From the Board Chair

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

(NOFA) Programs respectively. A delicious lunch was provided by The Rolling Tomato Pizza truck featuring Full Heart Farm produce as toppings. During lunch, Sarah Kubik (USDA, FSA), informed participants about the programs they have available to help farmers be financially successful. The Connecticut NRCS Rainfall Simulator was also a big hit demonstrating water infiltration, advantages of cover crops, and improved soil health.

After lunch the group headed outside to tour the property. In the field, participants joined discussions on soil and land health, crop rotations, and general agronomic practices on a small vegetable operation. Many participants were interested in balancing farming and family while maintaining farm profitability. These discussions, led by Allyson Angelini and HMI Certified Educator Phil Metzger, benefited from the input of other experienced Holistic Management practitioners in attendance including Sherry Simpson and Art Talmadge. Most participants were interested in specific farming practices, such as mulching or weed control and a lot of practical information was shared by Allyson Angelini. Later in the afternoon Phil did a brief biological monitoring demonstration and Kip Kolesinskas, a soil scientist, discussed maintaining healthy land and soil.

The day ended back in the classroom where Monique Bosch, of Wiggle Room, showed the group soil samples from Full Heart Farm under a microscope and gauged soil health by looking at the visible, microbial life in the soil.

A big thank you to Allyson for sharing her farm with us and to our funder, FarmAid. The Texas Wildlife Association hosted a Texas Soil Health Short Course held on April 23-24, 2019 in Victoria, Texas. HMI was one of the sponsors for this event, and several presenters shared their Holistic Management experiences and learning, including HMI Certified Educator Deborah Clark of the Birdwell-Clark Ranch. There were over 180 people in attendance. On the first day, four busloads of attendees toured different farms/ranches. The first stop was a large production no-till commodity farm which is on a quest to improve the soil health and make money. Chad Hahn had several trial plots with experimental cover crops and shared what was working, not working and thoughts for future trials. There were also demos on site showing the importance of water filtration as well as a soil pit. The afternoon ranch tour was to Mitchell Cattle Ranch, a long time Holistic Management practitioner who shared what he’s learned over the years.

Other speakers included Dr. Richard Teague and Dr. Jamie Foster with Texas A&M AgriLife, Dr. Steven Lukefahr with Texas A&M University Kingsville, Chad Hahn with Hahn Farm, Howard Book of Book Farms, and livestock producer Vance Mitchell of Mitchell Cattle Company. The day ended with a speaker panel to address questions from the audience. There were many present who came to see “what all this soil health is about” and the program gave those who are ready to explore these practices and opportunity to learn from those who have experience to share.

This workshop was held in partnership with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Texas Wildlife Association, and hosted by the Goliad and Victoria Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

BY WALTER LYNN

In the upper Midwest, the crop plantings have been challenging for the farmers this season. For this month, I have a quote to ponder, no matter where you live in the world.

In 1938, the author Sterling North declared, “Ardently as I have scanned the writings of Europe’s half-pint Napoleons I find but one undoubted truth uttered between the two of them. Each has said in effect,

‘It takes a rich land to support a democracy.’ Every time you see a dust cloud, or a muddy stream, a field scarred by erosion or a channel choked with silt, you are witnessing the passing of American democracy. The crop called Man can wither like any other.”

In Springfield, Illinois, where I live, normal annual rainfall is 37.43 inches. As of the end of June we were 10.5 inches above the normal of 18.5 inches. This excess has helped to bring about the prevented planting acres; they are basically defined as the failure to plant an annual crop with the proper equipment by a specific date for a specific region for crop insurance purposes. The Bonnet Carre’ spillway on the Mississippi River above New Orleans is opened for the second time in 2019, the second year in a row, and longest period on record (110 days as of July 15).

The spillway is the last possible release point for river water before New

Orleans. The watershed draining through New Orleans is 32 states and two Canadian provinces.

When I converse with Illinois seed dealers in my network, this is a record year for replanting of corn and soybeans. The municipal water supply lake in Decatur, Illinois is being dredged for a cost of $92 million. Local road commissioners are cleaning the road ditches of sediment; then the farmers continue to farm to the ditch bank to get every acre next to the ditch or spray herbicide on the ditch bank.

The examples presented are just a few illustrations relating to a broken water cycle. Dr. Jerry Hatfield at the National Laboratory and the Environment in Ames, Iowa comments the 2% difference in soil organic matter between 4% and 2% gives a farmer five more days of available water for a crop. What is this extra time worth in August to a corn farmer? Gabe Brown on their family ranch in Bismarck, North Dakota has a water infiltration rate of 30 inches per hour. This is unparalleled compared to the neighbors.

We need to delve into the root causes for the incomplete water cycle and see past the symptoms. The crops planted late and related challenges have rendered a situation now requiring the water that has flowed to the Gulf of Mexico.

We need to think on several questions: • Are there better crops? • Why are streams silty and full of sediment? • How effective is my water cycle on my own ranch or farm?

Adopting the concepts of soil health and regenerative agriculture provides a possibility to create a better ecosystem to more effectively use the available water in your state or region. HMI and its Certified Educators offer training and educational resources that many farmers and ranchers have found helpful for increasing the resilience of their farms and ranches. Please let us know how we can support your regenerative agriculture journey.

Long live the soil!!