this, you probably don’t need to be reminded. Farming has always been hard work and with soil degradation, sagging commodity prices and input costs on the rise, it doesn’t appear to be…
If you’ve spent any time around the soil health movement, you’ve probably stumbled onto an odd video or two of farmers out in their fields burying underwear. Created by Canadian researchers, this “Tighty Whities Experiment” is a great visual demonstration of the benefits of regenerative agriculture… But what does it actually demonstrate? What’s the point?…
Diversity is one of the leading principles of the soil health movement. But can the affects of incorporating diversity into an operation be quantified? Research Microbiologist Dr. Mike Lehman (ARS) set out to find out in this 16 year field experiment… and man, are the numbers impressive!
There are many different farming tools and methods, but fundamentally, there are only two ways to farm – with Mother Nature or against her. Unfortunately, conventional agriculture has sided with the latter. Only in recent years has the idea of working alongside Mother Nature picked up momentum. One operation that’s been ahead of the curve…
We hear about soil health being a tool for things such as sustainability, reduced input costs, and more consistent yields… but how exactly do these benefits unfold? One way that is often overlooked is through reducing runoff and increasing soil moisture availability. As SD farmer Steve Reimer says, “As we started rotational grazing and no-till…
A farmer can do everything right and still not get the crops he worked for. If it doesn’t rain enough or if it rains too much, it’ll show up in his bottom line. If it gets too hot or too cold, he’ll feel the affects in his wallet. We can’t control the weather. Nobody knows this…
2:45 WATCH: In our last video, we showed the effects of management on infiltration. In this one, we dig a bit deeper and take a look at why that is plus how management changes the underlying structure of our soils!
Does management affect infiltration? In this video, Soil Health Specialist Jeff Hemenway tests the performance of one soil series under two different management practices!
“Sustainable” is a word we often overuse. Sure, it has plenty of appeal – a sustainable farming operation is good for the land, wildlife, and future generations. What often gets lost in the message, however, is the benefits of sustainability for the farmer himself in the here and now! The reality is farming “sustainably” does…
