Trust in Food

Unlocking More With Less Through Precision Agriculture

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:07:38 GMT

Increasing productivity while also using less fuel, water, inputs and time may sound like a dream at today’s farmgate, but a new report called “The Benefits of Precision Ag in the United States” says that very dream is very much a reality for many farms and fields across the U.S.

The report, published collaboratively by Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, CropLife America and National Corn Growers Association, is a follow-up to the landmark 2020 study that first analyzed the potential of precision agriculture technologies to allow farmers and ranchers to do more with less.

It studies precision ag technologies like auto-guidance, machine section control, variable rate application, fleet analytics and telematics and precision irrigation in U.S. production of crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts, wheat, sorghum, potatoes, sugar beets, hay and alfalfa.

Quantifying the Impact: Inputs, Resources and Yield

Compared to the study five years ago, the trend of precision agriculture adoption is upward, with farmers reaping the benefits in quantifiable ways, according to Austin Gellings, senior director of agricultural services, AEM.

“The industry continues to see an improvement in input efficiency as a result of precision agriculture,” Gellings says. “Compared to five years ago, we have continued to see productivity increase while the comparative amount of herbicide, fertilizer, fuel and water used on a per unit basis continues to decline.”

The report details its findings of the current savings of critical inputs through precision agriculture, as well as what is possible through increased adoption, including:

An estimated 4 billion pounds of fertilizer application was avoided due to precision agriculture technologies, with an estimated 7 billion pounds of additional fertilizer that could be avoided with broader adoption
An estimated 54 million pounds of herbicide was avoided due to precision agriculture with an estimated 66 million pounds that could be avoided with broader adoption

The report didn’t stop with analysis of inputs, though. The research found similar savings in terms of fuel and water use as well, including:

147 million gallons of fuel saved, the equivalent of 283,000 cars off the road annually or 26,000 fewer flights
Water use has decreased an estimated 5% as a result of precision agriculture, or the equivalent of an estimated 824,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water saved

The savings are helping to unlock an increase in overall productivity fueled by two decades of growth in U.S. corn and soybean yields, the report states.

Critically, the report not only highlights the strides made by adoption of precision agriculture, but what is possible with continued increases.

“The study references savings that could be achieved as a result of precision agricultural technologies if we were to reach full adoption, which we defined as 90-95% adoption,” says Gellings. “These numbers are not necessarily targeted goals, but rather a guiding light for the potential that remains within our industry.”

Quantifying the Impact: On-Farm Pain Points

Gellings encourages farmers to examine their operations for adoption opportunity.

“It is about identifying what the needs of your specific operation are and then identifying the proper technologies that can help you,” he says. “What are the biggest pain points that your operation faces? Once you pinpoint that, it is then about identifying what technologies address those needs while also fitting into the workflow of one’s operation.”

The report shares anonymous grower insights into how that analysis has paid off for their operation through precision agriculture technologies.

In the report, a Kansas farmer growing wheat, soybeans and alfalfa on their operation said, “We’re spraying less chemical, [targeted spray application technology] is saving us money, and it’s better for the environment.”

“We ran through our herbicide costs we were going to have and dropped them by two-thirds. That is going to make our sprayer payment.”

Similarly, a Minnesota corn and soybean farmer had this to say:

“We looked at what we were spending on postemergence weed control and felt we could justify [targeted spray application technology] if we sprayed only 50% of our acres post. In the end, we only sprayed 11% of our corn acres with postemergence herbicide and averaged only spraying 20% of our soybeans with both applications.”

Quantifying the Impact: Agriculture’s Solution Through Precision

The organizations behind the report are hoping that it will serve as a catalyst into conversations with policymakers and consumers around stewardship within the agriculture industry.

“When it comes to all of the conversations that are happening, whether it be healthy food, the environment, or a number of other issues, the solution at the end of the day tends to already exist and that solution is farmers,” says Gellings. “Farmers have, for generations, done what they believe is best for the land and the communities that they live within and serve.”

“Precision agriculture and all of the technologies that come with that term are nothing more than a tool to help them accomplish that goal at the end of the day,” he says. “None of these will be the silver bullet to solve any and all issues, but when chosen based on the needs and capabilities of a farm and then paired with the other proper practices and inputs, they can help farmers get ahead.”

The report is available for free download through AEM.

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One Montana Farmer’s Fight to Break the Generational Cycle of Failure

Ag Progress Days Takeaway: Farmers Want Continued Conservation Funding

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:17:40 GMT

As lawmakers mark up, rewrite and weigh the benefits of the climate smart guardrails in the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024, otherwise known as the farm bill, farmers across the nation are sending clear signals that the need to preserve conservation funding, which has been at historically high levels in past legislation, is critical to the resilience of American agriculture’s future.

In May, shortly after the passage of the farm bill out of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Farm Journal released poll findings commissioned on behalf of Invest In Our Land that showed an overwhelming sentiment amongst farmers that climate smart funding is critical to building their resilience to extreme weather and climate change impacts.

This week, Invest in Our Land brought this message loud and clear to the industry at the Pennsylvania Ag Progress Days, the battleground state’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition.

“Nobody works harder than the American farmer,” said Joe Hack, Invest in Our Land spokesperson. “But right now, many of them are facing serious challenges — including drought, floods, and other increasingly extreme weather that not only threatens our farmers’ livelihoods today, but also puts the future of their farms and their families at risk.

“The data is clear: America’s farmers and ranchers know firsthand that climate-smart conservation funding is a crucial tool in helping their farms weather these storms, along with other impacts of a changing climate. As Congress continues to work on these issues in the weeks ahead, we encourage them to continue to listen to the voices of our hard-working farmers.”

Perhaps the most visible signal at the event was the 2-acre conservation-focused crop art by world-renowned earthworks artist Stan Herd, which attendees could view both from the ground and from high above in hot air balloons. According to Invest in Our Land, the artwork pays tribute to environmentalist, farmer and poet Wendell Berry and his poem “Below.”

Xochitl Torres Small, United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, spoke about the importance of conservation to agriculture at the Invest In Our Land reception held at the recent Ag Progress Days in Pennsylvania, which also included attendance from Pennsylvania Congressman Glenn William Thompson.

(Photo from Invest in Our Land)

Climate-smart funding was also top of mind in the events held on the ground as well through farmer-led conversations, educational demonstrations, panels and legislative receptions.

Jeff Frey, a Pennsylvania farmer in attendance at the event, spoke out because he realizes the importance of conservation to the future of his farm. The notion is so ingrained that the name of his farm is Future View Farm.

“For the environment, economically - it’s just the right thing to do,” Frey said. “The 20 billion dollars approved through the Inflation Reduction Act - it raises the bar and is important for conservation measures, and for the economic viability of the farm. Conservation farming is not red or blue. It’s not tied to any agenda.”

As the farm bill progress marches forward, follow AgWeb’s continued coverage .

Farmers Want Gene-editing Technology

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 17:08:37 GMT

By Cherilyn Jolly Nagel: Mossbank, Saskatchewan, Canada

Canada is ready for the next genetic revolution.

Farmers like me applaud the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for letting sound science guide agricultural policy—and clearing up the uncertainties and ambiguities that until now had surrounded crop production’s most promising new technology.

On May 3, the CFIA confirmed that gene-edited crops are safe for livestock, following Health Canada ’s lead in determining their safety for food.

This decision means that farmers across Canada will enjoy a new tool for fighting drought, defeating pests, and improving sustainability. For consumers, it means affordable, abundant, and nutritious food. For the world, it means better food security.

It all starts on the farm and I’m excited about what gene-editing will help me accomplish here on the plains of Saskatchewan, where we’re currently planting our new crop of canola for cooking oil, lentils for stews and soups, and durum wheat for pasta.

We’re also fighting a seven-year drought. Our area is typically rather dry, and the crops we grow are adapted to these difficult conditions—but over recent years we’ve received much less water than we need, putting extra stress on our plants as they try to flourish.

Gene editing offers a solution. It allows researchers and scientists to speed up the otherwise slow process of conventional breeding. They can develop and refine traits from the genetic code that is already inside each plant—and, for example, develop crops that make more efficient use of water.

Gene-edited crops may rely on new technologies, but in every way that is important, they are indistinguishable from crops produced the conventional way.

This is different from the technology of genetic modification in GM crops, which involves taking the genes from one species and transplanting them into another. I’ve been a strong supporter of GM technology—the canola on my farm is GM canola—but it’s important for people to know that gene editing is a more refined approach to crop improvement. Gene editing allows for precise changes within a plant’s own genome without introducing foreign genes, making it a more precise and targeted method for enhancing crop traits.

Traditional conventional crop breeding can take ten or more years of research and development for a crop trait to move from concept to commercialization.

I’m not near patient enough to wait that long for new, much needed traits. And now I don’t have to be. Gene editing lets us pick up the pace. I’m looking forward to a future in which farmers see new traits every year, as we build crops that withstand drought, frost, and pests. This new generation of crops with specific traits should also allow us to use our resources more efficiently and to improve the nutritional value of our food.

And it gets even better. Because gene editing is fast and efficient, R&D teams will be able to focus their time and energy on specialty crops and regional varieties. It will finally make economic sense to develop plants uniquely suited to the local environment of my region, the Mossbank area of Saskatchewan.

The CFIA’s decision lets us take full advantage of what gene editing can deliver.

It also helps Canada maintain its position as a global leader in agricultural technology. Because we export so much of what we grow, we have both an obligation and an opportunity to tell the story of gene editing to the rest of the world.

That’s why I travelled to Brussels last year to talk about the benefits of gene editing with a group of international farmers: Gilbert Bor of Kenya , Guillermo Breton of Mexico , David Danio of the Philippines , and Diana Lenzi of Italy . And then took my whole family to Japan to share our farm’s experience and support for seed technology with Shuichi Tokumoto, a farmer in Tottorishi, Japan. We are all affiliated with the Global Farmer Network , and we come from vastly different places. Our goal was to show our united support for gene editing.

We think gene-edited crops will make us better farmers, and that means we’ll grow better food for the people who count on us.

This is an essential point: Farmers want this technology. And now Canada is going to get in the game so my family farm can continue to grow safe, healthy, affordable food.

Cherilyn and her family own a diversified grain farm in Mossbank, Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition to farming, Cherilyn is active in many agricultural policy initiatives to improve the communication between farmers and the public and advocate for modern agricultural practices. Cherilyn volunteers as a board member for the Global Farmer Network . This column originates at www.globalfarmernetwork.org

Inside AMVAC's Strategy To Widen Precision Agriculture Adoption

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 19:32:43 GMT

Farm-level production data is critical for precision agriculture and sustainable production systems, but many factors continually stand in the way of farmers willingly handing over that currency.

“It’s human nature to ask, ‘What’s in it for me?’ and farmers are human,” says Rick Rice, director, application technology, AMVAC Chemical Corp . “As an industry, we must make certain that farmers realize value from data they provide and that they’re confident it won’t be used for purposes other than those defined in the data sharing agreement.”

America’s Conservation Ag Movement (ACAM) visited with Rice to discuss what he’s experienced in his career in precision agriculture, what he feels is needed to bridge the data gap and how AMVAC is helping to provide those solutions for farmers.

During your time working with farmers in this space, what have you experienced in their attitudes toward data and data-sharing?
I’ve worked in the precision/prescriptive ag space for 15+ years and I’ve learned farmers don’t want to share proprietary data with an entity that will use it to make money unless there’s a clear understanding about how they’ll share the money.

On the other hand, most farmers I’ve worked with are very willing to share data with companies that clearly define the limited purpose for which it will be used, particularly when it’s to improve algorithms that will make a particular type of software work better. Every data system in use by farmers today was designed and tested using data that farmers shared with designers.

How is AMVAC working to provide solutions to growers that help streamline data measuring, monitoring, reporting and verification?
AMVAC’s Ultimus technology is a supply chain tracking tool that will also increase food transparency for consumers throughout the food chain.

Ultimus starts with an RFID tag that the crop ag input manufacturer attaches to each container, whether it’s as large as a railcar of fertilizer solution or as small as a pint-sized bottle of pesticide. The RFID tag serves as a certificate of origin confirming the container’s contents, and also allows comprehensive tracking of the container. The tagged SKU is scanned as the container moves through each step of the supply chain, allowing each entity with access privileges to see precisely where it’s located, 24/7. Even if some portion of the contents is transferred from the original tagged container to a different or smaller container, the transfer is recorded and tracked in Ultimus.

When a farmer is ready to apply the contents of a tagged container, those contents are transferred through a device that passes to Ulitmus-enabled application equipment the certificate of origin information from the container’s RFID tag, along with the quantity of product removed from the container in that individual dispensing transaction. When that data is matched with the equipment’s as-applied recordkeeping system, a verifiable application record is produced that can be shared with anyone the farmer chooses.

We frequently hear consumers want to know where their food came from, but that’s only part of the story. They also want to be confident the crop was produced in conformity with regulated and recommended crop production practices ensuring food will be safe for them and their families. Ultimus makes it simple and cost effective for farmers to provide verifiable application records of inputs used to produce crops that go into human and/or animal food products.

I believe Ultimus has the potential to change our entire industry, as we make it easy and affordable to provide transparency to consumers, food companies and others with an interest in confident answers regarding who applied what, when and where and at what rate, for every product applied to each field.

Productivity and sustainability must align with profitability to gain adoption on farms. How does AMVAC and your solutions help ensure increased profitability for your customers?
The operative word is solutions. It’s not enough to deliver a break-even solution. The first sustainability test for any farmer is: “Will my profits increase if I use this product?” Every farmer who applies an AMVAC-brand product believes the answer to that question is yes. Because we’re in the business of selling prescriptive solutions, one of our jobs is to help farmers better understand where the “yes” locations are in their fields and, just as importantly, help them avoid applying our products in the “no” locations.

A recent Trust In Food study found 70% of farmers would be willing to start or increase their use of precision farm management technologies if they could be financially incentivized to do so. How is AMVAC solving for this barrier with your customers?
AMVAC was one of the original sponsors of Farm Journal’s ACAM. Through our association with ACAM, we had an opportunity to help draft program rules for the Trust In Food (TIF) Climate Smart Ag Practices grant program that define sustainable farming practices which would qualify farmers to receive cost-share reimbursements. We believe the grant program is a great tool to help farmers implement sustainable farming practices because the reimbursements minimize the financial risk of trying something new. The purpose isn’t to provide a forever subsidy for a particular practice, but instead to act as a catalyst for new conservation practices in particular areas and by individuals who might not risk implementing the practice without a financial safety net. The long-term objective, however, is to allow participants to demonstrate to themselves and their neighbors that new sustainability practices yield positive financial benefits on their own and will continue to do so long after the three-year reimbursement program has ended.

With ACAM and TIF, AMVAC believes the most effective method of marketing to farmers is via word of mouth from farmer peers who have had first-hand experience. This starts when first-year farmer participants in the TIF program tell their neighbors they ought to consider participating in the Climate Smart grant program. After the grant program has ended, that same word of mouth should continue as farmers from the program continue to use those practices knowing they truly are sustainable both environmentally and financially.

There is confusion in the carbon credits market around standards for measuring, monitoring, reporting and verifying data. What is a big step that, you believe, can be taken to provide clarity across the value chain for this issue?
The measuring process is fairly straightforward. Independent entities such as the American Carbon Registry and universities have confirmed that if a farmer does X practice, Y tons of carbon will be sequestered, or better, not released into the atmosphere.

The real challenges are with reporting, monitoring, and verifying. Today, essentially all reporting activity requires manual entry along with confidence in the reporter’s integrity and accuracy. I don’t believe there’s a community on earth with higher overall integrity than American farmers, but we’ve all heard about a few bad actors. Even farmers with the very best intentions can make honest reporting errors.

This is why monitoring is an essential element of carbon markets. Businesses that purchase farmer-produced carbon credits demand monitoring because they need to be confident those credits won’t or can’t be reversed in the future. But monitoring, whose only purpose is to identify reporting errors, is expensive because it’s human based, manual, and time consuming. It takes the lion’s share of the value of ag-based carbon credits. Consequently, monitoring all the qualifying farm practices that can generate ag-based carbon credit is just not financially feasible, yet without universal monitoring, verification is impossible. It’s a real Catch-22.

Ultimus helps address this dilemma for credit-eligible practices – such as reducing the application rate of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, or applying nitrogen-fixing supplements or soil health products – by completely automating the verification process.

What is the biggest opportunity agriculture has right now in terms of accelerating climate-smart work?
I believe the real accelerator will come from reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) linked to use of synthetically manufactured nitrogen fertilizer. All commercially grown non-leguminous crops require supplemental nitrogen, most of which comes from synthetically manufactured nitrogen fertilizer. Though the manufacturing process is improving, the methods used to produce synthetic nitrogen result in significant releases of nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. So, if the number of synthetically manufactured nitrogen units can be reduced significantly, a corresponding reduction in GHG emissions would result, and GHGs not released into the atmosphere won’t have to be sequestered.

Farmers can’t reduce the number of nitrogen units required by their crops without a corresponding reduction in yield. However, with the advent of nitrogen-fixing supplements like iNvigorate, Envita and Proven 40, farmers can now obtain a portion of a crop’s nitrogen requirement from free atmospheric nitrogen. A great deal of capital is being invested in development of a better class of nitrogen-fixing supplements. I believe these investments will yield dividends and that farmers should anticipate replacing ever increasing quantities of synthetic nitrogen with free atmospheric nitrogen. When that happens, GHG emissions from the manufacture of synthetic nitrogen will decrease, nitrogen-related field GHG emissions will diminish, and less nitrogen will leach from fields into waterways. And because verification of reductions in synthetic nitrogen fertilizer can be automated, reduced use of synthetic nitrogen can, in my opinion, be the most rapidly adopted climate-smart practice to enable a broad community of farmers to begin realizing new income from the sale of carbon credits.

Farm Journal’s The Scoop recently named BioWake as its new product of the year for 2023. What does that product offer growers who are interested in sustainability for their operations? What is next for the BioWake brand?
We are thrilled to have The Scoop’s audience vote BioWake as the readers’ choice new product of the year . BioWake has two key technology components that will further sustainability efforts for farmers. The first is a soy-based seed fluency agent that is a technology delivery system for live microbes. This protein is carcinogen-free, non-abrasive to seeds, made entirely from U.S. soybeans and not present in the soil after 28 days. It’s a direct replacement for graphite or talc-based lubricants yet provides the same flowability and singulation and eliminates the mess and harm associated with them. The second component of BioWake are the microbes themselves: pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFMs), which quickly colonize the plant and form a symbiotic relationship, producing molecules that help plants take in more nutrients and encouraging earlier, more vigorous root development. We’ve seen sizable increases in the root area, depth, and root tips of both corn and soybean treated with BioWake. Larger roots lead to improved yields and also add to the overall health of the soil.

We launched BioWake for Corn and BioWake for Soybeans in 2023. For 2024, we are expanding the line by adding BioWake for Cotton and BioWake Prime™. BioWake Prime is an EPA-registered bioinsecticide product designed to mitigate corn rootworm larval feeding and damage. Trial results from 2023 showed an 8 BU/A win advantage across 56 data points, with a 68% win rate. It offers farmers a convenient addition to their current corn rootworm strategy.

Growers Who Rely Upon Cover Crops Say Diversity is Key to Maximum Soil Health Benefit

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 16:57:22 GMT

This article was written by Jamie Sears Rawlings with Trust In Food.

Eighty percent of U.S. growers who participated in the 2022-23 National Cover Crop Survey report that they used cover crops on their farms. That number overwhelms the national average (only 7.5 percent of U.S. farms in the 2017 Census), but it’s enough to signal that adoption of cover crops is rising.

For these new adopters, however, the learning curve is coming with some challenges along the way.

What if one cover crop works one year and not the next? How do you know when to terminate? Does planting green make sense?

Cover Crop Options Available For Every Farm

According to Indiana producers who shared their practices at a Aug. 17 field day: cover diversity and experimentation are essential to cater mixes to each unique operation.

Indiana farmer Aaron Krueger told the almost 80 people in attendance that his soil health and organic material has grown as his cover crop diversity has grown. (Left: Aaron and Ronald Krueger of Krueger Farms in Owensville, Ind.)

“Wheat is a good starter program for a cover crop, but it likes to put on roots when it flowers, which is problematic,” Krueger said. “My advice is to look beyond just wheat into rye and a mixture.”

Like most growers, Krueger says he experiments with his cover crop mix, but mostly chooses to stay with a grass, legume, and brassica trident. His preferred mix ahead of corn includes four total legumes because they are easy to plant into, making it easy to plant into green, which is important on his farm.

Peas as his main legume, Krueger says, work well because peas produce a lot of biomass that is easily digestible.

Slow-Release Nutrients Feed Soil

Krueger was joined by fellow Indiana grower Cameron Mills, owner of Mills Family Farms. His cover crop mixture, he told the group, is designed intentionally to release nutrients that feed his soil throughout the growing season.

“Our cover crops have different carbon/nitrogen ratios and I want to make sure I have a slow-release of those nutrients over time,” Mills said. Using this method, he said, has allowed him to reduce his nitrogen use for the year to only 120 units. “Our goal with cover crops is to feed our biology,” he added.

Travis Gogel, Southwest Indiana Soil Scientist with USDA-NRCS, was on-hand at the event and shared that cover crops are integral, no matter the time in the growing season.

“Soil cover begins at harvest time,” said Gogel. “One of the things we are looking for as an NRCS planner is that we don’t want to see any bare soil in the fields at any point in the season.”

This consistent cover cropping is the method that Krueger uses, and he said it has provided him many benefits.

“Since we’ve started using more peas and vetch in our cover crop mix, we’ve been weaning our nitrogen use back,” he says. “And we aren’t using as many herbicides and fungicides because keeping your soil covered helps to suppress disease.”

Be Open To Experimentation

Mills cautioned that experimentation is equally as critical when cover cropping.

“Every year it’s different,” he said. “If you are waiting for your cover crops to get to the same biomass every year, you might be in trouble.”

After several years of consistent cover cropping, both Mills and Krueger believe in the practice’s benefits for soil health, building resilience and boosting profitability.

“Everyone can do it,” Mills said. “You just have to figure out your program.”

Krueger Farms hosted the field day in partnership with America’s Conservation Ag Movement, which works with innovative producers to share real-field results of agronomic practices that optimize soil health, improve water infiltration and storage, reduce inputs and other benefits that boost yields and ROI. Learn more by visiting www.americasconservationagmovement.com.

Feed Your Soil With Cover Crops

Real-World Cover Crop Decisions

How Planting Cover Crops Today Helps

Drought is More than just 'Water Stress' for Corn and Soybeans

Sat, 12 Aug 2023 12:36:24 GMT

This article was written by Jamie Sears Rawlings, manager of Climate-Smart Content at Trust In Food. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com

One of the greatest agronomic challenges facing producers today is the multi-year drought pattern affecting the Corn Belt, says Mike Zwingman, director of agronomy, row crops for Verdesian Life Sciences.

“The impact of drought is more than just water stress,” Zwingman says. “It greatly impacts nutrient uptake and lowers yield potential after drought stress because the plant misses out on some critical nutrient uptake periods.”

As producers in drought-stricken areas monitor how abiotic stress affects their yields, many are looking for solutions to help manage plant health in dry conditions. Nutrient efficiency and management are critical components to creating a more resilient production system.

America’s Conservation Ag Movement sat down with Zwingman to get his perspective on nutrient use, the National Corn Yield Contest and the next generation of products to help producers manage emerging pressures on their operations.

Over your two-decade career in agriculture, how has conservation agriculture evolved?

I don’t think conservation farming principles have changed over the past two decades. No-Till has been a common practice my entire career; cover crops have also existed during that time. What has changed is the focus and intensity of those practices. I understand that none of these practices are new, but how to effectively execute them is the most important lesson I have learned.

Why is nutrient use efficiency important for producers right now? What are some of the factors that are spurring interest?

From the grower’s perspective, economics is the biggest driver of Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE); managing cost of production and yield optimization are two of the most essential things growers can do when prices are so volatile. That is not to say they aren’t worried about conservation issues; often, those things are tied together.

How does nitrogen stabilization and nutrient efficiency fit into your sponsorship of the National Yield Contest’s new Nitrogen Management Class? Why is this new class important for producers? 

We are excited to be part of this new class of the National Yield Contest because it so profoundly aligns with the DNA of who Verdesian is. I have been saying for years that we have significantly improved Nitrogen Use Efficiency in my lifetime; the problem is that it may be one of the best-kept secrets in our industry. This contest gives us the platform to show consumers, and the rest of the value chain, how good at it we really are.

How do nutrient optimization strategies help producers tell their story with the value chain and consumers who are increasingly interested in production methods?

It focuses on many things growers already have been doing to improve Nutrient Use Efficiency and allows them to invest in and explore new technologies that accelerate that improvement. At Verdesian, we support those efforts by developing some of those new technologies as well and providing clarity on how they best fit into a producer’s operation.

How does growing production transparency affect the future of agriculture?

Our customers are more separated from agriculture than ever before in history but also have more concern about how their food is produced as well. This paradox allows for a vast stream of misinformation to flood the internet and mind-space of the end user. We have both the responsibility and opportunity to change that by being more transparent and inviting people to see what we do.

In a segment that has some residual efficacy concerns from early bad actors, what are some ways Verdesian has been successfully communicating the value of biological products to producers?  

For us, it all starts with explaining exactly how a specific product works either in the soil or in the plant to benefit Nutrient Use Efficiency. That begins with the hard work of the people in our lab to identify modes of action as we go to the field to generate yield data for the grower. We also work extremely hard to get the recommendation on how to use it in the field. We have the right processes in place to allow us to do both those things.

What does the next generation of grower solutions look like, and how is your R&D addressing the challenges growers are facing today and the burgeoning demand for sustainable products? 

I am extremely proud of and excited about the products in our pipeline. Soon we plan on having releases in the micronutrient space, phosphorus enhancers category, and some new technology for the planter box. All of those new technologies address stress management and NUE.

Why is it important for Verdesian Life Sciences to be part of coalitions like America’s Conservation Ag Movement and Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance? 

There is no better indicator of what is important to a company’s culture than where it invests its talent, money and other resources. At Verdesian, we are committed to developing new technologies that enhance Nutrient Use Efficiency to benefit the environment, grower sustainability and the end user, because that is who we are.

How to Calculate Your Personal Inflation Rate

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 20:30:45 GMT

See how rising costs impact you and your family

Yes, inflation is at a 40-year high, but you might not be feeling its sharp bite. It all depends on where you spend your money.

The Consumer Price Index is a basket of thousands of goods and services. In March, it marked a nearly 8.5% jump from a year ago. Categories such as gasoline, food and housing are the biggest contributors to the increase.

To analyze inflation’s threat to your farm and family, calculate your personal inflation rate.

Determine your monthly expenses for the following categories: food and beverages, housing, clothing, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, communication and other goods and services. Include big-ticket items you pay once or twice a year, such as home insurance.
Subtract your monthly spending a year ago from your current monthly spending.
Divide that sum by your monthly spending from a year ago.

For instance, if your spending last month was $4,500, and a year ago it was $4,250, the difference is $250. Divide $250 by $4,250 and you land at a personal inflation rate of 5.9%.

MINIMIZE INFLATION IMPACTS

Inflation is a growing risk for your farm and family. “It is also largely out of your control,” says Brent Gloy, economist at Agriculture Economic Insights. “What you can do is recognize prices are heading up and plan for it.”

This inflation calculation can be an eye opener about your family living expenses. If tracking your expenses is intimidating, start small, encourages Alex White, farm and financial management instructor at Virginia Tech University. For one month, track all personal expenses on paper or with an electronic tool.

Once you have current data, he says, you can see if you need to reduce expenses or set some financial goals.

You Are What You Spend

Some products and services have seen dramatic jumps in price. Luckily, a 13% jump in cracker prices isn’t felt as sharply as the nearly 40% increase in gas prices. Here are inflation levels for a few categories.

Read More

How to Anchor Your Farm’s Profits From Inflation’s Pull

John Phipps: The Inflation We Expect

3 Economic Forces to Watch that Will Impact Agriculture

Adios to the Ag Dollar: A Farmer’s Story on Inflation and Inputs

Is the Fed Behind the Curve in Battling Inflation?

Drought Mitigation Strategies For Operational Resilience

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 17:06:20 GMT

Throughout the Midwest drought conditions are putting strain on yield potential early this year. From stories of rootless corn on the Western plains to stands in the Eastern plains that are slow to take or emerging unevenly, widespread concern is driving commodity prices up in anticipation of a down year. And it doesn’t look like there’s much relief in sight.

But some stands are thriving. The difference is locking in subsoil moisture using a slate of practices that include continuous covers and no-till planting, for starters.

I just represented America’s Conservation Ag Movement at the TopSoil Summit near Riverside, Iowa, and while the eastern part of the state hasn’t had the prolonged drought as they’re seeing in the western half, there is still considerable dryness, and it’s on everyone’s mind.

Continuum Ag Regenerative System
The conference was hosted by 7th-generation farmer Mitchell Hora, founder and CEO of Continuum Ag, and his father, Brian, who has been no-tilling since 1978 and using cover crops since 2013. What we saw in the soil pit on their farm should be confirmation for farmers: Once we dug about 3 to 4 inches, we found wet, dark soil, and corn roots reached down 2-3 feet. That kind of performance is the result of years of incremental changes that built a regenerative system that preserves the soil’s natural microbiology and activity. The proof of how it works is in the numbers.

Mitchell Hora, founder and CEO of Continuum Ag, uses regenerative soil health practices on Hora Farm to achieve consistent yields.
Data from Hora’s farm show that the yields on his farm are higher than the county averages, but more importantly, they fluctuate very little compared to average county fluctuations. The regenerative practices he’s built into his operation have made his soil less susceptible to weather extremes and provided more resilience to wind, rain, drought and pest pressures.

The ability to hold and store water has never been more important for the American producer as weather becomes more unpredictable and severe. And as plants stress under the extremes, they’ll be more prone to disease and insect pests. Healthy plants keep input costs low on Hora’s farm and others that invest in healthy soils.

It’s not too late to start building resilience into operations. It starts with a plan. This year’s TopSoil Summit focused on how producers can monetize soil health in a data-connected supply chain. As demand for sustainable produce grows, farmers who are out front with their practices will reap the biggest rewards, and there’s money to be made beyond bigger and more stable yields.

About the Author: Jimmy Emmons leads Trust In Food’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Connected Ag Project, America’s Conservation Ag Movement and Trust In Beef, coalition-driven conservation programs developed to accelerate the adoption of conservation agriculture at scale.

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How Habitat Management Plans Drive Healthier Land, Livestock and Forages

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:00:39 GMT

David Frabotta is the Director of Climate-Smart Content for Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com

Funding for habitat management is squarely under the microscope as legislators and lobbyists evaluate how farm bill programs will be administered in their next iteration. Among the voluminous calls for change, many legislators, agriculture companies and conservation organizations are lobbying for programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, as an example, to be more flexible so farmers and ranchers can continue to conserve or regenerate habitats on private, working lands.

The farm bill negotiations are part of a global movement to address biodiversity loss. In December, the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) yielded a landmark global biodiversity framework that identified 23 goals to achieve by 2030, including restoration of 30% of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, halving global food waste and reducing the loss of high biodiversity importance to near zero.

Global biodiversity has become critical as “the planet is experiencing a dangerous decline in nature as a result of human activity,” according to the UN, which says 1 million plant and animal species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades.

As with climate change and greenhouse gas emissions reductions, there is an emphasis for greater private-sector action and investment into habitat preservation.

Also, like climate change, agriculture operations can be seen as both contributors to biodiversity loss as well as a solution to restoring and connecting ecosystems that have significant benefits to farming operations and the communities and wildlife around them. Farmers understand this connection.

In a recent Trust In Food survey of 500 farmers in 5 states, more than two-thirds of farmers say the top benefit of conservation agriculture is better protected wildlife and wildlife habitats. Ecological diversity provides farmers with healthier soils, improved forage potential and a greater number of beneficial insects that can mitigate input costs, among other benefits.

Corteva Agriscience is helping farmers and ranchers advance biodiversity through partnerships with organizations including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Pheasants Forever. Corteva and its partners are helping to establish habitat management plans that provide action-based tools that control invasive species, improve the use and value of their land, protect valuable grassland birds and strengthen the related biodiversity of the ecosystem.

Biodiversity is a core focus area in the company’s sustainability commitments . It is where the company sees one of its biggest opportunities to leverage the breadth of capabilities and touch points with farmers and ranchers to affect meaningful and measurable change, says Corteva Biodiversity Partnerships Lead Aly Wells.

One example of Corteva’s biodiversity partnerships is the company’s engagement with Dakota Audubon’s Conservation Forage Initiative that works with ranchers to establish management plans addressing grazing practices, grassland establishment and conservation as ways to increase productivity by reducing erosion and improving soil health while improving habitat for rangeland birds.

Corteva is also working with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the Audubon Conservation Ranching Initiative in the Rockies, where the partners are working to restore and improve management and biodiversity habitat on more than 30,000 acres of grasslands.

Additionally, Corteva provides resources through its LandVisor platform, a vegetation management platform that uses field data and GIS imaging to help manage forage productivity and to help control invasive species and provide actionable insights for land management and encourage native grasses and forbs to thrive.

“As an industry, we need to do more to measure and communicate biodiversity impacts as they relate to improving productivity while limiting the impact to wildlife, beneficial organisms and soil health,” Wells says. “We know that productivity is critically important for farmers and ranchers, so if we can communicate the return on investment of these biodiversity practices, that could encourage more participation.”

In late 2022, Corteva announced a 3-year partnership with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever to enhance habitat in non-crop areas as part of the Rights-of-Way & Energy (ROWE) Habitat Program , which assesses and measures habitat, biodiversity and conservation on transportation, railway, oil and gas, electric and solar corridors across the country.

The partnership will pair the knowledge of conservation experts and wildlife biologists with solutions and strategies recommended by Corteva Agriscience Vegetation Management Specialists. This approach is expected to help industry practitioners create sustainable, integrated habitat management plans with the potential to improve up to 5 million acres of the estimated 35 million acres of rights-of-way and energy corridors in the United States. This would be a 14% improvement in total rights-of-way and energy acres.

“Corteva understands the unique challenges facing farmers, ranchers and the ecosystems in which they operate,” Wells says. “We’re committed to supporting biodiversity through a combined approach focusing on our products, productivity impact using Corteva’s technologies, partnerships with organizations that share our vision and improvements to our own Corteva operations.”

Can the $20-Billion Inflation Reduction Act Get Rolled Out Quickly Enough?

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 21:33:08 GMT

In the pecking order of priorities on the farm, conservation practices have often ranked relatively low on the list – not from a lack of farmer interest so much as the result of limited dollars and cents.

That’s certainly been the case with federal resources available through USDA. Contracts for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), for instance, were awarded to only 31% of farmer applicants between 2010 and 2020, according to a report issued by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) last year. Likewise, only 42% of Conservation Stewardship Program applications were funded during that decade.

But conservation funding opportunities are getting an unprecedented financial boost with implementation of the legislative package dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. The package was signed into law by President Joe Biden last August.

“How often have we said regarding conservation, ‘if only we had the money to do that?’ Well, now we have the money to do that; it’s a generational opportunity,” said John Larson, senior vice president of the American Farmland Trust.

“The thing that we need to focus on is implementing that funding in a way that meets the needs of farmers and ranchers in the field to accomplish their desired conservation outcomes, because that’s going to be key,” he added.

Larson weighed in on the new legislative package during a panel discussion on the topic of farm policy and funding at the 2023 Trust In Food Symposium in Nashville, Tenn. The panel, pictured here, was narrated by Jay Vroom, chair of America’s Conservation Ag Movement and an advisor to Trust In Food.

IRA Funding Allocation Specifics Outlined

The IRA totals approximately $740 billion, including nearly $40 billion earmarked for agriculture, forestry and rural development. Of that latter amount, roughly $20 billion is funding earmarked for agriculture conservation.

Specific funding allocated by the IRA includes:
• $8.45 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program
• $4.95 billion for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program
• $3.25 billion for the Conservation Stewardship Program
• $1.4 billion for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
• $1 billion for conservation technical assistance
• $300 million to measure, evaluate, quantify carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reductions from conservation investments

Conservation Projects Need Funding This Season

The challenge now is whether the agriculture industry will be able to move quickly enough to implement the IRA program and harvest the benefits in a timely manner.

“If the conservation community doesn’t get all those billions of dollars invested – not spent but invested – in the next 24 months there’s not going to be additional resources made available (in the future),” said Bruce Knight, principal and founder of Strategic Conservation Solutions and former head of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), during the Trust In Food panel discussion.

The conservation community must move quickly to get funding into the hands of farmers and ranchers and demonstrate it values and respects “the taxpayer trust that they have been handed,” Knight added.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced initial implementation plans for the IRA funding in mid-February. As of last week (March 17), a press release from Vilsack’s office said applications for the first IRA funding cycle had closed for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, Agricultural Land Easements and Wetland Reserve Easements.

While NRCS accepts applications for its conservation programs year-round, farmers and livestock producers interested in EQIP or CSP financial assistance through IRA should apply by their state’s ranking deadline to be considered for funding in the current cycle, Vilsack said in a release. Farmers can click here to learn more about state application ranking dates .

If farmers apply after the program ranking date specified, NRCS said it will automatically consider their application during the next cycle.

‘A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats’

While Democrats backed passing the IRA unanimously last summer, Congressional Republicans voiced unanimous opposition to the legislative package.

Love it or hate it, the IRA represents an opportunity to benefit a variety of people and organizations, said Randy Russell, president of The Russell Group, during the Trust In Food panel discussion.

He referenced benefits he observed from the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. USDA invested up to $2.8 billion in 70 selected projects in the first pool of funding in 2022.

The agency said the climate-smart commodities program provided positive outcomes for up to 60,000 farms, representing more than 25 million acres of working land.

“The real strength of that program is that it forged relationships up and down the food chain between land grant universities, nonprofits, the conservation community, the environmental community, and ag produce organizations,” Russell said. “It really leveraged using private sector dollars to build these partnerships.”

Russell’s hope is that the Inflation Reduction Act will provide similar outcomes.

Vilsack said in a press release the IRA funding will provide direct climate mitigation benefits and expand access to financial and technical assistance for growers and livestock producers to advance conservation on their farm, ranch or forest land through practices like cover cropping, conservation tillage, wetland restoration, prescribed grazing, nutrient management, tree planting and more.

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Innovation Will Help Farmers Feed a World of 8 Billion and Counting

Sun, 06 Nov 2022 13:00:00 GMT

By Gurjeet Singh Mann: Village Patti Kirpal, District Sirsa of Haryana State, India

You can mark the date on your calendar: On November 15, 2022, a mother will give birth to a baby who is the world’s 8 billionth person.

This milestone in human history comes to us from an estimate by demographers at the United Nations.

They also predict that next year, my country of India will pass China as the planet’s most populous nation, with about 1.4 billion people.

This means the expanding population will need much more food than we ever had before. If we’re going to feed them, we need another Green Revolution and a lot more for India as well as for the rest of the world. Farmers must enjoy access to the full power of modern technology so that we can do our part to meet the necessities of life.

The challenges of population growth are enormous. I’ve seen the effects in my region of northern India, where I’ve worked on my family farm for more than four decades and currently grow rice and wheat. Areas that once were devoted to agriculture now are dotted with dwellings to accommodate more families and people. The boundaries of cities and villages continue to expand, cutting into cropland. Everything feels more congested.

We’re losing arable land every day to urbanization and industrialization. Because we can’t make more of it, we must do more with what we have—and in a world of 8 billion people, that means growing more food on less land than ever before.

This is our task for the rest of the century, too. The UN predicts continued growth in global population, with 9.7 billion people in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100.

The problem is especially severe in India. Soon we’ll have more people than China, but China always will have more arable land.

Feeding our nation will involve one of history’s biggest tests.

This is a serious problem, but it can be transformed into an opportunity as well. The good news is that we know what to do, at least in principle, and that’s because we’ve done it before.

Back in the 1960’s, the global population topped 3 billion—and many experts worried about the ability of farmers to improve their production and keep up. Enter Norman Borlaug , the agronomist who made it his mission to find a solution. In India, he worked with M.S. Swaminathan and M.S. Randhawa to develop new seed varieties, which gave a big boost to the yield and total production of cereals, especially wheat in India.

At a time when pessimists were ready to surrender in the war on hunger, Borlaug showed the power of human ingenuity to solve problems with science and technology. He went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his achievements as an agronomist.

This is the hidden benefit of population growth: For all the ways that additional people can present dilemmas, they also give us a better chance to create a new generation of innovators who will help us think our way to answers.

As they do, farmers like me stand ready to do our part. We are ready to innovate, too.

During my career as a farmer, I’ve watched technology transform everything. The advent of GMOs, for example, allowed cotton farmers finally to withstand the assaults of boll worms and other pests—and we enjoyed a massive boom in production. Although I’m now growing other kinds of crops, I was a full participant in this development and saw firsthand how much it helped farmers and consumers alike.

Sadly, our government has prevented us from adopting GM technology in edible produce. While much of the developed world has embraced this technology, India has hesitated, due mainly to the opposition of political activists. We have an amazing potential to grow more food. A couple of the most promising examples are mustard and brinjal (which is known as “eggplant” in other parts of the world). Today, we have a ray of hope as GM mustard recently received environmental clearance from the Government. Access to these GM seeds would immediately help farmers strengthen India’s food security.

Yet this is about more than just a single technology. The gene-editing technology called “CRISPR” gives us new abilities to grow crops in harsher conditions, including drought, heat, and frost. We should apply it to every crop—starting with wheat and rice, which may be the commodities that could gain the most from new technological approaches and farmer access needed to meet the worlds hunger challenge.

Everything begins with having the best seeds, but we have other technological opportunities: Climate-smart farming requires better machinery, from large harvesters for big fields to small and micro size so a maximum number of farmers can adopt it to small drones for mapping and surveillance; micro-irrigation, for the efficient delivery of water in a time of climate change; improved weather forecasting, to help us make planting decisions; and crop-protection tools that fight weeds, pests, and disease.

These are the makings of a new Green Revolution—one that a world of 8 billion people and counting will need.

Gurjeet Singh Mann grows rice (mainly aromatic Basmati varieties) and wheat on a family farm in Haryana State, North India. As a farmer who embraces new technology, including GM crops, he guides fellow and young farmers in these new technologies. Gurjeet Mann is a member of the Global Farmer Network. www.globalfarmernetwork.org

How To Hook Gen Z On U.S. Dairy

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 20:17:28 GMT

This article was written by Nate Birt, Vice President of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com.

Many dairy farmers probably don’t spend a lot of time exploring how to engage Generation Z—a fast-growing U.S. market segment ages 10 to 23. Yet now is precisely the opportunity to position your dairy to capture their attention and build trust with an audience seeking sustainable foods that are good for the mind and body, says Serena Schaffner, senior vice president of communications at Dairy Management Inc. (DMI).

“One of the things that’s most interesting about this generation is they’ve defined what health means in a new way,” Schaffner explains in an April 2022 video interview with Trust In Food, the sustainable ag initiative of Farm Journal.

“It’s all about wellness. It’s not just about the product that you put into your body,” Schaffner says.

“You should make sure that you feel yourself getting energy, but also how is it helping my mind. How is it making me feel better when it comes to eating this product, specifically when you think about the environment? If we can’t show them that dairy not only meets those functional needs of those, like the ability to energize you, to help you focus, to build your muscles, to help you grow, but also the fact that you can feel good about eating it because we’re good for the planet and we care for our animals, they won’t even consider us.”

Gen Z customers also seek out foods that bring immunity benefits, calm, sustained energy and improved digestive health, she adds. DMI has designed short ads and marketing messages to illustrate dairy’s benefits in these areas, aimed at capturing attention in the eight seconds the Gen Z audience is willing to give. (That’s the average length of a TikTok video, Schaffner points out.)

That approach also underscores Gen Z’s interest in entertaining content, not simply facts and figures.
To make inroads with the Gen Z crowd, Schaffner encourages dairy farmers to use social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to tell the story of what’s happening on their operations. Several young dairy farmers already are sharing these kinds of authentic messages.

“They are inherently native and social,” Schaffner explains, describing the importance of outreach to Gen Z. “They are the ones who are sharing the most. And if your parents are like mine or your grandparents are like mine, they’re watching all of those videos, too. They are the creators of culture.

To learn more about DMI’s Gen Z research and outreach, including via video games, be sure to watch the video clip.

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Forget the Propaganda: Come Visit Our Farms

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 13:00:00 GMT

By John Rigolizzo, Jr.: Berlin, New Jersey USA

“This is just pure propaganda.”

When I heard Jennifer Jacquet utter this line in a video op-ed that tries to vilify farmers, I laughed so hard that I could have fallen out of the cab of my John Deere combine harvester.

If the comments weren’t so out-of-touch, I’d be amused because Jacquet is so unaware. She seeks to demonize people like me, a farmer in New Jersey. Instead, she describes her own ideas and behavior.

An associate professor of environmental studies at New York University, Jacquet is one of the on-screen stars in a 14-minute film, the first of three videos in a series about agriculture that was titled “We’re Cooked: Meet the People Getting Paid to Kill Our Planet”, recently released by the New York Times.

“We’re Cooked” is in fact half baked, starting with its ridiculous title. The videos are a smug and obnoxious attack on agriculture—a one-sided account that misleads and even lies about the business of farming.

I can’t put it any better than Jacquet: “This is just pure propaganda.”

I’d find the whole thing outrageous and shameful if this mini-movie weren’t an unintentional comic masterpiece.

Jacquet sits in her bright and clean Manhattan office as she attacks the men and women who get dirt on their hands and mud on their boots as they work in fields, growing crops, raising livestock, and also raising children.

In the film, it might appear that farmers do not have time to appear in videos about agriculture. The moviemakers did not bother to include any original interviews with farmers.

For a flick about farming, you might think that the producers would have thought to send a camera crew to an actual farm inhabited by real farmers. Then they could have heard what we think about production, sustainability, technology, and more. That’s what a news organization that aspires to practice fair-minded and objective journalism would do.

Jacquet’s co-star in the anti-agriculture flick is Peter Lehner, who works at Earthjustice, an environmental outfit that appears to spend a lot of its time suing agricultural groups. The video reveals that he sits in his own shiny office, just like Jacquet, from which he delivers an absolutely adorable line: “I’m a lawyer and my client is planet earth!”

As a farmer, perhaps I should be reminding everyone who eats: “I’m a farmer and my client is you.”

This is what the propaganda series refuses to understand: Farmers work for everyone as we grow the food, feed, fiber and fuel the world needs.

We produce meat, fish, vegetables and potatoes for families as well as kale salad with quinoa and carrot ginger dressing for those whose tastes go in another direction.

Farming is one of America’s great success stories. We’re growing more food on less land than ever before. Food is more affordable and abundant today than at any point in history.

The majority of Americans appreciate farmers: 88 percent of them trust us, according to a 2020 poll . Another 58 percent rate our sustainability practices as good or excellent.

The New York Times and its ideological allies can say what they like—it’s still a free country—but most other Americans appear more inclined to thank a farmer . There’s even a song about it.

Just don’t expect Sen. Cory Booker , who happens to be my Senator from New Jersey, to hum along. He’s the third figure to appear on screen for an interview in the first video. He warns that farmers are among the worst planet-destroying people in the history of everything.

Then he partakes in the video’s accidental comedy: “There must be regulation,” he says, as if agriculture isn’t already regulated and required to abide by rules that touch every area of their business.

Perhaps someone should take the senator on an Uber ride from the Capitol, where he meets with lobbyists and delivers speeches, to a place about a mile to the west. It’s called the Department of Agriculture, and it’s a building full of regulators.

An old expression says that ignorance is bliss . I have a suggestion: Senator Booker and friends, I invite you to go online and take a virtual farm tour , hosted by a farmer, and see first-hand some of the practices we are putting in place to protect and enhance the environment we live and work in. Or better yet, come visit some local farms in South Jersey. Let’s make a day of it!

Forget the propaganda. Ask your questions and listen to their answers. In the world we are living in, there is no need to be ignorant.

John Rigolizzo, Jr. is a fifth generation farmer, previously raising 1,400 acres of fresh vegetables and field corn in southern New Jersey. The family farm now raises 70 acres of field corn and John advises local farmers on growing and marketing retail vegetables. John volunteers as a board member for the Global Farmer Network. This column originates at www.globalfarmernetwork.org

Do Input Shortages Open the Gate for Biological Products?

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 14:39:29 GMT

In the face of shortages and escalating costs for traditional inputs, is 2022 the year you turn to biological products to bridge potential gaps?

Some biological manufacturers and marketers believe that could be the case – and for multiple reasons.

“Given the steady improvement and availability of biological products, overall consumer demand and increasing emphasis on soil health, there’s never been a better time to look at this technology,” says Micah Scanga, commercial product manager for AMVAC.

As you evaluate input options for next spring, here are five steps to size up whether a biological product might be a good fit for your farm.

1. Identify the production need you have that a biological can address.There are two major categories of biologicals today, Scanga says.

One category is bio-pesticides. These are registered through EPA and state regulatory bodies and typically target a specific class of pests, usually diseases and insects.

“These products usually offer a distinct benefit such as a lower field re-entry time or pre-harvest interval,” Scanga says.

The second category of biologicals includes crop enhancers, soil amendments and biofertilizers. These products focus on maximizing plants’ ability to reach their genetic potential by working on either abiotic stress management or fertilizer efficiency.

“These products bring a very exciting addition to the agricultural industry because they have the potential to address major issues such as more efficient fertilizer usage, carbon sequestration, and the health of soils,” Scanga says.

2. Work with a trusted partner or adviser to minimize risk. With more than 200 companies offering biostimulant products, for instance, you have a lot of potential options to choose from, notes Keith Jones, executive director of the Biological Products Industry Alliance. Partner with one you know, especially if you haven’t used a biological before.

3. Pick a product that fits the way you farm today. “I would say that’s the No. 1 goal — choose a product that fits naturally into your existing operational system,” advises Mick Messman, CEO of DPH Biologicals, formerly Douglas Plant Health. In the process, look at company and third-party data to confirm product performance for your area.

4. Consider the compatibility of the product. “You want to use a product that is flexible and can be used as part of your program,” Messman says.

Along with that, make sure you understand how to handle and store the product for optimum results. “Ask if the product has a long shelf life or not and how it needs to be stored,” he advises.

“Where products are manufactured and what types of quality control are in place in manufacturing, distribution and shelf life are also good questions to ask,” Scanga adds.

5. Look for competitive pricing on biologicals. Better yet, look for a return on investment in improved yield outcome, Messman encourages.

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Three Conservation Ag Insights from Illinois Farmer Craig Swartz

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 19:49:53 GMT

This article was written by Emily Smith, Community Engagement Coordinator/Digital Producer, for Trust In Food. Learn more at trustinfood.com.

If you’re like most farmers, you pride yourself on being a good steward of soil, water and air. Those elements are essential to the success of your business. And you recognize there are opportunities to keep improving and to take that next step. That is the approach Illinois farmer Craig Swartz takes on his family’s operation in the Vermilion River Watershed in central Illinois.

Swartz is a Conservation Steward for America’s Conservation Ag Movement, a public-private partnership that brings farmers and the sustainability community together around the future of farming by bringing profitable, planet-friendly farming practices into the mainstream. In that role, he shares his conservation experiences with fellow farmers, collaborates with local conservationists and identifies ways the partners of the Movement can help local producers on their conservation journey.

His first recommendation? Use nearby experts and resources to your advantage.

“They are our helping hand to get started,” says Swartz, referencing his local service center with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Local conservationists can provide more information about incentive programs available to you.

Swartz shared insights with other producers seeking to improve their stewardship, during a recent webinar. Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative, organized the event in partnership with Farm Journal Foundation, the Vermilion Headwaters Partnership and American Farmland Trust, which leads the headwaters work and has actively supported farmers and the conservation community in the Vermilion River Headwaters for more than five years.

Financial and technical support for the event was provided by the USDA-NRCS and leading agribusinesses, food companies and nonprofit organizations, including American Farmland Trust.

Second, Swartz explains, his family gauges the success of its conservation adoption not only by evaluating economic return but also by considering the future of the farm and how conservation will benefit the land for generations to come.

Third, Swartz says he believes his most successful conservation investment to date has been the nitrogen program he has adopted, including variable-rate fertilizer application. Using fewer inputs reduces his farm’s footprint on soil and water. It also ensures Swartz doesn’t waste product or money.

In addition to Swartz, speakers included Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie, owner of Crop-Tech Consulting; State Conservationist Ivan Dozier of NRCS in Illinois; and Jean Brokish, Midwest program manager at American Farmland Trust.

In his presentation, Dozier spoke about the importance of conservation implementation for farmers, not only in the Vermilion but across the state of Illinois.

“Conservation is not easy, and conservation practices don’t just appear on the land,” Dozier says. “It takes a coordinated and concerted effort to implement and maintain conservation practices. The good news is that there are indeed conservation practices that really do work, and they do fit in with production agriculture.”

The Vermilion River Watershed spans more than 853,000 acres including streams, creeks and man-made lakes that flow into the Vermilion River and then the Illinois River. The region produces row crops including corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa, as well as livestock such as hogs, beef cattle and dairy cows. More than 85% of the watershed is devoted to agriculture.

Estimates from American Farmland Trust show 80,000 new acres of conservation cropping systems are needed in the 305,000-acre headwaters region to help reduce nitrogen runoff into the Vermilion and Illinois rivers and meet the goals of the Illinois Nutrient Reduction Strategy. That’s why the organization and its partners meet quarterly with farmers, promote conservation practices for in-field and edge-of-field use, and coordinate collaboration among producers and the conservation community, says Jean Brokish, Midwest program manager at American Farmland Trust.

During the webinar, she introduced the Vermilion Headwaters Partnership and its work in the watershed, noting that an integral aspect of conservation adoption is the support of local agencies dedicated to providing resources and advice to farmers. The Vermilion Headwaters collaboration also includes community leaders, research institutions and nonprofits. Brokish highlighted several opportunities available to Illinois farmers interested in participating in some of the programs the NRCS offers for financial and technical assistance.

“Since 2015, we’ve been able to leverage $1.4 million in NRCS funding for the headwaters portion of the watershed, and there’s about $700,000 available specifically for this area over the next three years,” Brokish explains. “Farmers interested in reducing tillage, trying cover crops or shifting from fall nitrogen to a split application in the growing season can access cost-share to help get them started.”

To learn more about the Vermilion Headwaters Partnership, visit the American Farmland Trust website

Interested in learning more about joining America’s Conservation Ag Movement and engaging with local partner organizations in your area?

Email mailto:conservationag@farmjournal.com or text the phrase ACAM to 31313. Then visit AgWeb.com/ACAM for additional information, videos and resources.

To view a shortened version of the Illinois webinar, click here .

Q&A With Lindsay Reames, VP, Sustainability & External Relations, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 13:22:11 GMT

This article was written by Nate Birt, Vice President of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com

A dairy farmer-centered approach to sustainability is unlocking new economic opportunities for family operations from New York to Georgia while pushing the envelope of what’s possible from conservation partnership programs.
One such program—a joint effort of the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative, Turkey Hill Dairy and The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay—earned the 2020 Outstanding Supply Chain Collaboration Award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Learn More about the 2020 Winners

What began in 2018 with support from a $250,000 Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has grown rapidly into more than $7 million in outside funding helping many of the cooperative’s 900-plus farm families averaging 125 cows each across 13 states continue adopting best management practices.

“To me, that’s the most exciting thing, because when you actually see new manure storage going in, when you see a stabilized barnyard for that farm, that could be there for the next 50 years,” explains Lindsay Reames, vice president of sustainability and external relations for the cooperative in a video interview with Farm Journal’s Trust In Food. “It’s not only going to help with their runoff and improving the overall environment, it’s going to help with the long-term profitability of that operation when we’re able to bring that level of investment to the farm.”

Eighty-seven percent of the cooperative’s farms operate within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the largest estuary in North America and a water body that’s been deemed a National Treasure—so public and governmental scrutiny is especially top of mind for dairies. Partnerships such as this one present an opportunity to help dairy farmers further integrate sustainability into their businesses, which has changed the nature of dialogue about sustainability in the region.

“It’s really easy to have that conversation when you’re coming with resources and coming with solutions,” Reames says. “It’s a completely different conversation when you can come and say, ‘We have $60,000 to support you and your farm. How can we make you more sustainable?’ Rather than coming in and saying, ‘You have to do this, and you have six months.’”

Now, the cooperative and its partners in this program and others like it are using sustainability as a starting point for conversations about dairies’ plans for business growth and the future of the industry.

Learn more about sustainability trends and opportunities for eastern U.S. dairies in the attached video interview with Reames.

Q&A With Ken McCarty, Co-Owner And General Manager, MVP Dairy

Q&A With DMI President Barb O’Brien On Dairy UN Food Systems Dialogue

Q&A With Karen Scanlon, SVP, Environmental Stewardship At Dairy Management Inc.

3 Field-Based Learnings about Precision Ag and Sustainability

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 00:48:24 GMT

As we barrel through the remnants of summer and approach the fall harvest season, I find myself reflecting on some valuable time I spent this past spring walking fields and riding in tractor cabs with farmers and ag input retail partners during corn and soybean planting across the Midwest.

Every day I learn new things as I help bring to farmers SIMPAS technology that allows them to prescriptively address multiple agronomic challenges at planting. But nothing compares to spending time with farmers and their trusted advisors as they work to move forward precision agriculture programs and sustainability efforts.

What are farmers thinking and saying, and what are some of our collective learnings as SIMPAS nears the end of its first full market year? Here are my top three takeaways from #planting2021 as they relate to precision agriculture and sustainability.

1. Better to prescriptively manage each planter pass rather than to try to manage the entire farming operation. Increasingly we talk about reframing the mindset of precision agriculture to focus more on sub-field management decisions rather than the entire operation. I saw firsthand the wisdom of this approach based on two adjacent passes in a 24-row planter in the same field as I rode with Jim Orr, a farmer outside of Rowley, Iowa, and an initial SIMPAS adopter.

From one pass to the next, we could see the transition to a much sandier soil type as well as a slight change in elevation. Jim noted how these subtle field changes often have a significant impact on the prevalence of various pests and diseases, on the performance of crop inputs, and on the overall productivity of the soil. Developing prescriptions for application of inputs on that field requires tremendous granularity to ensure each pass addresses the changing agronomic needs that can come with such variability.

2. Sustainability is not a buzzword—it is a farmer’s primary objective. Sustainability is being built as a separate pillar of focus within most every agriculture-related organization today. But to farmers, sustainability is an inherent objective to maximize the productivity of their land in a way that sustains it not only for their own continued use but also by that of future generations.

This means not simply using fewer crop inputs in a prescriptive manner; rather, the sustainable approach is about applying the right products in the right places, at the right time, at the right rate. Many precision agriculture technologies (SIMPAS included) give farmers the application power to do just this—to apply inputs prescriptively.

This approach represents sustainability in action, yet it is also a simple byproduct of farmers’ objective of applying agronomic inputs more judiciously.

3. Precision agriculture truly takes a village. A key theme of every conversation this spring was how complicated precision agriculture can be. From data acquisition and assimilation to analysis and implementation, there are myriad software options, service providers, and technology platforms to try and utilize. Farmers are not looking for an “easy” button—rather, they seek partners who can personalize service offerings, even if that means working across multiple organizations and platforms.

While I may think that in my role with SIMPAS that I have the best tool to implement a prescriptive approach for multiple inputs at-planting, I also know farmers need data analysis and prescription-generation support from trusted advisors. The sooner that all of us on the crop inputs and technology supplier side recognize we all can work together to help each farmer succeed, the more successful we’ll all be.

This article was written by Jason Jimmerson, SIMPAS Technologies Commercial Manager, responsible for SIMPAS and SmartBox sales and manufacturing. He is based in Bozeman, Mont.

Saving Our Soil…One Billion Microbes at a Time

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 17:55:30 GMT

Lucy M. Stitzer is the founder and editor of Dirt-To-Dinner. Its mission is to help consumers better understand how their food is grown and processed, and why this is important to them and their families. Learn more here: www.dirt-to-dinner.com

Pouring algae on the soil, sequencing soil DNA, and measuring soil diversity are just a few of the new technologies used to keep our soil from becoming just ‘dirt’. And it seems as though diversity is the key. When I hold a teaspoon of healthy soil in my hand I squint and try to see the billions of microbes. Apparently, in this little amount there are more microbes than all 7.8 billion people on earth today. This handful has greater diversity than all the animals and insects in the Amazon Rainforest. This is a powerful group made even more exciting when you think they originated from our celestial bodies.

Since the beginning of time, these soil microorganisms are fungi, insects, bacteria, algae, and more than happily coexist in the soil. They control soil pathogens, reduce disease outbreaks, keep plants nutritious and resilient, give plants the power to pull carbon out of the air, make land less prone to wind and water erosion, clean and filter water, and are a source of human medicines.

You have likely read about the projected increase of the global population to 9 billion people in just 30 years. That means more fruits, vegetables, and row crops needed to feed more animals and more humans. To achieve this growth, the traditional thought has been that farmers will need more and more pesticides and fertilizer to eliminate bugs and increase their yields. Or do they?

Think of the microbiome in the soil like the one in your gut. Similar to your health, plants need diversity in the soil to keep you healthy and strong. Microbial technology is a serious solution that uses bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoans, and yeasts instead of conventional agrochemicals.

Companies in this niche produce biostimulants. These include biopesticides, which are natural materials like canola or baking soda that eliminate pests, and biofertilizers, natural fertilizer compounds such as manure, algae, or decayed material that increase the availability of nutrients to the plants.

Additionally, since microbial crop protection poses fewer risks using than conventional pesticides, the EPA generally requires less data and has shorter review times before the various solutions can be used in the field. This reduces the timeline to development by years and the cost of product development by millions of dollars.

According to Research and Markets, the global agricultural microbial market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 12.5% and reach $11 billion by 2025 from approximately $6 billion in 2020.

Innovations in the microbiome tech space have to address the challenges of soil needs. The goal is to increase yield and reduce pests, and weeds with less chemical inputs – all while enhancing the soil microbiome. While this is a highly fragmented market, it is dominated by just a few players.

Here are four examples of new technologies that make our soil healthier…

1. AgBiome prevents pests, fungal pathogens, and weeds with designer soil microbes. Founded in 2017, the tagline reads “Better Microbes. Better Crops. Better World.” On March 23rd, Mosaic Fertilizer Company and AgBiome announced a collaboration to develop biological alternatives for soil health.

AgBiome is sequencing a library of microbes sourced from environmental samples from across the globe. As of today, the North Carolina company has more than 80,000 sequenced microbials, 3,500 of which are targeted toward controlling insects. Their technology can discover and target microorganisms and proteins that kill insect pests, fungal pathogens, and weeds. From there, they can create custom soil microbe “cocktails” that serve as a natural pest control solution for farmers.

For instance, Azomar one of their water-soluble products controls insects on crops from sucking and chewing on plant leaves. It absorbs into the plant tissue and when the insect invades – it dies. Another product Lektivar, naturally controls mold and pathogens on produce such as blueberries, potatoes, carrots, and apples.

2. Biome Makers measures the biological quality of soil to deliver agronomic insights to farmers. Based in Spain and purchased by Bayer Crop Science in 2018, the company was created to solve a fundamental problem facing the future of food: how do we recover the microbial diversity in today’s modern agriculture system?

Using an AI system, Biome Makers assesses the health of a field based on a farmer’s current practices as well as the soil functionality for any crop. What is the right soil microbiome community for a specific farm and farmer?

Now farmers can understand what works well and how it affects their soil’s health. It’s about measuring crop health and functional biodiversity by using DNA sequencing and intelligent computing.

Their team reads more like a Silicone Valley group with experts in genetics, software engineering, microbiology, agronomy, and data science. We are not in Kansas anymore…

3. Pivot Bio provides a clean alternative to synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. In April 2020, the company raised $100 million co-led by Breakthrough Energy and Temasek. Their technology reduces nitrogen fertilizer and increases crop yields.

Fully half of the world’s food supply is dependent on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, yet overuse, misuse, and runoff can bring serious environmental impacts such as dead zones and C02 emissions. Our atmosphere is 78% nitrogen – and the only crops that can take it out of the air and convert it into a nutrient are soybeans, alfalfa, and cowpeas.

Wheat, corn, and rice don’t have this ability – therefore they need fertilizer. As Pivot Bio explains: “Nitrogen is essential to life. It’s a building block of proteins, DNA and amino acids. When plants have the right amount of nitrogen, they grow well and yield abundantly. Pivot Bio makes nitrogen fixation as natural as breathing for the microbe. Microbes inhale nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and release ammonia to plants. Enabling nitrogen-producing microbes as a crop nutrition tool for farmers will transform agriculture.”

4. MyLand replicates algae in native soil to grow as fertilizer. “Building strength beneath the surface,” explains Board Member, Bill Buckner, in reference to the company’s purpose. MyLand takes live, native microalgae from the farm to improve soil health, increase crop yields, and capture carbon.

Each farm has its own naturally specific algae – just like we have our own gut microbiome. MyLand technicians go out and take samples and isolate which algae are the most suitable for multiplication. They grow the algae in small vessels with lights and correct temperature. They make millions of cells and it is put back in the soil through the farmer’s irrigation system.

As a result, farmers use approximately 25% less fertilizer, 15% less water and reduce tillage by 40%. Voila, yield increases by about 25% and revenue by 40%.
Beyond farming and onto human health

Direct contact with the soil is key. When my oldest son was just a toddler, he was my garden helper. He would happily eat handfuls of dirt and my pediatrician assayed my worries and told me it was good for him. Now I understand why. As humans have evolved over time, we have had a close relationship with the earth first through hunter-gatherers then through farming, and now to our children crawling and running around the garden.

Humans and soil share common bacteria such as lactobacilli which breaks down our food and soil’s organic matter. We can even look to soil to give us new antibiotics that would kill multidrug-resistant pathogens such as MRSA.

But for more than half the global population living in cities and suburbs, this gut connection to the soil is missing. We primarily receive our microbiomes from the food we eat.

The chart here illustrates the difference in human contact with the soil from pre-industrial days to today.

Beyond farming and onto human health

Direct contact with the soil is key. When my oldest son was just a toddler, he was my garden helper. He would happily eat handfuls of dirt and my pediatrician assayed my worries and told me it was good for him. Now I understand why. As humans have evolved over time, we have had a close relationship with the earth first through hunter-gatherers then through farming, and now to our children crawling and running around the garden.

Humans and soil share common bacteria such as lactobacilli which breaks down our food and soil’s organic matter. We can even look to soil to give us new antibiotics that would kill multidrug-resistant pathogens such as MRSA.

But for more than half the global population living in cities and suburbs, this gut connection to the soil is missing. We primarily receive our microbiomes from the food we eat.

The above chart illustrates the difference in human contact with the soil from pre-industrial days to today.

Hot topic: The link between soil health to human health

We eat what we sow, so to speak. The essential nutrients, such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, that we need to thrive as humans come from the soil (originally from the stars). In speaking with Dr. Stephen Wood, Sr. Scientist of Agriculture and Food Systems at The Nature Conservancy and Lecturer at Yale, “Very simply, plants receive their micro and macronutrients from the soil.

“In order for humans to thrive, we receive those same nutrients that come from the plants.” Dr. Wood highlighted studies undertaken in parts of Africa that show a correlation between low selenium and zinc in the soil with low levels in the blood of the local population who ate the local rice.

But he is quick to point out that this is not as simple as low levels of nutrients in plants equate to low levels of nutrition in humans. While there is emerging research, the actual evidence where “soil management impacts human health through changes in crop nutrient densities is small.”

In Africa, where nutrition and food scarcity are real issues, studies have been done but the correlation is not always strong. The chart below shows the inconsistencies of zinc in the soil versus in the corn, cowpea, millet, and sorghum.

Even so, we want healthy, not degraded soil, to produce a higher yield of crops to feed a growing population. It is because of the nutrients in the soil that the plants receive their nutrients. While industrial fertilizer gives specific nutrients to help crops grow, increasing the organic matter helps build the microbes in the soil to increase yield.

Regenerative agriculture practices such as cover cropping, no-till farming, and adding livestock from time to time all help increase the diversity and abundance of microorganisms.

How do changes in microbial soil affect the future?

There are benefits to increasing the microbial content of soil – but it is not a perfect science. The added microbes only live in the soil for about three months and can easily be taken over by other microbes. They are hard to apply – which is tough for small holder farmers. Finally, if too much is applied for too long, they can saturate the soil of salts and nutrients.

That said, the technologies keep improving. If we can grow our food with healthier soil and less fertilizer runoff and create better nutrients in our plants and soil we will have a healthier planet and healthier people.

How Planting Cover Crops Today Helps Keep Your Next Generation Covered With Lower Input, More Profitable Farmland

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 14:49:40 GMT

Healthy soil leads to healthier crops, lower input costs and more sustainable success.

More farmers are discovering cost savings and benefits of building healthy, living soils. With practices like no-till and reduced tillage, diverse crop rotations and expanded use of cover crops, farmers are seeing rewards within a few years. Based on a Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) survey, 58% of farmers who planted cover crops reported they saw soil health benefits in under two years. Better yet, the benefits naturally grow and multiply for generations to come. With a soil health action plan, you can help get your soil working for you by making more nutrients available for plants, protecting against disease and reducing the need for expensive crop inputs. Additional rewards include better water Infiltration with less runoff and erosion, greater drought resistance, higher-value farmland and a stronger foundation for sustainable success.

See how your soil health action plan can pay you back in the next few years, and pay it forward for the next generation. The sooner you start, the faster you’ll see the benefits grow. Learn about today’s programs and incentives available that make it easy to get going. Just click here to get started.

Agricultural conservation practices that help build soil health include:

Practicing conservation tillage (reduced-till, strip-till or no-till)
Reducing soil compaction by minimizing passes over the field
Extending rotations with a diversity of crops
Planting cover crops between growing seasons
Growing perennial vegetation
Integrating livestock onto the land

Cover crops are a versatile way to capture more carbon, feed soil microbes and add organic matter to your fields.

While cereal rye is the species most commonly planted as a cover crop, many grass species and legumes, like clovers and hairy vetch, can be used. Other crops with added value can potentially be added as cover crops to your fields.

A 2020 CTIC cover crop survey reported that the most important reasons for using cover crops were soil structure and soil health improvement (94%). Other reported benefits of cover crops include improved weed management (81%), soil erosion control (71%), improved infiltration (63%), beneficial insects (49%), improved insect or disease control (43%), better driving or walking surface (21%) and reduced dust (21%). Farmers also reported a slight yield improvement of around 3 bushels per acre for both corn and soybeans after cover crops.

Top Reasons for Planting Cover Crops

Soil health 94%
Weed control 81%
Erosion control 71%
Water infiltration 63%
Insect & disease control 43%

How cover crops can contribute to cost reductions:

In the survey, 49% of corn farmers with cover crops reported reduced fertilizer costs, and 39% reduced their corn herbicide costs. 41% of soybean growers reduced soybean herbicide costs as well. A full 87% of the farmers reported noted soil improvement within three years after using cover crops.

The survey also found that 53% of the farmers practice “planting green” into living cover crops, and 21% are doing it on more than 80% of their acreage. The driving reasons reported for doing this are moisture management (68%) and the ability to get into fields for earlier planting (54%). Also, 71% of the farmers reported improved weed control.

Soil bacteria improve crop yields in combination with fungi.

Microbes are the primary drivers of nutrient cycling in the soil. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF)—a common fungi found in low disturbance environments—transports those nutrients to crop roots. AMF establishes symbiotic relationships with the roots of 70% of all land plants. A management system that supports both bacteria and fungi can lead the way to cost-effective, eco-friendly methods of enriching soil health and improving crop yields while reducing farmers’ reliance on conventional fertilizers.

See how your soil health action plan can pay you back in the next few years, and pay it forward for the next generation.

The sooner you start, the faster you’ll see the benefits grow. Learn about today’s programs and incentives available that make it easy to get going. Just click here to get started.

Mid-Atlantic Farmers Put Nature To Work and Build Soil Health

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 20:11:42 GMT

Healthy soils bring growing benefits that depleted soils simply can’t. And with a few basic practices, such as no-till and cover crops, farmers are creating a living factory of microbes and organisms that work nonstop, 24-7, to rejuvenate and rebuild their farms’ most valuable asset – soil. In fact, building soil health can lead to healthier yields, lower input costs and more resilience for your farm.

Healthier soils help farmers increase water infiltration, reduce runoff, improve water quality and reduce input costs — often with higher yields.

Improving farm profitability is more important than ever, so is sustaining the environment and waterways. That’s what is driving more farmers to adopt conservation farming practices that build soil health. And while it takes a multiyear commitment to see results, simple practices can make a difference sooner than many would think. A recent study by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) surveyed 750 farmers from all over the U.S. and asked how long it took them to see the benefits from cover crops, and 58% reported they saw soil health benefits in under two years.

Be dirt smart and revitalize soil health for benefits that grow season after season.
Click here to get started.

Healthy soil acts like a sponge that absorbs more water during rain events. Roots from cover crops, plus reduced or no-tillage practices, increase water infiltration into the soil by creating a network of soil pores and reducing soil compaction. The more water that infiltrates the soil, the less water runs off. This translates to less sediment and nutrient export to streams and waterways and more healthy soil for your farm.

How To Build Healthier Soils
Agricultural conservation practices that help build soil health include:

Practicing conservation tillage (reduced till, strip-till or no-till)
Reducing soil compaction by minimizing passes over the field
Extending rotations with a diversity of crops
Planting cover crops between growing seasons
Growing perennial vegetation

Why Build Healthier Soils

Enhanced crop quality
More nutrient cycling
Reduced weed pressure
Reduced pests and improved plant health
Better water conservation
Reduced nutrient runoff

Be dirt smart and revitalize soil health for benefits that grow season after season.
Click here to get started.

Farmers Standing up for Waterways Are Getting Good Support and Seeing Great Results

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 18:49:51 GMT

A newly installed forested buffer in Pennsylvania: Buffers, like these between farm fields and waterways, greatly improve nutrient loss from fields.(Stroud Water Research Center)

As stewards of the land, farmers respect nature. By planting forested buffers within 35 feet of all streams on their farms, farmers can protect waterways and build habitats.

Resources are available to support landowners who are proactive about protecting waters and their farms’ future. By creating forested buffers, also called riparian or streamside buffers, nutrient runoff into waterways can be significantly reduced.

Forested buffers have the capacity to filter out an estimated: (Source: the Bay Program )

19%-65% of nitrogen
30%-45% of phosphorus
40%-60% of sediment

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is home to 288,000 miles of stream banks. Currently, about 55% of these banks have forested buffers in place - a number growing each day thanks to farmers like you.

Stand up for clean water and build a better future.

Click here to access free technical resources, on-farm support and incentives to see all the benefits forested buffers can bring. Unlike some methods to clean waters that lose effectiveness over time, many benefits related to a forested buffer increase, as the buffer ages. So besides creating a zone of protection for waterways, planting buffer trees will grow your conservation legacy for generations to come.

Create a growing stream of benefits with every buffer tree planted.

1. Filters pollution
Streamside trees, known as riparian forested buffers — trees planted in the 35 feet area between farm fields and all streams — are extremely effective at reducing runoff.

2. Protects stream banks
Healthy forested buffers stabilize stream banks and reduce soil erosion. Tree roots help hold soils in place; roots, fallen branches and logs reduce runoff and lower stream flow velocity, protecting your soil.

3. Provide fish and wildlife habitats
The organic material entering the stream from forested buffers delivers food for stream organisms at the foundation of the aquatic food web.

4. Cools streams and sustains sensitive species
With leafy canopies to shade and cool water, sensitive species of fish and plants are protected from the stresses of sharp temperature fluctuations. Cooler, more stable temperatures also promote beneficial algae, aquatic insects and higher oxygen content.

5. Defends your independence and establishes a legacy of conservation stewardship for your farm and family
By being proactive in reducing soil erosion and nutrient runoff while protecting waterways, you’re building a legacy of leadership in conservation farming that will build value for generations to come.

Stand up for clean water and build a better future.

Click here to access free technical resources, on-farm support and incentives to see all the benefits forested buffers can bring.

Carbon Finance versus Carbon Revenue: A Worthy Distinction for Farmers

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 16:25:13 GMT

This article was written by Billy Gascoigne, resource economist, Ecosystem Services and Conservation Strategy, for Ducks Unlimited.

Much attention has been given to the growing interest in carbon offsets generated from the adoption of new agricultural practices to improve soil carbon sequestration, and a host of marketplace platforms offering to transact those credits on behalf of farmers. These carbon offset platforms—nearly a dozen and counting just in the U.S.—all strive to be “outcome-based” in which they are grounded on the concept of paying farmers for any additional carbon that is sequestered (i.e. the outcome) after your choice of practices are implemented. This, however, is where I feel the conversations to date have fallen short.

Any person managing a budget knows there are two sides of the profit equation: cost and revenue. The offset marketplaces in the daily news focus purely on gross revenue. The issue here is that carbon revenue is only relevant in the context of any new costs put on the shoulders of producers. Adopting new soil health practices can require significant investment. Examples include new implements for planting, seed varieties for cover crops, fencing and water infrastructure to incorporate and manage livestock, expanded data collection, not to mention critical training and education.

What has been far less discussed is the growing opportunities for farmers and ranchers to work with conservation and corporate partners to help cover these additional expenses—a term I refer to as “carbon finance” and something that can be of great benefit to farmers. Rather than being rewarded on the back end of practice adoption for an often to-be-determined outcome, producers can garner realized cost-savings on the front end. Some examples include:

• Cost-share assistance programs for equipment, seed, fencing and other expenditures
• Free/low-cost agronomy services
• Tuition coverage for advanced trainings that often provide a go-to “community of practice”

Data collection efforts can advance field productivity and optimize inputs. Many corporations seeking carbon reductions within their supply chain have identified on-farm carbon finance as a critical arm to achieving their greenhouse gas commitments. They have begun to work with conservation NGOs like Ducks Unlimited, Practical Farmers of Iowa, The Nature Conservancy, American Farmland Trust and others to blend public and private resources and engage producers in this realm. However, one typically cannot have it both ways. If a corporation provides finances to implement a new practice in the name of a carbon claim, they are not likely to pay again for an offset nor allow farmers to sell them separately due to risk of that claim being counted twice.

There is undoubtedly a tremendous amount of new opportunity for farmers and ranchers to leverage carbon and other environmental outcomes from adopting soil health practices. This article is intended to highlight that it should not be viewed solely through the lens of an offset marketplace, but rather one that also acknowledges the (foregone) cost side of the journey. I encourage producers and this community to recognize the diversity of carbon opportunities available and that not all incentives have to come in the form of a formal credit with a long list of associated stipulations.

A Better Mousetrap Is Needed For Carbon Programs, Consortium Says

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New Study Details Financial Risks And Rewards With Conservation Farming Practices

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 19:26:58 GMT

Conservation practices are readily available for U.S. farmers to implement, but financial roadblocks commonly stymie their adoption. A study done in 2020 in cooperation between the Soil Health Partnership (SHP), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and accounting firm, KCoe Isom, measured the outcome of conservation practice adoption on seven Midwest row-crop farmers and determined the financial impacts of adoption on each farmer’s bottom line.

The team found three key takeaways, which were addressed by Maria Bowman, PhD, SHP lead scientist, and Vincent Gauthier, EDF research analyst, on Wednesday during the 2021 Commodity Classic.

1. Conservation tillage systems showed higher net returns versus conventional tillage and reduced farmer operating costs.
Fields using conservation tillage practices achieved higher net returns per acre than conventionally tilled fields for both corn and soybeans.

In corn, Gauthier says average net returns for conservation tillage were $377 per acre, while averages for conventionally tilled fields were $324 an acre.

Conservation-tilled corn fields had substantially lower costs ($404 per acre) than those with conventional tillage ($448 per acre).

“The biggest savings included equipment cost savings, fewer repairs and reduced fuel costs,” Gauthier says. “There were some additional costs that were found in the fields using conservation tillage, including burndown, as you might expect. But overall, those cost savings related to the amount of time and the amount of passes spent on the tractor. That really reduced the per-acre costs for farmers using conservation tillage.”

In soybeans, Gauthier says the average net returns for fields with conservation tillage were $251 per acre, while average net returns for conventionally tilled fields were $216 per acre.

He adds that soybean fields with conservation tillage and no cover crops had substantially lower per-acre costs ($217 per acre) than conventionally tilled fields at $311 per acre. However, Gauthier points out that soybean fields using both conservation tillage and cover crops had similar costs to conventional tillage.

2. Cover crops can be part of a profitable production system, especially as farmers’ experience with them increases over time.
The research team says the initial investments in cover crops cannot be ignored.

“I think it’s really important to acknowledge right up front that cover crops do have costs associated with them – seed, planting costs and burndown as well as learning costs,” Bowman says.

“Cover crops are an investment for farmers as they learn what types of cover crop species and mixes work on their farm, how to plant them, and how to terminate them. And sometimes the benefits take a while to show up, whether it’s an improvement in soil structure, nutrient cycling or availability,” she adds.

The team found that farmers who had worked with cover crops for a number of years were much more successful in generating measurable benefits than those new to using them.

The research also showed that experienced cover crop adopters had fewer costs than farmers who were new to using cover crops. On corn acres, experienced adopters saved $9.19 per acre on cover crop seed compared to recent adopters, $25 per acre on fertilizer and $25 per acre on equipment.

Likewise, experienced adopters had similar cost savings on soybean ground, including $5.90 per acre on cover crop seed, $48 per acre on fertilizer and $28 per acre on equipment.

3. Success with conservation practices is optimized with a targeted, stepwise approach.

Bowman says the researchers found that the farmers who participated in the study had clearly defined goals they wanted to achieve which contributed to their success.

Two goals were especially prevalent for the seven participants: 1. Most wanted to improve soil structure to help with erosion control and water-holding capacity. 2. Several of the farmers wanted to reduce the number of hours on the tractor to save time, machinery and overhead costs.

Overall, participating farmers weighed the risks and rewards of adopting specific conservation practices before implementing them.

“We saw farmers targeting specific combinations of practices to specific acres depending on the goals that they had,” Bowman says. “They weren’t just going no-till across their whole operation or applying the same cover crop. Their decisions depended a lot on the rotation, or the land that they were working on, and sometimes it depended on whether they rented or owned that land.”

Gauthier says the business case for adopting conservation practices can be complex and that financial solutions still need to be developed to help farmers implement such practices.

“There are still financial gaps that need to be overcome,” he says. “One way farmers can minimize their risk is by using a collective network approach, like through the Soil Health Partnership, which allows for collective learning. That can help farmers reduce the risk and uncertainty about taking on a new practice that is unproven on their operation.”

More information on the study, the farmers involved in it and the detailed research results are available at www.soilhealthpartnership.org/farmfinance

Q&A: Regenerative Ag Trends With Dirt To Dinner’s Lucy Stitzer

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:21:03 GMT

This article was written by Nate Birt, Vice President of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com

Regenerative agriculture is quickly moving from small and fringe to mainstream, says Lucy Stitzer, founder of the food and agriculture news website Dirt to Dinner.

“It’s pretty exciting. Walmart, for instance—they’ve committed to having zero emissions by 2040,” Stitzer tells Nate Birt, vice president of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative supporting farmers on their journey of conservation agriculture adoption. “That’s a pretty audacious goal. As a result of that, they’re restoring 50 million acres of land.”

Other examples of the regenerative agriculture trend include Danone, which is helping dairy farmers in its supply chain make the shift and lock in margins. That’s encouraging, Stitzer shares, because the economic impact of practice adoption on farmers and ranchers is often overlooked.

Meanwhile, Land O’Lakes has partnered with Microsoft to improve farmers’ access to broadband in rural communities, ensuring they can better utilize precision agriculture tools and capture data from the field.

The participation of both public agencies and the private sector in supporting farmers’ stewardship efforts suggests food can be a unifying factor in an often polarized operating environment. Agriculture – especially big ag - is being thrown under the bus as degrading the environment when the reality is that farmers are generally more environmentally conscious than most of us.

“Companies, the government and the entire ecosystem recognize there’s not just one answer to growing our food,” Stitzer says. “At Dirt to Dinner, we know that people and consumers and us as well are tired of polarization. Our country is so divided, there’s a tendency for everyone to take sides. … Bringing food to your dinner table doesn’t have to have the same divide. I am idealistic enough to think that … we can use food to bring people together.”

To learn more about Dirt To Dinner and to subscribe to its emails, visit www.DirtToDinner.com.

Conservation Agriculture

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 21:25:17 GMT

Farm practices—like forested buffers around streams and waterways, using cover crops or adopting no-till farming techniques—can help achieve conservation goals. Forested buffers, also called riparian forest buffers, consist of tree plantings within 35 feet of any stream or flowing water. Farmers can also introduce cover crops to their planting rotations. Planting itself can be done using no-till techniques.

More information is available here. You have the power.

Brought to you by Farm Journal’s conservation ag division - Trust In Food - with support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

A Commitment to Soil Health Builds Resilience for Mid-Atlantic Farmers

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 21:19:50 GMT

While agriculture has been called out as the single largest contributor to nutrient and sediment runoff entering the Chesapeake Bay, hard-working and conscientious watershed farmers have also shown agriculture can make the largest improvements. As natural stewards of the land, hunters, anglers and community members, farmers respect nature and understand the value of conserving soils, protecting waterways and building more sustainable success.

Farms make up nearly 30% of the 64,000 square-mile Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Connect your commitment for soil health with farmers who are leading the way. Learn about today’s programs and incentives that can make it easier to start your soil health action plan. Just click here to get started. Rejuvenate soil health and create a layer of security for your farm and family. The benefits of healthy soils keep growing with time. While it takes more than a season to see results, a commitment to basic soil health practices returns visible benefits sooner than many people would think. In fact, a recent survey by CTIC found that 58% saw soil health benefits in under two years. The ideal soil composition is 50% solids (organic and mineral) and 50% pore space filled with gasses and water. With simple steps, such as no-till and planting cover crops, depleted and compacted soils can be rejuvenated. Significant soil health improvements are possible in as few as three to five years. The growing rewards with a commitment to soil health include: Enhanced nutrient availability and crop quality Reduced weed and pest pressure Improved disease resistance Better water conservation with less runoff and erosion Stronger foundation for sustainable farming success Building soil health takes commitment but pays dividends that grow 24/7.

Brought to you by Farm Journal’s conservation ag division - Trust In Food - with support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Securing the Freedom to Farm—With Allies To Help

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 20:16:54 GMT

While agriculture has been called-out as the single largest contributor to nutrient and sediment runoff entering the Chesapeake Bay, hard-working and conscientious farmers have also shown agriculture can make the largest improvements. As natural stewards of the land, hunters, anglers and community members, farmers respect nature and understand the value of conserving soils, protecting waterways and building more sustainable success.

Farms make up nearly 30% Chesapeake Bay watershed acres.

You have the power to change the landscape for a better future. Click here to access free technical resources, on-farm support and incentives that can help you see all the benefits buffer forests can bring.

Trees planted within 35 feet of ditches and streams offer some of the most effective means of reducing erosion of farm soils and runoff into local waterways and the Bay. Depending on their setting, buffer trees have the capability to filter out an estimated 19%-65% of the nitrogen, 30%-45% of the phosphorus and 40%-60% of the sediment that would otherwise enter a watershed stream. (Source: the Bay Program )

Every buffer tree planted leads to a growing stream of benefits.

1. Cools streams and sustains sensitive species.
With leafy canopies to shade and cool water, sensitive species of fish and plants are protected from the stresses of sharp temperature fluctuations. Cooler, more stable temperatures also promote beneficial algae, aquatic insects and higher oxygen content.

2. Protects stream banks.
Healthy riparian forests stabilize stream banks and reduce soil erosion. Tree roots help hold soils in place; roots, fallen branches and debris reduce runoff and lower stream flow velocity, protecting your soil.

3. Provides fish and wildlife habitat.
The organic material entering the stream from buffer forests delivers food for stream organisms at the foundation of the aquatic food web.

4. Filters pollution.
Buffer forests, known as riparian forests—planted 35 feet-to-100-feet between farm field and stream or ditch—are extremely effective at reducing runoff.

5. Defends your independence and establishes a legacy of conservation stewardship for your farm and family.
By being proactive in reducing soil erosion and nutrient runoff while protecting waterways, you’re building a legacy of leadership in conservation farming that will build value for generations to come.

Brought to you by Farm Journal’s conservation ag division - Trust In Food - with support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

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Conservation Agriculture

More information is available here. You have the power.

A Commitment to Soil Health Builds Resilience for Mid-Atlantic Farmers

Securing the Freedom to Farm—With Allies To Help