In a recent study, 60% of Iowa farmers agreed that their fertilizer dealers should do more to help them address nutrient loss. However, those same farmers reported they were least likely to receive information about the Nutrient Reduction Strategy from their local agricultural retailers, seed company salespeople, and independent/private crop advisers. To me, that’s a disconnect. If, as an ag retailer, you want to maintain your status as a farmers’ “most trusted advisor,” then you will want to provide meaningful assistance to help farmers …
Are Sustainability Commitments Achievable?
As a young NRCS Conservationist I was required, every couple of years, to develop a workload analysis for my Soil and Water Conservation District. This exercise required me to evaluate my District’s resource needs and formulate a strategy for how my staff would work with farmers to meet these workload demands. Every single time I did the analysis, I always turned out the same results. In order to accomplish the workload, I invariably needed to quadruple the staff, make a significant improvement in technology, and hope for a miracle that one …
Mandatory Regulations on Farmers
WHAM! CRASH! POW! KABOOM! I know that probably sounded like Batman and Robin, but I think what you may have heard was the court of public opinion. Just when the ag sector hoped things would quiet down in the Lake Erie Basin, farmers are actually hearing more disturbing reports of regulation. Survey results from a new Ohio poll, funded by Healthy Lakes, were released just this week showing a majority of Ohio voters are in favor mandatory regulations on farmers to protect the state's rivers, streams and lakes. According to the Healthy Lakes …
Precision Conservation Needs the Easy Button
Conservation is in desperate need of the Easy Button. We can never hope to mainstream conservation if we can’t figure out how to build the Easy Button. Conservation is complicated. There is sheet & rill erosion, ephemeral erosion, nitrogen leaching, soluble phosphorus, insoluble phosphorus, greenhouse gases, denitrification, and so much more. The issues can make the head spin of even a learned conservationist. From this complicated perspective it seems it is impossible to scale conservation. It takes too long to learn the trade and …
Power to the People
With the 1960’s slogan Power to the People, young members of the United States expressed an aspiration for a society that was more participatory, more transparent, and more inclusive. These young people wanted to feel they had some control rather than all the power residing in The Establishment. I think that is how farmers must feel today. They must feel like that the environmental process lacks transparency. They must feel they have very little information to make decisions. Please note, that I am not making excuses for farmers. No …
Soil Triage
Triage, Triage, Triage…or the medical term for “setting priorities” Ok, so here is a stupid question. How important is it to take someone’s body temperature when you are assessing their overall health? Well that depends, doesn’t it. If the patient is at the doctor’s office for flu-like symptoms, then taking someone’s body temperature is pretty important. However, if the patient is in the Emergency Room with a severed arm and bleeding profusely, then taking their temperature is probably not high on the priority list. The same can be said …