Rural Issue

Conservation king for farmers in the Western Lake Erie Basin

Implementing conservation practices on farms is not a new concept, but it’s getting more attention.

Blain Baker farms 2,000 acres in Southeast Michigan, near the Ohio border, and milks 400 cows with his brother Kim on Bakerlad Farms.  Avid believers in conservation, they have been using no-till for more than 25 years.  The farm, in the Western Lake Erie Basin, has also dedicated almost the last two decades researching what practices work as part of the Center for Excellence.

“It’s evolved over the last 19 years to keep up with the latest equipment, the current trends, we try to do in-field studies that neighbors are doing on their farms to give them information that they can take home as to how that practice compares to another practice to another practice.”

Baker says the beauty of hosting the Center is that any research comes from his soils and his fields.  He tells Brownfield they’ve implemented conservation practices that have worked and they’re moving heavily into cover crops.

Baker says he believes farmers are only seeing the tip of the iceberg on Lake Erie issues.

“Lake Erie is a big problem, and frankly the answers aren’t there yet.”

He says conservation practices will be extremely critical for agriculture.

AUDIO: Interview with Blain Baker (4:13 mp3):