Farm progress 2016

FARM

PROGRESS 2016 A special section in the March 12, 2016 Morris Sun Tribune

MORRIS SUN TRIBUNE - FARM

Page 2C - Saturday, March 12, 2016

Morris, Minnesota 56267

Oilseed crops: a boon to pollinators and people alike Matt Thom USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Morris I came to Morris in early 2014 and joined a group of USDA-ARS scientists involved in developing and promoting specialty oilseed crops for production in the Upper Midwest. The goal is to make these crops a profitable addition to current crop rotations while also providing food for beneficial insects.

This is where I come in: I am an entomologist, a scientist who studies insects. I believe we can manage natural resources in a way that provides food and shelter for us as well as minimizes the impact on beneficial species such as pollinators and the predators of pest insects like soybean aphids. Insects like lady beetles feed on aphids, but they also need to visit flowers for nectar – just as bees, butterflies, moths, flies, and even hummingbirds do.

Actively providing a rich

source of food for beneficial insects makes sense given all that they do for agricultural systems.

Specialty oilseed crops represent an amazing opportunity to provide them with this food.

At the Soils Lab, we have been growing at least 10 different oilseed crops, including some varieties that are planted in the fall and harvested early the following summer. Some of these crops should be familiar: sunflower, canola, and flaxseed. We commonly use the oils or seeds of these crops for a variety of healthy foods and snacks – can you imagine a sport like baseball or softball without sunflower seeds, for example? The other crops we have been growing are less familiar. However, they produce oils that are commonly used for food supplements, biodiesel, cosmetics, paints, and industrial lubricants.

My specific role in this research effort at Morris is to evaluate the value of these crops to insects. The specialty oilseed crops

Borage A source of hearthealthy fatty acids; used for dietary supplements.

we have been growing at several sites in west central Minnesota have brightly colored flowers that are attractive to many different species of insects. Flowers from these crops contain both nectar and pollen, which insects feed on directly or supply to their young.

Nectar is basically a mixture of water and simple sugars like sucrose, which is the same kind of sugar used in baking or added to coffee. We commonly see many different animals drinking nectar from the different oilseed flowers, including honey bees, bumble bees, hover flies, lady beetles, and butterflies like the Monarch butterfly. On occasion, we also see hummingbirds drinking nectar, which is very exciting as they are so colorful and such amazing fliers.

The pollen that flowers provide their visitors is made up of a mixture of starches, fats, proteins, and trace minerals. Bees are particularly adept at collecting pollen – thanks to a fine covering

of branched hairs that can be seen with the aid of a microscope. Pollen grains stick to these hairs. This enables the bees to gather the pollen onto their hind legs or underside of their belly using little claws on their feet and legs, which look and function like combs. Flies and beetles also eat pollen, but typically lack the branched body hairs and combs that bees have. Pollen is particularly important to bees, as it is the sole source of essential nutrients needed for the development of their young.

Just like humans, many insects require a certain amount of proteins, fats, and minerals from their diet – a shortage of which can lead to malnourishment and sickness.

Many of the oilseed crops we’re investigating produce enough nectar and pollen per acre during the growing season to supply the annual needs of up to several honey bee colonies. Honey bees are incredibly important to U.S. agriculture and are the main pollinators of

delicious foods such as almonds, cherries, apples, and melons. Commercial beekeepers transport colonies all around the country to provide pollination services. Many beekeepers bring their colonies in the summer to rest and recuperate in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

Unfortunately, honey bees and other pollinators are not doing as well as they used to, and one of the reasons is a lack of quality food (nectar and pollen) sources. Currently grown crops such as corn and wheat do not produce any nectar and soybeans are quite variable. Oilseeds, on the other hand, do produce nectar and represent a great opportunity for beekeepers and farmers to work together in helping support their local honey bee and other pollinator populations.

The benefits of growing oilseeds in support of these important insects can lead to increased pollination of other crops and plant communities

of wildlife lands. Flower-visiting insects themselves are also valuable food for a wide range of wildlife, including many game, non-game, and migratory birds.

Major challenges remain for the wider adoption of specialty oilseeds as viable crops. Markets must continue to develop to allow producers to sell and trade the seeds and oils. This extends to processing, storage, and transportation, which lack sufficient infrastructure. Despite these issues, introducing specialty oilseeds into current agricultural systems is sure to benefit local economies as well as the natural resources on which we rely.

There is great potential for specialty oilseeds to provide both economic and environmental value. Ultimately, these sorts of integrated and multi-purpose strategies will allow humankind to grow and innovate while minimizing its impact on the organisms that share the earth.

Calendula

Camelina

Crambe

Cuphea

Echium

Pennycress

A source of oil with fast-drying properties, used in paints, coatings, and cosmetics.

A source of hearthealthy fatty acids; is produced for cooking oil and biodiesel.

Non-edible oils used as industrial lubricants, corrosion inhibitors, and synthetic rubber.

A source of oils used for soaps and as an alternative to imported palm kernel oil.

A source of hearthealthy fatty acids, as well as used in anti-wrinkle creams.

Non-edible oils used for biofuels and lubricants; varieties being developed with edible oils.

Borage, calendula, camelina, crambe, cuphea, echium and pennycress are a few of the oilseed crops that are being grown by researchers at the Soils Lab in Morris. The oilseed crops offer multiple benefits. They provide pollinators with a food source over the growing season as well as acting as a harvestable crop for a variety of commercial uses. These images of oilseed crops and pollinators were taken in Stevens County by Jim Eklund, Carrie Eberle, Dean Peterson, and Matt Thom.

$9 corn and $21 soybeans Curt Reese, Scientist West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris

At the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC), Morris, nearly 50 percent of our crop acres are on certified organic land. This allows us the opportunity to objectively compare organic and conventional systems.

Currently, organic corn is trading above $9 per bushel and soybeans are trading above $21 per bushel. Similar to conventional crop prices, organic prices are down from several years ago. However,

these numbers are still enticing farmers to look at converting their farm, or parts of their farm, to an organic system. Transitioning to an organic system can pose some unique challenges. The shift to an organic system needs careful consideration and planning.

In 2015, we averaged about 150 bushels per acre on our organic corn and 165 bushels per acre on our conventional corn. Our conventional corn yields may seem low, but there are few contributing factors to the low yield. First of all, our best land is in the organic system not the

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conventional system.

Secondly, we had a wind storm in the summer of 2015 that damaged our conventional crops more than our organic crops.

By comparison, the value of our corn crop per acre was $1,350 (organic) and $536 (conventional), if you price conventional corn at $3.25 per bushel.

Corn is an easier crop to raise organically than soybeans. Weeds are more difficult to control in organic soybean fields, and little can be done to control soybean aphids.

In the past, we have raised 25 bushel per acre soybeans in our organic system. Certainly not a

stellar yield when compared to conventionally grown soybeans where fields can average 40 to 50 bushel per acre or more. If we use the current $21 per bushel rate, our estimated gross income would be $525 per acre on 25 bushel per acre yield. If we use $8.25/bushel for conventional soybeans and have a 45 bushel per acre yield, our gross income is $371.25 per acre.

While the organic numbers may look really good, there are costs and risks involved with organic crop farming. Organic certification requires at least three crops in a ro-

tation. This means either a small grain or alfalfa crop which in turn means owning, or having access to, a grain drill and having the necessary equipment to harvest these crops.

Another factor to consider is managing the fertility of the fields. At the WCROC, we have swine and dairy manure which we apply to the fields to enhance organic matter in the soil. We also plant alfalfa as a feed source for the WCROC organic dairy herd. This makes our organic system easier to manage as compared to someone that does not have livestock on their farm.

One of the biggest challenges with organic crop production is weed control. Weeds can be controlled by modifying planting dates, crop rotation, harrowing, and cultivation. This proves to be more time consuming than the conventional system; and there is a considerable learning curve for creating a successful organic cropping system.

Producers that are interested in learning more about organic crop production are welcome to visit the WCROC, talk with our staff, and take a look at our fields. We can be reached at 320-589-1711.

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Saturday, March 12, 2016 - Page 3C

Breeding considerations for organic dairy farms Brad Heins West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris I receive a lot of questions about what breeds a farmer should use on an organic and grazing dairy farm. At the GrassWorks Grazing Conference in January, I moderated an industry panel on dairy breeds to consider for grass-based production.

Therefore, I want to provide an update on the breeding plans and some preliminary results from the University of Minnesota organic dairy herd in Morris.

First, we have recently completed and published a new report that provides results from first-lactation performance of two-breed crossbreds compared to Holstein herdmates from eight commercial confinement dairy herds in Minnesota.

The two-breed crossbreds had advantages in production, body condition score, fertility, and survival. More information can be found at z.umn. edu/crossbreeding.

Whatever breeds are used in organic dairy herds, the ideal organic dairy cow must have: 1) high fat and protein, 2) excellent fertility and the ability to produce a calf regularly, 3) longevity (~5 to 7 years), 4) low somatic cell count, 5) smaller body size, and 6) efficient conversion of grass to milk. Of course, the use of a breed depends

on each producer's management system.

At the organic dairy in Morris, we have developed two crossbreeding designs and are comparing them to Holstein herdmates. In one three-breed rotation, we are using the Holstein, Montbéliarde, and Viking Red breeds (ProCROSS). The other three-breed rotation uses the Viking Red, Jersey, and Normande breeds (no Holstein in the rotation).

The accompanying figure provides the three-breed rotation schemes for our dairy herd.

Subsequently, we decided to compare the organic cows sired by the alternative breeds at the University of Minnesota organic dairy for production and fertility. All cows were born after we started the transition to organic production during the fall of 2008. Data collection was from September 2010 to December 2015 and compared cows only during first lactation.

The number of cows will only continue to grow as we continue these crossbreeding systems into the future. Therefore, the results are preliminary from our dairy herd (see accompanying table).

The Jersey-sired and Viking Red-sired crossbred cows had lower 305-day fat plus protein production compared to their Holstein herdmates during first lactation. The Viking Red crossbreds were lower for fat plus protein than other crossbred sired cows be-

cause the Viking Red cows were from dams that were 50 percent Jersey, and therefore, the Jersey influence may have caused the lower production, which was observed in the Jersey-sired crossbreds. The Montbéliarde and Normande-sired crossbred cows were similar to their Holstein herdmates for fat plus protein production during first lactation.

The table also has the percentage of cows pregnant by 150 days in milk during first lactation for crossbred cows versus Holsteins, and although not statistically significant, the Viking Red, Montbéliarde, and Normande-sired crossbred cows showed numerical advantage for fertility.

Recently, there has been interest in improving the robustness and profitability of grazing dairy cattle. In organic production systems failure of cows to become pregnant during the breeding season results in economic losses as maximum profit is attained by minimizing costs and increasing the proportion of grass in the diet of heifers and cows.

A few years ago, I presented an eOrganic webinar on breeding cattle for organic dairy productions systems. The webinar is very relevant today and describes more information related to crossbreeding for organic dairy herds.

For more information, see the eOrganic webinar at z.umn.edu/breedingorganicdairy.

As part of a research study on energy use in swine production facilities, solar photovoltaic panels (27 kWh) were mounted on the West Central Research and Outreach Center’s growing-finishing barn.

Renewable energy use in pork production Lee Johnston, Extension Specialist-Swine West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris Consumers and society in general have been asking and will continue to ask questions about the methods used to produce pork. Pork producers and the pork industry need to respond to these questions with thoughtful explanations of why we continue current practices or be willing to change current practices to be more acceptable to consumers.

Sometimes, the list of concerns raised by consumers can be rather long and disheartening to pork producers. Among the list is the issue of environmental sustainability of pork production. Even within environmental issues, the list can be long and often includes: carbon footprint of pork, water footprint of pork, fossil fuel consumption, climate change, responsible manure management programs, and others.

Steve Peterson, director of sourcing sustainability for General Mills, spoke at the Midwest Farm Energy Conference held at the West Central Research and Outreach Center on June 17 to 19, 2015. Peterson said that major food companies are hearing their customers express desires to purchase food products that are sustainably produced. Sustainability can have differing definitions depending on the food product or input being considered, but in general the concept is to produce food with minimal negative impacts on the environment. Peterson also pointed out that more than half of the carbon footprint for many of their food products is attributable to activities

units, two nurseries, and two growing-finishing barns. We are measuring all the electricity and propane used in these barns and recording the output (weaned pigs, cull sows, nursery pigs, slaughter hogs) from these barns.

From these data, we will be able to determine the electricity and propane required to produce pork in each phase of production. In addition, we will be able to determine what activities in the barns are the most energy intensive activities.

For instance, over the first four months of the study, almost 70 percent of the electricity used in the farrowing units went to power heat lamps in the creep area of farrowing stalls. Only about 15 to 20 percent of the electricity was used to power the ventilation systems. In contrast, about 70 percent of the electricity in the growing-finishing barns was used to run ventilation equipment.

We are also measuring the electricity and heating fuel consumed in the swine research barns at WCROC. The growing-finishing barn has just been fitted with a 27 kWh solar photovoltaic unit on the south facing roof. We will measure the electricity generated by this solar panel and match it to the electrical load demands of the barn to determine how effective such an installation will be for reducing the fossil fuels used in modern pork production.

Society will continue to challenge current methods of pork production. The University of Minnesota will continue to research ways to help pork producers respond to these challenges with science-based information that improves pork production practices for producers, pigs, and consumers.

that occur on the farm. So, farmers and pork producers can play a significant role in producing food that satisfies consumers’ desires for low negative environmental impacts.

Peterson spoke from General Mills’ perspective but there are many other food companies such as Pepsico and Walmart that have similar experiences.

Faculty and staff at the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) have been conducting research and outreach efforts to help agriculturalists produce food in response to concerns raised by consumers and food companies. A current project entitled the “Greening of Agriculture” is focused on reducing the use of fossil fuels in agricultural production with an eye toward reducing the carbon footprint of products leaving the farm.

This project includes various studies in dairy, crop, and swine production systems but here we will focus on swine production.

There are several swine related studies being conducted in the Greening of Agriculture project. One important project is designed to characterize the electricity and heating fuel consumption on commercial swine farms.

Most producers know what they pay for electricity and propane to run their barns but they have no way of accurately knowing how the various activities in their barns influence their consumption of electricity and propane. This study is designed to determine how much electricity and propane are used for different portions of the operation. This study is funded by the Legislative Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources.

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Morris, Minnesota 56267

eMentorships connect area high schools with Riverview employees.

Riverview has locations in five states.

A closer look at Riverview LLP

Natasha Mortenson Riverview LLP

Today, less than 2 percent of the U.S. workforce is directly involved in agricultural production, while 100 percent of U.S. citizens benefit from it. In the early 1900s, farmers accounted for 40 percent of the workforce.

Consumers around the country are thought to be at least three generations removed from the farm, having few ties to experiencing production agriculture. With this lack of experience, many people are questioning agricultural practices and are losing trust in the system.

The company now recognized as Riverview LLP began as a family-owned crop and beef farm in 1939, but has since grown into a multi-faceted, ever-changing partnership.

In the mid-1970s, the family business was incorporated under the name of Riverview. This new company continued farming and raising beef cattle until the late 1990s when the company’s busi-

ness structure changed to a limited liability partnership (LLP).

Operating as an LLP allows Riverview to have multiple owners and provides opportunity for employee and neighbor ownership at a variety of investment levels. Riverview LLP is 70 percent employee owned. The remaining 30 percent are neighbors, community members, and extended family.

Riverview’s main business is producing milk and beef. The milk is sold to several cheese-making companies and the beef is sold to a variety of open and níche markets. Riverview production sites can be found in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Riverview raises its own calves, heifers, market animals, and dairy cows.

The company also has a construction team that designs and builds facilities for Riverview and other community businesses. The construction team focuses primarily on concrete, drainage,

Riverview leases on numerous local trucks, choppers, and drivers to help with these harvests.

Chopping crews work in the late summer and fall to fulfil the silage feed needs for the entire year.

The silage is put into piles at each site and covered.

Riverview grows approximately 25 percent of its feed needs and the rest is purchased from local farmers.

Through all of the company’s business arms, Riverview remains focused on its people, animals, and the environment.

gravel placement, gating, fencing, and planning and managing numerous dairy and feedlot building projects. Riverview designs large-scale ag projects and self-performs the majority of the work, also selling and building Lester Buildings. The company also offers services outside of Riverview projects and specialize in industrial, commercial, agricultural, and residential concrete work. The construction team is comprised of twenty full-time employees and forty to sixty seasonal employees.

The crop production team raises crops to feed the animals, while focusing on production-farming techniques and being good stewards of the land.

Riverview grows corn, alfalfa, soybeans, and edible beans. Crop rotation is important to soil health and is done on all Riverview farmland. Soybeans and edible beans are used for crop rotation and are sold to market. All the alfalfa is chopped for haylage and the majority of corn is chopped for silage.

People Riverview has 900+ employees company-wide, and is passionate about providing opportunities for all employees to continue professional and personal development.

Employees are encouraged to be involved in the community through education, organizations, events, and fundraisers.

Riverview offers classes for employees in leadership, personal finance, team building, safety,

language acquisition, and communication. Employees are also encouraged to attend outside trainings and classes that help them continuously develop.

All employees are part of the Riverview family, so safety is key. The BE SAFE program provides expectations, standards, and training so that everyone arrives back home safe and healthy each night.

Riverview hires local and immigrant labor.

Much of its immigrant labor comes from Mexico, and 322 employees are here on TN visas. A TN visa is available to people who have a five-year degree in Mexico. Most Riverview TN-visa employees have a veterinarian degree.

Riverview helps employees through the government process to become residents and citizens, as well. All employees are processed through the US government’s E-Verify system to ensure eligibility for employment.

Riverview strives to be transparent in all facets of the operation and is regularly open for public tours.

Educational experiences are offered to students of all ages who come to Riverview sites to get hands-on experience in animal science, farming, and ranching.

Employees also enjoy mentoring students.

During the 2015-2016 school year, more than 25 Riverview employees mentored students from the Milbank, South Dakota and Atkinson, Nebraska Agriculture Education Programs, offering leadership development, communication, and ag education coaching. Riverview’s scholarship programs include the development and presentation of a business development plan and an AGvocacy program, which focuses on engaging others in agricultural conversations.

Along with receiving these funds for college, students learn valuable life skills.

These programs allow Riverview to make a positive difference in the lives of students in many different school districts.

See RIVERVIEW page 5

Lessons taught in the classrom are reinforced during farm visits.

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Saturday, March 12, 2016 - Page 5C

Employees prepare bottles for feeding calves.

Hands-on educational tours allow students to work with the animals one on one.

Riverview

Continued from page 4

Also, Riverview enjoys having an open house each year and invite all to attend. This year’s event will be on Thursday, June 30 at Riverview’s newest dairy, Meadow Star Dairy, near Pennock, Minnesota.

Animals Riverview has ten dairy sites, which house 65,000 dairy cows, in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Arizona. Additional sites are home to 45,000 replacement heifers and 17,000 growing calves. All animals are under continuous observation seven days per week. Cows are milked two or three times per day, with employees moving cows to and from the milking parlor. Cows are also continuously being watched by employees working in the maternity and breeding areas, and calves are bottle fed twice per day. Many of these employees are trained veterinarians and take care of individual cattle needs as they arise.

The health and quality

of life of the animals is extremely important.

Riverview uses antibiotics, as needed, for calves and heifers, as well as dry cows (those cows who are not being milked). Lactating cows are not given antibiotics.

Cow pens are kept as dry, clean, and comfortable as possible. This reduces the risk of mastitis (a form of infection). Beef and dairy calves are housed in individual hutches for their first few months of life to keep their environment as consistent as possible, reduce the spread of diseases, and allow for specific care and nutrition.

The recent addition of the southwestern facilities has allowed the company to make some effective changes in production practices, while continuing to focus on the health of the animals and efficiency of production. Calves are transported to New Mexico from the Minnesota and South Dakota dairy sites

multiple times per week.

The benefit of raising calves in New Mexico is its warm, dry climate, which helps keep the calves healthy.

Calves are transported directly from Minnesota to New Mexico by team truck drivers who do not stop until reaching their destination, assuring that the calves arrive as quickly as possible. During the colder months, calves are transported with jackets on to keep them warm and comfortable. Heifers are transferred to Riverview’s Arizona site when they are 90 days old and remain there until they are 230 days into their gestation. They go back to New Mexico to have their calves. The calves remain in New Mexico and the fresh cows head back to Minnesota and South Dakota to be milked.

Wulf Cattle raises commercial cattle as well as NHTC (Non-Hormone Treated Cattle) and anti-

Animal care is one of Riverview’s top priorities.

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Environment Taking care of the environment is important to the success and longevity of any farming operation.

Like most farmers, Riverview focuses on sustainability and taking care of its natural resources.

There is always concern over large-scale production farms creating too much odor. Riverview mitigates much of this issue by covering its lagoons with synthetic covers which help contain the odor.

When building permits are granted by the state and county, many test models are created to measure the farm’s potential impact on air quality and water usage. Riverview takes measures to have a low impact, such as limited agitation of manure, injecting manure directly into the soil, and keeping barns clean to keep odor at a minimum. Water appropriations are monitored by the Department of Natural Resources

Neighbors help get the forage harvested each season.

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biotic-free cattle. Animal health and nutrition is extremely important to the quality of beef that Wulf Cattle desires. Cows are raised on ranches in South Dakota and Nebraska, calving in the fall and spring.

Riverview’s BE KIND program focuses on gentle handling standards for all its livestock. Each employee is trained to move and handle cattle with respect and care.

There is zero tolerance for any mistreatment of livestock at any Riverview site. The dairy sites voluntarily participate in thirdparty audits conducted

by Validus and the Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management). The beef feedlots are certified through the GAP (Global Animal Partnership) Step 1. This validates that livestock producers focus intently on the welfare of their animals and meet approximately 100 beef-cattle standards.

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(DNR). The DNR works with farmers to make sure there is enough water in the aquifer to supply the farm, which includes a study on the regeneration rate of water into the aquifer.

Manure is held in manure lagoons and used as fertilizer after fall harvest. Soil is tested to determine the appropriate application rates needed for fertility and tilth of the soil. The manure is also tested to fi nd fertilizer levels for application rates. Riverview maintains a manure management plan and follows all regulations to take care of the soil, crops, and water.

Riverview welcomes the opportunity to share what has been learned about farming, ranching, and livestock production with anyone who would like to learn more. Please contact us via our website, www.riverviewllp. com, or call 320-3925609 to set up a tour.

Page 6C - Saturday, March 12, 2016

MORRIS SUN TRIBUNE - FARM

Morris, Minnesota 56267

Are organic dairy farms profitable and viable?

Brad Heins West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris Profitability is always a topic of discussion in the organic dairy industry. However, the organic industry is growing and consumer demand is very high.

In some regards, organic dairy processors do not have enough milk to meet the consumer demand. Therefore, all organic processors are looking for organic milk, and recently, there have been price wars to acquire organic milk from farmers.

The year of 2014 was a very, very good year to be dairy farming. Conventional milk prices were at record highs. Our own University of Minnesota conventional dairy herd in Morris had milk prices approaching $30/ cwt. However, we all know that what goes up must come down.

Now we are looking at $17/cwt. milk and it looks like prices will average that for the upcoming few months. It may be a great time for some of you to think about transitioning to organic milk production. Currently, our milk price is $34.50/cwt.

Many producers may be concerned about the profitability of organic dairying. Well, let’s

take a look at some economic data from Minnesota organic dairies. I used FinBin financial information from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management. They have collected financial data from organic dairy farms for the past few years, and I looked at a five year period from 2010 to 2014.

So what does the financial performance of organic dairy farms in Minnesota look like?

The table accompanying this article shows the performance data of organic dairy farms in Minnesota during 2014 and an

average from 2010 to 2014.

Also, the data for the five years is broken down by average herd size.

For Minnesota, organic dairy herds were profitable in 2014 with an average net income per cow of $485. The greatest expenses on organic dairy farms is purchased feed.

Organic alfalfa ($447/cow), protein supplements ($295/ cow), and organic corn ($268/ cow) were the greatest expenses for organic dairies in 2014. Average net farm income in 2014 was high. If you subtract off-farm income and depreciation, the net farm income

was $49,829, which is similar to the US median income ($50,000) and similar to a 150cow conventional dairy based on similar FinBin data from 2014 (http://www.extension. umn.edu/agriculture/dairy/ business-tools-and-budgeting/profibility-and-viability-of-dairy-farms-in-minnesota/index.html).

For differing herd sizes of organic dairies, all have high net income per cow and have a great return on assets.

However, the data does show that for the 50 cows or less herds, non-farm income plays an important role in keeping

these farms viable. The key to keeping the small organic dairy herds profitable is reducing feed costs and increasing dry matter intake from pasture to reduce those feed costs. There is room for all herd sizes in the organic dairy industry. They all create economic activity and supply milk for a growing consumer demand of organic dairy products. All organic dairy producers should understand their costs of production to improve the viability, efficiency, and ultimately, the profitability of their operation.

For those looking for information on transitioning to organic production, University of Minnesota researchers have investigated the economics of transitioning to organic dairy production. Ten farms that have transitioned are featured in a publication that addresses organic transition strategies and challenges which can be found at http://eorganic.info/ toolsfortransition/reports.

So, “Are Organic Dairy Farms Profitable and Viable?” The answer is yes, and it should be included as an option for producers to help grow the dairy industry in Minnesota.

Hydroponics research looks to improve crop nutritional value Jana Rinke and Abdullah Jaradat USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Morris One of the emerging challenges in food production under changing environments is to produce enough food for a growing population and, at the same time, maintain, if not improve its nutritional value and quality. Farmers have used traditional fertilizers such as animal dung and fish guts to increase crop yields throughout the history of food production around the world. However, over the millennia, the nutritional quality of produced food might have been a secondary, less well-defined objective.

Today, bigger and better crop yields are a must to satisfying the growing demand for both food quantity and quality.

Research on plant nu-

on nutrient dynamics of traditional crops such as corn and soybean, as well as new crops such as sweet sorghum (as a biofuel resource), einkorn and emmer wheats. These wheats are new food crops with promising nutritional value, including elevated levels of iron and zinc. In collaboration with the private sector, we also evaluated einkorn for tolerance to increased soil salinity resulting from climate change and management practices in parts of North Dakota.

A select number of salt-tolerant einkorn wheat with high iron and zinc seed contents will be increased in the field during the coming Researchers at the Soils Lab in Morris are conducting hydroponic studies on ancient hulled wheats. The environmentally-controlled g r o w i n g s e a s o n . T h e growth chamber (left) contains an ebb and flow designed hydroponic system (top right) to determine salinity effects on ancient seed from those selections will then be made hulled wheats (bottom right). available to collaborators and farmers for trition, nutrient uptake edible plant parts has years. However, the need nutrient-use efficiency, field evaluation under and allocation of nutrients been carried out under for a highly controlled including in-depth un- farmer’s management to seeds, fruits, or other field conditions for many environment cannot be derstanding of nutrients systems. over emphasized, espe- dynamics and their effect We expect the results cially when researching on quality and nutri- from this research will micro-nutrients such as tional value. contribute to a growing Recently, we embarked body of information on iron and zinc that are vital for human health and on a long-term research crop quality and nutriproject exploring the use tional value, helping farmwell-being.

Hydroponics – in dif- of hydroponics under the ers produce higher and ferent sizes, shapes and controlled environment of better yields for a growing complexities – provided growth chambers to eval- world population and its unique mediums to in- uate crop responses to cli- need for the most nutrivestigate many aspects mate change. Our project tious food possible. of plant nutrition and also examines the impact

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Saturday, March 12, 2016 - Page 7C

Healthy soils make healthy plants Steve Poppe, Horticulture Scientist Esther Jordan, Communication Specialist West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris

It’s no secret that producing and consuming fresh, locally grown food is on the rise: over the past 10 years, the number of local-food growers has surged 52 percent, and Minnesota farmers’ markets have nearly tripled to 182, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. As consumers seek to increase consumption of fresh nutritious food, vegetables in particular, some may take to growing their own at home. In order to grow healthy plants, it all starts with healthy soil.

How healthy is my vegetable garden soil?

One of the most important considerations in growing quality, healthy vegetables is having healthy soil. One of the more neglected areas of soil is organic matter which helps keep the soil loose and healthy. Soil organic matter is the fraction of the soil that consists of plant or animal tissue in various stages of breakdown (decomposition).

Most of our productive agricultural soils have between 3 and 6 percent

organic matter. Organic matter serves as a reservoir of nutrients and water in the soil, aids in reducing compaction and surface crusting, and increases water infiltration into the soil. Organic matter acts like a “sponge” to hold water, fresh air, and plant food.

Many times we think of organic matter as the plant and animal residues we incorporate into the soil. We see a pile of leaves, manure, compost or plant parts and think we are adding a lot of organic matter to the soil.

This material is actually organic material, not organic matter. What's the difference between organic material and organic matter? Organic material is anything that was alive and is now in or on the soil. For it to become organic matter, it must be decomposed into humus. Humus is organic material that has been converted by microorganisms.

Practices that help maintain fertile soil Having your soil tested will help determine if there are soil deficiencies and take the guesswork out of fertilizer recommendations. Soil tests help ensure a fertile soil without excess fertilizer applications or pollution of the environment. It is never a good practice to add amendments without knowing what the soil

lacks. Soil samples may be collected whenever soil conditions permit. If your vegetable garden has large areas which differ in fertility, take one sample from each area. Soil tests are available through the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory.

For more information and instructions check out their website: www.soiltest.cfans.umn.edu A recommended practice to maintain fertile soil is to grow cover crops or green manure crops. Good cover crops for the vegetable garden include vetch, clover, beans, peas, annual ryegrass, oats, rapeseed, winter wheat, winter rye and buckwheat. Cover crops are sown thickly to form a living mulch that keep weeds in check, build productive soils and help control pests and diseases.

There are two different times to plant a cover crop: 1) as soon as the soil can be worked, plant the cover crop in the early season, turn it under and plant warm-season vegetables in late May or early June; 2) after early-maturing vegetables have been harvested, plant a cover crop and turn under the plant material after a killing frost in the late fall. Remember to mow the cover crop down prior to flowering to prevent them from self-seeding and becoming weeds themselves.

An additional method to aid the garden soil is to grow nitrogen-fixing

crops. Many plants in the legume family, such as peas, beans, vetch and clover, grow in cooperation with soil-dwelling bacteria. Bacteria live in nodules on the roots of these legumes and take nitrogen gas from the air and convert it to a form plants can use. When the legume dies and its roots begin to decompose, nitrogen in the nodules becomes available to other plants when plants are tilled under.

Crop rotations will also help manage soil fertility and help avoid or reduce problems with soilborne diseases and insects. Crop rotation is deciding which vegetable to plant where from one year to the next.

In order to keep disease issues to a minimum, avoid planting one member, say tomatoes, in the same spot where a cousin, peppers, eggplants, or potatoes grew in the previous three years. Avoid planting healthy brassica vegetables in the same spot: kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, kohlrabi, turnips, cabbage and bok choy (chinese cabbage). Each vegetable crop has different nutrient requirements, and it will affect soil balance differently. If you plant sweet corn in the same spot year after year, that area will run low on nitrogen and phosphorus. The solution is to change the location of sweet corn each year.

You'll be able to renew

your garden area where it grew the preceding year, so your soil won't be out of balance.

Site selection for a vegetable garden Choose a sunny, convenient, well-drained location that is easily accessible. Seeing your garden hopefully reminds you to relax, de-stress, and tend to your garden. Grow your garden in an area that provides at least six hours of sunshine per day (8 to 10 hours is ideal). Avoid having your garden near trees and shrubs; these plants will affect the amount of sunshine your vegetables need to grow properly, in addition to competing for water and nutrients.

Avoid low lying areas or frost pockets. Such areas are slow to warm up in the spring, and frost settles in these places, since cold air naturally drains into low areas. South facing slopes are warmer and less subject to damaging frosts.

Avoid windy locations; if you must plant in a windy spot, grow a windbreak.

Finally, for convenience, locate your garden close to a water source.

Weeding strategies for your vegetable garden The best weed management strategy is to prevent the dispersal of weed seed already in your garden, and reduce the introduction of new weed seed from compost, manure,

straw mulch, equipment and contaminants in seed and transplant containers.

Practices that minimize weed seed production: • Till or mow after crop harvest but before weeds go to seed • Identify weeds prior to tillage-perennial species can be spread by cutting below-ground tissue such as rhizomes and roots Technique for depleting weed seeds: 1. Seedbed is tilled and prepared for crop planting (tillage stimulates germination) 2. Allow to rest while non-dormant weeds germinate and emerge 3. Crop planting is delayed while the soil is partially exhausted of potential weeds 4. Shortly before planting, emerged weeds are eliminated by using a flame torch or very shallow cultivation 5. Crop is then transplanted or direct-seeded without additional tillage 6. Particularly useful with small-seeded or slow growing crops such as onions and carrots These best management strategies will assist you in managing your garden soil to improve plant health, keep the beneficial soil fungus, encourage natural pest control and keep your natural soil intact. Several resources are available on the U of MN Extension website, visit www. extension.umn.edu.

Renewable energy from solar microorganisms Rob Gardner, Assistant Professor West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris Millions of years ago the earth looked quite different, supercontinents had not split along tectonic lines leaving fewer but large oceans covering most of the planet.

The earth had just gone through an oxygen revolution where the atmosphere changed from mainly methane and carbon dioxide to one rich in oxygen. That revolution was due to photosynthetic life appearing two billion years ago. During this time, the sun was becoming more luminous and the earth should have gotten warmer. However, the decrease in methane and carbon dioxide (both greenhouse gases) cooled the planet into an ice age.

Life thrived in the ocean.

Prehistoric zooplankton and algae settled to the sea (or lake) bottom in large quantities and mixed with mud. Over geological time, this mixture was buried under multiple heavy layers of sediment.

The heat and pressure of the earth chemically converted the organic Fat droplets forming around algal biomass during extraction. matter into petroleum. earth’s history and use sense if you have a large Coal on the other hand, heat and pressure to turn production operation, was formed later using it into green crude. Using think thousands of acres land-based forests. So, modern-age fermentation of algal ponds. However, modern day crude oil that technology, it can be con- if you want to cultivate we drill from the earth is verted into ethanol. Or, we algae for biodiesel use essentially fossilized zoo- can take fatty algae, many plankton and algae, and strains accumulate a lot of recently there has been fat, and convert that fat to an increased interest in biodiesel. There are a few again turning to algae as algal companies out there a renewable fuel source. trying to produce enough Algae are phototrophic algae to offset some of microorganisms that con- the US transportation fuel vert sunlight, as a renew- demand on petroleum, able energy source, into and they are focusing on biomass that can be further heat and pressure to make processed into biofuels. green crude. This makes We can take a lesson from

on a rural conventional farming operation, much smaller scale, producing fatty algae makes much more sense. The conversion process is much less energy intensive and the resulting biodiesel can be used with minimal processing.

The Gardner Research Group at the West Central Research and Outreach Center, and housed in the USDA-ARS Soil Conservative Laboratory, is investigating optimal ways of cultivating algae for future

agricultural application.

One of our primary foci, is how to produce fatty algae at useful scale here in rural Minnesota. This includes investigation on cold weather cultivation, crop protection, and research on shunting carbon, which was fixed from carbon dioxide, into fat storage within the algal cells.

Hopefully someday in the future, this technology can be an additional farming practice that synergistically enhances rural farms.

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Conservation agriculture for future generations Don Reicosky Soil Scientist Emeritus As world population increases and food production demands rise, keeping our soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance for agriculture. The expanding global population is expected to reach 9.5 billion people by 2050 is putting tremendous pressure on the finite land area and resources for agricultural production.

Traditional conventional agriculture with an emphasis on intensive tillage and monoculture practices has resulted in a slow, but severe environmental degradation that will ultimately jeopardize our food security for future generations.

Environmental degradation can be avoided by moving towards a new type of “unconventional” agriculture that is more in harmony with nature This schematic representation shows the three pillars of conservation agriculture with a soil foundation. and soil biodiversity, improved water quality, and reduced land degradation. Integrated landscape management, healthy soils, healthy landscapes, and "healthy" farms are necessary to achieve the goals of global environmental management. Environmental and regulatory groups “wring their hands” worrying about what to do to minimize the Soybeans direct seeded into corn residue on fields at the West Direct seeding of corn into alfalfa stubble that was harvested three hours earlier. pollution without offer- Central Research and Outreach Center. ing any suggestions how through various stages combined with external dry regions; enrich the to accomplish that goal. of erosion. of improved soil man- inputs. It has been pro- soil with organic matter; Many of the convenConservation agriculture agement to no-tillage moted by institutions and and, if the mulch is suffitional tillage practices is emerging as one of the systems, then to conser- organizations with the ciently dense, prevent the used in growing crops can more promising initiatives vation tillage systems, re- expectation that it can regrowth of weeds. Diverlead to the loss of topsoil to achieve these benefits. and destruction of soil sulting finally in the more contribute to sustainable sified cropping rotations characteristics that make comprehensive conserva- intensification and has composed of at least three Local soil loss and agriculture possible. The tion agriculture systems. spread into other regions species including at least environmental primary reason for using This evolution reflects the of the world to become a one legume are suggested. degradation Soil erosion is still a conservation agriculture broadening extent and im- global agricultural move- To incorporate more biodiversity, some farmers major problem in agricul- in food production is that provement of knowledge ment. are using 10 to 12 species The defi nition of conon soil management, but this new technology virtutural production systems. in cover crop mixes. servation agriculture inalso the expectations of soally eliminates soil erosion History is a strong teacher, While these three main but its lessons are often and all of the associated ciety to move from simple, corporates system conprinciples are general in cepts based on three key single-sector approaches environmental quality ignored. Efforts to control their application, specific pillars: continuous residue based on producing food, issues. land degradation and soil differences in each princover on the soil surface; to incorporate the broader erosion can be traced over ciple need to be defi ned continuous minimum soil demands of integrated Conservation the last 10,000 years, huclearly to avoid confusion disturbance (no-tillage); landscape management agriculture mankind has been buildConservation agricul- following environmental and diverse crop rotations in communication and use ing on the ruins of the old of terms. The no-till sysand cover crop mixes. ture evolved in North protocols. tillage and monoculture Soil cover can be either tem employed in conserConservation agriculconcepts at our peril. Soil America following the erosion on agricultural devastating erosion and ture was introduced as live cover crops, termi- vation agriculture is not land is induced by tillage; social upheavals of the a systems concept for nated cover crops, or to be confused with other soil that is loosened by any 1930’s "dust bowls.” Con- resource-efficient agri- mulches of crop residues forms of “conservation type of tillage is more eas- servation agriculture cultural crop production remaining after previous tillage” that substantially ily transported by wind or started with simple, local based on integrated man- harvests that accumulate disturb the soil surface. water increasing the rate innovations to mitigate agement of soil, water, on the soil surface and is The success of the consersoil erosion, progressed and biological resources maintained on the surface vation agriculture system by using direct seeding concepts rely on and benequipment. Retaining efit from the interactive mulch between crops and synergies between the during the current crop biological, physical, and year provides better pro- chemical properties and tection against erosion processes in the soil that and can also maintain enhance carbon managehigher soil moisture in ment.

Summary A universally acceptable definition of conservation agriculture systems needs to be developed for clear communications and understanding before real progress can be made with a clear, concise explanation for the slow acceptance of conservation agriculture around the world. Conservation agriculture provides an opportunity to create a legacy of healthy farms and healthy living soils that will form the base for future food security.

Although the conviction towards healthy soils, healthy landscapes and healthy farms must come primarily from the farming community, this must be underpinned by the scientific, rural and urban sectors, and supported by the broader society.

There must be a strong partnership among these sectors to promote adoption and success of these approaches. Emphasis is on the scientific foundation of conservation agriculture and its value to our global society. We owe it to future generations.

Morris Sun Tribune editor Kim Ukura contributed to this story.

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Conservation agriculture with enhanced carbon management can also be called a form of “regenerative agriculture.”

The acceptance of the synergistic simplicity of conservation agriculture (minimizes carbon and soil loss) and the use of diverse cover crop mixes (maximizes soil coverage and carbon input) allows for soil diversity protection and regeneration. With less intensive tillage, there are more environmental benefits accrued with fewer input costs. Economic benefits include reduced fossil fuel use, decreased fertilizer amounts, decreased pesticide and herbicide, less wear and tear on equipment and less soil erosion.

A few farmers are finding the environmental and economic benefits are going hand-in-hand with this systems approach for food security.

By using cover crops and diverse crop rotations in conservation agriculture, some farmers are finding that their soil actually has more available water for their cash crops when those crops really need it, which means more and better food.

MORRIS SUN TRIBUNE - FARM

Morris, Minnesota 56267

Planning, balance key to farm successreset Good planning is a key factor in how well farmers will weather the current economic reset, according to Dr. David Kohl.

Kohl is a professor emeritus of agricultural finance and small business management and entrepreneurship in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

He gave a presentation in Morris on Feb. 23 to a packed house at the Old No. 1. Over 200 people attended the half-day seminar, which was sponsored

by AgCountry Farm Credit Services.

Kohl stressed that the times have changed and in addition to cycles that farmers must manage, there are now extremes that must be managed.

Kohl said that 2007 to 2012 was a super cycle, an economic abhorration that raised all costs. However, we are now in an economic reset which has put a premium on strategy and cash flow.

“These cycles and extremes have put tremendous pressure on finances and created a lot of emotional pressure.”

And Kohl stressed that

this is not just a concern for farmers, because “farms are vital to the strength of the local economy.”

Kohl said that agriculture was like a football team during the recent super cycle, “We had a great passing game, scoring at will.

But now, we have to have a strong defense and a smart quarterback.”

Kohl explained that in the 1980s, agriculture had a credit bubble. “Now we have an asset bubble and we will see some adjustment.”

Kohl stressed that this will put a premium on planning and figuring out how to exploit the volatility.

“Profit is your kingdom

and cash is king.” Kohl suggested written one and five-year goals for both the business and the family are essential to having the ability to exploit market volatility. “Be specific, have measureable goals and be able to articulate them.”

He underscored the need for both a business plan and written goals by saying that equity on a balance sheet doesn’t pay the bills, cash flow and profits do. He suggested having new yearly goals written by Groundhog Day and a balance sheet ready before the start of Daylight Saving Time.

Kohl said that farmers now have some advan-

tages that weren’t available previously, with technology topping the list.

Kohl said there are many apps that you can use to build efficiency into your operation.

But Kohl also said that the best crop anyone can raise is your family - your children and grandchildren. He said that balance is a necessary ingredient in setting goals.

“Shut your cell phones and technology off for two hours a day. Go out and hear the silence. The best crop you’ll ever raise will be your family - your children and grandchildren.”

Saturday, March 12, 2016 - Page 9C Students in the Agriculture Management and Entrepreneurship class at Morris Area High School also attended the Kohl seminar. Here are their high points: Money • 10 percent of assets should be in cash • Have some liquidity in case of emergency • Cash is king, profit is the kingdom • Cash money talks • Will have cash income before expenses, however profitable margins show growth • Three weeks away from a Great Depression in 2008 • Caused the Federal Reserve to print more money which caused a devaluation of the US dollar • Keep living expenses low to maximize future profits • Approximately $50,000 of living expenses • The less money you spend, the more profit you make Goals and plans • Always have a written plan • You have a documented plan for your business so you can see where you want to go • Have a physical reminder Write down your goals • 4 percent of people write their goals down and they are the most likely to achieve their goals • It is a reminder of where you were, and where you want to be

Members of the Agriculture Management and Entrepreneurship class met with Dr. David Kohl during a seminar in Morris on Feb. 23. Pictured are (front, from left) Ben Staehnke, Whitney Olson, Andrew Anderson, teacher Quincy Carter, Scott Iverson, Blake Engebretson; (back from left) Cole Kannegiesser, Tim Travis, Mason Dunn, Kent Mecklenburg, Chad Arndt, Dr. David Kohl, Briar Peterson, Mitchell Torgerson, and Hayden Anderson.

World Economy • US Dollar affects world trade In how other countries buy and sell • China used as much concrete and steel in 2.25 years as the US did in a century • Wages began to increase which increased standard of

living, which helped the economy go up, which caused more businesses to develop, which caused the use of so much concrete and steel • Trends in Europe happen approximately 15 years before they happen in the United States; this allows us to see the next trend in Global Agriculture and prepare for what comes next • China’s economy greatly affects the US • China makes 58 percent of US products so when their economy slows down so does ours • Country has high and low financial cycles every seven years • Prepare and plan for cycles, both high and low • Oil in the U.S gives us good profit, which causes OPEC to lower oil prices • As expenses go down, profits go up • Consumers have more money to spend in other places in the economy • Brazil wants to surpass the US economy, they are growing and exporting more food to that effect • Copper is the most universal commodity Miscellaneous • 14,000 miles of river in the US, 12,000 in other countries • This is the cause of the United States being an accidental superpower • Weatherman Jake predicted the two eastern snowstorms • Weather pattern go in cycles too

Minnesota ag commissioner hopes for more trade with Cuba Shelby Lindrud Forum News Service WILLMAR – When Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Dave Frederickson visited Cuba he had to put his past beliefs about the country behind him.

“I'm old enough to remember the revolution.

Your dukes are up a little bit,” Frederickson said this week at the Willmar Rotary Club meeting.

But when he arrived in Cuba he was met by smiles.

“You get there and you're welcomed with open arms by the people,” Frederickson said.

With the loosening of rules against trading and traveling to Cuba and the reopening of the American Embassy, more and more groups are making the trip to Cuba, to explore

possible business opportunities. President Barack Obama will make a trip to Cuba this month, the first sitting U.S. President to visit in over 90 years.

“It is not the biggest market in the world,” Frederickson said, but there are possibilities for American agriculture, business and tourism.

Ending the embargo won't suddenly make the U.S. Cuba's main trade partner, but it would open some previously shut doors.

“Anytime you can move product, that is good for the company. We did lose, we lost opportunities,” Frederickson said.

Minnesota is on the forefront of building relations with Cuba, Frederickson said. In this year's state budget there is $100,000

set aside for Cuban trade and government, business and ag leaders have made several trips to the island in the past few years.

“It is always good to get to the front of the line.

Minnesota was one of the first states to engage with Cuba. We continue to do that,” Frederickson said.

Cuba's largest exports are sugar, cigars and rum, Frederickson said, none of which come into the U.S. in any large quantity. U.S. poultry, soybeans, corn and dairy are large exports into Cuba.

Because of the Cuban government's far reaching influence in Cuba's private and public sector there is still a lot of pushback from Congress about removing the embargo that was put in place over 50 years ago, Frederickson said.

There is movement nationally regarding thawing relations with Cuba, Frederickson said. In a recent opinion poll 73 percent of respondents said they approved of better relations with Cuba. However, the embargo might not be completely lifted until 2017, Frederickson said.

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn.,has worked to get the embargo removed, having introduced HR 3238, which effectively would end the embargo.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has introduced a similar measure in the Senate.

“It is a Minnesota thing.

We shake their hands, look them in the eye and invite them to coffee,” Frederickson said.

There are problems in Cuba, according to

Frederickson. While in the country in December Frederickson saw people waiting in line for their daily food rations, saw farmers using oxen and carts and noticed the government's involvement in most everything.

If the embargo is lifted and there is the possibility of an open exchange between the United States and Cuba, the island has a lot of work to do to be ready, Frederickson said.

“Things weren't working really well. What we don't understand is how poor that country is,” Frederickson said.

Frederickson said American farmers could learn some things from their Cuban counterparts.

Because education is paid by the government Frederickson said there is no shortage of Ph.Ds or interesting ideas.

Cuban agriculture isn't the same as farming in the United States. Cuba doesn't have the technology, mechanics or science of American farms. Cuban farmers have had to learn other ways of doing things.

Despite the challenges, Frederickson believes there are opportunities for both sides.

"I think it is a great draw. They don't want to go back to 1959. They want to control their future, their destiny," Frederickson said.

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Saturday, March 12, 2016 - Page 1D

PROGRESS 2016

Pond scum as a renewable energy source We’ve all felt it and seen it, the slimy green film on the edge of the lake or in the swimming pool that hasn’t been cleaned recently. Kids like to dip a stick into it, swirl it around, and pull tendrils out of the water while scrunching their noses and saying “yuck.”

It smells, it grows when unwanted, and it can be a pain to clean up; but we overlook a very important property of the “green slime.” Just like crop plants, it uses sunlight as an energy source and fixes atmospheric carbon dioxide to make more biomass. However, unlike crop plants, each individual cell is its own “plant” and they are capable of producing a wide variety of chemical compounds. It all depends on what the environmental

unique capabilities to produce specialty chemicals, biofuels, and feed, so that we don’t have to use fossil fuel resources to produce them.

Here in the Gardner Research Group at the West Central Research and Outreach Center and housed at the USDA North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, we isolate and investigate algae that has naturally adapted to produce unique metabolites in an effort to renewably Algae growing in a natural hot spring mixing with an alpine stream in Yellowstone National Park. and sustainably offset This conditions provides a unique environment for algae to naturally evolve apart from other fossil fuel based production of these chemicals. algae not growing in the stream mixing zone.

One of our primary goals conditions are where the ditions. These environ- antioxidant pigments to is to enhance biofuel and mental differences influ- protect themselves from biodiesel production, algae grows.

A l g a e a r e o f t e n ence where and how the heavy loads of ultravio- using algae as a feedthought of as little tiny algae grows. So as the let light. Those growing microscopic plants that algae grows over time, in lower temperature thrive in sunny wet con- hundreds or thousands adapt shorter or less ditions. Some sunny wet of years, they start to saturated fatty acids so conditions are sunnier adapt their metabolism their membranes are than others, or have a to better survive in those more fluid (flexible) in higher temperature, or unique environments. colder conditions. What h a v e o t h e r c h e m i c a l The ones growing in we are just now figuring present due to human sunnier conditions fig- out, is that we can use impacts or natural con- ure out how to produce algae that have these

stock, but we also look into high-value specialty chemical production.

We think of algae as a future agricultural crop, a way to produce biodiesel for a farm tractor. ometimes crops must be rotated for sustainable production. As such, the algal crops will need to be rotated, from biodiesel production to a higher-value crop, every so often to offset the costs of biodiesel production.

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Morris, Minnesota 56267

Using drones in agricultural research Jon Starr and Abdullah Jaradat USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Morris The Soils Lab now has a versatile new tool to aid its research on the health and productivity of crops and soils: the “drone,� otherwise known as the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The drone is a low-cost aerial camera platform that flies like a helicopter and uses global positioning system (GPS) technology to help it navigate.

Following a thorough review and implementation of Federal Aviation Administration regulations governing the use of UAVs for research

It’s not a bird, it’s a research tool purposes, we began our first test flights of the drone this past summer at the Swan Lake Research Farm near Morris. We also demonstrated it to the public during our 2015 Field Day. As a research tool, the drones allow us to capture high-resolution images that can be stitched together to produce visually dynamic, data-rich maps of crop and soil conditions.

Depending on the types and number of sensors on board, the drone can provide many types of detailed views of a research plot or farm field of interest, regardless of size. These images can be processed to reveal the status of crops as well as to identify problems

Researchers at the Soils Lab in Morris use the images taken by the drone to look for indicators of nutrient-stressed plants that are not visible to the naked eye.

associated with diminished yield, such from environmental factors like drought, outbreaks of pests and diseases, inadequate management practices or lack of sufficient inputs.

In a research setting, the drone’s images can reveal subtle differences between crop treatments that the naked eye cannot detect. Farmers can monitor their crops at

regular intervals or on an as-needed basis to identify problems and remedy them more quickly or efficiently.

This small, inexpensive, and easy-to-use research and monitoring tool became available to researchers and farmers alike as a result of amazing advances in a wide range of technological fields. These include everything from extremely

small accelerometers, gyros, magnetometers and pressure sensors, to tiny GPS modules, exceptionally powerful processors and various digital radios.

Our research aims to better define the role of drones as a key part of technology and data-driven approaches production agriculture that will be sustained over the long haul. At

the farm level, drones are already an indispensable tool to optimizing the input-output equation in modern agriculture.

Indeed, a single pass of a drone over research plot or crop field can generate a wealth of data critical to optimizing water use and reducing the chemical load – safeguarding both the environment and food we consume.

The Soils Lab in Morris is using a drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle equipped with multiple sensors to collect data from research plots. In the photo above, the drone is taking off to fly a preprogrammed route.

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Students' innovations could mean opportunity for farmers Tracy Frank Forum News Service FARGO – Agricultural innovations can mean more business opportunities for farmers.

Alex Sinclair, a graduate student in mechanical engineering from Morris, wants to use ag residuals like corn stalk, soy hulls and wheat straw to replace petroleum-based sources for plastics.

Bonnie Cobb and Joseph Kallenbach have envisioned a way to increase the market potential of corn byproducts.

The innovators are North Dakota State University students who participated in the NDSU Research and Technology Park's seventh annual Innovation Challenge.

There were five finalists in the competition’s agriculture track, including Sinclair with Bio-Tech and Cobb and Kallenbach, who took first place in the ag track with “Clean

the Cluck Up.” Sinclair, a first-year graduate student in mechanical engineering, talked about replacing petroleum-based polymeric materials with bio-based nanocomposites.

"There's a tremendous market for this material," he said. "The (U.S. Department of Agriculture) actually predicts that by the year 2020, it will contribute an estimated $600 billion to the U.S. economy."

Cellulose nanofibers are typically made from paper pulp, Sinclair said.

"On a small scale here at NDSU, we can make cellulose nanofi bers for use in nanocomposites out of local ag residuals," he said. "We're cost-competitive on a small scale with these other companies, so there's a lot of room to grow, and there's a lot of market that we can bring here."

Cobb is a second-year graduate student in ag-

companies are trying to get away from artificial colorants, so we think this could be a really good product for the food industry and help farmers as well."

The competition, the students said, gives them the incentive to take a project beyond an idea.

"If we could actually get something to be a real-world innovation, that would be the biggest Cody Rogness/Forum News Service Alex Sinclair talks about using ag residuals, like corn stalk, soy payoff," Kallenbach said.

It also opens doors for hulls and wheat straw to replace petroleum-based sources for those who participate, plastics at the North Dakota State University Research and Sinclair, who won in the Technology Park’s seventh annual Innovation Challenge. product track last year, riculture and biosystems in chicken and fish diets, said. engineering, and Kallen- they said. Corn gluten "There were a lot of bach is a second-year meal is bright yellow opportunities for me, graduate student in cereal and currently causes too especially by winning the science. They talked about much pigmentation in the competition,” Sinclair developing a process to flesh of animals consum- said. “Even if you don't decolor corn gluten meal, ing the meal. win, there's a lot of netFood companies could working you can do and a byproduct of the corn then use the carotenoid exposure you can get." wet milling industry.

Doing so would in- extract as a natural food Dan Hieserich, a traincrease the market poten- colorant, they said. ing coordinator for Cargill "Natural food colorants in Wahpeton, was a judge tial of corn byproducts by increasing the amount are really big right now," in the competition’s agriof corn gluten meal used Kallenbach said. "A lot of culture category.

"It gives them the skills to be creative and to think broadly, think big picture," he said. "It teaches them the process of taking an idea through the innovation steps to end up with a marketable product or service."

He said the students' ideas were viable for the ag industry.

"The whole Innovation Challenge really homed in on identifying where there is a need in the industry," he said.

Other agriculture track winners were Gary Ward with Ward Enterprise, who designed an ag product that serves as a self-centering device for grain storage, and Meredith Schroeder with ConveySure, who worked on a coating to prevent contamination in food processing.

First place won $5,000, second place $1,000 and third place $500.

Catching the drift: New tech addresses chemical spray drift GRAND FORKS– Chemical spray drift is a growing concern for farmers and society in general. But new tools can help reduce the problem, a University of Minnesota extension agent says.

"The technology is getting better," said David Nicholai, extension crop specialist.

Nicolai demonstrated some of the new technology at the Best of the Best Research in Wheat and Soybean workshop Feb. 4 in Grand Forks, N.D. The event, organized by the North Dakota State University and University of Minnesota extension services and grain grower groups in both states, drew about 325 people, most from northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.

Most of the sessions were aimed specifically at wheat or soybeans. But a few, including Nicolai's,

so they're carried farther by air movement.

That's where the new technology comes in. Nozzles that produce large, uniform droplets, which take less time to fall to the ground, can reduce drift. Nicholai and others suggest that farmers consider switching from standard flat-fan nozzles to what are known as turbulence-chamber or venturi nozzles, which increase droplet size and can reduce the amount of drift. Venturi nozzles inject air into the pesticide Nick Nelson/Forum News Service A hands-on demonstration illustrating spray drift due to various nozzle tips and water pressure, droplet to make it bigger, created by David Nicolai, an extension educator of crops for the University of Minnesota exten- thereby reducing risk.

The cost of new, modsion service, was available to attendees of the Best of the Best in Wheat and Soybean Research ern nozzles is minor, conference at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Feb. 4, 2016. compared with potential losses from spray drift, addressed topics of inter- "nontarget locations," as somewhere else. experts say.

Particle or droplet drift, est to farmers in general. they're sometimes called, Farmers spray their can include nearby com- which occurs immediately after application, is the crops to help protect them munities and fields.

Spray drift comes in actual movement of spray from weeds, insects and particles away from the other pests. But the chem- two ways: V a p o r d r i f t o c c u r s target area. Many factors ical spray can drift, with spray particles moving to, when the active ingredi- affect this type of drift, and being deposited on, ent evaporates and the but droplet size is the locations for which they vapor containing the most important. Small aren't intended. Those active ingredient moves droplets fall slowly, and

Companies that sell equipment designed to reduce spray drift can be a good source of information, Nicolai said.

University of Nebraska Extension also has helpful information, he said. To learn more, visit water. unl.edu/crops/drift.

Nicholai is co-author of online material that addresses spray drift.

To view some of his work, visit blog-cropnews.extension.umn. edu/2015/06/when-isit-too-windy-to-spray. html.

Jonathan Knutson is a staff writer for Agweek. To subscribe to the weekly agriculture magazine, call 800-811-2580 or email subscriptions@ agweek.com.

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Morris, Minnesota 56267

Energy usage and carbon emissions from the WCROC dairy usage since August 2013 within our two dairy production systems. The data have included all the electricity, natural gas, and petroleum products used directly in animal care, along with the indirect energy used to grow feed for the dairy. A data logger (Campbell Scientific CR3000) was installed in the utility room of the dairy milking parlor in August 2013 and is monitoring 18 individual electric loads, 12 water flow rates, 13 water temperatures, and two air temperatures.

Average data values are recorded every 10 minutes. The data were used to evaluate energy and water usage of the various milking appliances throughout the day and total daily usage over a month or year. After a year of baseline, renewable energy alternatives were added to the facility to reduce the carbon footprint of the dairy production system.

Overall, the milking parlor currently consumes about 250 to 400 kWh in electricity and uses between 1,200 and 1,500 gallons of water per day (Figure 1). One energy efficiency upgrade was installed in the milking parlor in late September 2013. The upgrade was a Variable Frequency Drive for the vacuum pump.

Before the upgrade, the vacuum pump used 55 to 65 kWh per day. After the installation, the vacuum pump uses 12 kWh per day, resulting in a 75 percent decrease in energy usage. The data show a large drop in daily electricity usage by the pump providing a vivid example of the kind of energy savings that can be achieved with relatively simple equipment upgrades. This example also hints at the potential for large decreases in the energy needed to harvest milk if the whole system

Brad Heins West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris The University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center organized and hosted the first Midwest Farm Energy Conference, June 17 to 19 in Morris. The program was developed in partnership with industry sponsors, the Initiative for Renewable Energy and Environment (IREE), and the Rapid Agricultural Response Fund and included a variety of topics related to energy systems for dairy and swine facilities. There were 13 presentations including Steve Peterson, Director of Sourcing Sustainability at General Mills. The conference included: energy optimized systems for dairy production, energy conservation and generation in swine facilities, and practical information for agricultural producers and energy experts.

More information and conference presentations are at http://wcroc.cfans. umn.edu/events-education/midwest-farm-energy-conference.

The dairy operation at the WCROC milks 250 cows twice daily and is representative of a midsize Minnesota dairy farm.

The goal of our project is to increase renewable electric energy generation on Minnesota dairy farms by establishing a “net-zero” energy milking parlor.

As the research goes forward, we are beginning to add new energy savings equipment, renewable energy production, and practices to help lower the energy requirements for our dairy operations. One of our goals is to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) study on our dairy products.

Our team at the WCROC in Morris has been monitoring water and energy

is re-engineered with energy efficiency in mind.

Furthermore, the dairy has two bulk tank compressors: one scroll compressor and one reciprocating compressor.

The scroll compressor is the newest compressor and uses 15 kWh per day versus 40 kWh per day for the reciprocating compressor. Based on milk production for the two dairy herds, the scroll compressor costs $0.73 kWh per cwt versus $1.08 kWh per cwt, indicating the scroll compressor is more efficient than the reciprocating compressor.

In terms of fossil energy use in the organic system (Figure 2), milk harvesting operations used more energy than herd feeding and maintenance (1.51 vs.

0.93 MJ/Kg FCM, respectively). This suggests that fossil energy use per unit of milk could be greatly reduced by replacing older equipment with new more efficient technology or substituting renewable sources of energy into the milk harvesting process. In fact, a new scroll compressor installed to replace an older failed piston compressor reduced fossil energy use per kg of milk by roughly 3 percent.

In examining the carbon footprint, it was found that animal husbandry (enteric emissions, 1.07 CO2 eq/kg FCM) emitted more greenhouse gasses as measured by kg of CO2 equivalents than did the milk harvesting operation (0.55 CO2 eq/kg FCM).

This project will investigate an efficient energy storage technology and system that could significantly improve the feasibility of renewable energy on dairy farms. A dairy farm's need for both heat and electricity provides an ideal situation to evaluate thermal storage as a renewable energy solution.

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Considerations for out-wintering the dairy herd Brad Heins West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris Quests for profitability and increased public interest in farm animal welfare have fostered a need to investigate winter housing options for low-input and organic dairy herds.

Dairy cattle are commonly housed outdoors during the winter months in New Zealand and Ireland.

Housing options in Minnesota, which has much colder winters, include tie-stall barns, free-stall

barns, compost barns, and “out-wintering” on bedded packs with wind shelters. We have long known that beef cows and older dairy heifers can thrive with minimal shelter during Minnesota winters. In contrast, milk cows have generally been kept indoors, in part because they were milked in tie-stall barns. More recently, curtain-sided free stall barns have become the standard housing of new construction for larger herds.

Out-wintering continues to increase in popular-

ity, and our stakeholders identified the economics of housing systems as an important research topic.

In particular, they asked if out-wintered dairy cattle will stay healthy and comfortable. If so, out-wintering could reduce winter housing costs.

We recently completed the first-two years of a three-year study to develop practical strategies for organic dairy producers to enhance the profitability of their farm by evaluating two winter housing systems and their effects on economics of

organic dairy cows. The results presented are from the winter of 2013 and 2014.

Organic dairy cows at the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris that calved during fall and spring calving seasons were used to evaluate production, somatic cell score, dry matter intake, animal hygiene, and behavior of organic dairy cattle housed outdoors on a straw pack or indoors in a compost bedded pack barn.

During the two years, 165 lactating Holstein and crossbred organic dairy cattle were assigned to a winter housing system (straw pack or compost-bedded pack barn).

Organic wheat straw was used as bedding for the outdoor straw packs, which were 40 feet wide by 80 feet long, and maintained to keep cows dry and absorb manure throughout the winter. The open-front compost-bedded pack barn (two pens in the barn) was bedded with sawdust, and the bedding material was stirred twice per day with a small chisel plow. Cows were fed a TMR that included organic corn silage, alfalfa silage, corn, expelled soybean meal, vitamins and minerals.

The straw pack cows had similar milk, fat, and protein production than the compost bedded pack cows (see accompanying Table 1). Surprisingly,

there were no differences in production between the two winter housing groups of organic cows for milk production or somatic cell score. The groups of cows also had similar dry matter intake, indicating that the cows that were housed on straw packs did not require more feed than cows housed in the compost bedded pack barn. However, cows consumed about 25 percent more dry matter intake during the winter of 2014 compared to the winter of 2013. The average temperature during the winter months was about 7 degrees colder during 2014 than 2013.

Across the two winter seasons, there were no differences for body weight or body condition score for organic cows.

For animal cleanliness, the cows housed on straw packs had udders that were cleaner than cows housed in compost bedded packs (udder hygiene score of 1.45 versus 1.73).

Cows that were housed outdoors had less clinical mastitis and a tendency to have reduced frostbite on teats compared to cows housed indoors in a compost bedded pack barn (Table 2). We saw no difference in rumination time for cows housed outdoors or indoors. In future years, we will focus on the profitability of the two winter housing systems for organic dairy cattle.

Economically, animals outdoors may require

about 15 to 20 percent more feed for the season than animals kept in confinement housing, so improvements in animal health and welfare from out-wintering will need to exceed increased feed costs if out-wintering is to be a profitable option.

Recently, I presented an eOrganic webinar on outwintering cattle that describes more information related to outwintering cattle. For more information, go to the eOrganic website http://www.extension. org/pages/71817.

There are several obvious benefits to out-wintering; building costs are lower, diseases associated with close confinement and poor ventilation are avoided, animals are generally cleaner, bedding costs could be reduced, feeding may be simplified, and herd size may be adjusted if weather conditions change quickly.

There are five key messages to consider when considering outwintering, 1) provide adequate wind protection, 2) additional feed may be required for cows and heifers, 3) lactating cow teats should be dry before they leave the milking facility during cold weather, 4) health problems tend to be fewer than cows housed indoors or in confinement facilities, and 5) housing under the stars may not be for everyone.

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Finding farmer-friendly fungi John Zaharick and Jane Johnson USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Morris

Mycorrhizal (my-kuh-ry-zul) fungi can be a valuable aid to agriculture, but most people have probably never heard of them – at least, not by that name. If you’re familiar with truffles, then you know mycorrhizae. The delicacies sniffed out by pigs and dogs can be thought of as failed mushrooms – fruiting bodies filled with spores that stay buried underground instead of reaching the surface.

However, these fungi are much more important to our food supply than simply being an expensive treat. Most mycorrhizal fruiting bodies aren’t large enough to be appetizing to people, but the fungi do form relationships with plant roots. They grow inside root cells and extend outward into the soil, fitting into soil spaces too small for roots to access. These fungi are more efficient than most plants at obtaining nutrients and water from the ground, but they have no way of making their own food the way plants can through photosynthesis. To survive, the fungi provide nutrients and water to their host plants in exchange for carbohydrates (sugars).

The benefits of this symbiotic relationship to agriculture are numerous. When mycorrhizal fungi are present in roots, corn and soybeans require less phosphorus, soybeans withstand drought better, and corn yields more.

Such crops are also more disease-resistant. Another benefit is improved soil health thanks to a protein the fungi produce that binds soil particles together. This, in turn, leads to better water infiltration and aeration, which benefit the fungi’s hosts and also reduces erosion by increasing soil stability.

If these fungi are so fantastic, how do we get them into Mycorrhizal fungi inside of a corn root cell. Staining allows researchers to distinguish between fungal and plant cells under a our fields? Many places sell mycorrhizal fungi inoculant microscope. as a way to promote plant growth, but if soil conditions aren’t right, the fungi won’t grow. Plus, the fungi that are best suited to a particular plant species and climate usually already exist in the soil, and the right conditions will cause them to prosper.

Determining what crop-management techniques influence mycorrhizal fungi requires researchers to examine soil for mycorrhizae, which isn’t as straightforward as counting or weighing crops. Mycorrhizal fungi are typically too small to be seen with the naked eye, and they’re not the only microorganisms that live in the soil.

This necessitates having a method that can both detect the fungi and distinguish them from other soil-dwelling microbes, including bacteria. Although soil biologists have several powerful tools to do this, many of them are expensive. Fortunately, there’s a simple and low-cost alternative: the biological assay.

A biological assay is a tool that uses living material for testing. For mycorrhizal fungi, soil is collected and brought into a greenhouse. Plants known to form symbiotic relationships with these fungi, such as corn, are planted in the soil. Mycorrhizal fungi there grow and inoculate the sprouting corn. The corn roots are then removed and stained with a blue dye that colors fungal but not plant cells. That way, when roots are examined under a microscope, the fungi appear bright blue and distinct from the glass-like plant cells, making it easier to identify and count the microbes.

This biological assay can be used to determine if a particular crop-management strategy increases or decreases the number of beneficial microorganisms in our soils. At the North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab, for example, scientists are using biological assays to determine the impact of corn-stover harvests or other management techniques on these beneficial soil fungi, Corn grows in a greenhouse at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Lab in Morris, Minnesota. Roots of these plants will be making the best possible use of them for improved yields examined for beneficial soil fungi known as mycorrhizal fungi. and quality.

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Agriculture’s challenges for sustainability Don Reicosky Soil Scientist Emeritus Significant population growth, water quality challenges, extreme weather variability, diet-related diseases, socioeconomic issues and resource scarcity are intersecting in this generation to set the stage for a series of unparalleled global agriculture challenges. It's the environmental crisis nobody talks about, yet it's probably the most important one of them all.

Climate extremes Understanding weather and climate is crucial for success in agriculture. Farmers may disagree over the cause of climate change, especially whether it’s caused by humans, but it’s difficult to dismiss the extreme weather patterns that have developed in recent years. Extreme rainfall events and flooding have increased during the last Cover crop mixes provide biodiversity in forms of carbon and nutrients for the soil biology and subsequent crops. century, and these trends are expected to continue, and soil health system more diversity of the living help plants take up and reCover crop mixes causing erosion, declining concepts introduced in cover crops, the better it is cycle nutrients. The comenable biodiversity water quality, and nega- the United States by the Living cover crops, ini- for soil micro-organisms. bination of conservation tive impacts on transpor- Natural Resources Con- tially designed to cover Selected cover crop mixes agriculture and cover crop tation, agriculture, human servation Service (NRCS) bare soil during fallow can enable higher yields mixes provides the crehealth, and infrastructure. are closely related and periods, are now used to due deeper rooting depth ative carbon management Current loss and degra- embrace the concept of a provide many other ben- on corn or beans for access needed for food security. dation of agricultural soil living soil. efits from reducing soil to extra moisture in a dry Social issues and water assets due to inSoil health generally erosion, to replenishing year. Some cover crops Because we all need creasing extremes in pre- refers to the combination soil nutrients, to suppress- also blanket the soil with cipitation will continue of physical, chemical and ing weeds, to growing soil a matted mulch layer, de- three meals a day, we as a society have some responto challenge both rain-fed biological properties al- microbial communities, creasing evaporation. and irrigated agriculture lowing soil to function nutrient cycling, reduce Conservation agricul- sibility for understanding unless innovative conser- as a living organism that excess nitrogen and in- ture management with factors controlling food vation methods are im- supports plants, animals crease soil carbon. Effects retained stubble and cover security. Agriculture is a plemented. Our water and and humans. may be negative when crops can improve soil bridge between the natulandscape must be able to Inversion tillage (con- they limit water for the properties and increase ral sciences and the social withstand these mounting ventional agriculture) is a next crop or aggravate a sustainability through sciences, and man has pressures. Hence, there is major biotic disturbance wet soil condition. enhanced soil biologi- been plowing the land for need for global conserva- that seriously disrupts and The “cover crop mix in- cal activity and the re- thousands of years to grow tion agriculture. damages soil biological novators” are promoting sultant improvements food and feed for Earth’s constituents, while also living cover crop mixes, in soil fertility and soil growing population. It is Soil health contributing to climate sometimes called “soil physical condition. Gen- important to keep the fuMany of our agricultural change by rapidly oxidiz- primers” that involve a erally, nutrient-retention ture of soil and civilization soils have lost between 30 ing soil carbon and releas- wide-ranging blend of benefits occur primarily in mind as we consider to 60 percent of their origi- ing carbon dioxide into warm and cool season during cover crop growth, the past degradation of nal amounts of soil carbon the atmosphere. Inversion grasses and broadleaf weed-suppression bene- soil and civilizations. The and nitrogen over the tillage most noticeably im- crops (illustrated in figure fits occur during cash-crop links between the soil last several decades with pacts the larger soil biota, 1) along with regular ag- growth through a cover and culture, civilization, some due to erosion and like earthworms and fila- ronomic crops. Advocates crop legacy effect, and livelihood and health leaching losses. Soil must mentous fungi, slicing and suggest having at least soil-carbon benefits ac- may result from the ethibe considered a “living sys- dicing them, decreasing 10 different crops in the crue slowly over decades. cal attitudes people have tem” and as such must be their effectiveness. blend to provide a “food These included higher about the soil and that nurtured and protected. source smorgasbord” for carbon and nitrogen levels they demonstrate through Conservation agriculture micro-organisms. The in soils, weed suppression, their interactions with it.

While conservation and greater colonization by beneficial fungi that agriculture is promising,

it has been slow to catch on due to social pressures. One of the largest impediments to acceptance of conservation agriculture is the “mental barrier” of tradition. The conservation agriculture innovators were often the “topic of gossip conversation” in the local coffee shops where their early “trash farming” techniques were often discussed. Early adopters were ridiculed because they were not cultivating the soil and sustaining that “tillage culture” in their community.

The conservation agriculture innovator early efforts were local and individual, but as the interest spread and more farmers came on board, they formed local and national farmer associations, farmer initiated and farmer run, to promote the philosophies and concepts. These progressive farmers doing some of their own on-farm research were willing to share their lessons and mistakes with fellow farmers with similar interests. Much success of the conservation agriculture movement is attributed to the farmer to farmer communication and sharing of information. Eventually these local conservation agriculture clubs coalesced into international associations, and progressed to a global movement of conservation agriculture with is paramount if the system is to be truly sustainable.

The challenges facing agriculture today are unlike anything we have experienced before, and they require revolutionary approaches to solving food production and sustainability problems. Both the public and policy groups must understand the importance of soil protection for food security for modern civilizations. What we don’t protect and nurture today may not support us tomorrow.

Morris Sun Tribune editor Kim Ukura contributed to this story.

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