Soil and Water Health Early adopter continues adapting to boost production BY AARON PUTZE, APR
F
arming isn’t work for Chuck White. Rather, the Spencer farmer sees the land he farms as a work in progress. “I’ve always been an early adopter,” he says while surveying a 30-acre stand of cover crop on land he farms with his brother Kevin and son Patrick south of Spencer. “I’m a fan of trying new things and seeing the improvements that come with innovating.” Spend a few minutes in his company and it becomes obvious the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) district director’s wheels are constantly turning. It’s why he’s a believer and active participant in ISA’s Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI). “I like to look at new ideas and develop new ways of doing things for agriculture,” White says. “Producing a crop using fewer inputs is good for my bottom line and goes hand-in-hand with better soil and cleaner water.” His first activity involving the ISA research team was a 2010 soybean plant population trial.
“It yielded numerous findings, chief among them — higher populations and seed costs don’t always translate to more yield,” White says.
New adventure He’s also worked side-by-side with ISA’s research team on nitrogen trials involving manure application on corn ground. His newest adventure: choosing Dutch clover instead of cereal rye as a cover crop. “I’ve always wanted to plant a perennial as a cover crop,” he says. “One day, while walking across the farm, I noticed the Dutch clover. It grows everywhere and with little effort, so I thought, ‘Why not try it as a cover?’” After consulting with ISA researchers and Iowa State University agronomists, White was motivated to give it a try. Last spring, he seeded Dutch clover with a
drill on 30 acres of ground planted to soybeans. What also sets White apart is his unabashed willingness to fail. “I didn’t have much of a soybean crop come June — in fact, I about tilled the whole thing under and started over,” he admits. A combination of too much cover crop and a wet start to the growing season was taking its toll on his soybeans and potential return on investment come harvest. But White played the patience card. The weather soon turned, the beans matured, and harvest came and went. “The field yielded about 40 bushels per acre,” White says. “It usually does mid-50s. But I’m it for the long haul, looking to building soil health, reducing fertilizer costs and seeing what next year’s corn crop yields.”
Chuck White, farmer f rom Spencer
20 | JANUARY 2022 | IASOYBEANS.COM
