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Land Line: Tillage’s Toll, Conservation & Leases, Soil Health & Nutrient Density, Emerging Farmer Help

June 22: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities

By Brian DeVore
June 22, 2022

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The Midwest has Lost 57.6 Billion Metric Tons of Soil Due to Agricultural Practices

(3/16/22) The Midwest has lost approximately 57.6 billion metric tons of topsoil since farmers began tilling the soil, 160 years ago. And this is despite conservation practices put in place in the wake of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, according to Phys.org. Much of the erosion is due to tillage, say the authors of an extensive study that combined on-the-ground measurements at 20 sites in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska with historical data to recreate erosion rates throughout the Midwest. Because the USDA does not explicitly include such “tillage erosion” in its own analysis, it has “drastically underestimated the rate of erosion” currently at work in the heartland, said  researcher Evan Thaler.

A recent LSP Myth Buster explains why it’s so critical to protect and build that top few inches of soil.

Long-Term Lease Agreements Encourage Investment in Soil-Saving Practices

(Summer 2022) Long-term lease agreements are more likely to lead to the adoption of conservation practices, according to Progressive Farmer magazine. “Farmland rental agreements where tenants may not reap the benefits of conservation investments are a commonly cited barrier to conservation practice adoption in agriculture,” concluded an Iowa State University study. About half of Midwestern farmland is rented via short-term leases  — defined as one to two years in length.

For resources on how to create farmland leases that fit your stewardship goals, check out LSP’s Conservation Leases web page.

Just a Few Years of Cover Crops Not Enough to Recover from Continuous Corn

(6/7/22) Researchers have found short-term use of cover crops can’t undo decades of damage to soil microbes, according to studies published in the journals Agronomy and Frontiers in Microbiology. In the studies, two years of cover cropping appeared to not be enough to make up for 36 years of damage caused by continuous corn and heavy nitrogen fertilizer use. Scientists involved with the study say that more research is needed to determine the role long-term cover cropping and other soil health practices can play in rebuilding microbial life. “Reverting these changes may take tremendous effort and time, and cover cropping should be one of many strategies we deploy to increase the spatial and temporal diversity of our agricultural systems to protect our soils and our future on this planet,” said María Villamil, a co-author of the papers, in a University of Illinois press release.

Interested in building soil health for the long term? Check out LSP’s Soil Health web page.

Study: Regenerative Ag Can Produce More Nutrient Dense Foods

(1/27/22) Regenerative agricultural practices employing no-till, cover crops, and diverse crop rotations enhance soil health and the nutrient density of various crops, according to a preliminary study published in the journal PeerJ-Life and Environment. The study included paired results from vegetable, grain, and livestock farms in various states, including Iowa, California, New York, Kansas, and North Dakota. “…soil health is an under appreciated influence on nutrient density, particularly for phytochemicals not conventionally considered nutrients but nonetheless relevant to chronic disease prevention,” concluded the researchers.

Interested in how we can create a food and farm system that rewards regenerative practices? Check out LSP’s Regional Food Systems web page.

Emerging Minnesota Farmers get a Boost in the Form of Down Payment Assistance

(6/17/22) Minnesota beginning farmers looking to buy land now have access to $500,000 in state money to help with down payments, according to MinnPost. The down payment assistance, which was passed by the Minnesota Legislature this spring, could especially help small-scale and minority farmers overcome a range of hurdles that make it hard to buy land. The state will give grants up to $15,000 per eligible farmer, which the farmer has to match. The farmer also has to commit to owning and farming the land purchased for at least five years . 

Resources for beginning farmers seeking to access land are available on LSP’s Land Transition Tools web page. For a summary of how LSP proposals fared during the 2022 session of the Minnesota Legislature, check out this recent LSP blog.

 

Category: Blog
Tags: conservation leases • cover crops • farmland leases • regional food systems • soil erosion • soil health

LSP Land Line

LSP Land Line is a regular round-up of local, regional, and national news that touches on the work of the Land Stewardship Project. We can’t include everything, but if you have a news item to submit, e-mail Brian DeVore.

Quotes of the Day

“A few years back, my wife and I were at a wedding at a pioneer Norwegian church in Minnesota. After the ceremony, I walked over to the edge of the churchyard, which was surrounded by cornfields, and was shocked to see that the surface of the field was a few feet lower than the surface of the never-tilled churchyard. I began to wonder why.” — Isaac Larsen, co-author of a paper on historical erosion in the Midwest

♦

“We know that 99 percent of farmers are white and historically Black farmers have been forced to sell their land or have their land taken away. Having down payment assistance for farmland can be a critical part of bridging that gap.” —  Minnesota Rep. Samantha Vang, who sponsored a bill to help provide down payment assistance to emerging farmers seeking to buy land

Upcoming Events

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September 2025

Tuesday September 16

9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Chicken Processing Workshop
Tuesday September 16
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Chicken Processing Workshop
14882 255th Ave, Sleepy Eye, MN 56085, USA

Join the SFA to learn how to process your own chickens at home. At this workshop, participants will actually be processing 35-40 chickens from start to finish, and they will learn how to kill, scald, pluck, and eviscerate the chickens. Each attendee will have the opportunity to perform the complete process with instructor help on several birds. 

Details are here. 

Wednesday September 17

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Grazing for Invasive Species Management in Oak Savannas
Wednesday September 17
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Grazing for Invasive Species Management in Oak Savannas
Myre-Big Island State Park, 19499 780th Ave, Albert Lea, MN 56007, USA

For details on this workshop, click here.

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Extending the Grazing Season with Cover Crops & Native Grasses
Wednesday September 17
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Extending the Grazing Season with Cover Crops & Native Grasses
Bluffton Resort & Bar, 2619 W Ravine Rd, Decorah, IA 52101, USA

This Ducks Unlimited workshop will feature a discussion of how livestock producers can utilize cover crops and native grasses to extend the grazing season. Featured speakers include Adam Janke, who will discuss Iowa State University’s research on CRP grazing, and Brian Dougherty of Understanding AG, who will discuss the economics of grazing cover crops. There will also be a presentation on Ducks Unlimited’s Advancing Markets for Producers Partnership. 
 
For details, see this flier. or call Ducks Unlimited’s Liam Bonk at 612-483-3577. To register, click here.

Saturday September 20

All Day
Farm Aid
Saturday September 20
Farm Aid
Huntington Bank Stadium, 420 23rd Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

 Farm Aid is heading to Minnesota for the first time for its 40th anniversary festival on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The event will launch a year-long celebration of four decades of impactful advocacy, historic cultural moments and unforgettable music.

Farm Aid 40 — a full day of music, family farmers, HOMEGROWN food and agricultural experiences — will feature performances by Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young (and the Chrome Hearts), John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds), and Margo Price, as well as Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards and more artists to be announced.

For details, click here.

Monday September 22

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Twin Cities Urban Farm Bus Tour
Monday September 22
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Twin Cities Urban Farm Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA

Join University of Minnesota Extension, Hennepin County, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service on Monday, Sept. 22, for a bus tour of urban farms. We’ll discuss the challenges of city growing, including compaction, contamination, soil health, water management, and more. And we’ll learn about how growers are using soil health practices to mitigate these challenges. Stops will include: 

  • The St. Thomas research gardens, where researchers have been studying different methods for maintaining fertility in urban garden beds for 8+ years, and learning about how these different approaches impact soil health and water quality
  • Our Roots Community Garden, where gardeners have implemented a variety of soil health practices to remediate a brownfield contaminated site into a lush garden with healthy soil and plants. Gardeners here are also working to establish a micro forest at the site
  • Urban Roots farm at Rivoli Bluff. The team at Urban Roots has worked for years to establish a thriving farm at a former street sweeping site. They’ve tried many different practices to address compaction, replace invasive species with native plants to mitigate erosion, and to grow vegetables for their community. 

This is the first tour in a three part soil health bus tour series. Participants can sign up for just one, two, or all three tours. Register at https://z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours. The cost is $15 (flat fee, covers 1, 2, or 3 tours). There are more details in the attached flyer.

View Full Calendar

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