Yellow Medicine Soil and Water Conservation District * (320) 669- 4442 ext. 3
Next Board Meeting: THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024 9AM- postponed
Ag Service Center Clarkfield, MN
Soil Health
Soil Health Vendor list
The Soil & Water District has compiled a list of individuals and businesses offering equipment and/or services to assist you in accomplishing your soil health goals. Click here to view and print the list.
Soil Health Videos:
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Carbon Credit Connections
Below is a list of some of the vendors offering opportunities in the carbon credit market. Click on the vendor name to go to their websites:
Cover Crop INFO Resources:
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Soil Health
Want access to water, nutrients? Look deeper, expert tells farmers The scientist who wrote the book on soils wants farmers to look deeper. Literally. Dr. Ray Weil, author of the 15th edition of The Nature and Property of Soils, wants farmers to consider the soil’s nutrient and water-holding capacity below the top 8-10 inches of soil. Decades of heavy compaction, combined with tillage, have created nearly impenetrable layers of dense soil called “plow-pans,” making it difficult for most crops to reach moisture and nutrients below the topsoil. Go underground to learn more. It’s science you can really dig.
Getting a Handle on Mineralizable N in Soils There's an old adage that says 'what you cannot measure, you cannot manage". For example, what if you could accurately measure all of the nitrogen in your soils? We joined Dr. Rick Haney in Temple, TX to talk about his breakthrough research in this area.
No-till
No-till WORKS. A South Dakota farmer shares his experience with cover cropping and its benefits.
NO TILL CORN INTERSEEDED WITH COVER CROPS. Join us as we visit Luke Bergler’s farm outside of Ridgeway, Minnesota and see first hand how inter-seeded cover crops are improving his profitability and soil health, while simultaneously feeding the soil biology.
This farm has a solid history of planting corn and soybeans green into live cover crops, frost seeding cover crops in early spring, as well as growing diverse cover crop mixes for grazing as well as mechanical harvesting. The Bergler family have multiple farm enterprises including cattle, hogs, bees, goats, laying hens, corn, soybeans, hay, and cover crops. Luke and his family are innovators, lead by example, and farm regeneratively while building their precious topsoil.
OPTIMIZING THE COVER CROP BASED NO-TILL SYSTEM Interest in organic no-till production continues to grow amongst both organic and traditional farmers wanting to integrate cover crops and alternative weed management strategies into their farming strategies.
This video demonstrates some basic components to integrate cover crop based no-till on Wisconsin farms, as well as some specific equipment modifications to make the technique more successful. Used in soybean crop.
BENEFITS OF NO-TILL WITH COVER CROPS Dave Grommesh, producer in NW Minnesota, shows how he grows corn and soybeans using no-till practices with cover crops. He demonstrates how he inter-seeds cover crops into his corn fields. He talks about the economic and soil health benefits of using cover crops and no-till practices including better water infiltration, weed suppression, erosion protection, and increased profits, especially when grazing his cattle in corn stocks that have been inter-seeded with cover crops.
Vertical till
BENEFTIS TO USING VERTICAL TILLAGE Vertical tillage (VT) tools can be an effective way to maintain residue and prevent soil erosion while still preparing the soil for planting. Dr. Matt Darr explores the benefits of using a VT tool to help you decide if it would be useful for your operation.
PRINCIPALS OF VERTICAL TILLAGE What is true vertical tillage? This video defines true vertical tillage and covers the agronomic benefits of this conservation tillage practice.
PRIMARY VERTICAL TILLAGE DONE RIGHT How do we know if we are running our in-line ripper deep enough for successful vertical tillage? So many failures in vertical till start with the failure to do primary tillage correctly. There is nothing we can do with spring harrows and planter settings to fix the ills of poorly done vertical primary tillage. This video will help you get the foundation of your vertical till program right.
Strip-till
STRIP-TILL LESSONS FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS Jodi DeJong-Hughes, of the University of Minnesota, discusses how best to adopt strip tillage and avoid some of the common pitfalls farmers face when changing practices.
STRIP-TILL TIPS FOR SUCCESS Despite the hustle to get tillage done in the fall, Ken warns strip-tillers to remember they are laying the foundation for what they will be planting into next spring. He walks through a couple of tips in this Agronomic Minute to make sure it is setting you up for success for next season.
BENEFITS OF STRIP-TILL Gary Haak,Thurston Mfg. sales representative for North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota, explains the benefits of strip-tilling at the Oct. 24, 2012, field day north of Ruthville, N.D.
Cover cropping
COVER CROP SUCCESS ON THE DAIRY FARM Join us as local dairy farmer, Ben Daley, explains how & why his family uses cover crops on their 1,500 cow farm outside of Lewiston, MN. The Daley family strategically uses cover crops to help them best manage their liquid dairy manure while protecting our precious soil and water resources here in SE Minnesota. In fall of 2020 they seeded 900 acres of cover crops.
SUCCESS WITH NO-TILL AND COVER CROPS Come along as Myron Sylling shares his journey into Soil Health including 25 plus years of No-Till along with cover cropping six years on all of their 1,400 acres. Myron has been successfully & profitably no-till farming with his brother, Mikal, and father, Karl near Spring Grove, MN. While solid yields are important, net profit per acre and soil health benefits are what drives the Sylling family.
COVER CROPS BASICS - the benefits of growing cover crops.
EQUIPMENT FOR COVER CROPPING Michigan State University Educator Paul Gross discusses some of the equipment options available for seeding cover crops.
Michigan Soybean CEO Janna Fritz talks with Andrew Hasenick of Hasenick Farms in Springport, MI about cover crops, planting green and the results he's seen on his farm from implementing these practices.
COVER CROP PRACTICES Nathan Clarke of Clarke Farms in Coleman, Michigan describes his cover crop practices and use of the MCCC (Midwest Cover Crops Councilcover crop selector tool.
REGENERATIVE FARMING - Outside Bismarck, ND is a ranch that exemplifies a quiet revolution in commercial agriculture. Gabe & Paul Brown are a father and son who are not shy about showing off their beautiful land and visibly happy livestock. They practice what they call “Regenerative Farming” - a set of practices that encourage biodiversity and the natural enrichment of untilled soils. Improving soil health is a priority and no-till farming has been practiced since 1993. A diverse cropping strategy, which includes cover and companion crops are used. They have elimnated the use of synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides and use no GMO crops.
Soil Health Specialist, Dawn Madison, interviews four farmers in southwest Minnesota about their cover crop experience.
INNOVATIONS IN FARM EQUIPMENT TO GET THE JOB DONE. Producer Matt Tiffany talks with Holly Hatlewick, District Administrator, Renville SWCD about the innovative farm equipment that he uses to grow no-till and strip-till corn and soybeans with cover crops. Matt talks about the adjustments he has made to his Sunflower vertical tillage unit, his flexible twin-bin strip-till equipment, and his fertilizer bander unit that he constructed from spare parts and uses for growing no-till corn.
ROTATIONAL GRAZING AND COVER CROPS. Luke Bergler of Ridgeway, Minnesota, explains how and why he’s growing cover crops with his field corn to extend his grazing season well into the fall. Last year he gained over a month of extra grazing by allowing his herd to graze a lush mix of grasses, clovers, brassicas along with the corn stalks. The pastures of Luke’s farm have been rotationally grazed for over 10 years and Luke is currently using adaptive grazing management techniques that offer flexibility and create greater pasture diversity. Luke is joined by Lance Klessig who works for the Winona County Soil & Water Conservation District as a Resource Specialist. Together they discuss and personally showcase the results of inter-seeding a diverse cover crop mix into 30 and 60 inch corn.