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The Importance of Investing in Soil Health & Resilient Rural Communities

By Sam Streukens
October 26, 2021

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Around a decade ago, while driving past a farm field in southeastern Minnesota, Bob Christie turned to DJ Mueller with a nervous question: “So you’re saying my fields are going to look like that?”

With farmers adapting to a changing climate and volatile markets, DJ knew that he and Bob must prioritize soil health over high yields to make their farm more resilient.

Bob, 72, bought his Winona County farm in 1969, where he operated a dairy initially, but eventually transitioned to beef cattle. Today, he raises corn, soybeans, and alfalfa on 300 acres with his son-in-law DJ, who’s 43 and joined Bob on the farm in 2008.

DJ Mueller & Bob Christie

When their equipment needed replacing in 2013, DJ advised against the expensive inputs associated with conventional agriculture in favor of soil healthy farming. This time-honored approach involves building the soil’s innate ability to generate fertility via practices such as no-till and cover cropping. Conserving water, identifying the cause of weed pressure, and working at a profitable scale meant focusing on management and putting up with a bit of trial-and-error. It also meant tolerating fields that don’t look as “clean” as their conventional counterparts, hence Bob’s concerned question while driving past that neighbor’s no-tilled field a decade ago.

However, today, the elder farmer strongly believes in the path they’ve chosen. By using cover crops and no-till farming methods, DJ and Bob sequester carbon and build natural fertility by having living roots in the ground all year round and reducing soil disturbance. While mitigating the effects of climate change, they are reducing costs; they are not only producing good crops today, but also protecting their soil’s future fertility. The farmers feel that cover crops such as rye, hairy vetch, and winter radish are investments (and potential markets) to regenerate their land for future generations and build climate-proof resiliency.

The no-tilled crops insulate their topsoil during drought while the living roots soak up extreme rainfalls and keep nutrients from leaching into waterways. The method they have chosen may not always result in top yields, but the farmers have learned that healthy soil can be profitable by reducing the cost of production and protecting the land from extreme weather events. Importantly, when DJ and Bob build back their soil by putting carbon into the ground, the farmers and the land are rewarded.

With advice from other farmers, Land Stewardship Project organizers, and their local Soil and Water Conservation District, DJ and Bob have realized that investing in their soil’s health makes sense for their farm and the community. After five to six years of strategically implementing cover crops and significantly reducing the wear and tear on their equipment, this year’s drought did not severely affect the return on their cash crops of soybeans, corn, and alfalfa. Utilizing community support and financial security from DJ’s off -farm job as a contractor, the men judge their success one year at a time. DJ says their solution lies in building resiliency in a market environment that disadvantages having livestock or non-cash crops on the farm.

“We want people to see that [soil healthy practices] will work,” DJ says.

Farmers are experiencing unprecedented downpours and dry spells because of a changing climate. Moreover, the success of our community is dependent on small and mid-sized farmers like DJ and Bob stewarding the land. Permitting farmers to break free from a high yield mindset can restore the health of our communities, protect our water, and strengthen the financial and environmental vitality of our farmland.

We have all witnessed an increase in unpredictable weather, health problems from our water and food, and loss of farmland due to growing urbanization in rural Minnesota. My grandfather bought a farm in Caledonia in southeastern Minnesota shortly after returning from WWII. Listening to other farmers and my grandpa has taught me to appreciate our connection to each other and the land. Becoming a member-leader at LSP allows me to advocate for land stewardship through collective action. My responsibility as a consumer, as well as my role as an advocate for global climate action, means that I support local farmers who share my stewardship values.

That’s why I am excited that farmers like Bob and DJ support healthy communities by keeping their farm economically resilient while building soil carbon. Now it’s the job of non-farmers to find a way to support this kind of investment in our future through the marketplace and good public policy.

Sam Streukens is an LSP member-leader who lives in Winona, Minn. This summer, he was on contract to organize with LSP’s Soil Health Team.

Category: Blog
Tags: beginning farmers • cover crops • intergenerational transfer • no-till • small farms • soil health

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Join LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network to get regular updates on workshops, field days, and on-farm demonstrations, as well as the latest soil health and cover crop research. For more information on joining, see the Soil Builders web page.

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Upcoming Events

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July 2022

Wednesday July 6

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Farming in Karst Country
Farming in Karst Country
Wednesday July 6
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

A special LSP workshop called “Farming in Karst Country” will highlight the intersection of soil-building farming practices, water movement, and karst geology. Local farmer presenters and karst geologists will share how practices like no-till, cover crops and intensive, rotational grazing can improve the health of the soil and underground streams. The Bishop family will host the event at Niagara Cave. The cost to attend is $20 for adults, $10 fo runder 16, and includes a cave tour and dinner. Space is limited to 75 participants. For details and to register, click here.

Tuesday July 12

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP Deep Canvassing Training
LSP Deep Canvassing Training
Tuesday July 12
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Deep canvassing is a candid, non-judgmental, two-way conversation where canvassers ask voters to share their relevant, emotionally significant experiences and reflect on them aloud. It is one of the most durable and proven forms of persuasion when talking to people who might hold differing beliefs than you and is going to be critical in creating the world we want and need.

Join the Land Stewardship Action Fund to learn about deep canvassing, what it is and why it’s important, and get trained on how to deep canvass so you’re able to powerfully participate in LSAF’s upcoming deep canvasses and put these important skills to use in your community. Register at https://secure.everyaction.com/f4vV9QoSbUWMe4UVzQFrVg2.

Wednesday July 13

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP Small Grains Deep Dive
LSP Small Grains Deep Dive
Wednesday July 13
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Come join Terry Cunningham, producer of certified organic commodities for 34 years, and Nic Podoll, small grains specialist with the Rodale Institute, as well as resource specialists from the Freeborn County Soil and Water Conservation District, for this peer-to-peer information and discussion field day.
 
This field day will include information and discussion about Cunningham’s experiences over three decades raising corn, soybeans, oats, alfalfa, barley, field peas, winter rye, winter wheat, triticale, spelt, and sweet clover.
 
This event is free; dinner will be provided; a free-will offering for the meal is welcomed. For more information and to register, click here.

Tuesday July 19

5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
LSP Grazing Group Pasture Walk at Knutson Shorthorns
LSP Grazing Group Pasture Walk at Knutson Shorthorns
Tuesday July 19
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Zach Knutson of Knutson Shorthorns is hosting a pasture walk for area graziers to show specialty crops grown in bale residue left behind by cows from winter-feeding. A range of specialty crops planted include: tomatoes, peppers, huckleberries, sweet corn, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, eggplant, and more. 
 
Also on the farm, cattle are grazing an 11-way mix of summer annuals (dwarf sorghum-sudan, BMR grazing corn, crimson clover, mung beans, sun hemp, collards, African cabbage, kale, baldy safflower, plantain, and chicory). There will be discussions around integrating livestock and specialty crop production, marketing to a wider audience with limited additional land or labor, and extended grazing. To register, click here.

Tuesday July 26

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
LSP Virtual Policy Organizing Meeting
LSP Virtual Policy Organizing Meeting
Tuesday July 26
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Join LSP as we launch our first of many Monthly Virtual Policy Organizing Meetings! On the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. we will gather to learn about what is happening at the state, local, and federal level; take collective action together; dive into an issue campaign of your choice; and break out into regional groups to build relationships with other LSPers in your area. For more information or to register, see https://secure.everyaction.com/CwoHag9NBUC4XpuCKAIhCg2.

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  • Land Line: Tillage’s Toll, Conservation & Leases, Soil Health & Nutrient Density, Emerging Farmer Help June 22, 2022
  •  ‘Farming in Karst Country’ Workshop July 6 at Niagara Cave in Harmony June 16, 2022
  • LSP Grazing Group Pasture Walk to Feature Grazing of Summer Annuals July 19 Near Zumbrota  June 16, 2022
  • Beginning Farmer Program for MN, WI & IA Accepting Applications for 2022-2023 Course June 10, 2022

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