MACHINERY
By employing the John
For better visibility, optional LED Deere ExactApply option,
lighting packages are available for operators can control droplet
the 400 and 600 Series sprayers. size, spray pressure, and
individual nozzles on the
sprayers. They can also
enhance spraying accuracy
by maintaining the boom’s
position with the optional
BoomTrac Pro 2.
“With BoomTrac Pro
2, we’re seeing 22% more
accuracy,” Basinger says,
adding that the optional
pressure recirculation and
system air purge technology
further improve job quality
and simplify cleanout while
reducing product waste.
“Boom pressure recircula-
tion circulates the chemical
JOHN DEERE INTRODUCES NEW 4OO throughout the entire boom
AND 6OO SERIES SPRAYERS and solution system. That
way, when an operator is
Operator comfort, application quality, and machine uptime loading the chemical on the
are the focus of five new sprayers. sprayer, it’s all in the proper
concentration out on the
boom when he starts spray-
ing, eliminating concerns of
over- or underapplying,” he
explains. “Once spraying is
By Laurie Bedord The Ultimate package features a heated, done, the air purge technolo-
Executive Editor, News & Technology ventilated leather seat that swivels up to 24° gy lets you blow air through
[email protected] | @BedordLaurie to the left or right and has ActiveSeat II sus- the system, pushing any
pension. Also included are a 6.5-inch touch- chemical out on the boom
eeting the application needs of to- screen satellite- and smartphone-ready radio, back into the tank, so you
day’s farmers means enhancing op- five USB ports, a 12-volt outlet, footrests, can save it for another day’s
erator comfort, offering high-qual- refrigerator, and dual-tilt steering column. spraying.”
ity application, and providing as
much machine uptime as possible. An optional Category IV filtration system
With the introduction of five new models to streams continuously filtered air into the cab Technology = Uptime
its 400 and 600 Series sprayers, John Deere is to help keep the operator’s station clean. ach sprayer is equipped
with a JDLink connection,
checking all the boxes. Options for better visibility include
“The 400 and 600 Series sprayers turn tech- electrically adjustable and heated mirrors, an integrated StarFire 6000
nology into application quality and enhance additional cameras, and LED lighting GPS receiver, Generation 4
machine uptime for customers,” says Joel packages. CommandCenter display,
Basinger, marketing manager, John Deere. and AutoTrac guidance.
High-Quality Application “Instead of making an
Enhanced Operator Comfort o keep the sprayer in the row, allow for in- operator choose among the
ll-day comfort combined with exception- creased spraying speed, and reduce operator different technology options,
al visibility is the focus of the new cab. fatigue, John Deere AutoTrac, RowSense, John Deere is really trying
Farmers can choose from three comfort and and AutoTrac Vision are available. The ISO to integrate them into a
convenience packages, which also include Auxiliary Mapping enables third-party guid- machine, so it’s more seam-
new lighting options. ance monitoring. less,” Basinger says. “These
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MACHINERY
continued
100-, or 120-foot steel booms,
or 120- or 132-foot carbon-fi-
ber booms.
Under the Hood
he entire lineup of 400 and
600 Series sprayers is built
with a John Deere Pow-
erTech engine and the Com-
The 612R features a mandDrive power train that
1,200-gallon tank and transfers power evenly to all
a 355-hp. PowerTech four wheels when needed.
9.0-liter engine. When spraying across a
large hill, CommandDrive
automatically increases
engine rpm if more power is
needed so a consistent speed
and spray pattern is main-
tained.
sprayers come standard with the integrated improved for the farmer. “When a trouble On flat terrain, Auto
technology a farmer needs to reduce overlap code pops up on a farmer’s display, he will Mode maintains the selected
and maximize inputs.” actually be guided through the diagnostic ground speed and appli-
Once activated, JDLink will stream ma- steps, which includes descriptive text, so cation rate at lower rpm,
chine and field data to the John Deere Oper- he can try to solve the problem himself,” reducing fuel and DEF
ations Center so a farmer can easily monitor Basinger says. “If a farmer does need to consumption.
and track job quality, machine location, and call his John Deere dealer, the technician The 400 and 600 Series
machine hours from anywhere. In addition, can walk him through the steps using live sprayers became available for
the farmer can set up prescriptions for indi- remote access. It’s really about trying to get ordering in June 2021.
vidual fields within the Operations Center them up and running again as quickly and
and push that information to the Generation as efficiently as possible.” Dry Spinner
4 display in the cab. Applicators
Also in the Operations Center, the An- Features of the Models
ohn Deere is also introduc-
alyze tools enable a farmer to review field ing two dry spinner appli-
data, compare target rates with actual-ap- elow is a breakdown of the new 400 and cators, the 400R and 600R.
600 Series models.
plied rates, and adjust plans as needed. If the • 408R includes an 800-gallon tank and a The 400R is equipped with a
farmer opts to share the data with a trusted 280-hp. PowerTech 6.8-liter engine with a 200-cubic-foot dry box and a
adviser, the Operations Center allows an maximum field speed of up to 20 mph and 326-hp. PowerTech 9.0-liter
easy and secure transfer. transport speed of up to 30 mph. engine. The 600R comes
In addition, the AgLogic app can be used • 410R is equipped with a 1,000-gallon tank with a 200- or 300-cubic-foot
to submit application jobs from the cab of and a 310-hp. PowerTech 9.0-liter engine. dry box and 375-hp. Pow-
the sprayer and to keep accurate records of • 412R comes with a 1,200-gallon tank and is erTech 9.0-liter engine.
what work was done in each field. powered by a 326-hp. PowerTech 9.0-liter Both models offer an
“Not only can these sprayers stream engine. integrated StarFire receiver,
machine and field data to the Operations The 410R and 412R can reach field speeds Generation 4 display, and
Center, but with the owner’s permission they of up to 25 mph and transport up to 35 mph. JDLink connection, as well
can also send machine health information • 612R features a 1,200-gallon tank and a as the same cab and lighting
to the owner’s John Deere dealer,” Basinger 355-hp. PowerTech 9.0-liter engine. packages as the sprayers.
says. “That enables John Deere Connected • 616R is equipped with a 1,600-gallon tank Contact your local John
Support – where the dealer can remotely and a 375-hp. PowerTech 9.0-liter engine. Deere dealer or visit
monitor the machine for any sign of trouble Both the 612R and 616R sprayers can JohnDeere.com to learn
and fix the issue before it causes downtime, achieve field speeds of up to 25 mph and more about the dry spinner
thus maximizing the sprayer’s uptime.” transport up to 35 mph. applicators or the 400 and
Diagnostic capabilities have also been All five models can be equipped with 90-, 600 Series sprayers.
Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Manufacturer
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CROPS
THE ALFALFA EDGE University of Nebraska
researchers found that including
Including alfalfa in a corn-soybean rotation can increase profit. alfalfa in crop rotations helped
extract nitrate from aquifers.
By Raylene Nickel reducing aquifer nitrate concentrations.
“If an average of 16 inches per year researchers assumed that
dding alfalfa to a corn-soybean corn-soybean growers
rotation benefits soil and water of irrigation water with 15 ppm nitrate- had little experience in
nitrogen (N) is applied during a five-year harvesting alfalfa and
quality, of course, but it can also stage of the alfalfa in a 10-year rotation also had no harvesting
equipment.
boost profitability. cycle, about 270 pounds per acre of
“Research has shown that in a “We used custom-hire
rates rather than the cost
nine- or 10-year rotation cycle with five nitrate-N would be removed from the of owned equipment,
which adds to the cost
years of corn and soybean rotation and aquifer,” he says. “If the alfalfa crop of production,” says
Wortmann. “Even so,
four or five years of alfalfa mean profit was reduces soil nitrate-N to a 10-foot depth the analysis showed
that including alfalfa in
9% more with alfalfa in the rotation than by an average of 5 ppm, about 240 pounds the rotation had profit
potential.”
with a continuous corn-soybean rotation per acre of nitrate-N would be removed
The analysis used calcula-
for owned land,” says Charles Wortmann, from the soil.” tions drawn from irrigated
production in Nebraska’s
University of Nebraska Extension soil and Knox County. It included
three scenarios for establish-
nutrient management specialist. Alfalfa Perks Profit Potential ing the alfalfa. (See accom-
panying story on the next
Researchers analyzed the profitability hile alfalfa is known for its ability to page.)
reduce nitrate leaching, its inclusion in
of including alfalfa in a corn-soybean Assumed yields for
rotation due to alfalfa’s ability to deplete corn-soybean rotations is rare. crops were 220 bushels per
acre for corn following
soil nitrate and, thus, reduce nitrate “There’s a perception among producers soybeans; 231 bushels per
acre for corn following
leaching into aquifers. that including alfalfa reduces profitabil- alfalfa; 60 bushels per acre
for soybeans; first-year
“Wellhead protection areas of many ity, but our analysis showed that having alfalfa yields of 3½ tons
per acre with late-summer
Nebraska towns have been threatened alfalfa in the rotation has a similar or sowing and 2½ tons per
acre with spring sowing;
with high aquifer nitrate levels,” says better profit potential than does a straight and 6 tons per acre for
subsequent years of alfalfa.
Wortmann. “Addition of alfalfa to the corn-soybean rotation,” Wortmann says.
Crop yields earned $3.50
rotation may be a cost-effective means of For the purposes of the economic analysis, per bushel for corn, $8 per
bushel for soybeans, and
$125 per ton for alfalfa hay.
The analysis figured
profitability for both rented
and owned land under
both tilled and no-till
cropping systems.
The mean net profit for
rotations with alfalfa on
owned land was $172.20
Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Gil Gullickson
Continue to next page
CROPS
continued
Alfalfa has a big perk for inclusion in a rotation: credit of 90 pounds per acre. Three Ways
more money. “On sandier soil, such as sandy loam, to Establish
Alfalfa
per acre, vs. a net profit of $160.61 per acre we reduce the credit by a third because
for a straight corn-soybean rotation. we assume that some nitrogen will have R esearchers at
leached below the root zone,” he says. the University of
The cost for rented land was $250 per Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)
acre, and including alfalfa in the rotation Nitrogen from the alfalfa is also developed a spreadsheet
on rented ground reduced losses. The mean available to the second crop. Some calculator to compare
net loss for the rotations including alfalfa research, says Wortmann, suggests that profitability of irrigated
on rented land was minus $12.80 per acre. N from the alfalfa can supply as much as corn-soybean rotations
The net loss for the straight corn-soybean 50% of the N needed by the second crop of including alfalfa with
rotation was minus $24.39 per acre. corn following alfalfa. the same rotations not
including alfalfa. The
Alfalfa’s profit potential results in part from Monitoring N needs of the second-year analysis included both
yield increases in subsequent crops. crop at critical growth stages and then conventional-till and no-
applying needed N in-season permits till management systems.
“The yields of corn following alfalfa can be full use of varying levels of residual soil
10 or more bushels per acre higher than yields N without short-changing the crop of The spreadsheet
of corn following corn,” says Wortmann. nutrients. evaluates the profitability
of a continuous corn-
Reducing input costs is another reason It also offers other potential soil health soybean (C:S) rotation
for alfalfa’s potential to increase profit. benefits. “Alfalfa prevents the potential with the profitability
“Applied fertilizer-N may be reduced for wind and water erosion by providing a of including alfalfa (A)
by 66% with alfalfa in the rotation,” he perennial ground cover,” says Wortmann. established by three
says.“Following a good stand of alfalfa, “Because it is deep rooted, it opens the soil, scenarios:
we give a credit of 150 pounds of nitrogen permitting more efficient water 1. Alfalfa sown in late
available to the following crop on fine- percolation. It also helps to build soil summer following oats
textured soil. If the stand is of medium organic matter.” (O) in a 10-year rotation
density (about 30% to 60% of a good of C:S:C:S:O:A:A:A:A:A
stand), we give a nitrogen credit of 120 Learn More 2. Alfalfa spring sown
pounds per acre. If the stand is less than following corn in a
30% of a good stand, we give a nitrogen Charles Wortmann nine-year rotation of
C:S:C:S:C:A:A:A:A
402/472-2909 | [email protected] 3. Alfalfa spring sown
following corn in a
10-year rotation of
C:S:C:S:C:A:A:A:A:A
“The most-profitable
rotation was spring-sown
alfalfa following corn in
a 10-year rotation,” says
UNL Extension soil and
nutrient management
specialist Charles
Wortmann.
In sum, he says,
“Including alfalfa in crop
rotations has the potential
to improve profitability
while also providing the
opportunity to reduce the
loss of nitrate to ground
water as well as increase
the extraction of nitrate
from aquifers.” •
Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021
CARBON
FARMING
By Bill Spiegel Manure and urine from those animals winter wheat while making biochar
pumped nutrients into the soil, reduc- out of hog manure, growing cover
Changing for change’s sake is ing the need for commercial fertilizer crops, and conducting multiple other
one thing. Changing a farm in future years. trials. Mauck’s willingness to share
operation to accomplish these ideas on Twitter inspired Smith
meaningful change — that He did this on a 2-acre test plot, at a time when the 2020 corn and soy-
with a greater purpose — is inviting people to check progress each bean outlook looked bleak.
another thing altogether. It’s week on “The Stock Cropper”channel
the latter that makes Zack on YouTube. Smith and two friends, Lance
Smith’s story compelling. Peterson and Sheldon Stevermer, won-
Smith is a Winnebago Smith’s methodology is similar to dered if relay cropping like Mauck did
County, Iowa, farmer and YouTube farm systems of yesteryear, when farm in Indiana could work in northern Iowa
sensation, where he documents the families grew a myriad of crops and and southern Minnesota. Their brain-
highlights and pitfalls of his Stock critters together. Smith dubs his version storming sessions early in 2020 led to the
Cropping system in which livestock the “Farmonious Movement.” idea of integrating livestock into strip
and row crop production intersect, intercropping. “The exact mentality we
feeding soil full of carbon. In return, “It occurred on every farming system had when we stumbled into this was to
out here, but now it doesn’t occur at shield ourselves financially from $2.75
Smith gains new revenue potential. all,” Smith says. “I thought we could corn,” Smith recalls.
In 2020, Smith grew corn on 20-foot- take the animals and plants working in
The more the trio collaborated, the
wide strips, pumping extra seed and The ClusterCluck 5000 portable wilder the ideas got. Ruminant animals
fertilizer on the outside rows of these pen is available in multiple would inhabit the first pen and pigs in
strips to gain yield from the edge effect. sizes to meet the needs of a the second. In a separate mobile pen,
Between corn planter passes, he plant- variety of animals. broiler chickens could clean up fly
ed a mix of pasture grasses on which he larvae. The mobile barn roof would
grazed sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens. concert and cross it with the technology be inverted to collect rainwater for the
we have at our disposal to come up animals, and the pen would advance
with something better than what we’re in lanes — autonomously, ideally —
doing right now.” between the corn plots. This would
give corn an edge effect to pump up
The fruit of Smith’s idea was formed yield potential.
early during the pandemic after seeing
how Indiana farmer Jason Mauck The concept was exciting: the waste
began relay-cropping soybeans into from multiple species improving the
soil and reducing fertilizer needs for
the next year’s corn crop, which would
be planted into the grazing lanes.
“We thought, let’s go for broke.
Let’s make this thing as complicated
and robust as we can. Everything has a
specific function and purpose for being
in the system,” Smith says. “We were
just committed to doing it.”
Within five months, the mobile
barn concept was reality and deemed
the ClusterCluck. Initially, he used
a tractor to move the ClusterCluck
10 feet each day so the animals could
graze fresh plants. At his inaugural
field day last fall, Smith unveiled the
ClusterCluck 5000, which moved un-
der its own power using a battery
pack, electric motors, and chain-
driven wheels. Not content with those
Photography: Courtesy Zack Smith August 2021 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 33
CARBON FARMING
features, Smith envisioned an autono- expenses. The corn crop yielded 262 carcass weight, adding to the bottom
line. Another opportunity is to feed the
mous version that uses solar power to bushels per acre, with total revenue of animals farm-grown corn rather than
selling it into the commodity chain.
recharge on-board battery packs. $1,048 (assuming $4 per bushel) and
With a year of Stock Cropping under
Fast-forward to this June. Smith netting $398 per acre. his belt, Smith is on his way to accom-
plishing meaningful change in produc-
collaborated with Dawn Equipment’s Smith says past performance of the tion agriculture, according to Mauck.
Underground Agriculture company outer row management scheme boost- “Zack is solving a lot of problems
[with the Stock Cropper concept]. He’s
to develop a more refined solar-pow- ed yields about 50 bushels per acre. In trying to connect the community and
leverage his passion to make things
ered and autonomous version of the a regular corn enterprise, he would
happen. He is totally real and there is
ClusterCluck, with room for cattle, expect corn to yield 210 bushels per so much more he can do,” Mauck says.
sheep, and pigs. They will be available acre, but with a $40 reduction in seed Were Stock Cropping to catch on,
farmers wouldn’t need to manage
this fall in a couple of widths. and nitrogen cost, and $65 in increased a huge number of acres to eke out a
living. Smaller farms and more farmers
“Zack is a man of principle and fertility cost. In a regular corn scenario, would repopulate rural areas, fostering
a sense of community as families come
integrity,” says Joe Bassett, together to process animals, generat-
ing premium meats for their own use,
chief executive officer at Iowa farmer Zack Smith’s vision of selling surplus off the farm.
Dawn Equipment. He Stock Cropping is the intersection of
noted that during the crop and livestock production. It’s a noble undertaking, and Smith
has taken a huge first step.
research and development
“I can guarantee the solutions won’t
phase of the mobile pen, come in by thinking the way we think
currently,” he says. “It will take out-of-
Smith was more focused the-box thinking to solve the problems
to make something like this work.”
on farmers’ well-being
than on accumulating
personal wealth. “That
impressed me,” he says.
Does Stock net profit is $165 per acre.
Cropping Pay? Year 1 of Stock Cropping achieved
In concept, Smith’s its goal of achieving more profit than
Stock Cropping a conventional farming system. The
endeavor is great for challenge is to scale up the operation.
pumping carbon back In 2021, the Stock Cropper demonstra-
into the soil, growing tion plot occupies about 5 acres with
high-quality food, and three ClusterCluck mobile barns 10, 20,
boosting corn yield. But is and 30 feet wide, housing cattle, hogs,
it profitable? sheep, goats, and chickens.
Here’s the breakdown What’s Ahead?
on the 2-acre trial:
• Total expenses: $8,225 Smith says the chicken stocking
rate could be increased, with
per acre (including land modified chicken tractors. Also,
rent, animals, feed, re- finishing pigs to about 280 pounds,
pairs, pasture establishment, machin- rather than 220 pounds, would result
ery, and cost to build the mobile pen). in higher-quality meat and greater
• Total revenue: $10,401 per acre
(including average retail price per
pound for grass-fed animal protein).
He did not include the cost to process
the animals.
• Net profit: $2,176 per acre.
“To be honest, I was disappointed,”
Smith says. “I hoped it would be about
double that.”
The other part of the equation,
however, is his corn. Smith increased
plant population on the outer rows to
maximize sunlight interception and
boost yield. In all, the cost was $650 per
acre, including seed, rent, machinery,
nitrogen, herbicide, and management
34 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021
CARBON Soil Holds the Key
FARMING INTERCONNECTED PRACTICES PREPARE A FARM FOR EXTREME WEATHER WHILE ALSO SEQUESTERING CARBON.
By Raylene Nickel proved soil structure, creating soil “that Cattle play a large part in
looks like cottage cheese,” says Steve. bolstering resilience of systems
Positioning through grazing.
their Loyal, The upshot is increasing resilience
Oklahoma, in wheat and cover crops, just the ed the biological system into gear.
wheat farm thing needed for plants to withstand “We were slow to adapt to cover
to adapt to the erratic weather spawned by a
extreme changing climate. crops because we were concerned
weather wasn’t about conserving moisture,” says Clay.
the first thing “Through good years and bad years “But we weren’t seeing improvements
brothers Steve we’re seeing our winter wheat getting to the system with just no-till. After
and Clay Pope planned healthier and healthier,” says Steve. “It adding cover crops, we’ve had some of
for when they switched to tillers more, and yields, protein, and the best wheat we’ve ever had.”
no-till in 2004. But that’s test weights are increasing. Our wheat
exactly what happened. yields are higher than the county aver- Developing a weather-resilient
Their transition to no-till age, while our inputs have decreased, cropping system, he says, comes from
and eventually to cover and profitability has increased.” holistically managing the intercon-
crops that both work to nected practices relating to soil, crops,
sequester carbon came at This cycle of increasing sustainability and livestock.
the right time. on their farm began with a switch to
Over the past decade, no-till, but it was the addition of cover “Everything is tied together,” Clay
weather has become crops six years ago that really kick-start- says. “The same practices that address
increasingly erratic, says soil erosion also help the water cycle.
Clay. “Droughts are more The same practices that reduce fertil-
severe and rain events izer and fuel costs will help sequester
more extreme. We’re carbon. Those practices that improve
seeing more variation
in weather and our rain
coming in chunks,” he
says. “With this change,
our challenge is to hold
onto more of the moisture
when it does come. That
way, we’re better prepared for the dry
periods. And if we’re holding onto the
moisture and controlling runoff, we’re
also holding onto the soil and con-
trolling erosion, too.”
The combination of no-till, cover
crops, and livestock grazing has in-
deed held the soil on the Popes’ farm.
“We don’t see any wind erosion on our
farm because we always have some
armor on top of the soil,” says Steve.
“If we do get a heavy 3-inch rain in
less than an hour, we might see some
runoff, but the water is clear because
the residue holds the soil in place. We
never see water sitting on top of the
soil, so most of it is soaking in.”
An apparent increase in biological
activity in the soil has resulted in im-
Photography: Steve and Clay Pope Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 35
CARBON FARMING
yields also improve our bottom line and the Popes create a window of oppor- increasing. We don’t have to put down
help the environment. There’s some- tunity for seeding winter wheat early, as much starter nitrogen at planting,
thing in all of that for everyone.” in September or October. This wheat and we don’t need to apply much for
is ready to be grazed by December, top dressing afterward. We’ve also
Cover Crop Expansion and they run another batch of stocker got more residual phosphorus and
calves on this ground until the end of potassium in the soil. We believe the
T he Popes began by growing a February. soil microbiology associated with the
single-species cover crop but have cover crops and grazing makes these
since evolved to growing as many They grow a dual-purpose variety of nutrients more available to the plants.”
as 17 species. winter wheat that regrows quickly af-
ter being grazed in winter and is ready Fuel consumption also has dropped,
“Our cover crop mix includes to be harvested by May or June. amounting to just 40% of the amount
plants like sorghum-sudan, brassi- they used before implementing whole-
cas, mustards, sunflower, and sunn For fall and winter grazing, the farm changes, says Steve.
hemp, for instance,” says Steve. “The Popes stock the cover crops and winter
differing root types and differing root wheat at a rate of 2 acres per head. The Reducing chemical applications is a
depths give the microbes in the soil a cattle gain from 1.5 to 2.5 pounds per goal they continue to work toward. “If
diverse diet. The microbes process the head per day. we can get a good canopy within the
nutrients into forms that make them cover crops, we don’t have to control
increasingly available to plants.” They buy the calves grazing the weeds while the cover is growing,”
cover crops. Some of the calves grazing says Steve.
They plant cover crops on half of the winter wheat come from their own
their 1,200 acres of cropland right after herd of 200 beef cows. Not surprisingly, lower equipment
harvesting winter wheat in mid- to late costs have come hand in hand with
June. By early August the cover will “The grazing of the cattle helps to the no-till system. The Popes’ line of
have grown to about a foot in height, cycle nutrients from the plants back equipment comprises a 330-hp. tractor,
and the Popes turn stocker calves out to to the soil,” says Steve. “Grazing the a 185-hp. tractor, a Great Plains no-till
graze the cover crop for about 90 days. cover crops with calves diversifies our drill, a pull-type sprayer, and a 40-foot
income stream.” roller.
Before planting winter wheat in ear-
ly November, they terminate the cover Economic Efficiencies The synergy of practices within
crop by rolling it twice. The rolling their production system produces
kills broadleaves, but grass-type species The overall system — no-till, cover economic efficiencies. Their 1,200 acres
persist. The Popes terminate these crops, and grazing — has slashed of cropland combined with 1,200 acres
with a burndown treatment. input costs. of pasture and 200 beef cows sup-
“We’ve cut our fertilizer use by ports two families. Steve and his wife,
By not planting cover crops on the about 50% from nine years ago,” says Sandra, farm full time with their son
remaining half of their wheat acres, Steve. “Residual nitrogen in the soil is Rustin, while Clay is involved in the
operation part time.
A roller works for
terminating cover crops. Clay and his wife, Sarah, own CSP,
LLC, a consulting company addressing
natural resource issues. Their company
provides coordination and outreach
services to the USDA Southern Plains
Climate Hub.
“We’re trying to show the benefits of
conservation practices,” says Clay.
“We’re trying to help farmers pay
more attention to the challenges of
getting ready for extreme weather. It
all goes back to how we deal with the
soil. Soil holds the key.”
Learn More
Clay Pope
405/262-5291
[email protected]
Steve Pope
405/368-6662
[email protected]
36 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021
CARBON Better Water, Fewer Emissions
FARMING
CONSERVATION PRACTICES CLEAN UP AN OKLAHOMA WATERSHED AND SEQUESTER CARBON.
No-till is one tool farmers use of Conservation Districts when the Before the project’s start, farmers in
to sequester carbon and cleanup effort began. From a high the watershed practiced conventional
improve water quality. reading of some 860 E. coli units per tillage. Cattle producers typically al-
100 ml in 2006, the level of bacteria in lowed livestock access to stream edges,
By Raylene Nickel the watershed dropped to fewer than where manure and urine potentially
50 units by 2018. leached into the water.
When contaminants
threatened the Beyond monitoring water quality “The watershed was being impaired
water quality in improvements, the project also exam- by sedimentation and nutrient loading
Oklahoma’s North ined the effect conservation practices from cropland and grazing land,” says
Canadian River, had in nixing greenhouse gas emis- Shanon Phillips, water quality director
local conservation sions and enhancing carbon sequestra- for the Oklahoma Conservation Com-
districts teamed up tion in healthy soils. mission. “But by implementing con-
with state agencies servation practices, producers reduced
to clean up the “When combined, the conserva- soil erosion, protecting water quality
water draining from a 760-square-mile tion practices implemented in these downstream. By keeping soil in place,
watershed in northwestern Oklahoma. designated areas showed an overall they also sequestered carbon. Keeping
The team effort, which began in 2007, estimated reduction of 23,312 tons of cattle away from riparian areas pro-
resulted in some 150 farmers and carbon dioxide annually,” says Pope. tected water, as did establishing natural
ranchers voluntarily adopting the long- “This translated to a total estimated vegetation along streams to filter water
term conservation practices needed to greenhouse gas reduction equivalent to before it entered the stream.”
reduce the amount of contaminating taking 4,960 cars off the road annually.”
runoff flowing into the river. Farmers and livestock producers
Land use was the main factor behind voluntarily adopted conservation
“The improvements in water quality the contamination of the water in the practices after local conservation
were significant enough to justify the North Canadian River. Of the land in districts partnered with state agencies
removal of this watershed from Okla- the watershed, about 41% produces to host workshops and field events
homa’s list of streams impaired by E. row crops and winter wheat. Some focused on soil health, water quality,
coli bacteria,” says Clay Pope, a Loyal, 39% is used for grazing cattle and and improved management. State
Oklahoma, farmer who consults for producing hay, while 15% is forested. agencies provided some cost sharing
the USDA Southern Plains Climate Urban areas comprise the balance. for the practices, as did the USDA
Hub and who served as the executive Natural Resources Conservation
director of the Oklahoma Association Service (NRCS).
Shift in Practices
T he leading practice was converting
42,000 conventional-till acres to
no-till. Some farmers also switched
from conventional-till to reduced-till.
Livestock producers adopted pre-
scribed grazing and established
permanent, ungrazed grass buffers
along streams. Farmers put in grassed
waterways and planted cover crops.
Other practices included cropland con-
version to forage and biomass produc-
tion, conversion of cropland to grassed
pasture, and improved management of
nitrogen fertilizer.
“When we started this project, no-
till was fairly new to Oklahoma and
wasn’t really happening in this area,”
says Phillips. “But there were many
producers who made a wholesale con-
Photography: Gil Gullickson August 2021 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 37
CARBON FARMING
A riparian buffer on the right-hand side of the benefits occur. North Canadian River,” says Phillips.
fence (pasture is on the left) allows vegetation “These conservation “It was a local solution that led to a
to grow between pasture and river, thereby bigger-scale solution.”
protecting water quality. practices and others support-
ed through our program Beyond improving water quality,
No-till, cover crops, and improved livestock sequester carbon in the soil the conservation practices put to work
grazing all contributed to boosting the quality of by reducing soil erosion and have long-term benefits to soil and thus
water flowing through the North Canadian River. building soil organic matter,” to the resiliency of farms and ranches
says Phillips. “When conser- experiencing frequent drought.
version to no-till by investing in new vation practices are imple-
lines of equipment. We’ve learned a lot mented together, the rate of “By improving soil health, conserva-
about no-till since, and how it can work carbon sequestration may be tion practices not only sequester carbon
together with cover crops and grazing. greater than the rate estimat- dioxide, but they help to keep an armor
Through this project we showed pro- ed from a single practice.” on the soil, preventing soil erosion and
ducers that they could no-till and still helping producers preserve soil mois-
successfully graze winter wheat.” To estimate carbon ture,” Pope says. “Conserving soil is a
sequestration rates re- win-win all the way around.”
Carbon Sequestration sulting from practices
Perks implemented by watershed Learn More
producers, project organiz-
Then, when no-till, the planting of ers used COMET-Planner, Clay Pope
cover crops, and livestock grazing an online tool offered by 405/262-5291
are pooled, synergistic soil health the NRCS. (See “Carbon
Estimates.”) [email protected]
“Conservation practices in Shanon Phillips
the watershed as calculated 405/522-4728
through COMET-Planner
show an estimated reduc- shanon.phillips@
tion of 23,312 tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent annual- conservation.ok.gov
ly,” says Pope. “COMET-
Planner estimated that the Carbon
conversion of the 42,417 Estimates
acres from conventional-till
cropping to no-till alone Converting a large number
had an annual estimated of acres of convention-
reduction of carbon dioxide ally tilled cropland to no-till
equivalent levels of 14,800 throughout a 760-square-mile
tons.” watershed played a critical role
in improving the quality of
On a per-acre basis, the water flowing through the North
conversion of convention- Canadian River in Oklahoma,
al-till cropland to no-till says Shanon Phillips, water qual-
resulted in an estimated ity director for the Oklahoma
reduction of 0.35 tons of Conservation Commission.
carbon dioxide. Planting
cover crops resulted in a Another benefit of this
carbon dioxide reduction of 0.26 tons conversion was carbon
per acre. Installing grassed water- sequestration. Project organiz-
ways caused an estimated reduction ers used the NRCS online tool
of carbon dioxide of 1.12 tons per COMET-Planner to estimate
acre. Establishing permanent cover in greenhouse-gas emissions and
riparian areas reduced carbon dioxide carbon sequestration on a farm
an estimated 1.14 tons per acre, while or ranch. It’s designed to repre-
retiring marginal lands from cropland sent management and growing
to grass pasture reduced carbon diox- conditions for multiple-county
ide an estimated 1.12 tons per acre. eco-regions within a state.
“We all worked together to make
the changes needed to address the COMET-Farm is a similar
problem of poor water quality in the tool designed to accommodate
more detailed site-specific
information, providing a whole-
farm carbon and greenhouse
gas accounting system.
For further information, visit
comet-planner.com or
comet-farm.com. •
38 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021
CARBON Account for Carbon
FARMING ONLINE TOOLS ESTIMATE THE AMOUNT OF CARBON LEAVING THE AIR AND GOING INTO YOUR SOIL.
“[Agriculture] is also
one of the lowest-cost
alternatives for carbon
dioxide drawdown, along
with having the most
co-benefits for crop pro-
duction and the environ-
ment,” he says.
Yet, realizing this po-
tential to mitigate climate
change through carbon
sequestration assumes a
reduction in agriculture’s
own emissions of green-
house gases.
“Agricultural activities
themselves account for ap-
proximately 13% of global
No-till, cover cropped fields anthropogenic emissions,”
with rich soils can play a says Paustian. “The
valuable role in sequestering magnitude of emissions
carbon. from agriculture — in
the absence of mitigation
policies — is expected to
By Raylene Nickel include improved water infiltration, grow with the projected expansion of
Building carbon in the soil is reduced soil erosion, and more robust agricultural lands and the intensifica-
the cornerstone of building
soil health. plant growth with the potential for tion of production to supply increasing
“We know from the
testimonials of farmers reduced purchased inputs such as demand for food, fiber, and energy.
that building carbon-rich
soils builds resiliency into fertilizers or even herbicides. In short, “Mitigation of greenhouse gases
the cropping system,” says
Colorado State University these cropping systems become more in the agricultural context implies
soil ecologist Keith Paustian. “In a
drought, soils that have improved their resilient to wide swings in weather and sequestering more carbon in soil or-
carbon level will perform much better
than soils depleted in carbon.” adverse growing conditions. ganic matter, increasing nutrient-use
The carbon-building process
originates in plants, which assimilate Beyond benefiting farmers directly efficiency, decreasing nutrient and
carbon in the form of carbon dioxide,
extracting it from the air to make roots, through improved crop performance, soil losses, and improving livestock
shoots, and leaves. Soil microorganisms
feed on plant roots and residue. Their the potential for agriculture, as a whole, performance,” he says.
feeding activity leads to final-stage
breakdown of plant material, resulting to draw carbon from the air and se-
in the formation of soil organic matter,
stabilized soil aggregates, and seques- quester the carbon in the soil is gaining Carbon Sequestering
tering of carbon from the atmosphere.
Benefits to cropping systems center- visibility by leaps and bounds as an im- Practices
ing on residue-rich, high-carbon soils
portant means of drawing down levels Farm practices offering potential for
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. carbon sequestration, greenhouse
gas reduction, or both include the
“According to recent reports from
the Intergovernmental Panel on planting of cover crops, perennials, or
Climate Change and the National tree shelterbelts and reducing tillage
Academy of Sciences, the agricultural through no-till or strip-till. Reducing
sector has a lot of potential for near- nutrient inputs and improving nutri-
term greenhouse gas mitigation — as ent-use efficiency also offer potential
much as 3 billion metric tons per for greenhouse gas reductions.
year of carbon dioxide, globally,” says As agriculture steps to the stage
Paustian. “That amount is about 40% as a key player in sequestering soil
of current global carbon dioxide emis- carbon and reducing greenhouse gases,
sions from the transportation sector farmers and ranchers should expect
(cars, trucks, ships, and planes). financial incentives for providing
Photography: Gil Gullickson August 2021 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 39
CARBON FARMING The full-farm carbon-accounting How to Use
system is designed for use by farmers, Online Tool
“ecosystem services that are valuable crop consultants, or NRCS field staff.
for society as a whole,” says Paustian. Users input a farm’s field-by-field crop- U se of the COMET-Farm
The incentives could come from price ping and tillage history and possible online tool ideally requires
premiums for farm products produced future changes in management. The medium-level skills in data entry
through practices that sequester car- tool also permits livestock producers to and some familiarity with the use
bon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, evaluate management practices. Site- of similar tools, says Brian Brandt,
or reduce runoff of nitrate from fields. specific features enable the tool to tailor who input data into the COMET-
calculations to a specific farm or ranch. Farm program for the American
The evolution in markets for farm Farmland Trust case studies.
products tied to ecosystem services will Farm-scale measurements by
potentially drive increasing use of tools COMET-Farm were included in case “I spent two to four hours in-
designed to estimate carbon sequestra- putting the data from each farm,”
tion and greenhouse gas reductions on Soils also have other benefits besides the he says. “Many farmers would
ability to sequester carbon. These perks be able to use the tool and get an
a farm-by-farm basis. That is the pur- include increased water infiltration and output that’s valuable to them.
pose of COMET-Farm, a greenhouse reduced soil erosion. But it takes time and effort to use
gas quantification tool available online. the tool effectively.”
The tool was developed through a part- studies done by American Farmland
nership between the USDA Natural Trust (AFT) as part of a project A companion tool to COMET-
Resources Conservation Service designed to quantify economic and en- Farm, COMET-Planner allows for
(NRCS) and Colorado State University. vironmental outcomes on farms where simpler and more streamlined
soil-health practices had been adopted. use. COMET-Planner, which is tai-
“COMET-Farm (CarbOn The AFT is a national organization lored to represent management
Management and Evaluation Tool) working to protect agricultural land, and growing conditions for multi-
lets farmers evaluate the impact of promote environmentally sound county eco-regions within a state,
their management practices on green- farming practices, and keep farmers is preprogrammed with a list of
house gas emissions on a farm scale,” on the land. NRCS conservation practices.
says Paustian. “It can serve as a deci-
sion-support system that lets you see COMET-Farm uncovered dramat- By keying in current cropping
how changes in management practices ic results on an Ohio farm adopting and tillage options and then
could affect carbon levels in the soil conservation practices and participating selecting one or more of the listed
or emissions of greenhouse gases from in the AFT case studies. No-till had conservation practices, users
your farm. The tool doesn’t directly replaced conventional-till on the corn- can see how the prospective
estimate carbon levels presently in the and-soybean operation. The farmer be- management change would
soil; it estimates changes in soil carbon gan growing cover crops and adopted impact greenhouse gas emissions
stocks and greenhouse gas emissions variable-rate fertilizer applications. and carbon sequestration on their
resulting from different management farm. •
scenarios.” A COMET-Farm analysis on one
Learn More
Keith Paustian
Email:
[email protected]
Websites:
cometfarm.nrel.colostate.edu
comet-planner.com
field showed that the operator’s soil-
health practices resulted in a 494%
reduction in total greenhouse gas
emissions. The case study states that
the reduction “corresponds to taking
17 cars off the road.” The farm’s rate of
carbon sequestration was factored into
the emissions reduction.
“On the case-study farm, the greatest
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
occur when you start adding cover
crops or perennials to the system,” says
Brian Brandt, AFT agriculture
conservation innovations director.
“Generating plant biomass allows
carbon sequestration to occur.”
40 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021
DynaGroSeed.com
© 2021 Loveland Products, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dyna-Gro is a registered trademark of Loveland Products, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOYBEAN
SULTANS
A clean field of soybeans goes a
long way in helping U.S. soybean
export markets, says Seth
Naeve, a University of Minnesota
Extension agronomist.
beans that farmers send him
in a 2-pound soybean sample
from fields they harvested.
Overall, samples averaged
just 0.2% FM —far below
the 1% FM threshold estab-
lished by China. In many
areas, FM averaged below
.01% in samples submitted.
“U.S. farmers will say
[dirty] soybeans do not leave
my farm, and it’s absolutely
true,” says Naeve.
In the Weeds
inimal FM, though,
may house a plethora of
weed seed. For example,
BE MR. CLEAN 6% of 2019’s 1,600 samples
contained waterhemp and
Palmer amaranth — weeds
Weed seeds can impact soybean exports. with small seed sizes that can
quickly add up.
“The sheer quantity
By Gil Gullickson resistant weeds present in China as well.” of pigweed species is just
Executive Editor, Crops Technology Still, this factor could be a sticking point overwhelming, and which
[email protected] | @GilGullickson regarding exports, given China’s history of leads it to be quite common
erecting trade barriers. “All these barriers in samples,” says Naeve.
eth Naeve spends much of his time get mixed up into one big mash,” says Naeve.
working with Minnesota farmers to Of the 25% of samples
efficiently grow bushels of soybeans. Long story short: If a buyer from a coun- containing weed seeds, many
These days, though, the University try like China finds corn or herbicide- were large weed seeds such
of Minnesota Extension agronomist resistant weed seed in a soybean shipment, as velvetleaf and ragweed.
also is looking thousands of miles away it could inflict significant price penalties that Samples also contained
at quality factors that indirectly hit U.S. work its way back through the system to volunteer corn, although
soybean farmers in the pocketbook. This U.S. soybean farmers. Naeve suspects overall corn
issue differs, though, from the usual foreign “It may not affect farmers directly, but accumulation in soybeans
material (FM) standards. those things can come back to bite us collec- throughout the supply chain
“Even before trade restrictions came into tively as a whole,” says Naeve. is a larger factor than volun-
place [under the Trump Administration], teer corn during harvest.
Chinese officials came forward and they Clean, Clean, Clean
were really concerned with weed seed in oybeans typically are assessed for factors Corn Contamination
their soybean imports,” says Naeve. such as FM, moisture, splits, and discolor- he August derecho last year
ation. Grain companies dock the product if that pummeled cornfields
Keep in mind that China is, well, China.
“The Chinese have very interesting and those standards are not met. across the Midwest spawned
complex purchasing patterns,” says Naeve. The good news is Minnesota soybean a sea of volunteer corn this
“There’s a real concern [in China] with farmers are meeting those standards in sam- year. Still, little of it surfaces
importing herbicide-resistant weeds, even ples Naeve collects. in the soybean commodity
though we know that there are herbicide- Each year, he assesses the quality of soy- chain.
42 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: University of Minnesota; Gil Gullickson
Don’t Comingle
Treated Seed
Comingling untreated going to be fairly low.”
soybean seed with The issue is that corn and soybeans are
those treated with an
insecticide/fungicide can handled in tandem at harvest.
impact soybean export “There’s an opportunity for contamina-
markets. China, for exam- tion in every wagon, every auger, every bin,
ple, raised concerns about every truck, every dump pit at the elevator,
treated soybean seed every leg, every silo, and hopper car going
it received in Brazilian out to the West Coast. Every time we move
shipments. soybeans, it gives us more of an opportunity
to [unintentionally] add just a little bit more
“It’s a reminder for corn to the soybeans,” Naeve says.
farmers not to hide
treated seed in soybeans “Corn has a genetic challenge in that the
going into the commodity
chain,” says Seth Naeve, traits it carries when intermingled with soy-
University of Minnesota beans may not be allowed in certain coun-
Extension agronomist. tries, whether that’s China or elsewhere,” he
“Once it gets to an export adds. “So, we can have vessels being declined
destination, the entire at market due to the presence of a handful of
load in the vessel could corn kernels.”
be rejected if they find
treated soybeans in the What to Do Export customers express concern over purchasing
ship. It not only costs grain soybeans contaminated by seeds from weeds, such
companies money, but ranted, much of keeping the oilseed as waterhemp.
those costs eventually export channel clean is beyond a farmer’s
get pushed back to the control. Still, Naeve says farmers can reduce ture content to reduce splitting and cracking.
grower.” • contamination and also help their own farms • Properly store soybeans. Monitor
grain bins and aerate to keep soybeans in
through steps like these: condition.
Most of the corn found • Manage weeds. Apply herbicides University of Minnesota Extension has
developed a series of videos designed to help
in soybeans destined for judiciously and employ weed management farmers keep their soybeans clean when
heading off the farm for export markets.
exports comes from other tactics to keep fields clean from planting Go to https://bit.ly/3A1Ail2.
sources, explains Naeve. through harvest. “There’s a real value in “We want to increase the value of our
exports,” Naeve says. To do this, we are
“To be sure, farmers need to farmers managing resistant weeds from taking a whole-farm approach.”
manage volunteer corn,” he the very start,” says Naeve. Keeping weeds
says. “Volunteers, though, from going to seed reduces other additional
typically don’t yield well to problems.
begin with. That means the • Reduce soybean damage at harvest.
number of kernels of corn Set combines to keep foreign material out of
relative to soybeans is really the hopper, and harvest at the correct mois-
The fungal disease Nix Pod and Stem Blight
pod and stem blight
can affect soybean Pod and stem blight, a fungal exhibiting a gray mold as they
disease boosted by wet, warm crack and shrivel. This can lead to
seed quality. conditions and continuous soybean decomposition and low viability
planting, can impact soybean produc- following harvest, with blighted
tion even after harvest through seedlings resulting.
seed damage.
Farmers can manage pod and stem
One infection sign is the blight by rotating to non-hosts such as
appearance of black, raised dots corn and wheat. Some soybean
(pycnidia) arranged in rows on varieties tolerate pod and stem blight
infected stems, pods, and fallen more than others, says Dean Malvick,
petioles late in the season. Upper a University of Minnesota Extension
portions of infected plants may turn agronomist. Foliar or seed treatment
yellow and die. fungicides can also curb infections,
he adds.
Seeds may also be infected,
August 2021 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 43
SEED
MASTERS
Soybean diseases like frogeye mode of action.
leaf spot and sudden death It’s unknown how well
syndrome are moving northward,
says Sam Markell, North Dakota the frogeye leaf pathogen
State University Extension plant overwinters in cold cli-
pathologist. mates like North Dakota.
“This can influence how
and Tennessee. “Before it was early the disease appears in
confirmed [in North Dakota] the season,” says Markell.
in 2020, we never even Early appearance can greatly
talked about it,” says Sam influence potential yield loss,
Markell, North Dakota State he says.
University Extension plant
pathologist. Brown Stem Rot
No more. Although yield ot surprisingly, brown
stem rot (BSR) is char-
losses are often scant with leaf
diseases, this leaf disease can acterized by internal stem
slice yields up to 30% during browning, akin to lead in a
wet years, according to Bayer pencil, says Markell.
Crop Science findings. It’s Visual symptoms, such as
estimated that this residue- leaf defoliation and pre-
and seed-borne fungal disease mature maturation, can be
inflicted an estimated $100 similar to SDS. However,
HIDDEN DISEASES million in damage in the symptoms are not always
North Central and Mid- visible on leaves, he says.
South regions of the United
Cool weather during
Scout now for these later-season States in 2019, says Markell. flowering favors infections,
soybean stressors. “It likes hot and humid he adds. Like SDS, soybean
cyst nematode (SCN) can
conditions, which is one
By Gil Gullickson reason we saw a lot of it in enhance BSR. Soil pH levels
Executive Editor, Crops Technology 2020 in North Dakota,” he says. “When we less than 6.5 also encourage
[email protected] | @GilGullickson walked around fields in late August, we brown stem rot. Left un-
started seeing these spots with grayness in checked, BSR can clip yields
oybean farmers used to be able to catch the middle and a dark purple-brownish ring more than 30%, but yield
some rest and relaxation (R&R) in Au- on the outside. We’d seen spots on soybeans losses of 10% to 20% are
before, but this was different.” more common, says Dean
gust before heading into harvest.
Resistant varieties are one way to combat Malvick, University of Min-
No more. Hidden soybean diseas-
es that often surface in August may
prompt farmers to instead shift R&R plans frogeye leaf spot. Fungicides are another nesota (U of M) Extension
postharvest. Mid- to late-season diseases option, although widespread frogeye leaf plant pathologist.
can turn a deep green-hued soybean into a spot resistance to Qol (strobilurin) fungicides “It’s often under-recog-
scarred and chlorotic mess by August’s end. complicates this tool. nized and under-managed,
Preemptive fungicide applications can “If you see frogeye leaf spot in your [Iowa] even though we have some
preserve yield potential with some dis- field, chances are it is 100% resistant to Qol very good varieties that have
eases, such as white mold. Other diseases, fungicides,” says Daren Mueller, Iowa State high levels of resistance,” he
including sudden death syndrome (SDS), University Extension plant pathologist. says. Rotating with corn or
are beyond a farmer’s control. Still, Au- Strobilurin-resistant frogeye leaf spot even other crops is another good
gust scouting can help nix disease potential surfaces in states where it’s just been recently management option, he says.
in subsequent years through selection of confirmed, such as North Dakota. About
resistant or tolerant varieties, fungicides, and 25% of 300 samples of 2020 soybeans infect- Sudden Death
seed treatments. ed with frogeye leaf spot that Markell sent Syndrome
Frogeye Leaf Spot to a University of Kentucky laboratory were ince being discovered in
Arkansas in 1971, sudden
resistant to strobilurin fungicides. Thus,
rogeye leaf spot used to be limited to Mid- farmers and applicators should include a death syndrome (SDS) has
South states, such as Arkansas, Kentucky, fungicide with a DMI (triazole) or a SDHI trekked northward.
44 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Gil Gullickson
Brown stem rot mimics lead in a Laboratory confirmation is White Mold
pencil inside a soybean stem. best when a farmer suspects
SDS is infecting soybeans. This One bright spot if
SDS leaf symptoms requires sending roots to the the early summer
surface in August, but lab, as it is a root disease, says scorching drought in
the pathogen initially Markell. many areas continues:
infects soybean roots There likely won’t be
in the spring. The best way to manage SDS much white mold in
is by planting resistant varieties, soybeans.
say Mueller and Malvick.
The fungal disease
Resistant varieties showed needs cool and wet
a 15.1% yield advantage over weather for the white
susceptible ones on fields with an mold fungus to infect
SDS history in university trials soybeans. That’s good
at around 50 locations from 2013 news for soybean farmers.
to 2019 in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, For every 10% increase
Michigan, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and in the incidence of white
Ontario. mold observed at R7
(beginning maturity)
Ilevo and Saltro seed treatments are growth stage, yield can be
also ways to manage SDS. Because SCN is reduced by 2 to 5 bushels
linked to SDS, taking steps to manage SCN, per acre, according to Crop
such as planting SCN-resistant varieties, is Protection Network data.
another way to manage SDS, adds Markell.
“There are some
Stem Canker varieties that tolerate
white mold better than
Stem canker kills tem canker infections normally surface be- others,” says Sam Markell,
the soybean plant tween mid-July and maturity, particularly North Dakota State
University Extension
by encircling the under wet and cool weather. specialist. “Fungicides
plant. “Reddish-brown lesions form at the base can also be a good tool,
especially when cool
of branches or leaf petioles,” says Malvick. and wet conditions are
expected.”
“These develop into elongated brown can-
For best results, spray
kers that often girdle the stem and kill it.” a fungicide when 80%
of plants are flowering
Farmers and crop scouts may confuse during the R1 stage
(beginning bloom), says
symptoms with Phytophthora root rot, al- Randy Myers, Bayer
agronomic solutions
though it doesn’t rot roots the way Phytoph- manager. •
“It’s intimately linked with soybean thora does, says Malvick.
cyst nematode,” says Markell. “So as SCN Stem canker can cut yield up to nearly
expands, you often expect SDS to show up 50% on susceptible varieties under favorable
later.” conditions, according to the Crop Pro-
Its first visible symptom is chlorotic leaves tection Network (CPN), a multistate and
that appear in August. In reality, SDS infects international partnership of university and
soybeans much earlier. Favored by wet provincial Extension specialists and public
spring weather, this soilborne fungal patho- and private crop professionals.
gen invades the roots of soybean seedlings. Cool and wet weather favors the onset of
It produces a toxin that spreads through the stem canker, as does conservation tillage,
plant, which spurs chlorosis and leaf defolia- which provides a residue haven for fungal
tion months later. pathogens that spawn stem canker.
“Another symptom of SDS is that just Although it can rub conservation tillage
petioles remain on the plant because all backers the wrong way, tillage can alleviate
leaves have dropped,” says Markell. “Yield stem canker outbreaks. Fungicide-treated
losses can be pretty devastating.” seed also can alleviate problems. Seed
ISU and U of M plant pathologists note companies also sell resistant and moderate-
SDS can cause up to 40% yield losses, espe- ly resistant varieties to stem canker,
cially when symptoms develop early. Malvick says.
Photography: Gil Gullickson; Sam Markell, and Dean August 2021 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 45
Malvick, University of Minnesota
THE CHOICE IS YOURS AT ROUNDUPREADYXTEND.COM/SYSTEMOFCHOICE
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BRAINY
BINS
aerate grain, and it precisely
directs air to hot spots when
an abnormality appears in
the bin. When it’s time to
clean out the bin, the stacks
retract so a sweep auger can
run underneath.
ALLEVIATING HARVEST HEADACHES Investing in DRI-Stack
Iowa State alumni develop DRI-Stack to speed grain drying,
reduce energy use, and improve grain quality. n 2020, Glienke erected
a 42-foot bin that holds
By Laurie Bedord, Executive Editor, News & Technology grain bin more efficiently than traditional 40,000 bushels, and he
[email protected] | @BedordLaurie plenum-based grain drying and aeration sys- equipped it with the DRI-
tems. DRI-Stack can dry high-moisture corn Stack. The system’s simplici-
ach fall any number of variables can (up to 25%) in less time using less energy, ty is what initially caught his
slow down harvest. Whether long while reducing damage. attention. “All I had to do
lines at the elevator or drying speed, was set up the auger and load
it pays to remove bottlenecks for im- “Compared with natural air drying, the the bin. I didn’t have to move
corn to the dryer and then
proved efficiency. DRI-Stack can dry corn up to five times into another bin. I simply
filled the bin and turned the
“For years, we used a continuous flow dry- faster, and it’s 50% more energy-efficient. We system on,” he says.
er that was PTO-driven. It had a lot accomplish that by breaking the bin For its first run, the DRI-
Stack was tasked with drying
of moving parts and consumed a great up into 7-foot sections,” says Ethan late-maturing corn at around
22% moisture. Glienke admits
deal of our time in the fall,” says Keith Marti, head of sales, Haber Technolo- he was anxious about how the
system would perform.
Glienke, who farms in northwest gies. “Each of the pneumatically pow-
“Typically, a traditional
Iowa with son Jason. “I wanted to ered valves can release and receive air, natural air-drying system
takes a lot of fan capacity
upgrade to a better system, but many which is taken from the plenum and because you’re pushing the
moisture all the way through
options were cost-prohibitive.” released at higher levels in the bin. the grain, to the top,” he says.
“Although my bin has nine
In search of an affordable way to Eric Harweger By drying in layers, corn dries more rings, the company said it
only needed one 20-hp. fan.”
improve grain drying, Glienke came quickly, yet it maintains its quality.”
Within 10 days, moisture
across DRI-Stack by Haber Technolo- Valves and sensors are linked to a was at 15.5%. “With
three-phase electric power, it
gies based in Ames, Iowa. Developed computer on the outside of the bin cost me 4¢ a bushel to get it
to that level,” Glienke says.
by Iowa State University alumni that syncs with a cell phone. The com- “Not only is it inexpensive
compared with a convention-
Eric Harweger and Dillon Hurd, the puter also controls the fans and the al drying system, but the
DRI-Stack also allowed me
system consists of a series of air tube low-heat burner. Once grain is at the to harvest my later-maturing
corn first and let early-ma-
stacks containing valves that direct desired moisture, the fully automat- turing varieties dry in the
field. If it was a wet fall, I
airflow to specific locations within a Dillon Hurd ed system continues to monitor and could probably turn the same
bin over three times in a
season if I needed to.”
48 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Manufacturer
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ROUNDING
THE BASES
Mast Farms recently purchased
an ExactEmerge upgrade kit to
enhance the performance of its
John Deere 1770NT planter.
Even though the Masts
couldn’t justify the cost
of upgrading to a new
ExactEmerge planter, they
could turn their current
John Deere 1770NT 16-row
planter into a like-new tool.
“Our planter is still very
functional, so there was no
need to replace it. Because
we wanted the technology
only, going with the upgrade
THE PERFECT PITCH kit made more sense,” Mast
says. “We didn’t want to
The latest planter technology delivers optimal spend just north of $200,000
seed placement for these farmers to more for a new planter, but we
were willing to spend about
$75,000 for an upgrade.”
effectively — and more efficiently — hit the strike zone. Testing Tech
By Laurie Bedord delivery system leverages electric motors that or Silent Shade Planting
Company, replacing four
Executive Editor, News & Technology independently control seed meters and brush regular planters with two
[email protected] | @BedordLaurie belts that place seed based in ground speed. DR18 ExactEmerge planters
Rather than a traditional seed tube, it uses made sense on paper. While
ne of the most important qualities of a trench delivery system that picks the seed the company’s operators
a great pitcher is control. Each ball off the meter and delivers it about 2 inches were excited about the pros-
thrown over home plate has a pur- above the bottom of the seed trench. pect of high-speed planting
pose and a target. The same is true
for the planter in farming. “When I saw the BrushBelt trench de- and eliminating the crunch
“We get one chance to place the seed livery system, I was impressed with how it time in spring, they were
exactly where it needs to be and hit a specific took the seed off the bowl-shaped meter and also skeptical. Could the
strike zone,” says Steve Mast, who farms controlled it all the way down to the seed new planter travel at up to
with brothers Brent and Earl in Payson, trench,” Mast says. 10 mph and still place seed
Illinois. “Because that responsibility rests Hydraulic downforce was another accurately?
solely on the planter, it has to be as effective appealing feature. “The main area we can Unwilling to go all in on
and efficient as possible.” improve on is seed placement. I believe hy-
draulic downforce will help us achieve more planters without a test, the
Mast has always paid close attention to the uniform seed spacing and planting depth,” Belzoni, Mississippi, oper-
latest in equipment technology. When John he says. “It will adjust five times per second ation opted to first invest
Deere introduced the ExactEmerge planter in a 1725 planter (12-row,
at the 2014 National Farm Machinery Show, and make adjustments of 100 pounds in less 38-inch) with ExactEmerge
he was there the moment it was revealed. than a second, which ensures we maintain to evaluate performance.
consistent depth.” “The accuracy of the seed
Innovative Components
With a high-speed planter, they are also placement and the planter’s
y incorporating innovative components able to optimize the ever-shrinking plant- ability to correctly repeat
into the row unit, ExactEmerge doubles ing window. “Because we can cover more that placement were key.
traditional planting speeds, up to 10 mph, acres in a day, we can stop planting 36 hours We were impressed at how
while still maintaining optimal seed place- ahead of a cold weather front, which has well it performed,” says
ment in varying field conditions. The seed affected emergence in the past,” Mast says. Jeremy Jack, who farms at
50 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Courtesy Steve Mast
+Gain Convenience.
ROUNDING
THE BASES
continued
Silent Shade with wife Elizabeth, parents have seen our highest yields, so we plant in By incorporating innovative
Willard and Laura Lee Jack, and his sister, optimal conditions,” Jack says, adding that components into the ExactEmerge
Stacie Koger. they’ve been able to plant 400 acres in a day row unit, farmers can double
with one DR18 planter. traditional planting speeds, up to
Convinced the planter was the right fit, 10 mph, while still maintaining
two DR18 ExactEmerge planters were pur- The variable-rate drive system takes what optimal seed placement in varying
chased in 2017. The switch not only allowed Jack describes as “the most difficult piece of field conditions.
them to cut the amount of equipment in technology we ever ran” and turns it into a
half but also reduce labor. seamless operation. cloud, they dug a little
deeper, and noticed one of
“We eliminated two tractors and reduced “I can remember going back and forth to the wings was planting at a
some support equipment like seed tenders, the office about five times because I couldn’t reduced rate.
as well as the operators it took to run those get the prescription to work on our first
machines,” Jack says. “From an efficiency variable-rate planter,” he recalls. “Technol- “We were able to dial into
standpoint, these planters have made a big ogy has made variable-rate seeding seamless exactly what was wrong
difference in our operation.” today. Because these systems work together before we even looked at the
now, the John Deere Operations Center has planter. There was a small
While the DR18 ExactEmerge planters years of data I can overlay. With a few clicks, hole in the vacuum, and it
do most of the planting, a John Deere 1725 I can make a prescription and then send it to wasn’t pulling the seeds in
MaxEmerge planter (16-row, 30-inch) was the tractor wirelessly.” correctly. When we got to
later added to help with timing due to the planter, we already knew
weather. For example, if they need to start Remote Monitoring where to start looking, and
planting cotton but still have some soybeans we found the problem,” Jack
to plant, the DR18 planters will tackle
ack says having the ability to better mon- says. “Because we have all
the cotton while the 1725 planter finishes itor the planter remotely has also proved of this information at our
soybeans. beneficial. “During planting, there was an fingertips, we have become
issue the operator didn’t catch,” he says. “In much quicker at solving
Because they’re able to plant faster, they one field, the as-applied map for the planting problems and moving
can also take advantage of windows when rate was supposed to be 32,000 seeds per forward.”
conditions are ideal. “In the last 10 years, acre. Yet, the average was showing 29,000
we’ve noticed there are certain days when seeds per acre.” As farmers try to raise
we need to plant our crops for better yields. Since everything the planter does is being crops in an environment
With these planters, we can wait for those recorded and sent to MyJohnDeere in the where many variables are
perfect time periods, where historically we beyond their control, both
Mast and Jack say ExactE-
merge technology is giving
them the ability to perfect
their pitch, so they can better
manage the variables that
are within their control.
52 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Manufacturer
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YOUNG
FARMERS
Kate Edwards owns a 16-acre
CSA farm in Iowa that supplies
vegetabes to 250 familes.
to make land accessible to
beginners.”
A Shared Vision
ory and Lynette Van Wyk
found that to be true when
they finally purchased a
40-acre farm near Winterset,
Iowa. After a long search
for the right-size farm, they
found an attractive proper-
ty on Practical Farmers of
Iowa’s website, findafarmer.
net. The site offers listings of
beginning farmers looking
for land and landowners
with land for sale.
“We contacted the seller
FINDING THE FARM of the property and went to
look at it,” says Rory Van
Beginning farmers overcome obstacles when Wyk. “We shared with him
our vision of what we want-
ed to do with the farm, and
sellers offer flexibility. that sealed the deal. He did
have a cash offer from a local
By Raylene Nickel is now the focus of her “off-farm” work as a farmer looking to expand an
Farmland Access Navigator for Renewing existing operation. But in the
fter earning a master’s degree in the Countryside, a Minnesota-based organi- end, the seller gave us the
engineering, Kate Edwards, Iowa zation supporting rural communities. option to buy the farm.”
City, Iowa, did an about-face on “We help beginning farmers find land The landowner had
career choice and decided that what
she wanted most for her life’s work that’s appropriately sized for the type of grown up on the farm, says
was farming. She’d come to love it while farm operation they envision,” says Ed- Van Wyk. His parents built
spending time with her farmer-grandpar- wards. “We help them figure out, too, if the house, and he’d prom-
ents as a kid. But she’d grown up thinking zoning or developmental regulations limit ised his father he would sell
farming was out of reach. Encouragement the land’s accessibility.” Financing is another it to a family who’d turn the
from others pushed her toward her dream. realm Edwards helps beginners navigate. 40-acre property back into “a
She started in 2010 by renting 1 acre to High land prices often hamstring the small working farm.”
launch a community-supported agriculture beginners she The seller further lived up
(CSA) called Wild Woods Farm. Over time works with. to his promise to his father
Edwards, now 34, changed farm sites twice, “The gener- “If we want the by pricing the property
and today her owned, 16-acre farm is the larg- ational land next generation affordably. “He had it listed
est CSA in Iowa, supplying vegetables to 250 wealth – it’s below market value,” says
families and employing six seasonal workers. hard to get be- of farmers Van Wyk. “He could have
yond that struc- to succeed, made a lot more money if he
What she’s learned firsthand over the past ture,” she says. landowners had gone through a Realtor.
decade is that beginning farmers looking “If we want the have to make But he wanted to be able to
to start their own operations face “a lot of next generation land accessible screen prospective buyers
obstacles.” Finding an affordable, accessible, of farmers to to beginners.” himself. Besides that, he
and appropriately sized acreage tops the list.
Helping both alternative and conventional succeed, land- – Kate Edwards wanted to find a family who
prospective farmers overcome these obstacles owners have would live in the house.”
Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Derek Lehman
YOUNG
FARMERS
continued
Rory and Lynette you can know your farm
Van Wyk have a grass- is going into the hands of
fed meats business. someone who cares as deeply
for your farm as you do, and
The Van Wyks and their two school-age values what you’ve done over
children are using the property to build a your life.”
small, grass-fed meats business that will
eventually supply meat to local customers It’s a Calling
looking for local sources of “healthy food and
who want to support small farmers,” he says. ale Nimrod, Decorah,
Iowa, experienced that
“Our first goal is to grow as much of our vision when in 2004 he
own food as possible,” says Van Wyk. “We
run grass-fed beef, lamb, and feeder pigs on and his siblings sold their
pasture. We also have pastured broilers and
laying hens, along with a 4,000-square-foot parents’ farm near Stanton,
garden we share with other families.”
Iowa. Their father had died
Like the Van Wyks, Margo and Andrew
Hanson-Pierre found some flexibility in the at a young age, leaving his
selling landowner who helped them eventu-
ally secure their 20-acre CSA vegetable farm wife and children to care for
near Shafer, Minnesota. The couple bought
the farm in 2018 after a six-month search. the farm alone. Nimrod says
“The farms we found for sale were either his family’s tending of the
5 acres or 120 acres; rarely were they 20 to
40 acres,” says Margo. “That was the size farm was something of “a
we were looking for since we only planned
to cultivate about 3 acres of vegetables. We calling.”
would often find farms that were the right
size with decent soil but with a home in But in time, his mother
disrepair. Or, we’d find a beautiful home on
a wooded lot or on land that was very soggy died, and he and his siblings
and wouldn’t work as a vegetable farm.”
holders make up their vegetable CSA. built lives off the farm.
Their search finally led them to the farm
they eventually purchased, which they Their financing of the farm through a When it was time to sell it,
named Clover Bee Farm. Now, 43 share-
low-interest USDA Farm Service Agency Nimrod had one goal: “I
(FSA) Beginning Farmer’s Loan ended up wanted to help my home
requiring some flexibility on the part of the community of Stanton,” he
sellers. Fortunately, the couple had already says. “We wanted to sell it to a
built a relationship with the sellers, prompt- young farmer who would be
ing them to support the young farmers. tied into the community.”
“When we initially reached out to the By asking local pastors, he
sellers, we sent them our offer, along with found a young couple who
an explanation of the FSA loan process,” was looking for a farm. To set
says Andrew. “We also sent them a heartfelt a fair price for the property,
letter telling our farming story and what our Nimrod ignored market
hope for our future looked like. They fell in value. Instead, he asked the
love with our mission and accepted our offer, young farmers to draw up
understanding the loan process.” business plans to serve as a
But shortly before the couple completed guide for setting a value for
their application, the property was appraised the farm based on the value
for $10,000 less than their offer to the sellers. of its production potential.
“That meant we either had to come up with “Making it possible to
that $10,000 – which we didn’t have – or transfer our farm to this
hope the sellers would accept $10,000 less caring family has been one of
than our original offer,” he says. “Thank- the most satisfying things
fully, the sellers accepted the lower amount, I’ve done in my life,” says
and we were cleared to move forward with Nimrod. “If we had simply
our loan application.” sold the farm to the highest
Asked what insights he’d gained from the bidder, it never would have
process of buying their farm that he would happened.”
share with other land sellers, Margo had this
to say: “By selling your property to a buyer Learn More
who has a vision of living and farming there, renewingthecountryside.org
Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Eliana Franzenburg
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arming Liv!ċ
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4O
SEASONS
The Johnson family produces
cattle and row crops in Spink
County, South Dakota. Soil health
is a main focus for the farm.
NO-TILL SAVED THEIR FARM rows to 20-inch rows. That
change increased residue,
The soil health decisions Alan Johnson made decades ago says Brian. “You’ve also got
are paying off for his grandchildren. increased yield potential and
simplified planting methods
By Mitch Kezar “Some of the decisions Alan made years with soybeans. We just split
ago are paying off now,” said Shane Jordan, the corn rows with soybeans.
lan Johnson is proud that his grand- district conservationist with the Natural I didn’t have to change a
children know the land. “We’re Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) whole lot because the foot-
driving through the pasture in the in Redfield and Clark counties. “I can’t print had been made.”
UTV,” he says with a grin. “Lila emphasize enough the importance of keep-
reaches out and grabs a couple stems ing residue on the ground. The Johnsons’ Around the late 1990s,
of grass. ‘Oh, this is crested wheat grass,’ she operation has residue levels that are 80% or the weather changed in the
says. ‘And this one is brome grass.’ That’s more.” Low residue in Spink County can Dakotas, says Brian. “We
neat. They can identify grasses and they’re mean salinity problems, compaction, low became very wet vs. very dry
really proud of what we’re doing here.” infiltration, and low water-holding capaci- like we were in the ’70s and
Proud with good reason. The Johnsons ty, says Jordan. “All those things cut into a ’80s. We had to handle that
are a South Dakota Leopold Conservation producer’s profitability.” extra water and use it effi-
winner, an award that recognizes excellence ciently.” The family wanted
in land stewardship and conservation ethics. The Johnson farm sits in northeastern to maintain their rotation of
The progressive nature of the operation South Dakota, near the town of Frankfort. cereal grain, and it became a
began nearly 40 years ago when Alan, Today, Brian and Jamie Johnson run the challenge with wet springs.
frustrated by back-to-back years of drought, bulk of the operation. When Brian came “We couldn’t physically get
tried his hand at no-till practices on their back to the farm, it had been no-tilled for in the field in April or May,”
cropland. Initially implemented to combat over 20 years. “I didn’t know any differ- says Brian.
drought, he learned that no-till helped them ent, because my dad started that practice
in wet years, too. Coupling no-till with crop when I was only 4,” he says. “No-till’s been They decided to redis-
rotations and cover crops, they’ve been able ingrained in my brain since I was little, and tribute some acres to the
to increase water infiltration and increase it works.” Conservation Reserve
soil health. Program (CRP). “With the
In 2000, the family switched from 30-inch technology we were using
– yield mapping and zone
mapping – we knew the
unproductive parts of our
cropland,” says Brian. Seven
parcels on the farm, from 2
to 25 acres, were put into the
CRP. “Those were little ar-
eas on the farm that needed
54 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Mitch Kezar, Charlie Dickie/ Kezar Media
Our nitrogen is more
productive, more predictable
and stays put, weather or not.
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pivotbio.com
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4O
SEASONS
continued
“Our soil structure is continuing to Alan and Mickie Johnson started running the farm in 1974.
improve,” says Brian Johnson. Today, Brian and wife Jamie have the help of Ella, 12; Lila, 10;
Leo, 7; and Evelyn, 3.
attention. That took care of the erosion and Their cows use cover crops and crop base. “Brian and I do a lot of
the salinity issues,” says Brian. residue as a feed source, spreading fertilizer the forward talking for the
through their manure as they go. “We pro- farm and Alan likes to stay
“Because of that change, we’re more prof- duce a forage crop, followed by a cover crop, in the background, but he’s
itable on those acres as well as the cropland and have the cattle out there to utilize that the one who went through
acres,” he says. “It’s become easier to farm cover,” says Brian. “The next year they’ll the hardest changes,” says
those acres because we don’t have water graze cornstalks. That livestock integration Jamie. “He did all the heavy
issues next to the cropland.” The CRP acres into those cropland acres has not only im- lifting, switching to no-till
also provide enjoyment for hunters. proved our profitability and saved our feed when there weren’t as many
costs, but also has improved our nutrient resources to get help.”
Grazing Cover Crops requirements on those fields and the ability
for water to be absorbed.” They have had cover
oing forward, Brian says the farm will crop failures, she says.
focus on changes to the livestock and grass One of the keys to success in their crop- “We’ve learned to adjust our
management. “We’re going to let livestock land operation is the variable-rate fertilizer herbicide to accommodate
graze the cover crops and crop residue in the and seed prescription service they use, says what we want to do with our
fall more than we do now.” He hopes one or Brian. In 2004, they signed up for a zone- cover crops. Those failures
two of their children will come back to the based prescription program that creates turn into learning moments.
farm. “Livestock provides them an avenue multiple zones within a field. Using soil and Sometimes it takes a couple
to come back and grow this operation.” tissue samples within those zones, the John- of years.”
Walking a pasture with daughter Lila, sons can fine-tune nutrient requirements.
Brian checks the grass. “We’ve had an The Johnsons have areas
abundance of rainfall, and the ground still “The data is based on our yield goals, of their farm that have never
seems to be absorbing all that rain,” he says. and prescribes only the amount necessary,” been touched. The native
“A lot of our success with water issues has to says Brian. “We’re never overapplying any prairie is used as livestock
do with my dad making the switch to no-till. nutrient. It’s an efficient, economical, and pastureland, and it’s rota-
That system allows us to withstand extremes environmentally friendly way of farming. tionally grazed.
in the environment and be able to get in the You’re never flat-applying anything. You’re
field in the spring in a timely fashion. Living never overapplying or underapplying. It’s “Someday our kids are
roots in the soil absorb the moisture and use exactly what that crop needs – the right going to take this operation
the nutrients. A conventionally-tilled oper- source, right time, right place, at the right even further than we will,”
ation cannot handle the water that a no-till rate: the four R’s of nutrient stewardship.” says Brian. “Failure on our
system can.” farm is not really failure, but
Jamie credits Alan for building a solid a learning experience.”
56 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Mitch Kezar, Joe Dickie/ Kezar Media
PORK
INSIDER
CRITICAL CARE between only looking at the death count of because of PigFlow,” he says.
residents quarterly vs. the way each patient “When you look at it from a
was cared for individually.” health care perspective, nurs-
es use technology to ensure
SwineTech platform empowers they are following processes
and to provide every patient
workers to improve the health Timely Care Key with the care needed. Those
and well-being of pigs. ost mortality losses, he says, are due to a tools were lacking in pork
lack of timely care. “They can be mainly production.”
attributed to the fact that employees are SwineTech’s solution is
PigFlow. The intelligent
ByLaurieBedord,Executive Editor, News & Technology often blind to what’s most important at any workforce and swine man-
agement platform empowers
[email protected] | @ BedordLaurie given time, which makes it very difficult to producers to implement,
be at the right place at the right time,” track, and adjust on-farm
hat do a pig farm and a hospital Rooda says. “Managers also lack the visibility processes from any place at
have in common? More than they need to ensure their teams are meeting, any time. With PigFlow,
or even exceeding, daily goals and expec- everyone knows where they
you might think, according to need to be and how they
tations because they are not able to verify need to respond. Because it
Matthew Rooda. Surrounded also makes managers aware
by pigs his entire life, the native of how well their employees
and farm are performing, it
Iowan has seen firsthand the problems pro- whether their people are correctly following enables managers to make
more informed decisions.
ducers face with processes and people. Yet the processes in place.”
By optimizing the flow of
it wasn’t until he became a medication aide In the customer discovery phase, they also information, the tool delivers
actionable intelligence in a
at a health care facility that he realized the found that many employees had no idea timely manner, so the best
outcome is achieved. A
pork industry lacked the tools necessary to where the important information they were
solve those problems. writing down went or how it was even being
“More than 550 million pigs die each year. used by management. The result – discon-
The cost of mortality combined with nected teams, higher employee turn-
labor turnover is $418 per sow annu- over, and increased pig mortality rates.
ally. Today, failure, as well as success, “A lot of the feedback we received
is measured across an entire herd taught us that if we want process
rather than by an individual animal,” compliance, we had to figure out how
says Rooda, CEO and cofounder to make the person on the farm feel
of SwineTech (swinetechnologies. more valued, understand the ‘why’
com). “In a hospital, it’s the difference Matthew Rooda better, and feel like his job is better
Photography: Manufacturer August 2021 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 57
GAIN IT ALL. PORK
INSIDER
IN OTHER WORDS,
continued
THESE AVERAGE
DAILY GAINS record of both the communication and the rolling tracker of sows cur-
AREN’T SO AVERAGE.
action are provided to evaluate the effective- rently giving birth, and how
:eight gain like this speaks
for itself. But it sure helps when ness of personnel, decisions, and processes. many minutes until they
the data backs it up. One study of
SLJV DFURVV À YH SURGXFWLRQ Rooda says this is accomplished by following need to be checked again. It’s
systems found Enterisol Ileitis
VLJQLÀ FDQWO\ LQFUHDVHV DYHUDJH six important steps that drive clarity, action, a great metric to figure out
daily gains. Three others found
LQFUHDVHG UHYHQXH RI and results. if you’re checking sows on
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per marketed pig. 1. Goals and expectations. time. As a result, producers
The overarching message?
<RX VWDQG WR JDLQ HYHU\WKLQJ ZLWK 2. Communication and training. have seen improvements in
(QWHULVRO Enteric Solutions.
See the results for yourself at 3. Behavior and action. stillborn birth numbers.”
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4. Completion and compliance. • Enhancing communica-
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(QWHULVRO Ileitis against ileitis, in Proceedings UG $QQX 5. Results and outcomes. tion. “With the app, each
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(17(5,62/ is a registered trademark of Boehringer “This cycle can be applied to day-to-day chat back and forth at any
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%RHKULQJHU ,QJHOKHLP $QLPDO +HDOWK 86$ ,QF 'XOXWK *$ processes, on-boarding, and technology im- time,” Long says. “In a mat-
$OO 5LJKWV 5HVHUYHG 86 325
plementation. It’s a constant cycle and feed- ter of days, it enabled a pret-
back loop,” Rooda says. “It’s how a producer ty efficient team to become a
refines his operation. Once the evaluations super-efficient team.”
and decisions are made, they feed right back Return on Investment
into step one. This continual feedback is
how we maximize our operations.” o date, PigFlow manages
nearly 25,000 sows and
Practical Benefits more than 500,000 piglets
in the United States. Farms
ince January, Hord Family Farms, located range from small genetic
in Bucyrus, Ohio, has been using the plat-
form to manage a 5,000-head sow unit. A multiplication sites to large
fifth-generation family farm, the operation 8,000-sow facilities. These
strives to raise animals with care and use farms operate nearly 10%
modern and advanced farming practices to more efficiently and have
be efficient and sustainable. reduced stillborn deaths
“We thought PigFlow would improve our by up to 15%, according to
efficiency as well as assist the farm’s leaders SwineTech.
in making more timely decisions on how to “It’s clear paying attention
spread out the work to best help our herd,” to detail often results in a
says Casey Long, who oversees the sow unit high return on investment,”
at Hord Family Farms. Rooda says. “With PigFlow
The operation and its employees have you are in control of your
benefited from the platform in three ways. return on investment. For
• Timely adjustments. “Being able to have just 50¢ per sow per month,
a real-time snapshot of the farm from a you can take advantage of
management standpoint has allowed us to the many benefits PigFlow
adjust on the fly to better meet the needs of has to offer to decrease risk
the herd,” Long says. and increase profits.”
• Perfecting processes. “PigFlow’s “I have been in the pig
FarrowTracker AI opened doors for us to industry for nearly 15 years,”
change some processes to better assist our Long says. “Matt has lived
farrowing sows,” Long says. the life and walked in our
FarrowTracker is one of Rooda’s favorite boots. When we reach out to
features. “People will write down on a card him, he understands what
when they check a sow, but that information we are talking about. It
is never retained,” he says. “FarrowTracker makes for a very fluid
absorbs the information at each checkup and relationship, and I believe it
then allows a manager to specify how often is what makes SwineTech
a sow should be checked. It also provides a stand out.”
58 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Illustration: Manufacturer
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LIVING THE Left: The tent’s cozy cupboard
COUNTRY LIFE bed is a child’s delight.
Five tents are available for
FARMER FOR A DAY overnight guests.
An Illinois couple encourages guests to pull on their muck boots inspirers, or even hosts.
and stay the night at their working farm. They just wanted a place
to turn their overgrown
By Karen Weir-Jimerson are shiny (the enzymatic coating, naturally). backyard garden into a
In addition to rising at dawn, tooling around business. They found it on
pending a few days at Kinnikinnick on a tractor, feeding chickens and pigs, and 114 acres, 25 miles northeast
Farm near Caledonia, Illinois, is an petting donkeys, families who visit this farm of Rockford, Illinois, a short
eye-opening experience for many also learn how organic food and slow-cook- hop from Wisconsin. “I’m
urban visitors. This farm stay business ing techniques reinforce the ties that bind amazed when I think about
is a real working farm, where guests people — deliciously and indelibly — to it, because we were in our
try gardening, cooking, feeding animals, and the land. 50s,” Susan says. “David’s
camping in a cushy tent. vision was to grow produce
Guests discover how to light a woodstove When David and Susan Cleverdon of the highest quality for
(patiently), how to slide wood-grilled pizzas bought Kinnikinnick Farm in 1987, they customers and chefs. Mine
off a peel (quickly), and why newly laid eggs weren’t looking to be farming educators, was to create a place to share
with my friends and family,
a homestead. From my point
of view, all the families who
come to stay are part of what
I dreamed of.”
Every family who stays
in one of the farm’s five
cabin-style tents gets a
taste of a vibrant local-food
community. The tents each
have a pioneer-style pump
and sink. Light is from oil
lamps. A cold chest keeps
food cool. From striking the
first match to washing the
last skillet with stove-heated
water, breakfast takes about
two hours. You’ve heard of
the slow food movement;
Below: Each morning, David
Cleverdon rounds up the kids
for chores.
60 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Meredith Corp./Jennifer Causey
LIVING THE
COUNTRY LIFE
continued
Above: During morning chores, kids feed chickens Below: Susan serves up a pizza cooked in the Above: Salad greens grown
from buckets of grain. farm’s wood-fired oven. on the farm go into meals for
guests.
Below: Kinnikinnick Farm’s menagerie includes a
pair of miniature donkeys. this process is even slower.
Around 10 a.m., the
rumble of David’s tractor
announces what happens
next: farm chores. Kids
climb aboard to feed the
chickens and Berkshire pigs,
collect eggs, and inspect the
beehives. At each stop, David
illuminates with humor and
honesty how a farm works.
Each day brings new
activities. Kids can walk a
goat on a leash or currycomb
a donkey. But on this day,
the crowd gets to see young
chickens become free-range
for the first time.
“They’re going to be shell-
shocked,” David says as he
sets a chicken coop on the
ground. Before an audience
of rapt crouching children,
the birds hop out of the coop,
dart back, then step fully into
the sun.
Later, when chicken is
served for dinner, another
lesson is learned: the cycle of
life on a farm.
August 2021 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 61
FAMILY
erty had a lot of potential.
Ammie came up with the
idea of turning it into a
market. Graham replaced
the roof on the old farm
office and updated the
inside, but they chose to
leave the weathered letter-
ing painted on the front that
reads, “McGraw Farms,
Hampshires - Yorkshires.”
Ammie, who works full-
time as a web designer for
a farm and crop insurance
company, turned the farm
office into a cozy retail store,
The West Place, selling
farm-theme home decor,
jewelry, and artisan crafts in
person and online (west-
MARKET BREATHES NEW LIFE placefarmhousemarket.com).
INTO AN OLD FARM “I can’t get back into the
Ammie McGraw turned her father-in-law’s former swine hog business now. I don’t
have an office,” Verle jokes.
Summer Market
mmie had plans for group
activities such as wreath-
making classes in 2020,
facilities into a trendy market, and she’s just getting started. but those had to be put on
hold because of COVID-19.
By Lisa Foust Prater with pseudorabies in the swine industry. She turned her attention to
Family & Farmstead Editor The old farmhouse needed a lot of work, planning an on-farm market
event.
hen Ammie and Graham McGraw but Ammie saw the possibilities immedi-
decided to move their family out of ately. Verle and Graham set to work updat- The inaugural Farm
Des Moines, Iowa, they looked at a ing the house for the young family, which Market at The West Place
house owned by Graham’s parents, includes children Harper, Hattie, and Cort, was held June 12 and 13,
Verle and Roxanne. now 10, 8, and 6. “Graham always wanted 2021. Tickets were sold to
Known to the family as the West Place to get back to the country,” Aimee says. attendees online in advance
because it’s west of their home base in Looking out her new kitchen window, and at the gate. Shoppers
Pleasantville, Iowa, it had served as a home she wondered if the hog stalls and office came from miles around,
for their employees’ families and a rental. that blocked her view of the countryside many making the 45-minute
The property included the stalls, sale could be torn down. “Verle is the most easy- drive from Des Moines.
barn, and office that were once part of the going guy there is, but that was a no,” she It was a beautiful, sunny
family hog business. Verle had a success- says. “I thought, If they’re going to stay, then weekend, and visitors were
ful career raising and selling Hampshire they’re going to serve a purpose.” greeted with a coffee truck
and Yorkshire breeding stock, and was well at the entrance. Food trucks
known for quality genetics. Although he Developing a Dream sold mini donuts, charcute-
Wsurvived the farm crisis of the 1980s, he was hile Ammie and Graham had no plans rie cups, pizza, ice cream,
to be farmers, they knew their prop- and other snacks. Another
forced out of business following problems
62 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Courtesy of Ammie McGraw
FAMILY
continued
truck offered custom-made flower arrangements. It’s Fair Time!
Once visitors stepped through the gate, it was clear this
State fairs connect city dwellers to their
was not like most other farmers markets or craft fairs. The rural roots. Plus there’s food on a stick.
long row of pens that had once housed the famous McGraw
Yorkshires and Hampshires was now filled with vendors, I’ll admit, I could take or leave Avenue of Breeds to help make
including painters, woodworkers, sign makers, basket the Iowa State Fair for the up money lost in 2020. This
weavers, macramé artists, rug weavers, jewelry designers,
bakers, and goat farmers offering soaps and lotions. Many past several years. It’s hot, it’s popular exhibit showcases
vendors were local, but others came from out of state. One
pen held a friendly goat, which got a lot of attention from crowded, and it’s expensive. the different breeds of cattle,
kids and adults alike.
When our kids were little, swine, horses, poultry, sheep,
Verle says he never would have imagined his hog pens
being used like this, but he believed in Ammie’s vision. “I we took them a couple of and goats found on Iowa farms,
like to be optimistic,” he says. “Why be any other way? To
be a farmer, you have to be optimistic.” times just for the experience. and includes other animals
Ammie’s goal was to have a couple hundred people per They loved seeing all the live- raised in the state including
day come through the gate, and attendance exceeded that
goal both days. Many vendors immediately reserved their stock, checking out the butter alpacas and elk. Ag folks enjoy
spot for the fall market, set for September 24 and 25. “We
wanted to bring the cool, hip, trendy things to the farm, but cow, watching shows on the seeing examples of all the
the city people loved coming to the farm and hanging out
here for the day,” she says. Locals enjoyed being able to get different stages, eating corn breeds, and it gives urban fair-
an iced latte and do some shopping without driving to town.
dogs, and competing in the goers a lesson in the diversity
Just Getting Started
milk-chugging contest. of agriculture in our
hile Ammie is keeping busy running the shop and plan-
ning the fall market in addition to her full-time job, she I have a lot of good state. Yes, there are dif-
has more plans for the property. “This is just the beginning,”
she says. childhood memories ferent kinds of cows.
The old sale barn is on her radar for future projects.
Ammie says she fell in love with this building immediately. going with my parents, This was the last
“It’s like taking a step back in time,” she says. “I want to
figure out how to use it without losing that charm.” and my dad always straw for many who felt
Verle agrees the large building could be put to good use.
“It was built for sales,” he says. “I sold out of it every day.” told the story of how the fair is moving too far
Future events at The West Place may include additional
market events throughout the year, a roadside food and his parents would load away from its agricul-
flower stand, and classes. The goal is for the business to
eventually support Ammie and Graham’s family. him and his sisters up Lisa Foust Prater tural roots.
Through hard work and and take them to the A movement quickly
creative thinking, Ammie
has seen her vision come to fair for the day. After formed on social media,
life. “I feel like this place
was sitting here just waiting eating the fried-chicken lunch complete with online petitions.
for us to come along and do
something with it,” she says. my grandma packed, my dad “Flood the fair board with
Whatever happens in the
future, Verle is pleased with and grandpa would go to the letters of concern,” one of my
the way his daughter-in-law
and son have transformed races while my grandma and Facebook friends wrote. Others
the West Place. He says,
“They’ve breathed new life aunts visited the textile exhib- said the Avenue of Breeds was
into this old farm.”
its. They all met up to look at the first place they took their
the livestock together. children and grandchildren in
It has been more than a past years.
decade since I've gone to the Thankfully, a sponsor
state fair. Still, I was so sad last stepped up to fund the exhibit,
year when it was canceled be- and although it will be in a new
cause of COVID-19. I knew the location this year, the Avenue
hearts of so many 4-H and FFA of Breeds lives to see another
kids broke at the news, and I year. I’m so glad.
hated that their hard work at Maybe it’s a case of not
the county fair level couldn’t knowing what you have until
be showcased at the state fair. it’s gone, but this may be the
Over the winter, the fair year I make it back to the Iowa
board announced it was con- State Fair.
sidering doing away with the Save me a corn dog.
64 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Courtesy of Ammie McGraw; Meredith Corporation
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FAMILY
continued
Growing With the which was started in the
Neighborhood late 1800s by Addison’s
great-grandparents. Her
Surrounded grandmother was able to
by housing buy a small part of the farm
developments, this when the family downsized.
Eventually, Ballentine Dairy
couple adapted to closed and the remaining
keep farming. land was sold.
Addison’s father, Jonathan,
Fresh Corn Cakes With Garden Relish
Driving to Little Wing came back to the farm and
Pasture in Fuquay- transitioned to beef cattle. Take full advantage of sweet corn season
by making these tasty appetizers.
Varina, North Carolina, I “I saw someone selling
2 tablespoons olive oil
followed major roads full of meat at the farmers mar- 2 cups fresh corn kernels
½ cup chopped sweet onion
restaurants, shopping ket and asked if he 1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
centers, and apart- needed any farmers ¾ cup quick-cooking polenta mix
½ cup all-purpose flour
ment complexes. raising cattle,” says 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
What used to be Jonathan. “He told me ½ teaspoon salt
1 recipe Garden Relish (see below)
a large dairy farm I should get my meat
Small fresh basil leaves, optional
is now a small farm handler’s license and
1In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over
surrounded by de- sell the meat myself. I medium heat. Add corn and onion. Cook and stir about 5
minutes or until onion is just tender. Remove from heat; cool
velopment. It’s those didn’t even know that slightly. Place half of the corn mixture in a food processor.
new neighbors the Heather Barnes was an option.” Cover and process until nearly smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
Stir in buttermilk and egg.
Randalls hope will Little Wing Pasture
2In another bowl stir together the polenta mix, flour,
keep them in business. was born, and where the fam- baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the polenta
mixture to the buttermilk mixture and stir just until combined.
A small herd of cattle ily once sold animals for less Stir in the remaining corn mixture.
grazes the pastures, which than $2 per pound, they now 3In a very large skillet heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive
oil over medium heat. For each corn cake, pour about
are surrounded by houses. A earn a premium for the beef ¼ cup batter into hot skillet; spread batter if necessary. Cook
over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or until
room that used to house the raised and sold on their land. golden brown. Add more oil to skillet as needed when frying
remaining cakes. Spoon relish over corn cakes and, if desired,
cooling tank for milk now is The rest of the dairy farm top with basil. Makes 6 (two-cake) servings.
a shop for selling cuts of beef is now houses and a school. Garden Relish: In a bowl combine 1 large seeded and chopped
red sweet pepper, 1½ cups fresh corn kernels, ½ cup chopped
produced on the farm. This population growth has onion, and ¼ cup chopped basil. Stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
“We want people to think resulted in more customers
Nutritional information per serving: 352 calories, 9 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 37 mg
about the meat they are for this family’s farm cholesterol, 61 g carbohydrates, 588 mg sodium, 7 g fiber, 10 g protein.
buying and see where the business, which has changed For recipe questions, email [email protected].
cattle live and how they are to meet the needs of the farm
raised,“ explains Addison and demand from patrons for
Randall. high-quality, local, pasture-
The farm was originally finished beef.
part of Ballentine Dairy, – By Heather Barnes
66 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com August 2021 Photography: Courtesy Heather Barnes; Meredith Corporation
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