The Power of Conservation: Today's Actions, Tomorrow's Rewards

The Power of Conservation. We use this phrase frequently in the soil and water arena.

The simple act of conserving our natural resources is, in my mind, a very powerful daily job that Soil and Water Conservation Districts and our Indiana Conservation Partners are deeply committed to.

It is an act that each one of us hopefully does every day in some way, whether we live on a farm, in a large urban environment, or a small town.

Right now that power of conservation can be seen in action across Indiana farm fields as cover crops are taking hold, setting deep roots into our Hoosier soils. Cover crops, that will protect the soil over the winter, provide rich nutrients and fertilizers for spring crops while improving and preparing the soil for spring planting.

The power of conservation is visible in neighborhoods all over Indiana on any given day as recycling bins are set curbside for trash pickup, or as leaves and other fall garden debris are collected and composted.

The rewards are forthcoming. Some are in the short-term. Many will be seen years down the road. We all have a stake in today's actions, because they affect tomorrow's rewards.

If you are committed to our soil and water resources, join us January 7-9, 2013, for The Power of Conservation: Today's Actions, Tomorrow's Rewards. It is the 70th Annual Conference of Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts at the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott.

You'll find 12 excellent hands-on training sessions, keynote speakers, and exhibitors designed to provide you with the tools you'll need for The Power of Conservation: Today's actions, Tomorrow's Rewards.

Register today!

Guest Post: Drought Provides Opportunities to Improve Soil Health

Guest post contributed by Joe Kelsay, Indiana Agriculture Director and owner of Kelsay Farms

This year's historical drought has provided a prime opportunity for a special focus on a most precious resource, our soil. Though we tend to think first of the extreme weather's effect on our 2012 crop yields, its impact on feed supplies and the health of our fields could easily extend the damage into next season and well beyond. ISDA encourages our farmers to minimize this impact by spending some time this fall considering their opportunities to improve soil health.

One way to address soil health and make the most of these conditions is through the establishment of cover crops like oats, clover, rye grasses, and/or radishes. These can provide emergency forage, reduce soil loss, scavenge precious nutrients, improve water quality, offer wildlife habitat and rehabilitate pastures, all while developing soil health at the same time.

Cover crops improve soil health by creating more organic matter in the ground and increasing water-holding capacity. They help to reduce soil compaction and erosion, and can ultimately suppress weed pressure while increasing the yields of subsequent crops. They can also provide critical forage for grazing, chopping or haying at a time when livestock producers everywhere are facing cost-related challenges and having to reassess how to manage feed sources for their animals.

As evidence to the interest in cover crop benefits from our farmers, we witnessed overwhelming response to emergency cover crop cost share assistance from recent announcements of federal and state programs. In spite of the fact that the interest from Indiana landowners proved to be much greater than the availability of funds, many landowners are choosing to continue with these conservation efforts on their own. There are a host of resources that can assist these efforts, including the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI), Purdue University Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD's) Certified Crop Advisors (CCA's) and numerous online chats, blogs and message boards, just to name a few.

Image credit: Flathead Conservation District

Much time will be invested in the recovery from this year's drought, and we will find solutions to minimize the challenges of 2012, with a deliberate focus on improving our soil. Many different avenues can offer help, arming producers with the essential tools they need to get to the best position for the future.  What is most exciting is that Indiana has proven over and over again that by focusing on our strengths and constantly innovating, especially in difficult times, we continue to propel Indiana Agriculture forward.

Why Weren't We No-Tilling Until Now?

Excerpted from an interview with Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative coordinator Hans Kok:

Q: When did we determine no-till was better?

The 1960s. We didn't have the technology . . . it's that simple. We couldn't seed in the ground with this much trash or residue on the surface and we couldn't control the weeds. That's why we were doing tillage. It's not that we were doing things so wrong, it's that we were using 1700's technology. We've progressed, but it always takes a long time for new technology to be adopted.

Now in other places in the world, they've adopted no-till like crazy. Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil ... they are almost entirely no-till out there, so they've taken the technology, they've seen the value of it, they money it saves the farmers to go no-till and realizing we have the tools. But here in the States, we've been slow to adopt it, and in Europe it has been even slower.

But with something like this educational tool (the rain simulator) it shows what happens the value of no-till. It wakes a lot of people up. A farmer came up to me in Kansas and said he saw my rain simulation a couple of years ago and started thinking about it what we were doing to the land and switched the whole farm over to no-till. I've yet to meet a farmer, topography or soil type or climate where we can't no-till.