All for the Soil – Jacob Kaderly: Upper Midwest Regional Winner

With a close eye on runoff, Jacob Kaderly says that no-till and cover crops have helped increase the water infiltration in the soil on his Juda, Wisconsin, farm.

Jacob Kaderly always wanted to be a farmer.

But his growing-up years had other plans. Severe allergies kept him from farming in dusty conditions. After high school, he pursued agricultural jobs that were close to farming, working alongside his dad in a fertilizer business before becoming a certified crop adviser (CCA).

Today, he credits his father’s service on the Wisconsin State Conservation Board during the 1970s with fostering his passion for land stewardship. That, and the management practices his dad employed on the family farm, gave Kaderly a first-hand look at contour strips and no-till.

Thanks to cab tractors mitigating much of the dust and allergens that affected Kaderly, he’s farming just like he always wanted to, with conservation and stewardship the driving force behind his efforts.

“In today’s world, with the expense of buying big equipment to do tillage, you can save so much more money going no-till,” Kaderly says. “Every trip across the field costs you; it’s not good for the soil, and it’s expensive.”

Armed with the goal of maintaining the soil at optimum fertility levels with minimal erosion to create a profitable farm, Kaderly uses no-till and cover crops as the foundation of his conservation legacy.

Saving the Soil
The rolling terrain of Kaderly’s Juda, Wisconsin, farm is home to 4% to 8% slopes. Ten acres of waterways help him navigate the landscape where he grows corn, soybeans and wheat.

“We farm on the contour,” he explains. “I believe that breaking up fields in those strips really helps with soil loss because we have different rotations in the hillside to keep the soil in place.”

From the beginning, Kaderly says using no-till was a way for him to farm without spending a lot of money on equipment. Plus, he was already familiar with the system, having watched his father use the practice in the 1980s.

“By keeping the soil in place, I’m retaining all the nutrients and the fertility and increasing the production ability of my farm,” Kaderly says.

With a close eye on runoff, Kaderly adds that no-till and cover crops have helped increase the water infiltration in the soil.

Wheat is used as a cover crop because Kaderly finds it easier to manage than rye. Then, after his wheat seed crop, he has settled on a seven-way mix for cover that includes peas, oats, red clover, sorghum-sudangrass, alfalfa, radish and hairy vetch.

“That mix generates 80 to 100 pounds of nitrogen for the next corn crop,” Kaderly explains. “About five years ago, we started planting rye after beans and corn to help in the spring with erosion.”

Since then, he’s transitioned to wheat with a goal of keeping the soil covered year-round.

“I have seen better water infiltration, less erosion and better soil health,” Kaderly says of his use of cover crops. “Because I soil test every other year, I am monitoring the fertility levels to see if the cover crops are helping to increase the fertility.”

Plus, he gets a bonus with nematode control from the radishes.

Focusing on Fertility
Kaderly conducts soil tests every two years on two-acre grids, and purposely adjusts the points to ensure fertility levels are as even as possible. One year, he uses variable rate technology to apply phosphorus, potassium and lime, while the second year, he maintains the nutrients in the soil.

The fertility program has produced consistent yields across the 12 years Kaderly has used it.

Soon, Kaderly plans to update his planter with one that can place liquid fertilizer below and slightly to the side of the seed trench.

“This will help lessen the use of salt-based fertility, which will enhance soil health and crop yields,” he explains. 

Always thinking ahead about achieving higher yields, Kaderly fertilizes for the most production.

“I don’t want fertility to be my limiting factor,” he says.

Standing for the Environment
Fields are scouted on Kaderly’s farm every 10 days beginning in early summer. The strategy combined with Bt corn and a three-year rotation keeps insect pressure at bay. Alternating crops and chemical programs also help Kaderly manage weed resistance.

“I try to use different modes of action every couple of years in my chemical applications,” Kaderly explains. “I also have mowed my cover crop after wheat to control water hemp seed production.”

The Wisconsin soybean grower uses wildlife food plots to protect and enhance environmental quality. He also has 10 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

A firm believer in the benefits of no-till and cover crops, Kaderly promotes conservation practices through his work as a CCA and agricultural consultant. As an adviser to growers on about 10,000 acres, he touts what good stewardship can do to optimize soil fertility and farm profitability.

“Just for anyone to get started farming today is a big challenge,” Kaderly says. “No-till made my investment minimal, and it enabled me to start farming. I also feel it’s the right way to farm today.”

Organizations like the Farmers of the Sugar River Watershed help Kaderly continue advocating for conservation and land stewardship. In 2018, he received the Responsible Nutrient Practitioner Award at the National No-Till Conference. And in 2020, he hosted Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Secretary Preston Cole of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and local representatives to discuss soil health and conservation practices.

Kaderly is a regular attendee of the National No-Till Conference and recognizes that only about a third of the United States is farmed using no-till systems.

“The topsoil is just so important,” he says. “If we lose it, the ability for that farm to produce is probably lost forever.”

With a watchful eye on soil loss, managing cover crops and focusing on fertility, Kaderly is accomplishing his goal of keeping the soil healthy to create a profitable farm business.

After all, he knows if he preserves the farm, the next generation will be able to be profitable from it as well.

“Conservation practices for a long time have been part of our farming operation,” Kaderly says. “Conservation and land stewardship are important for the future to produce high-quality food and to preserve the ability of the land to keep producing high-yielding crops.”