Adam Chappell’s journey to soil health starts with his time spent working with his Dad and brother on the farm as a young boy. When Adam returned to the farm along with his brother they quickly realized shrinking margins and high input costs would not allow them to be as financially successful. They needed new strategies for weed control and needed to diversify their operation.
Russ will give the audience an up close look at how rotation, cover crops and grazing livestock can and will repair farmland and increase water infiltration in the semi-arid climate of Southwest Oklahoma. Russ is using soil health principles as the planning key in the transition to double cropping, adding crops to his rotation and using diverse cover crops for soil health, livestock forage and keeping his soils biological active.
General Mills invites your feedback on Version 1.0 of their Regenerative Agriculture Scorecard. This user-friendly self-assessment tool was launched in March of 2018 and is designed to help farmers across diverse production systems understand how their management practices influence soil health, above ground biodiversity, and economic resilience.
General Mills believes agriculture is a promising solution to some of our most pressing sustainability challenges, and positive impact starts with elevating farmers’ voices.
This panel will talk about strategies to integrate livestock into a cropping operation without owning the livestock. Sourcing forage for livestock with non-owner operators. Developing forage mixes that maximize livestock and soil benefits. Making contract and rental agreements that work for the livestock owner and land operator. Ryan farms near Wichta and typically leases his crop ground to area livestock owners. Scott lives near Winside, Nebraska and has developed a working relationship with a young livestock owner in his area.
By taking a systems approach to regenerate soils through soil biology, farmers will increase resilience and profitability by maximizing nutrient and water use efficiencies and utilizing biology to address pest and disease issues. Integrating dynamic principles to synergize biologically-based practices to address fertility, pest and disease issues will increase nutritive quality in grains, produce, meat and dairy to potentially enhance human health.
Russell has been a featured producer in the Farm Press magazine for maximizing his cover crop benefits by mixing species and national No-till Farmer for integration of cattle onto covers and the Haney test for reducing fertilizer inputs on cash crops. He says his operation has grown through hard work to almost 500 acres.
Rebuilding and maintaining life in the soil is directly linked to the longevity and reliability of our future agriculture. Landscape simplification has been ongoing for generations fueled by loss of perennials and animal impact, combined with soil disturbance, residue removal, and monoculture crop production without cover crops. Symptoms of landscape simplification are evident and include reduced soil organic matter and infiltration, wind erosion, water erosion, salinity, water quality impacts, and high fossil fuel inputs.
From six generations of farming our multi-layered systems and principles to building soil health, function and profitability for our future generations across our 9000 acres in Northern Victoria Australia.
Bryan Jorgensen is one of four partners in a 4th generation family farm and ranch operation in south central South Dakota. The Jorgensen’s operate over 20,000 acres of cropland and native rangeland near Winner, SD. The 12,000 plus acres of cropland have been under a total no-till system since 1991 and currently grow more than 12 different crops in the rotation. The operation markets over 3700 angus bulls every year throughout the United States and they have an all-inclusive hunting lodge as well.
