In my last post I started by saying, “You would think by now that those of us working in the conservation field would have a really good handle on the value of topsoil. Again, you would think… However in 2015 we still struggle with a quantifiable value for topsoil.”Dr. Rick Cruse’s work gives us a terrific start. However, more research is needed to help us understand variations within fields, across regions and between states because a ton of topsoil does not always equal a ton of topsoil. More research is needed to help us understand why, …
50 million acres pledged in sustainability initiative
"Too many people have lost sight of the fact that productive soil is essential to the production of food.” by: Hugh Hammond BennettOn Monday, December 5th, the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture announced their goal of advancing the sustainability of U.S. agriculture. To achieve this goal, Field to Market seeks to engage 20% of productive acres of U.S. commodity crop production in its supply chain sustainability program by 2020. This is equivalent to 50 million acres.At the time, two significant things about this announcement jumped out at …
Conversation Starter
“Hey, what are you going to do differently to help improve water quality?”Some discussions about conservation are naturally hard to start. Educated as an agronomist, I did not have formal training in conservation. I remember, as a young NRCS employee, being fearful that I would start out on the wrong foot or offend a farmer - long before I could get to the main point of my visit. On the other hand, sometimes the situation lent itself to an easy conversation. And those times were golden - when the problem was obvious and the approach was …
5 Things We Must Do to Accelerate Soil and Water Conservation
It is abundantly clear that we need to utilize all aspects of Precision Conservation. However, the following are my top five conservation priorities we need to do to make a significant change in how we deliver soil and water conservation.5. Reduce the time, cost, and hassle for farmers implementing structural conservation practicesMachine control technology will fundamentally change how conservation structures are designed, staked, and constructed. The software is already available to utilize LiDAR data and develop a grassed waterway design …
To mow or not to mow… that is the question
One of the people I often think about is Ernie Aust and his unwavering commitment to soil & water conservation. Ernie was one of my favorite Area Conservationists during my 14-year NRCS career. He loved to question conventional wisdom and was always willing to look at different perspectives; indeed a rare trait. I remember a lot of lively conversations with Ernie, but the most memorable was a discussion about grassed waterways and their maintenance.We agreed the conventional wisdom is to mow grassed waterways. In general, mowing …
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 …