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Profiles in Passion: No-Till’s Proven Template for Changing Ag

https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/blogs/1-covering-no-till/post/12105-profiles-in-passion-no-tills-proven-template-for-changing-ag

By Mike Lessiter posted on Dec. 19, 2022 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been deep into a “Your No-Till History” article that focused on 60 years of continuous no-till research at Ohio State University (OSU) and the famed Triplett-Van Doren No-Till Experimental Plots (see February 2023 edition of No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Tillage Guide). My research put me on the phone with the 92-year-old Glover Triplett, Ohio farmer and former NRCS Chief Bill Richards, retired OSU ag engineer Randall Reeder, retired Chevron rep Bill Haddad and then exhaustive requests of Dr. Warren Dick, the retired OSU professor who oversaw the plots from 1980-2016.

Almost every discussion came back to the necessary lining of the planets to make a revolution like no-till happen. More important than the new herbicides and a no-till-ready planter, I’d say, were the individuals who relentlessly believed in the practice, encouraged farmers to stay the course and tirelessly evangelized on the practice to numerous camps.

For more on this topic, see “YOUR NO-TILL HISTORY: World’s Longest Continuing No-Till Plots at Ohio State Hit 60 Years”

Last summer, Forbes writer Dr. Steve Savage wrote another fine piece on no-tillage. He joined us for podcast a few weeks later and stressed that all of agriculture — if not the world — needs to learn no-till’s history to understand how change can still occur, even in well-entrenched traditions like farming.

Here’s what we wrote in his July 2022 report, in a section of his work called, “Is This Kind of Change Even Possible?”

“Yes, there is reason to believe that this is possible based on a historical precedent for a huge farming system paradigm shift that happened in mainstream agriculture: “no-till farming.” That change was also a response to a climate crisis of human origin – the Dust Bowl phenomenon of the 1930s, and it demonstrates the fact that farmers can make changes when they need to. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first “no-till” field grown in Kentucky in 1962. Growing crops without plowing or tillage was such a radical idea that early adopters had to avoid social gathering spots like coffee shops to avoid getting harassed about their “trashy fields.” Fast forward to 2017 and 104.5 million US acres were farmed using a no-till approach. No-till or the related strip-till farming methods are the ideal foundation for the full suite of climate ready systems, and so it is important to consider what enabled that kind of large-scale change. The key elements were applied public research, the development of specialized machinery, and the availability of key technologies such as herbicides and biotech crops.

But perhaps most importantly, the change was pioneered by a distinct and innovative subset of the farming population that banded together as a community. Today there are still self-identified “no-tillers” and “strip-tillers,” and they are at the adoption forefront for other climate-resilience enhancing farming methods. Grower oriented publications like No-Till Farmer or Progressive Farmer are filled with narratives about farmers that are working out the practical details of adding things like cover crops or unusual rotations or livestock integration. The key is not to tell growers how to farm, but rather to ask these leaders what works and what would help them and others to move in the right direction in terms of a climate change response.”

Great context on the story you’re continuing to write each day.

No-Till Champions

The OSU story I’m writing now spurred a memory from interviewing No-Till Innovator Dr. John Bradley last summer, when he filled me in how the University of Tennessee was not at all supportive of what Dr. Tom McCutchen was trying to do with no-tillage research in the early days, long before he made a name for the university with its Milan No-Till Field Day. McCutchen had to locate the plots on the back of the station to stay out of the sight and complaints of the critical administrators who thought no-till was embarrassing, fool’s farming.

Bradley and I went over some observations about no-till adoption he’d shared with my dad, Frank, in a No-Till Farmer Innovators & Influencers podcast in 2019.

“No-till worked best where you had leadership in an individual or individuals that led the cause,” he said, naming the late George McKibben and Jim Kinsella in Illinois; Randall Reeder in Ohio and pointing to our No-Till Farmer Innovators roster. There are far more omissions than identifications in the sentence above, but hopefully you get the point.

“Every place there was a good, local extension agent or farmer leader behind no-till, it stuck,” continues Bradley. “Every place where no-till grew, there was a leader behind it without fail.”

Where we’re losing no-till acres, he says, are areas where the leaders have gotten old, retired and are absent of a new champion to cheer farmers on and help them find the answers to the challenges. He also noted that the younger generation appears to be having a love affair with big equipment and they’re wearing down their dads who know better.

“I still work with some farmers that say to their sons, ‘Call John Bradley and see what he thinks about this,’” says Bradley.

But many of those guys like Bradley are getting up there in age, and those next-generation folks may not have them in their smartphones.

–Click on the link above to read the full article.

Carbon Ranching: A Win For Your Pasture and Your Pockets

https://www.agproud.com/articles/58175-carbon-ranching-a-win-for-your-pasture-and-your-pockets
 
September 1, 2023
 

Capturing Carbon Across US Range & Pasturelands

Undoubtedly, ranching demands immense effort and sacrifices. The increasing pressure to adopt environmentally friendly practices can sometimes feel at odds with producer interests. However, carbon ranching presents an opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate farmer and ranchers’ contributions in more ways than one. By partnering with the right experts, carbon ranching or “carbon cropping” offers long-lasting benefits that extend beyond today’s generation. These practices not only benefit the planet but provide advantages, like enhanced soil quality, improved resilience to changing weather patterns, and, notably, financial rewards through carbon credit generation, to hardworking agriculture operations.

Which practices generate carbon credits for range and pastureland in the United States?

Agoro Carbon Alliance offers three practices for range and pasture lands participants, enabling ranchers nation-wide to generate carbon credits and get paid for doing so:

  • Improved grazing: This practice involves various options based on your operation and current grazing program. The goal is to provide timely rest for the grass and promote efficient forage utilization, leaving enough biomass for critical regrowth.
  • Seeding: This practice requires introducing at least one new species to your land, to enhance biodiversity and increase biomass. There are multiple options available within this program.
  • Fertilization: This practice involves fertilizing historically unfertilized ground. Fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, is often lacking in range and pasture areas, and this practice addresses that deficiency.

What can an ag carbon program look like?

Improved grazing offers numerous possibilities. Common tactics include dividing pastures into smaller sections, or paddocks, and implementing rotational grazing by moving animals between these smaller areas. Water and mineral sources are also relocated to encourage animals to utilize different parts of the pasture. Another effective strategy is to increase the frequency of moving animals between existing pastures.

Seeding can often involve alternative methods to traditional range drill seeding. Broadcast seeding has shown positive results, utilizing ground rigs or airplanes in late fall, preferably around a snow event to facilitate seed penetration. Local seed companies and extension agents can assist in determining the most suitable species to add, which helps diversify existing vegetation and addresses pasture maturity and nutritional value.

Fertilizer can be applied simultaneously with seeding, especially with broadcast methods. The effects of water movement and freeze/thaw cycles aid in the incorporation of fertilizer into the soil. Fertilization primarily boosts forage production but can also enhance plant vigor and increase crude protein levels. Care should be taken to ensure the desired plants are benefiting from fertilization, as undesired plants may thrive at their expense. Seeding and fertilization complement each other, providing mutual benefits.

~~ read more at link above…

NRCS Making ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ Investment in No-Till

February 24, 2023 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Source: Trust in Food

No-till farming and conservation agriculture will receive nearly $23 billion in additional U.S. government funding over the next 5 years, a “once-in-a-lifetime investment into conservation,” according to USDA’s National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Terry Cosby. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed Aug. 16, 2022, designates $20 billion for the NRCS. Another $2.8 billion will come from the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, a USDA program that finances pilot projects supporting the production and marketing of “climate-smart” commodities.

With almost $23 billion coming its way, the NCRS annual budget will double to $8.5 million, according to a Feb. 6 report from Trust In Food.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime investment into conservation,” NRCS Chief Terry Cosby told attendees during a presentation at the 2023 Trust In Food Symposium in February.

 
 

The funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will be broken up into the following programs:

  • $8.45 billion for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
  • $4.95 billion for Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
  • $3.25 billion for Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
  • $1.4 billion for Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)
  • $1 billion for Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA)
  • $300 million for evaluation

Trust in Food reports the NRCS receives more than 100,000 applications each year for its programs, but it typically has funding for only 25% of those requests. This has created a backlog and frustration among farmers — two issues the NRCS hopes to resolve with the new funding.

“ To get (farmers) engaged, it funded a $50 million outreach program to get new producers through the door,” the Trust in Food report says. “Cosby calls this two-fold dynamic ‘unmet demand that includes a backlog’ of interested producers. He’s looking for support from outside the agency to help producers understand how funding is available and who qualifies.”

Cosby says that support will come in the form of 118 agreements signed by partners who will help with outreach. NRCS will also have to hire 3,000-4,000 people in the next 2 years to deliver the funding and provide technical assistance producers need to be successful. 

“We’re going to need to grow it and maintain the science base in the work we do,” Cosby says. “Farmers trust us, but with that comes an obligation to make sure that you have well-trained employees who are going to be out there on the farms making the best scientific recommendations to make sure we get this conservation on the ground.”

Regenerative Farm Map, etc.

Close to you?  

See a regenerative agriculture grower map – click on image for an interactive map.

or

Find A Regenerative Farm Near You

Looking to buy from local farms that support the use of regenerative agriculture practices? Check out the Regenerative Farm Map from Regeneration International. Just plug in your zip code and discover regenerative farmers and ranchers near you. 

click on image to see video…