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Soil health practices improve farm productivity, environment

New research from American Farmland Trust shows soil health practices improve farmers’ bottom line and the environment.

Michelle Perez, water initiative director at American Farmland Trust, says four case studies were developed to highlight farmers who have found success with soil health practices.

The case studies, developed with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, focus on corn-soybean production in Ohio and Illinois, almond production in California, and a diversified rotation in New York.

“On average we found a 12 percent increase in crop yields ranging from 2% to 22%, we estimated that their profits have increased (on average for the crop growers) by $42 per acre, and we estimated their rate of return as 176%,” she says.  

She tells Brownfield practices that improve soil health – no-till, strip, till, cover crops, and nutrient and water management – often lead to a higher net income for farmers.

Perez says farmers also improved water quality and reduced soil and water runoff. American Farmland Trust used USDA’s Nutrient Tracking Tool and COMET-Farm Tool on one field at each farm (ranging from 11 to 110 acres) and found…

“The soil health practices resulted in a 54 percent reduction in nitrogen losses, an 81 percent average reduction in phosphorus losses, an 85 percent reduction in sediment losses, and a 379 percent reduction in total greenhouse gasses,” she says.

Perez says American Farmland Trust is hopeful farmers will look at the four case studies and implement some of the practices on their own farms. She says AFT is also hoping the research can be shared with landowners and lenders to help farmers implement the practices.

Thorndyke Farms in north central Illinois participated in the case study. Larry Thorndyke started farming 40 years ago. He farms with his wife, Beth, and son, Adam. The family grows corn and soybeans on 2,600 acres. The family has increased water holding capacity, organic matter content, aggregate stability, and earthworm activity with soil health practices.  

MadMax Farms is in the middle of the Upper Scioto Watershed in Ohio. Eric Niemeyer is a first-generation farmer. He grows corn and soybeans on 1,250 acres. His motive for adopting soil health practices has been to “make dead soil alive again.” He has found success with tweaking cover crop recipes to achieve desired outcomes for every field.

Jay Swede, his father Gary, and his brother Ryan farm 4,500 acres in northwestern New York. The farm splits the acreage among three rotations: grains, vegetables, and feed for a 2,000-cow dairy partnership. Jay says he has hit his stride with soil health practices and is seeing results from relatively minor changes to his operation

Ralf Sauter and his family grow almonds on 116 acres in California. The land has been in the family for more than 100 years and is protected from development by a conservation easement. The family has reduced cost and increased yield through nutrient management, conservation cover, and the use of compost.

The case studies were developed as part of the 2018 NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) project.

Four more case studies from the same states will be released this fall. For more information visit farmland.org/soilhealthcasestudies.

Audio: Michelle Perez, American Farmland Trust

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