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Soil Health: From ‘Light Bulb’ Moment to Daily Practice

How Todd Duncan Learned to be Comfortable with being Uncomfortable

By Alex Romano
March 9, 2022

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Nearly seven years ago, northeastern Iowa farmer and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) district conversationist, Todd Duncan, along with a group of local producers, started looking for tangible solutions to the erosion problems they were seeing on their farms. These farmers had already been implementing NRCS’s best management practices when it came to conversation, but they were still having problems; in some cases, they were even going backwards.

Soybeans emerging through rye after the cover crop has been terminated on Todd Duncan’s farm.

“Never before in the history of farming have we managed the land with continuous annual row crops.” Duncan told me. “This system with tillage is degrading the soil and its ability to function. The first step is to disturb the soil as little as possible and build soil aggregate.”

Through his experience as a farmer and work as a conservationist, Todd got introduced to the principles of soil health, which he described as a “light bulb” moment in his life. He talked to the producer group about how principles such as armoring the soil, minimizing soil disturbance, and keeping living roots in the ground year-round could help them manage the erosion problems they were experiencing. Together, they took it upon themselves to do their own self-development with the goal of figuring out how to make soil health work on their farms.

The first two-to-three years were focused on keeping the soil in place, which meant reducing tillage and getting the water cycling again. During that time, Duncan observed the soil mellowing and allowing water to infiltrate better. Once he had developed a consistent no-till system on his operation, he introduced cover crops into his rotation by planting rye in the fall and allowing it to overwinter. Not until years four and five did Duncan start seeing the soil regenerate by way of better nutrient cycling. He could tell the biology was working by the way residue broke down quicker and the higher nutrient credits he was seeing in his soil tests.

Residue breaking down between the rows of Duncan’s soybeans as a result of good nutrient cycling in healthy soil.

One scenario he describes for getting started on making soil-friendly changes is to pick a field to start the conversion on and sticking with that field for multiple years in order to receive the full benefits of healthier soil. Looking back, he feels strongly that starting with a solid entry point, such as seeding rye into the harvested corn residue, is the way to get your feet wet. Ideally, a producer would use an early season variety of corn so they can get that fall rye cover crop seeded in plenty of time for it to get established before freeze-up.

The following spring, soybeans can be seeded into the overwintered rye, which is later terminated with herbicide. Now, at this point, Duncan stressed the importance of not panicking when planting “green” into standing rye. Rye is a grass and soybeans are a legume, making for a complementary match. In fact, he said many farmers used to plant — and some still do —a similar mix involving oats under-seeded with alfalfa.

After the soybeans are harvested in the fall, Duncan suggests planting winter terminated or winter hardy species as a cover (oats would be an example of a winter-terminated cover crop and cereal rye would be a winter hardy species). By the time that the next corn planting takes place the following spring, two cover crops and the no-tilled plantings of soybeans have conditioned and readied the soil. Implementing a rotation like this one means the first two out of three years of the soil health system are soybeans, which Duncan notes helps get the water and nutrients cycling.

This July photo shows a cover crop that was interseeded into Duncan’s corn.

In six years of implementing these practices on his farm, Todd has measured his soil organic matter (SOM) levels going up by 1 – 2/10ths per year, which has resulted in a 1% overall increase in SOM. The other farmers in his producer group have seen similar increases in organic matter and have continued to increase the number of acres managed under no-till and cover crops.

Increasing organic matter by 1% increases available water capacity by about 3,400 gallons per acre for medium-textured soil, according to Anna Cates, the University of Minnesota’s state soil health specialist. “That’s 3,400 gallons in the soil, instead of lost as runoff,” writes Cates. “That water prevents drought stress and holds soluble nutrients, like nitrate, that plants will be able to access.”

The nutrients found in each 1% increase in SOM can amount to, on a per-acre basis, 1,000 pounds of nitrogen, as well as 100 pounds of phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur, respectively, according to Ohio State University.

Today, Duncan’s farm is 100% no-till and cover-cropped and he says he’s now at the point that if N-P-K prices were to sky-rocket tomorrow, he could probably afford to eliminate them as a source of fertility and not take much of a yield hit. The nutrient cycling takes time, he stressed to me, and he’s working on it.

When it comes to next steps in Duncan’s soil health journey, well, he continues to work on building diversity and more living roots year-round with the interseeding of cover crops into corn. He’s also introducing pollinator species and has even managed to squeeze in time for a book club at his local NRCS office where they read and discuss well-known titles like Dirt to Soil and The Dorito Effect. “I am learning to be okay with uncomfortable because that’s where I learn and grow,” he said.

The interseeded cover crop later in that fall.

Want to reach out to Todd? Contact him at:

Todd Duncan
District Conservationist, USDA NRCS
Decorah, IA
563-382-4352
Todd.Duncan@ia.usda.gov

Alex Romano is an organizer with LSP’s soil health program. For more resources on building soil health profitably, check out LSP’s Soil Health web page.

Category: Blog
Tags: cover crops • no-till • NRCS • soil health • soil organic matter • water holding capacity

Upcoming Events

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October 2025

Thursday October 9

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation Fall Learning Circle
Thursday October 9
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation Fall Learning Circle
Dawson, MN 56232, USA

Participants will walk around a “homestead” farm site, exploring areas and goals the landowner hopes to improve in the future, including pollinator habitat, perennial plantings, windbreaks, privacy/noise screens, water quality improvements, well sealing, and compost placements. Participants will hear feedback and recommendations from a conservation professional on potential programs that could assist the landowner in achieving those goals. This will be an active event.

Please bring a camp chair and a potluck dish. The host will provide the main dish, so think about bringing sides and dessert. For details and to reserve a spot, click here. For questions, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski at akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.

Friday October 10

8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
Friday October 10
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
111 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

Join LSP and CURE for a community event at the Land Stewardship Project office in Montevideo (111 N. First St.), from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 10. This event includes lunch catered by El Mana; please register by Oct. 3 to be included in the food count.

You can RSVP here.

The Racial Equity Conference, organized by the Greater Minnesota Partnership of the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative, has been specifically designed to bring engaging content to local communities through a unique pairing of online speakers and in-person local sessions. The morning’s online content will include a conversation focused on seeing and countering racism in rural communities, moderated by Eryn Gee Killough, paired with two outstanding keynote speakers, Jenna Grey Eagle and Ron Ferguson, who have experience working in rural communities. 

This online content will be exclusively available to local community gatherings. Each gathering will gear their in-person activity to their specific community with the goal of extending the impact of the conference to others throughout the following year. Join LSP and CURE for this western Minnesota gathering, or if a different location works better for you, check out all the local gatherings on the FREC site,

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out. LSP’s Nick Olson can be reached via e-mail at nicko@landstewardshipproject.org.

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Friday October 10
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA

Explore profitable small-scale farming (1–5 acres) and soil care. Visit a cooperative incubator farm and a thriving suburban market garden. Learn about cover crops, reduced tillage, high tunnel soil health, and support for growers.

This is the second 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.

Saturday October 11

11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
Saturday October 11
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
36919 County 57 Blvd, Dennison, MN 55018, USA

Building off the success of last year’s farm event with COPAL in Austin, Minn., this year Land Stewardship Project and COPAL members and supporters will gather at the Young-Walser Family Farm in Dennison, Minn. for a festive and delicious farm tour on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We invite you to come and meet new folks, learn new skills, and try new food! 
 
This year’s COPAL-LSP farm event offers a little something for everyone: 
 
🍯 Honey sampling and the opportunity to purchase from Homestead Honey Farm. 
 
🍎 Apple cider pressing and tasting. (BTW, we’re still looking for an apple press if you or a farmer friend have one nearby we could borrow for this event!) 
 
🌽 Nixtamalization workshop and fresh, homemade tortillas, made with corn grown by LSP and COPAL members at the Young-Walser Family Farm! 
 
🍅 Salsa making and cricket-eating competitions! Yes, you heard that right —we’ll have the opportunity to sample crickets, a delectable crispy and savory snack commonly enjoyed throughout Mexico and Central America. Stay tuned for details on how to enter either competition. 
 
🥾 A tour of the Young-Walser farm, nestled in the beautiful Sogn Valley not far from Cannon Falls, Minn. Enjoy a tromp through the corn and squash fields and hike in the nearby woods. 
 
🌮 A shared meal and opportunity to hear from LSP and COPAL organizers about our participation in the Immigrant Defense Network. 

Let us know you can make it to ensure we order enough food and supplies! Carpools from Minneapolis and Rochester will be available to all attendees. 

________________________________________________

¡Únete a LSP + COPAL para nuestro recorrido anual comunitario en la granja!
Un espacio divertido para tod@s donde exploraremos la agricultura, aprenderemos sobre el campo y participaremos en actividades prácticas. ¡Uno de los momentos más especiales será hacer tortillas frescas junt@s!

Compartiremos un delicioso almuerzo comunitario, preparando tacos en estilo potluck (tipo convivio). Te invitamos a traer un platillo o acompañamiento para compartir.

También estás invitado@ a llegar temprano (desde las 9 AM) para ayudar a cosechar calabazas que sembramos. Puedes llevarte algunas a casa, y el resto se donará a un banco de alimentos local.

El Land Stewardship Project (LSP) es una organización aliada de COPAL que trabaja por sistemas alimentarios y agrícolas más sostenibles y justos. LSP y COPAL están unidas en su lucha por instituciones democráticas sólidas, comunidades saludables y acogedoras, y una ética de cuidado hacia la tierra y las personas que nos alimentan.

Tuesday October 14

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Tuesday October 14
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

View Full Calendar

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