When it comes to farming, “holistic” is often a word that gets a bad wrap. Walworth County farmer Doug Sieck knows this first hand. He had his own reservations when it came to the term, but that has all changed. In the second video in our 7-part series, Doug shares with us his insights on…
Integrated Systems w/ Doug Sieck – Intro (1/7)
In 2007, Doug Sieck of Walworth County, SD began his soil health journey. A little over a decade later, his soils , his operation, and his mindset have all transformed. In this 7-part series, Doug shares with us his eye-opening journey into soil health, how to make the transition easier, and why we all should…
SD Cropcast 02: Dwayne Beck
15 Trillion Laborers w/ Dr. Mike Lehman – Community (3/3)
3:15 WATCH: In our previous video, Research Microbiologist Dr. Mike Lehman described soil microbes in healthy soils as a “division of labor.” This “division of labor” is extensive and, when cultivated through regenerative practices, works alongside the farmer. In our third and final video, Dr. Lehman takes it a step further and shows us that these…
15 Trillion Laborers w/ Dr. Lehman – Division of Labor (2/3)
3:30 WATCH: If the soil health movement has taught us one thing it’s that healthy soils produce healthy crops. But when we say “healthy soils” what does that actually mean? Well… in short, it means THEY’RE ALIVE! In the second video of our three-part series with Dr. Mike Lehman, we dive head first into the…
15 Trillion Laborers (Microbes) w/ Dr. Lehman – Intro (1/3)
We met with Research Microbiologist Dr. Mike Lehman (ARS) on the research station in Brookings, South Dakota to talk soil microbes. Dr. Lehman isn’t just a well-respected scientist, it turns out that he’s also a great communicator. In this and the next two videos, Dr. Lehman takes a shovel full of soil and talks about…
Merit or Myth: Season 2
In our first Merit or Myth season, we discussed the issue of no-till in the context of residue management, soil water (mainly infiltration), soil temperature, weeds and economics. In reality, a companion between no-till an conventional till system is very difficult to compare is one only looks at one factor (e.g., residue). When we spoke…
Soil Resilience and Water Holding Capacity
In a lot of ways, farming success comes down to efficiency How efficiently can a farmer make use of his time? How efficiently can he make use of his inputs? How efficiently can he make use of his available resources? When it comes specifically to those available resources, there is one that stands above the…
Economics: Jorgensen Land and Cattle Case Study (Part 3)
In our previous video of the Jorgensen Land and Cattle Economics Case Study, Nick Jorgensen discussed some of the economic savings they were able to realize in their long-term, no-till fields where typically Organic Matter measured over three percent. What the Jorgensen land and cattle operation was able to do in this analysis was save…
South Dakota Soils And The Families That Call Them Home
This past week, we were blessed with another opportunity to visit the Mount Rushmore State and pick the brains of several leading farmers in East River. Unlike trips of the past, this go around we paid less attention to the isolated nuts and bolts of farming. These oft-discussed “nuts and bolts” include individual topics like…