Long-Term Vision – Don Morse: Northeast Regional Winner

Don Morse believes in conservation. “Conservation practices contribute to your farm legacy. Farms that produce good crops and do it in a way that will stand the test of time aren’t after short-term benefits,” he says.

His courtship with no-till began just shy of 50 years ago. Back in 1975, Michigan farmer Don Morse put conservation tillage to the test on his 3,100 acres, years before the federal government began offering subsidies to farmers as an incentive to conserve the soil.

With a keen interest in getting out of the soil what he put into it, Morse then had one clear goal: to leave the land better than when he got it so that it’s sustainable for the future. Raised in a household where conservation was the conversation, the veteran farmer continues to make that his mission today.

Morse has made a career out of caring for the soil with conservation practices helping him fulfill his intentions of buying and renting farmland at a steady pace. His operation today focuses on growing soybeans, corn, sugar beets and wheat in the Great Lakes Watershed near Birch Run, between Flint and Saginaw, in the eastern part of the state.

According to his daughter, Allison Morse, who nominated her father for the ASA Conservation Legacy Award, implementing good agronomic practices helps ensure the lakes and rivers stay clean and healthy.

“Farming is constantly evolving,” Allison says. “To be successful, you need to have an open mind and be willing to adapt to new technologies as they enter the marketplace. Don is always looking and learning about new developments in the ag industry and trying to find ways to implement them on his farm.”

Soil that Sustains
As a college student at Michigan State, Morse was exposed to a plethora of information involving soil and soil management. The topic interested him so much that he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in it.

And during his tenure in farming, soil health has been the foundation of his conservation journey.

The tabletop-flat land that Morse farms calls for between 25- and 66-foot tile spacing to protect areas with open ditches where water can run off the field. No-till farming methods mean fewer trips across a field with equipment. It also reduces field compaction and soil health destruction. Plus, it saves Morse fuel and time compared to conventional farming practices.

Implementing cover crops has helped the Michigan farmer build soil organic matter and increase water-holding capacity while sequestering carbon and suppressing weeds.

“With cover crops, the roots provide year-round food for microbes,” Morse explains. “I like to see a high population of soil microbes because they chew up the plant residue, the cornstalks, the wheat straw. The higher the level of microbes, the faster you’ll decompose the residue and get nutrients back in a usable form to the plant.”

Keeping a crop growing throughout the winter works to build the soil biome. Combined with no-till, cover crops add organic matter to the soil and improve soil health. Plus, soil erosion and surface runoff are less likely to occur with a cover crop on the ground over winter. Cover crops allow the soil to sequester carbon and create an actively growing crop over winter into spring, which creates a competitive environment for weeds. This process works to control noxious weeds like resistant Palmer amaranth, marestail and pigweed species.

“If you raise organic matter, you increase water-holding capacity and the amount of organic nitrogen that gets released,” Morse says.

Although he’s planted oats, wheat and clover, rye is now Morse’s go-to cover crop. He calls it “tougher” than other species.

“[Rye] is just a really hardy species,” Morse explains. “It puts down some roots that will make biomass.”

The cover crop is aerially applied into standing corn and broadcast into standing soybeans in early to mid- September for optimum timing.

“As far north as we are, I’ve found that’s the best way to get the rye established,” Morse says. “You get it out there before soybean leaf drop, and that gives it time to get going.”

In the spring, soybeans are planted directly into actively growing rye with the cover crop depleted afterward. Rye is terminated prior to corn planting so it doesn’t tie up excess nitrogen. Morse also bands low salt phosphorus and potassium liquid fertilizers with the planter to promote soil health.

Making land improvements can be a slow process, Morse says. “It all goes into making the land better when you’re done with it than when you found it,” Morse says. “Conservation contributes to that. The cover crop, the no-till, all those things are called conservation, and they all contribute to making the soil better now than when I found it.”

Accomplishing His Mission
While he’s always had conservation and soil preservation at heart, Morse admits fine-tuning no-till farming has been a process. From different planters and attachments to herbicide programs and cover crop selection, his stewardship story has evolved over the years.

“Whatever we do, it needs to be financially viable,” Morse says. “If it isn’t, then it’s not going to stand the test of time.”

Because farm margins are especially tight in this day and time, Morse says growers like him must push the pencil to determine if their farming practices are financially feasible, especially in the short term.

“How does it affect your bottom line,” Morse says of a grower’s farming practices. “If you can raise your organic matter in the soil, you’re increasing water-holding capacity, you’re increasing the amount of organic nitrogen that gets released which means you don’t have to buy as much synthetic fertilizer.”

Looking at long-term sustainability, Morse knows organic matter is exposed to soiled oxygen every time steel enters the ground for a tillage operation. And every tillage pass burns organic matter.

“That’s not really sustainable over the long term,” Morse says. “I believe by doing no-till, we’re helping ourselves be sustainable over the long term, and that makes us financially more viable.”

A Conservation Connoisseur
Morse is humbled to be honored by ASA for his conservation efforts. Yet, Morse is profound in his work, truly believing in what he does.

His labor in soil management has not only benefited his operation but also has gained the respect of his peers.

Daughter Allison works with her dad through his seed business and acknowledges the accolades he receives.

“Many of our seed customers have watched me grow up,” Allison says. “Don is very well respected among his peers. He’s honest and people value his opinion.”

Morse Farms has been featured in videos by The Nature Conservancy and the Saginaw County Farm Bureau and hosted countless lawmaker-grower sessions and one-on-one tractor/combine ride-alongs. Morse is also tapped for local media interviews regarding crop issues throughout the growing season. He cooperates in a sustainable wheat program, which Morse piloted for the company a few years ago.

In 2021, Morse received the Conservation Innovation Award from The Nature Conservancy. Indeed, Morse believes in conservation, leaving the soil better than when he found it. And at the end of the day, Don Morse hopes people know him as a good farmer.

“Conservation practices contribute to your farm legacy,” Don says. “Farms that produce good crops and do it in a way that will stand the test of time aren’t after short-term benefits. We have a long look, a long vision of where we want to be.”

Allison concludes, “It’s our goal to leave the soil better than we found it. That’s sustainability to me, allowing future generations to farm and continue that legacy.”