Latest News From Conservation

Beyond a few marketing strategies or providing a unique product for a niche market, sustainable practices offer opportunity in what looks to be another low-priced period in the grain markets.

There are a number of practices that can create passive income on your operation, but the level of effort and investment to implement them varies.

“We are talking about fuel produced in 2025, but that is going to use the crop we are growing this year,” Mitchell Hora says.

“It’s in these challenging markets farmers need to think about driving more efficiency using technology,” says Darryl Matthews, a recently retired tech executive. Certain technologies can provide a short-term ROI.

Four-dollar corn dominated discussions, but farmers remain open to new innovations and machinery as spring planting and the promise of a new production season beckons.

Rick Rice, AMVAC director of application technology, says grant programs aren't meant to forever subsidize a particular practice, but instead act as a catalyst for new participants to see its benefits.

The company says its year-over-year growth includes more farmers paid (215% increase in new growers), more fields enrolled (333% more new acres and a 297% increase in new fields) and more credits produced each year. 

Some fields have a spot that consistently does not produce, but don't ignore those acres. If 156 acres average 200 bu. per acre, but 4 acres average 20 bu., the yield on the 160-acre field drops to 195.5 bu. per acre.

The practices used during the 2024 growing season will have a direct impact on the ability to take advantage of these incentives. Mitchell Hora of Continuum Ag shares what you need to know.

USDA NASS has released the 2022 Census of Agriculture data, which revealed important information about the current state of agriculture.

Scope 3 is all the buzz lately in the world of sustainability. A company’s emissions are broken down into three scopes. Scope 3 covers indirect emissions from a company’s upstream and downstream supply chain.  

At Christiansen Land and Cattle, they’re committed to excellence and continuous improvement, a mindset that started when Christine Hamilton’s family homesteaded in South Dakota in 1891.

Ken Ferrie answers two additional questions: Was it allelopathic toxins in the cereal rye ahead of corn that caused such a yield ding last season? Will there be a cap to Carbon Initiative payments per farm operation?

Working and training with her mother, in 2019 Hallie Shoffner took the lead as CEO and continues to focus on growing the business, searching for opportunities in specialty crops and value-added production.

“Our goal is simple: use traits to help plants grow deeper roots,” says Cquesta CEO Michael Ott.

The survey uses records from ag retailers to measure the use of cover crops, nutrient management and conservation tillage and no-till by Iowa growers.

Shop around if you’re interested in participating in a carbon program. Just make sure you have a learning mindset and a healthy level of skepticism in order to find the right one.

Sarah Beth Aubrey shares why instead of promoting their environmental efforts, some companies opt for a quieter approach, potentially saying nothing at all.

Farm Journal Foundation Farmer Ambassadors share their takeaways from COP28 climate conference in Dubai.

In two years, Truterra has paid farmers more than $9 million for more than 462,000 metric tons of carbon benefits.

Dean Banks will join Flagship Pioneering as CEO-Partner and CEO of Indigo Ag; most recently, Banks was the former President and CEO of Tyson Foods.

“Nitrogen is a farmer's biggest investment in corn production, so we need to do everything we can to protect it,” said Dan Quinn, assistant professor of agronomy at Purdue University.

AgWeb and Trust In Food’s beta Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator is matching producers with Climate-Smart Commodities grants tailored to their operation.

Through his work, Russell Taylor has focused on being an advocate for conservation practices in agriculture – partnering with several different organizations to change laws and draft language for the farm bill. 

COP28's decision to not include food and agriculture as a way to meet climate goals was influenced by a request from the G77 group of developing countries for additional review related to agriculture and food.

Every year, around this time, FSA mails letters to randomly selected farmers and landowners informing them they are facing an audit. If you receive a letter, don’t panic. Get help from experts who deal with FSA reviews.

A chocolate layer cake is good. Layers of dense or compacted soil aren't so good. Once you've probed or dug and found the layers put in place by horizontal farming tools, it's time to remove them. Here's how.

As global dairy companies set a new goal to trace and reduce emissions, U.S. dairy researchers say feeding a small amount of red seaweed may be the secret to cutting methane emissions from dairy cattle by up to half.

Renovo seed mixes will be available via a network of seed dealerships and ag co-operatives. Orders can also be placed online for direct shipment.

Removing compaction and density layers before transitioning to a vertical system can add 15 bu. to 20 bu. per acre and might lower cost of production, according to Farm Journal Test Plot research.

USDA has allocated more than $1.77 billion this year to agricultural producers and landowners through CRP. Since 2021, the CRP has witnessed a 21% increase in enrolled acres.

What is vertical farming and how can it set you up for future government incentives? Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist, explains it often requires mixing and matching tools for primary and secondary tillage.

Here are examples of how Star of The West has built connections and expanded opportunities for farmers. 

Two new metering systems from Montag are engineered for accuracy in conservation practices.

By layering disciplines in agronomy, environmental sciences and data analysis, ag retailers are unlocking new opportunities to work with farmers.

To better understand the word choices preferred by farmers and ag retailers/crop advisers, Farm Journal conducted online surveys this fall asking both groups.

Take our three-question survey to help understand farmer preferences about word choice around conservation practices

Via the partnership, farmers who participate in RegenConnect can easily synchronize their in-field practices and data record keeping via John Deere’s Operations Center.

Here are the FAQs for farmers who are exploring carbon’s next chapter on the farm.

Eighty percent of U.S. growers participating in the 2022-23 National Cover Crop Survey report trying cover crops. Two Indiana farmers share what they've learned along the way and some recommendations.

An ongoing lack of water and volatile prices bring heightened focus on fertilizer and nutrient management. They are critical components to creating a more resilient ag production system, says one industry agronomist.   

“When you look at the big picture, ultimately regenerative agriculture practices will increase the value of your land over time,” says Jerry Hatfield.

USDA looks to improve the future measure, monitoring, reporting and verification of ag climate emissions via a $300 million investment announced on Wednesday.

Dr. Carl Zulauf of Ohio State University, via a FarmDoc Daily article, proposes merging General CRP and Continuous CRP into a Site Specific CRP.

Erik Lichtenberg, University of Maryland professor, says Congress could reorient farm bill conservation funds for climate change, but it could cut into their support.

The European Commission proposed revising its rules on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on Wednesday to loosen some restrictions for plants resulting from newer gene-editing technology.

The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant climate legislation ever enacted. The package includes more than $19 billion to support USDA conservation programs, but the money won't last forever.

Dry conditions in some parts of the Midwest are putting a strain on yield potential early this season. But some stands are thriving. Practices such as continuous covers and no-till are making the difference.

The recent soil dust cloud catastrophe in central Illinois is a wake-up call from Mother Nature suggesting all of agriculture needs to implement more sustainable production practices. We owe it to future generations.

The agency recently launched a new initiative called Acres. Scientists plan for the data gathered through the program to help farmers with all kinds of decisions, from water use to what crops to plant and when.