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The Wonder of Farming with Nature

John Snyder’s Soil Health Journey Started with a Question: Where are the Worms?

By Barb Sogn-Frank
October 22, 2021

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Ben and John Snyder discuss their soil health practices with Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen.

Some five decades ago, a young aspiring farmer named John Snyder brought his bride Bernadette back to Minnesota from Tennessee to begin their farm and family dream together. The newlyweds settled in on a piece of rolling farmland near Preston in southeastern Minnesota where oak savanna forests, limestone ridges, and prairie meet. That first farmhouse had no running water, but it was home. And with just a few hundred dollars in the bank, they launched their life’s work with cattle, dairying, growing corn, soybeans and a family.

Fast forward to October 202I: their farm dream has taken on proportions they’d never have imagined decades ago. In addition to conventional row crops and hay, the Snyders also raise hogs and goats. All along, as John and son Ben planned, planted and harvested, they took care observing their land, its weather, and water patterns. They paid attention to the farm’s wildlife and the health of their crops and livestock as carefully as they managed seasonal planting, production cycles, and farm finances.

Over time, John got concerned about some things he was observing on the farm. “Something was wrong with my livestock – puffy joints, ornery…I went to the vet and he recommended no Roundup Ready infused feed and to go with non-GMO feed. I did, and the animals got healthier and happier,” he says. “I think Roundup is doing more damage than we know. I’m talking as a farmer here, I’m not a radical, left-wing, socialist…There’s something going on there. I got a lot to learn and I think we all do.”

Soil erosion and the lack of life he’d been noticing in his soil bothered him too. Where were the worms?

Snyder says his brother, who has some of the best farmland in the area, loves to fish. When it was time to go drop a line, he’d say, “I gotta go to the Amish to get some worms.” Even though John’s brother’s farm looked great, John says, “His soil didn’t have the life and diversity that you find in Amish country where they use more diverse cropping and livestock integration.”

John and Ben made the switch from Roundup Ready seed to non-GMO and organic production. That required taking a different approach to weed control that relies on a rotary hoe, a cultivator, and an electric weed zapper along with a mix of cover crops. John’s learned that, “…timing is critical. You’re not a windshield farmer anymore. Next year I’ll do barley. Also, clover, alfalfa, and grass, and then I hay it for a couple of rounds. You gotta break up the cycle, you gotta have oats or beans. All your weeds germinate at different times so you gotta change up your tillage.”

They switched to spring interseeding of cover crops in standing corn. About 200 of their 700 acres are now either certified organic or in transition away from conventional non-GMO corn and soybeans to organic. Their remaining acres are conventional, non-GMO crops and cover crops.

The Snyders are happy about the many positive changes they’re seeing on their farm with the switch to regenerative practices over the past few years. Their plants withstand drought better — a particularly key characteristic during the summer of 2021 — because there’s more moisture retained in the soil. Wildlife is more plentiful around the farm. An added benefit is lowered cost of production. “Conventional corn’s $260 a bag,” John says. “My preferred organic seed corn is $160 a bag. And fertilizer just went up in price six times in six weeks.”

“What’s underneath your feet is what’s making the health of those plants,” John Snyder says of this thriving stand of organic corn.

The ‘Wonder Field’ Tells the Story

Recently, on an unseasonably warm, overcast October afternoon, John hosted a group of about a dozen visitors including Thom Petersen, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. They came to see and hear about what Snyder calls his “wonder field” — a stand of 11-foot-tall organic corn. It is indeed a wonder to see and walk through; the response of the visitors that day was genuine awe and appreciation.

John and Ben led the group into the midst of the massive stalks to demonstrate how to calculate an estimate of bushels-per-acre-from this field. There was a hand count and folks calculated the averages on their phones yielding a reasonable estimate of 188 bushels per acre, which will make for a profitable harvest for the Snyders.

“What’s underneath your feet is what’s making the health of those plants,” John told his guests emphatically.

Towards the end of Commissioner’s visit, the two of them had a chance to walk and talk a bit. To John, this was the most important aspect of the Commissioner’s visit. While it was nice to have him stop by to see the Snyders’ soil building results firsthand, the vital element was for the Commissioner to leave with a visceral understanding of what the future of farming could and should be for the next generation.

LSP soil health organizer Barb Sogn-Frank can be reached e-mail or at 507-479-9119.

Category: Blog
Tags: cover crops • crop rotations • non-GMO • Soil Builders' Network • soil health

Video: Soil & the Next Generation

In a Land Stewardship Project video, John Snyder describes why building soil health on his farm is key to allowing him to pass the land on to the next generation. Check it out here.

Soil Builders’ Network

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.

Grazing Events

LSP in holding two events on managed rotational grazing in November:

  • Nov.11: Canoe Creek Dairy, Decorah, Iowa
  • Nov. 18: Knutson Shorthorns, Red Wing, Minn.
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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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  • Small Grains, Cover Cropping, Organic Weed Control Featured at 2 Freeborn County Soil Health Field Days June 23, 2022
  • 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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