Here’s a new way to visualize your goal as a farmer: “Keep your operation within the Sustainable Triangle,” advises Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie.
You operate in three environments, he explains:
- The physical environment is each farm or field’s individual properties — slope, topography, soil type, fertility, drainage, etc.
- The natural environment is the climate and weather for your area.
- The human environment is your ability to adapt to change, your financial resources, equipment, manpower, landlords, farm managers — and the government (which is made up of people).
Read stories from the series:
Farming In The Sustainable Triangle
Think of these environments as overlapping circles — a change in one environment affects each of the others. That overlapping area is the sustainable triangle, where you satisfy human, natural and physical requirements.
Cover Crop Decisions: Thorough Planning Increases The Odds For Success
Never is the human environment more significant than when you begin cover cropping, says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie.
Real-World Cover Crop Decisions
Evaluate cropping choices on physical, natural and human factors. Let’s see how two real farmers applied sustainable triangle principles to decisions about no-till and cover crops.
How to Avoid Nutrient Planning Pitfalls
Understanding your nutrient goals will keep you inside the Sustainable Triangle.
Transform Nutrient Regulations from Headaches to Opportunities
Concern about water quality has spurred nutrient reduction incentive programs and, in some cases, regulations. If you haven’t been affected by one, you probably soon will be.
Stack The Odds For Soybeans this Spring
No crop is more influenced by the natural environment (weather) than soybeans. That’s why you’ll see soybean yields vary by only 5 bu. per acre or so over a wide area, despite a range of field conditions (physical) and management practices (human).
The New Art of Hybrid Selection to Overcome Field Stresses
Choosing hybrids for their ability to overcome the stresses in individual fields is several steps removed from simply looking at neighborhood plots and talking to neighbors, says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie.
Farm Journal Test Plots: How the Right Hybrid Pays Off
Match hybrids to offensive and defensive management zones.
Manage Corn Yield Drag with Hybrid Selection
Leaf structure and ear flex characteristics can help a field handle stress.
Corn Management: Meet Your Hybrids’ Needs
Some hybrids require nitrogen early, some require it late.
How to Combat Soil’s Silent Yield Robbers
A simple step can create a major yield jump. At least that’s what a Farm Journal Test Plot study revealed. The research shows removing layers before switching to no-till can add 20 bu. to 30 bu. of corn per acre.
