The cornerstone of agriculture

said, is the time-saving aspect. Brian said they likely save more than 50% of their time, and Glen said it might be more like two-thirds of time savings.

Alex Udermann, a Foleybased farmer, also spoke at the event regarding his farm. He recently transitioned to notill practices.

“We were going to go the strip-till route, but units are spendy and so we decided to go straight no-till,” Udermann said. “And we are not looking back.” hosted the most recent event at their farm.

A rainfall simulator demonstration shows the impact of cover crops and various soil types that were pulled from nearby fields July 13 on farm property owned by Glen and Brian Kaschmitter in Sauk Rapids. The demonstration showed a 1-inch rainfall event and how varying soil types react with varying levels of cover crops; from left to right, the soil starts as high quality with live crops and moves to lower quality soil with no top dressing.

Part of the reason why the Kaschmitters were selected to host is because they operate a Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality certi ed farm. The certi cation shows the Kaschmitters have managed their land in a way that protects water quality. The other reason is the Kaschmitters, since 2002, have transitioned to using mostly no-till farming methods.

The Kaschmitters are so focused on conservation not only for the bene t of their crop yield but also to be good stewards of the land and pass it on to future generations. It is important to them that their children and grandchildren have quality soil and farm practices already in place.

“We only have one soil,” Glen said. “We’re here to make it better not wreck it.”

Brian said water is key.

“Everybody standing here today knows how important water is,” Brian said. “A human will die in ve days without it, and plants won’t produce a crop.”

Much of the conversation with the Kaschmitters revolved around their no-till practices. No-till practices slow evaporation, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, meaning better water absorption of rainwater, but the practice also increases irrigation ef ciency, which leads to higher yields, especially during hot and dry years.

No-till farming can also reduce soil erosion by more than 80%, the state ag department reports. It provides for better water quality by keeping sediments on the land and out of nearby bodies of water.

One of the biggest advantages, the Kaschmitters

Udermann brought equipment to the event for people to inspect and ask questions about. But Udermann did not have much to say other than that no-till practices on his farm are working better than he could have imagined.

“We sold all of our tillage equipment,” Udermann said. “It works, and I’ll argue with anyone who says it doesn’t work.”

Ann Brieger, the vice president of the Irrigators Association of Minnesota, advocated in favor of irrigation systems to combat hot and drought years. Brieger farms in southern Minnesota, and the soil conditions there are less than quality, she said. Her entire farm is under irrigation, and she spends a signi cant amount of time advocating that other farmers get into irrigation systems if they have the means.

Brieger said one of the biggest battles in water irrigation systems for farmers is the public’s view. Farmers know how crucial they are for the world’s food supply, but Brieger said the public seems to be growing less knowledgeable about their food sources, especially in the metro areas across the country.

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