In the Red River Valley, the fragile soil isn’t even safe when it is covered in snow.
Soil health depletion combined with erosion can lead to snirt, a phenomenon where snow drifts and melt can move topsoil away from productive lands and into ditches or roadways.
Farmers who are experiencing snirt disasters this winter can start planning now to lessen the impact next year.
One way to do that is to start planning for soil health practices as soon as spring, which can translate into success for operations in a variety of ways. For example, the latest USDA Census of Agriculture highlighted an increase in farmers across the nation that are investing in soil health on their farms and ranches through no-till practices (+1% over previous Census), cover cropping (+17%) and a decrease in both conservation and conventional tillage.
Farmers and ranchers on the leading edge of this increase in soil health principles are reaping the benefits in ways that translate into value in both short and long-term ways.
We asked farmers, ranchers and certified crop advisors to share the pragmatic ways that soil health can enhance value, including:
Improved Plant and Herd Health
Soil degradation, whether from compaction, erosion, salinity, or nutrient depletion, weakens plant roots, limits nutrient uptake and reduces forage quality. That’s not just a crop issue, it’s a livestock issue, too.
Grant Breitkreutz, Stoney Creek Farm, saw an increase in the health of his herd when he began investments in his soil health.
“Once we got the soil health back, herd health improved immensely,” he says. “As we improve the soil health on the lands where we grow our feeds that are starting for winter feed, that also improved the herd health because we’re bringing higher nutrient density products back up to the farm to go back to that cow.”
Signs of soil-related stress, like yellowing leaves, poor root depth, or brittle stalks, often track back to underlying biological and physical imbalances in the soil.
Increased Yields
In much the same way, improved soil health can directly lead to increased yields through healthier plants. Chris Huffman, crop consultant at Centrol Ag Consulting, sees a direct correlation between plant health and yield boosts.
“If soil health is really poor, often we can see that leading to underproduction from lack of water drainage, lack of water holding capacity and increased wind erosion,” he says. “Those things can contribute to yield loss.”
Many of the most common pitfalls of poor soil health can directly impact plant health, causing yellowed or pale leaves and shallow roots that can lead to plant toppling.
Overperforming Land Values
Farmers and ranchers may think of land value as a long-game in most instances, but Huffman says that soil health can pay dividends both now and later.
“The value of soil health can be seen in reduced erosion, improved water holding capacity, better infiltration and decreased soil compaction. All of which contribute to stronger crop performance and long-term land productivity” he says. “Those would all translate in some way to dollars and cents in a farmer’s pocket, whether that is through increased yield or through increased land value and productivity over the long haul.”
Reduced Inputs and/or Fertilizers
Biologically-active soils with strong organic matter can better hold and cycle nutrients, allowing producers to fine-tune fertilizer programs and cut waste.
Rachel Owen, program manager for the Northern Plains Trusted Advisor Program, has seen the benefits of a reduction in inputs, both for individual farmers and for the overall environment.
“In the pilot year of our cost-share program, we saw farmers enroll in reducing their fertilizer applications or using variable rate technology to apply fertilizer where it needs to be on the field,” she says. “When we did a water quality analysis of what the impact was in the Red River Basin, we found that the reduction of the phosphorus that was going into the Red River through our project alone was more than 7,000 pounds across only 20,000 acres of practices.”
Resilience Against Weather Extremes
Ask many farmers and they’ll tell you that weather patterns are changing in their region. In the Red River Valley, farmers are being subjected to more prolonged droughts in one growing season or more than average rainfall in others.
Lee Briese, a crop consultant with Centrol Ag Consulting, has seen healthy soils fare better in these more extreme weather events.
“In general, healthy soils tend to buffer effects of weather variability better than soils with lower health,” he says. “I also see less erosion and better water availability in healthier soils.”
Access to New Markets
Carbon programs and ecosystem service markets are opening new income streams for farmers using soil health principles, but Huffman has noted even more immediate opportunities springing up recently in the Red River Valley and the surrounding plains.
“In some cases, owners of land seeking to rent their land out are looking for a farm or farmer that is implementing soil health practices,” he says. “I have seen farms gain farmable land through rental contracts simply because they are doing the practices landlords want on their land.”
Breitkreutz believes that the benefits of investing in soil health on a farm and ranch are “too many to name.” Soil health isn’t just good stewardship, it’s a competitive edge. Discover how to identify key soil health issues and start turning your soil into a long-term asset for your farm or ranch by visiting www.trustinfood.com/soilhealthselfcheck.
