Tracking Conservation Tillage Trends

 by: Laura Fribley, District Support Specialist, Indiana State Department of Agriculture

Scott County farmers are continuing the trend of plowing less of their land as they employ sound conservation practices that preserve valuable topsoil while making it all work toward a better bottom line.  Data from the 2013 Tillage Transect indicate that as a result of tillage practices on Scott County’s corn and soybean acres, an estimated 75,100 gallons of diesel fuel are saved compared to conventional tillage this year, and 121,100 tons of soil!

As Indiana farmers wrapped up planting, local conservation agency teams around the state conducted “Tillage Transect” countywide surveys.  The process identifies the types of tillage systems farmers are using and long-term trends of conservation tillage adoption. 

Conservation tillage leaves 30 percent or more crop residue cover such as stalks, leaves, and roots on the soil surface before and after planting.  “Conservation tillage helps keep the soil where it belongs: on the field.  This residue cover can help reduce soil erosion by 50 percent or more compared to bare soil.  This is good for our farmers, good for soil productivity, and good for healthy streams,” says Laura Fribley, Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA).  Conservation tillage also includes a practice commonly known as “no-till”, where farmers directly plant into the previous crop with little disturbance.  No-till farming methods can reduce soil erosion by 75 percent compared to a conventional (chisel-disk) tillage system.

Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s Resource Specialist Ed Roll examines crop residue in a Scott County soybean field as part of the 2013 Tillage Transect survey.

In June, employees from ISDA, Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), and Natural Resources Conservation Service spent the day collecting data within the boundaries of Scott County.  Ed Roll, Resource Specialist with ISDA, has assisted with thirteen Scott County Tillage Transects since they began in 1990.  This experience, along with being a lifelong resident, has given him the perspective of watching conservation tillage grow over time.  “My brother and I started with no-till by renting a corn planter in the early 1980s, from Clark County SWCD and a no-till drill from Scott County SWCD as well,” says Roll.  “Over the years, a lot of agencies encouraged no-till, and a lot of local producers adopted these conservation tillage methods.  Scott County has always had a good amount, which is why we’ve been locally called the “No-till Capital of the World’”.   

 

One way of measuring residue cover is the line-transect method.  It involves counting the number of times a marked line intersects with a piece of residue.  Crop residue is important because it can help protect the soil from the impact and erosive properties of rainfall.

Indiana is the only state nationwide that still continually conducts the Tillage Transect, and the data is used by multiple agencies and publications.   For more information on conservation tillage trends within your county and around the state, please visit http://www.in.gov/isda/2383.htm or contact your local SWCD http://www.in.gov/isda/2370.htm .

The River’s Story Flowing By

By Nan Hammel

Nan is a Resource Specialist working in the Upper Eel River Watershed. Nan is a 2010 graduate of Purdue University, with a degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering. 

It seems like the river, always has a way of bringing people together.  Maybe it’s the sound of the water rushin’ on by…or the chance to cast a line in hopes of the ‘big’ catch that does it.  Maybe skippin’ a rock or two over those sunlit rippling pools…or perhaps people just come down to the river to cross the bridge to get to the other side.

Well, this weekend in the Upper Eel River Watershed the small town of Roann held their annual pancake breakfast on the Roann Covered Bridge.  Folks don’t just come down to the river to cross the bridge, but to sit a spell with family and friends, eat a pancake or two, and sip a cup of coffee on Independence Day weekend.  For the small town of Roann, the covered bridge is a particular point of pride for gatherings such as these, as well as, their very own covered bridge festival held in September.  To folks around here, it’s important. 

On the same note, some folks may ask what’s so important about conservation and environmental stewardship.   Well, I reckon it’s important because it’s something we all share in.  When someone really gets conservation right the whole community benefits from that one landowner’s efforts, and when someone really gets it wrong the whole community is affected by the results.   Speaking of good conservation in addition to all the rain we’ve been having here lately, I was looking at a field just the other morning and the water running off of it was quite clear.  It was a no-till field that had cover crops planted on it last fall.  This was one of the first times that I had seen a real life demonstration of good conservation working on the land (since my first year on the job was last year’s drought!).  Every river tells a story about every acre of watershed in its reaches, the question is what story would you like to be told?  So next time you find yourself down at the river…for whatever reason, give it a thought.  And if you’re ever in the neighborhood on Independence Day weekend, please drop by and grab a seat on the bridge over the Eel River in Roann, Indiana.  We’d love to have you! 

I’d like to wrap up this blog with a verse from that good ole Hoosier poet, James Whitcomb Riley,

“The river's story flowing by,
Forever sweet to ear and eye,
Forever tenderly begun --
Forever new and never done.
Thus lulled and sheltered in a shade
Where never feverish cares invade,
I bait my hook and cast my line,
And feel the best of life is mine.”
~James Whitcomb Riley

Ft. Wayne River Fest Provides Opportunity to Help Educate Urban Residents About Agriculture Production and Ag Environmental Stewardship

By Jim Lake

Jim is a District Support Specialist in the northeast area of Indiana. Jim has been working in conservation for over 40 years, in which time he has not only dutifully served ISDA’s Division of Soil Conservation, but also has played a formative role in creating the national Conservation Tillage Information Center.  In his many years of dedication to conservation, Jim has also aided nearly every state in the US in creating plans for addressing non-point source water pollution.  He has managed the Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District and has been a leader at Purdue University’s agronomy department as a Soil and Water Conservation Education Specialist.

Each of the last two years the St. Joseph River, Upper Maumee River Watershed Project and St. Mary’s River Watersheds Groups have joined forces with the Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and cooperating agricultural producers and equipment dealers to provide educational displays at the Ft. Wayne River Fest. 

This year’s River Fest held Saturday, June 22 on the shoreline of the St. Joseph River at Fort Wayne’s Indiana-Purdue University Campus. The River Fest drew over 15,000 people. The River Fest is marketed as a family fun and educational day and primarily draws city and suburban residents of Ft. Wayne and suburb areas.  

A highlight at the event is the agricultural equipment display. This year, a large tractor, no-till soybean planter, precision sprayer and a grain combine were on display. Jim Lake, District Support Specialists for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, has helped with the agricultural equipment display each of the last two years. The large equipment is a magnet for children who love to climb up into the cabs of the equipment. While the parents are waiting in line to help their children get up into the equipment, we have the opportunity to talk to the parents about agricultural production practices farmers are using to help protect and improve water quality of the river. We use this opportunity to talk about no-till planting and precision farming technology being used by farmers to reduce soil erosion and accurately apply fertilizer and other crop inputs. The folks in attendance, for the most part, have no current connection with farming, and at best remember going to their grandparent's farm when they were growing up.

I like to ask visitors to the equipment display what they think the equipment they are looking at costs. For example, when I ask what they think the combine costs many respond with a guess of about $100,000 and I tell them $450,000 including the grain head. They are shocked at the costs and the amount of money farmers have invested just in equipment.  I think it very important for those of us engaged in agriculture make efforts to educate our urban and city neighbors on the many aspects of agriculture including the conservation efforts Hoosier farms use in their day to day operations.