Chew on Dirt

Dig It.....Soil Secrets

2012-02-01T07:09:00.001-05:00

I left you last time with I "Heart" Soil as the theme borrowed from our friends at the Soil Scientist Society of America . I felt as though is is only fitting that I follow up with some more of those reasons why I love soil and why everyone must have a deeper understanding and fondness of this critical resource. I've heard it said many times that soil is the Rodney Dangerfield of the natural resources, because it gets no respect. Well I'm sharing some information here to drive home why soil deserves our utmost respect!

I have "borrowed" this information from the National Association of Conservation Districts who have done an excellent job of educating the public about natural resources. These are excerpts from their highly-regarded "Dig It, The Secrets of Soil" education campaign. Indiana's own, Susan Schultz, does an excellent job coordinating these efforts for NACD.

Is soil an important ingredient in your every day life?

- The answer is yes, and here are a few reasons why:

Last night you slept in a building built on soil.

You drink water that flows through soil and is cleaned by the soil.

You breathe air that comes partly from plants growing in the soil.

You even wear clothes made from plants that grow in the soil.

Soils make our lives possible. We build on them, play on them, drive on them, eat food grown in or raised on them, take medicines from them, wear clothes we wouldn’t have without soils, drink water that wouldn’t be clean without soils, breathe air we wouldn’t have without the plants and trees growing in soils. The entire earth—every ecosystem, every living organism—is dependent upon soils.

A Few Facts about Soil

-Soil makes up the outermost layer of our planet.

-Topsoil is the most productive soil layer.

-Soil has varying amounts of organic matter (living and dead organisms), minerals and nutrients.

-Five tons of topsoil spread over an acre is only as thick as a dime.

-Natural processes can take more than 500 years to form one inch of topsoil.

-Soil scientists have identified over 70,000 kinds of soil in the United States.

-Soil is formed from rocks and decaying plants and animals.

-An average soil sample is 45 percent minerals, 25 percent water, 25 percent air and five percent organic matter.

-Different-sized mineral particles, such as sand, silt, and clay, give soil its texture.

-Fungi and bacteria help break down organic matter in the soil.

-Plant roots and lichens break up rocks which become part of new soil.

-Roots loosen the soil, allowing oxygen to penetrate. This benefits animals living in the soil.

-Roots hold soil together and help prevent erosion.

Information provided by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service and listed on the Environmental Protection Agency website at http://epa.gov/gmpo/edresources/soil.html.

There are some great materials on the NACD website and much more information about Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Stay tuned for more soil information in the future including NACD's next campaign which is Soil to Spoon!

I Heart Soil

2011-12-13T16:46:00.000-05:00

SSSA

I really do love soil and the folks that I work with in agriculture and conservation do too. We love it because we have the opportunity to see everyday what a precious resource that it is.    We get to see the passion for conservation, productive lands, clean waters, wildlife, the Aldo Leopold "Land Ethic" in full swing! In fact, everyone experiences the impact that soil has on our lives everyday through the food we eat, water we drink, home where we live, etc. It is an awesome thing!

Another awesome thing.......the Soil Science Society of America has made these really cool, simple videos about the importance of healthy soil and the connection to clean water and food.  You can learn more at iheartsoil.org .
Check out these cool videos by clicking the links below....I Heart Soil

Healthy Soil = Healthy Water
Healthy Soil = Healthy Food

Yet another awesome thing.......Our 2011 Indiana Tillage Transect results tell us that approximately 180,000 acres of Hoosier farmland is planted to Cover Crops this year.  So, we have several farmers out there around Indiana working to build their soil quality, trying to hang on to their precious nutrients and topsoil, and keeping that beneficial soil biological activity humming all year long. Good chance that if paired with no-till, they could be rewarded in any or all of the following....yield gains, better drought tolerance, minimized ponding, fuel savings, and on and on and on.

Cover Crops, Airplanes, and Indiana Conservation Districts!

2011-11-04T18:01:00.000-04:00

I am holding a big tillage radish planted this fall in Gibson County.

Indiana Agriculture Director, Joe Kelsay, and I, along with our conservation partners recently had the opportunity to visit with the Warrick, Posey, Vanderburgh, and Gibson County Soil and Water Conservation Districts to learn about a successful project they have worked on for the past 3 years. This projects' objectives center around increasing the amount of cover crops utilized in these 4 counties. They do this by coordinating aerial seeding application with local farmers and they provide cost-share for them to participate. Here is an article written in the local paper explaining this project and for more information on cover crops visit Midwest Cover Crops Council....

Soil, water conservation partnership spotlighted
By JANICE BARNIAK
janice@pdclarion.com

PRINCETON — Four local soil and water conservation districts were recognized Thursday for a joint partnership that they say has made southern Indiana water cleaner, soil healthier for crops, and created habitats for local wildlife through the winter.
    The initiative began when Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties banded together to apply for a grant to support a cover crop program, said Travis Gogal NRCS District Conservationist for Gibson County.
    Cover crops are important to soil health, Gogal said, because planting a cover crop feeds microbes that keep the soil alive and make nutrients readily available for crops. Better soil means better, cleaner water, and the crops help local animals have a habitat throughout the winter.
    According to Gary Seibert, of Fort Branch, who works with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, it’s also important at a global level.
    Farmers in Indiana spray their crops with nitrogen to help them grow, but if something happens to the crop, and it doesn’t use all the nitrogen, the nitrates go down into the soil, then down to the water, and eventually washes out to sea, contributing to the Gulf Stream Dead Zone, killing fish and plant life.
    But Seibert believes that the same processes that the planet uses to grow forests and natural wilderness can work for farmers thanks to nutrient recycling. “There are more plants available we weren’t aware of before,” he said. “There’s a learning curve.We’re learning to grow cover crops to create our own nitrogen. We’re thinking like nature.”
    In the woods, he said, even in the winter, roots are growing, winter species of plants grow, and it keeps the soil healthy. Radishes, for example, can soak up the extra nitrogen, and then make it organically available to the spring crops. With the right cover crops Seibert says farmers can replace between half and three quarters of their nitrogen by planting crops like Australian winter peas, radishes, crimson clover, and annual rye grass for the winter to store the leftovers and even create nitrogen.
    “No one fertilizes the woods, tills the soil. One plant supports another, and we’re trying to do that too.”
It takes a change in mindset for a monocultural agricultural society to pick up the trend, he said.
    The practice is good news for the economy, too, said Seibert, because nitrogen is getting more expensive, and the United States is competing with countries like India and China in food production.
     The difficulty for the farmers was that the time you plant a cover crop is critical, and sometimes must be done before a main crop is harvested—to do that required aerial seeding, so the separate districts applied for a grant that they won to help cover those costs together. Farmers interested in planting cover crops would come in and apply.
    “Crop rotation is kind of an art,” said Gogel. Cover crops are just one aspect of that art. Most of the time, he said, the individual farmer talks to people in his local co-op to decide what kind of cover crop will best support his primary crop. In this area corn, soybeans and wheat are the common primary crops.
    Farmers applied for the aerial seeding of the cover crops across the four counties in the last two years. Over 1500 acres were aerially seeded with an additional 800 acres conventionally seeded.
    According to Jennifer Boyle Warner, of the IASWCD,part of being chosen for a showcase is that other districts across Indiana will see the projects that are working successfully in the showcases.
    Videos of the winners are shown to an audience of 400 people associated with the districts so that ideas can spread. The idea has also spread among farmers, who most of the time already know what they want.
    “It’s important to come down and recognize the local leaders, because they’re the ones doing all the work, said Roger Kult, who came from Indianapolis to represent the Indiana Conservation Partnership. “We can talk at the state level but doing it at the grass roots level makes it happen.” He said farmers see how well it works, see the success of the program, and choose to seed on their own for the good of their land.
    Already the grant for 2012 has already been approved, meaning that the program will enter its third year, and Pike County plans to join the initiative next year.
    “This is the first year they’ve recognized the districts in this way,” said Gogel. Four out of 10 projects that applied for the showcase were chosen. “It shows our ability to work with surrounding counties.”
    Liz Rice, of the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, agreed. “What I’ve heard is that our partnerships are really strong in Indiana. It’s something we can be proud of as a state. We’ve done a lot of really good work over here.”

Root penetration in the soil is an important factor associated with the benefits of growing cover crops. Here is Gary Seibert looking for nitrogen fixing nodules on the roots of crimson clover cover crop. We get excited about agronomy and soil health, he has quite an audience!!! Thanks Gary!

No-till, Mulch-till, or Conventional-till Corn?

2011-06-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

It may seem like a strange title, but this is the type of question that is being asked thousands of times all around our state in various counties right now. Conservation and agricultural professionals are asking specific questions, about very specific fields, which have had this type of information collected from them for over 20 years. We call it the Indiana Tillage Transect.

The Tillage Transect is a mechanism for tracking trends in conservation and cropland trends. The information collected can help us determine whether important soil quality building conservation activities, such as No-till, are being more heavily adopted or not. We can also take the collected data and estimate the average annual soil loss from Indiana’s agricultural lands. All of this information can help us to determine how to focus conservation efforts and resources in the future.

Very simply, every county has a designated route where information is visually captured from the road and recorded for later analysis. The routes generally travel throughout the main ag areas of the county. There are designated points, at regular intervals along the route where information is observed (typically this can be done from the road) and recorded. Information such as: current planted crop, previous crop, type of tillage used prior to planting-if any, and an estimated amount of residue (plant matter) remaining on the soil from the previously harvested crop (this is an indicator of soil erosion potential as bare soil can erode rapidly).

I know that this project may sound a little less than exciting, but the information is quite valuable. In fact, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) regularly requests this data to aggregate with other states’ data for tracking national cropland trends. In fact, the true value of this project may lie in the opportunity the transect presents for the key, local conservation experts to tour their county/area of responsibility together, discussing conservation planning solutions for observed environmental concerns (i.e. severe soil erosion, instances of impaired water resources) .

See our Conservation Tillage Program web page for more information and to see past Tillage Transect results! To learn more about ways to improve soil health, improve profitability, and enhance your environmental stewardship....go to the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative site.

What's ISDA Staff Been Up to This Month?

2011-06-20T13:03:00.000-04:00

June has brought opportunities to ISDA staff and partners to get hands on with conservation.

On June 1, ISDA, along with our USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and Soil and Water Conservation District partners,demonstrated conservation activities in the field. This tour was organized to help our new staff, support staff, and other important contacts view and participate in the activities that are associated with conserving our soil and water resources. The tour group visited area farms to learn about the efforts invested by both our technical staff, the farmer, and contractors to implement conservation on the Indiana landscape and the intended conservation benefits (water quality, soil conservation, increased productivity, wildlife habitat, etc.).

The State Soil Conservation Board met in Linton, Indiana for the June 2011 meeting. Following the meeting, board members and attendees toured Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. The tour was led by Brad Feaster, DNR, Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area Property Manager and the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service. On the tour, staff and partners got a chance to observe native Indiana wildlife in their wetland habitat, as well as learn about how the property is maintained by conservation staff.

For more information on ISDA's conservation efforts, please visit our website.

Celebrate Earth Day, COME ON, Let's Celebrate!

2011-04-21T13:04:00.000-04:00

Thank you Kool & The Gang for inspiration for this title....."Ya Hoo! There's a party going on right here!"
Isn't that introduction to this entry just a clinic in professionalism! Ha!

Well, it is that time of year to celebrate! We have Earth Day, Easter, Arbor Day, and Soil and Water Stewardship Week and a bonus....... it's Springtime! What an awesome time of year. All of these occasions give us the opportunity to celebrate nature, the planet, life and our precious natural resources which are essential to our quality of life.

Let's don't forget ...... the May Apples are up, Trilliums and Redbuds are blooming, we have plenty of rain, so what am I getting at?????? MUSHROOMS! Oh yeah!

Now I am an avid hiker and I know my way around a woods, but I am lousy at spotting these little buggers or as I tell my kids, "The mushrooms are too fast and sneaky for us." The problem is that I love those little fungi and my friends keep sending Facebook pictures of these gi-normous delectables just to rub it in!

A picture of my boys coming to grips with the reality that,
"Dad can't find mushrooms!"

Okay, okay, enough about mushrooms, but more about the woods and in particular trees and tree planting. Sidenote: It just so happens that this year's theme for Soil and Water Stewardship Week is "Forests".

So why do I bring this up when I usually talk agriculture? A couple of reasons, but I'll focus more on the 2nd.
#1 - The hardwood industry is huge in Indiana, I won't dig into the details now, but supporting this industry in Indiana is a major component of our Economic Development focus within the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
#2 - In Indiana, some of the land utilized currently for row crop agriculture is better suited and more sustainable both economically and environmentally as forest or woodland.

Regarding the second point, especially the floodplain fields where in certain seasons farmers are forced to replant repeatedly due to flooding, perform continual clearing of floodwater debris, and regularly repair fields due to the erosive nature of floodwaters. All of these factors can lead to economic losses and plainly they can can be more headaches than they are worth to some folks. An option to row crop farming is planting trees.

A new planting just this spring in Western Indiana.

Commonly referred to as a Bottomland Hardwood Tree Planting, this practice can be cost-shared and the landowner can receive incentives through various programs such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Someday these areas become forests and are extremely valuable habitats along rivers and streams serving as homes to many wildlife species such as: Bald Eagles, Herons, River Otters, Leopard Frogs, and various salamanders.

Young bald cypress in a recently planted floodplain shortly after a flood event.

So, this year let's celebrate forests and trees and the value that they can bring to agriculture and the environment. Enough of these ramblings, you should stop reading now and get yourself outside and soak up a little Springtime and have a very happy EARTH DAY, April 22, 2011.

A young Bottomland Tree Planting in North-central Indiana.

Mature Floodplain Forest

How Do I Help The Environment?

2011-01-21T18:01:00.002-05:00

I think deep down that most of us have that desire to leave this Earth a little better, ideally a lot better than we found it. There are bunches of quotes out there that illustrate this desire and some can really connect with us in a deep way such as:

"We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."

Well, if you feel compelled or pulled to pitch in and leave a lasting legacy to the betterment of our planet, I have the perfect idea. Get involved with your local Soil and Water Conservation District. It is so simple and it can really fulfill that little part of you that tugs and pulls for you to take some action. That's what Soil and Water Conservation Districts are all about.......getting conservation practices that improve water quality, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat on the ground; it's their speciality.

Each county in Indiana has a Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) that is lead by a board of supervisors. They hold monthly public meetings and anyone can attend. Individuals within the community serve as supervisors and they are elected or appointed, but there is plenty room for associate supervisors or volunteers to get involved. SWCDs work with many conservation partners to hold demonstration field days, provide cost-share and incentives for conservation measures, perform education and outreach, and generally provide conservation assistance and advice to those looking to do right by the land.

This is an excellent time of year to check out your local SWCD at their Annual Meeting! There is sure to be good food, educational/entertaining guests, and lots of information about the many programs and accomplishments of the district.

I know that time is limited, but serving on the Soil and Water Conservation District is absolutely the best way to make a positive impact on the environment in your local community!

Find contact information for your Soil and Water Conservation District at http://www.in.gov/isda/2408.htm or you can look for the districts' individual websites at http://nacdnet.org/about/districts/directory/in.phtml#inweb

Increased Soil Quality & Environmental Quality through No-till Planting

2010-12-13T11:51:00.001-05:00

Here is a short video I found that does a good job of briefly demonstrating and explaining the benefits of no-till planting. In Indiana, just over 60% of our Soybeans are planted by means of no-till and just over 20% of our Corn. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Division of Soil Conservation and our conservation partners have some excellent resources available to help farmers who are interested in making the transition to no-till. One great resource is our Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative.....check it out!

Images of Thankfulness

2010-11-24T14:12:00.001-05:00

A picture is worth a thousand words! Today I have asked ISDA staff to submit images which showcase various things for which they are thankful. You could see their eyes light up in excitement and instant deep thought. By the time I returned to my desk the images started rolling in my Inbox. As I opened the pictures I began to laugh and get all of those warm fuzzy feelings, I hope you will too. I'm proud to present to you from the hearts of a few of our ISDA staff to you, Our ISDA Images of Thankfulness.

Making the World a Better Place

2010-11-17T16:43:00.000-05:00

George Reger, ISDA Resource Specialist... Happy Surveying!

I feel compelled to write a brief snippet about the dedication and passion that our conservation staff and board members carry with them for our natural resources. Day in and day out our ISDA, Soil Conservation/Environmental Stewardship staff pour their energy into to making this world a better place. I know people always chuckle when I say we are working to make the world a better place, but that is the way I see it. Of course this can be said about most any profession in one way or another, but literally we're about making our waters cleaner, soils healthier, and our farms efficient and productive. We help people be great stewards of the precious land and resources of which we are blessed. I admittedly get sappy about our conservation profession, but it is important work and we love it.

Sarah Lake, ISDA Resource Specialist.....
discussing conservation options with a farmer

In a recent report from our 23 Resource Specialists, they are currently working on the survey, planning, and completion of over 130 miles of Grassed Waterways!!! Wow! If calculated, this would equate to thousands of tons of soil saved as well as thousands of pounds of phosphorus and nitrogen reduced from runoff as well(these are three components that can create significant water quality degradation). Not to mention the farmer who installs this practice is thrilled because he no longer has that uncrossable gully in his field.

Recently constructed Grassed Waterway, new grass coming up
through erosion control blanket

Grassed waterways solve gully erosion problems. Essentially you take that area in the field where water runs and it is starting make a channel from erosion(this is the gully) and you reshape that area to a designed width and depth, grow a dense vegetative cover(grass), and the erosion problem is gone. Along with washing priceless topsoil away, nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can quickly be washed away in these areas as well. The Grassed Waterway eliminates the erosion and the grass acts as a filter for the nutrients.

Functioning Grassed Waterway

Many thanks to our staff and State Soil Conservation Board who work out in the field, in the board rooms, and in the offices to bring conservation solutions to our lands.

Thank You!

Indiana State Soil Conservation Board

It's CREPtastic! Guest Post

2010-10-21T15:06:00.000-04:00

Sara Christensen serves ISDA as the State Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Coordinator, and works on watershed/water quality issues. Although she currently resides in downtown Indy, she uses her free time to escape to the natural places of Indiana. Originally from small town Ohio, Sara has embraced the Hoosier State and cares deeply for Indiana’s people and places. She is proud IUPUI alum, with a background in geology.

It's CREPtastic!

That’s the word on the street at the State Department of Ag lately. Well, okay, at least in my world. I’ve been working on CREP for the better part of the last two years. After many months of hard work in ISDA as well as FSA, the CREP amendment was finally signed and official on August 27th of this year. ISDA and FSA hosted a signing event at Mr. Mike Starkey’s farm in the Brownsburg area. Many of our conservation partner leaders were in attendance, including our own Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, ISDA‘s Director Joe Kelsay, USDA-FSA State Executive Director Julia Wickard, and many others. It was a fun day! Whew!

Let me start from the beginning, my beginning anyway. When I joined the staff at ISDA, CREP was available in three of Indiana’s HUC 8s and only in parts of 29 counties (What’s a HUC 8? Here’s a link!). By the way, Indiana contains or touches parts of 38 HUC 8s. The CREP amendment allows this program to increase its availability to 11 total watersheds touching 65 counties. Ok, great, so CREP is available in 11 watersheds? What is it? CREP – the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program – is a program that provides financial incentives to landowners who voluntarily set aside some of their marginally productive or sensitive farm ground into certain natural resource conservation practices for 14-15 year periods. CREP funds come from the State of Indiana, as well as USDA Farm Service Agency. Additional technical and financial assistance comes from Natural Resource Conservation Services, The Nature Conservancy, and the White River Restoration Fund. Members of the Indiana Conservation Partnership, as well as other conservation groups, serve on the CREP coordinating and technical committees. So, CREP is most definitely a group effort!
Native grasses (above) are one example of a CREP practice

CREP is designed to alleviate some of the nonpoint source sediments and nutrients leaving agricultural lands; improved water quality is a large constituent of this program. What are nonpoint source sediments and nutrients? Well, point source discharges are those that leave from a single source, such as a pipe. Nonpoint source discharges are basically everything else that leaves the landscape through overland flow. CREP also enhances wildlife habitat. So, let’s talk specifically about practices and what they do. Most of the practices available in CREP focus on “buffer-type” practices: native grasses, riparian buffers, filter strips, wildlife habitat, and hardwood trees. These types of practices do several things to enhance water quality. Grasses and other plants act as a filter; sediments and nutrients are filtered out of the water before they can enter a waterway, the water entering a buffer decreases velocity and drops particles, and plants uptake excess nutrients. The decreased velocity also allows more of the water to percolate through the subsurface, further filtering the water and allowing for groundwater recharge. Riparian buffers that include tree planting shade waterways, allowing for more species diversity due to the cooler water temperatures and additional places for species to thrive. These areas also allow for connected corridors, which many species need to be successful.

There are a few whole field practices available as well, including wetlands and bottomland tree plantings. These practices again slow down water flow, allowing sediments to drop, filtering to occur, and groundwater recharge. Wetlands in particular, allow for denitrification to occur (wetlands could be a whole other guest blog!), reducing the nitrates that enter our waterways (reducing Gulf Hypoxia – guess I’ll be writing a few more guest blogs!). Another benefit of these practices is the potential to mitigate water quantity issues (as opposed to quality). Wetlands hold large amounts of water, allowing water to slowly enter our waterways, helping to alleviate flooding and droughts. Mature trees uptake vast amounts of water, again, using water that would have directly entered an adjacent waterway. Just one more benefit - the majority of our State and Federally listed threatened and endangered species use these areas at at least some stage in the life cycle.

Financial benefits vary depending on practice and soil type, but include up to 90% cost share for certain practices and annual rental payments from FSA, and payments from $100-$950 per acre from the state. For more information, go to ISDA's website or visit your local Soil and Water Conservation District, and remember, it’s CREPTASTIC!

It’s CREPTASTIC!

Conservation Loans

2010-09-28T09:35:00.003-04:00

Here is a recent release from USDA regarding low interest loans available for implementing conservation practices on the farm. This is just one of the many, many Farm Bill programs available to landowners for this type of work. In addition to this loan announcement, others offer incentives and cost-share opportunities to control erosion, minimize nutrient and sediment runoff, and generally give the farmers tools to enhance environmental stewardship and sustain productivity.

Indianapolis, September 13, 2010 - Julia A. Wickard, Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Indiana announced the launch of a Conservation Loan (CL) program that will provide farm owners and farm-related business operators access to credit to implement conservation techniques that will conserve natural resources.

“This will provide farmers, who want to implement conservation measures on their lands, a chance to do so by providing assistance with up-front costs,” said Wickard. “In return, these producers will help reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and promote sustainable agricultural practices.”

Direct CLs can be obtained through local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices with loan limits up to $300,000. Guaranteed CLs up to $1,112,000 are available from lenders working with FSA.

CL funds can be used to implement conservation practices approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), such as the installation of conservation structures; establishment of forest cover; installation of water conservation measures; establishment or improvement of permanent pastures; implementation of manure management; and the adaptation of other emerging or existing conservation practices, techniques or technologies.

For more information on the Conservation Loan program, contact a local FSA office or visit the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Conservation on the Farm through Innovation

2010-09-17T10:45:00.006-04:00

I love the TV show "How It's Made". For those who haven't seen it....you watch and learn super cool details about the processes involved in making all kinds of crazy things we use everyday - padlocks, ballpoint pens, and the baking/packaging of mass amounts of blueberry muffins in the same 1/2 hour show!

So, I got to thinking (yes, scary!), what does the everyday John Q. Public know and understand about the science and technology that is involved with farming today? That's a huge subject because agriculture is extremely advanced in many ways. Just think about a combine, this is a piece of machinery that has revolutionized our ability to feed the world. Without it we're manually chopping corn stalks and removing kernels from cobs or beans from pods. A combine can process 150 bushels of corn(roughly 1 acre of corn on average) as fast as the farmer drives across it. Impressive and it's been around for awhile.

So let's drill down into one small, but critically component of agriculture, Agronomy.

Here's the wiki on agronomy.....Agronomy is the science and technology of using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science.

Agronomists are the folks that understand the growing preferences and details about a great number plants utilized in farming operations. They also understand the associated soil science and many can give recommendations for the best way to prepare the soil for maximum yield of planted crops.

Here's a hypothetical scenario for a very basic ag operation.......So the farmer gets his seeds, corn or beans, doesn't matter. Throws them in the planter and puts the seed in the ground. Maybe puts out some fertilizer to help it grow. Plant matures and when it turns brown you jump in the combine and harvest. Easy breezy, right.

NOT QUITE.......

Let's try this again......

-- Calculated decisions must be made as to what crop to grow based on soil conditions, pest concerns, market outlook, and possibly weather. Corn requires more nitrogen in the soil to grow properly and soybeans happen to be a nitrogen producing crop. So, many times you'll see corn following soybeans the next year. This saves the farmer money by reducing some of the nitrogen costs and maximizes the nutrients in the soil.

-- Soil samples are pulled and tested regularly to determine whether the amount of nutrients and pH in the soil are sufficient for the crops to yield to their maximum potential. Certain soils are more productive than others. Since fertilizer application is costly and is an overhead cost that reduces profits, farmers utilize the soil tests to only put on the needed amounts of fertilizer. This minimizes costs, but also helps to ensure the runoff of excess fertilizer into surrounding waters is minimized. With GPS points and aerial digital photos of fields agronomists prescribe variable rates of fertilizer based on soils and past data from harvests(yes, combines today can give real-time yield data as the crop is being harvested).

--Now planting, many farmers have adapted their operations to minimize the amounts of "trips" they travel across the fields. This is to minimize fuel costs and help prevent soil compaction(crushed soil from heavy equipment is less productive) among many other reasons. Specialized planting equipment has been developed which can plant the seed at the exact depth, deliver all of the fertilizer it needs to get started right there, prepare ideal seed-soil contact, and leave the perfect spacing for maximum yield from it's neighboring seeds. This is all in one pass across the field. Did I mention that soil conditions such as moisture and temperature must be carefully considered along with the hybrid of seed that has been selected for planting(this is where the science and art of farming come together). It doesn't hurt to be able to predict the weather either!?

-- Corn, in many cases, will need an extra boost of nitrogen and the farmer monitors the growth stage of the plants and tries to apply nitrogen right when the plant needs it so that the plant utilizes all of this valuable nutrient and leaching is reduced. There are fertilizer application tools that can evaluate the color of the corn leaves while moving through the field and applying nitrogen at variable rates as needed, further improving efficiency! Agronomists also utilize plant tissue testing from various portions of the field to prescribe the correct rates of nutrients.

-- Harvesting. Farmers monitor the maturity of the crop, field wetness(avoiding driving a large combine over wet soil is a good idea for many reasons, including compaction), and kernel moisture. There is a premium for corn or beans delivered in an ideal moisture range(too dry and it can crack or be easily damaged, too wet and it could get moldy or rot easily). Timing is quite crucial for a good harvest.

-- Science tells us that our soil ecosystem is more diverse and potentially more productive when they are biologically active throughout the year. In other words, it's good to keep something growing in the soil to encourage good populations of worms and all of the critters in the soil that actually aid in ag production and conservation. So, we see many farmers turning to the utilization of cover crops. Simple grasses and legumes that control erosion, scavenge left over nutrients and keep them from leaving the field, help break-up compaction, provide better water infiltration....there's a multitude of benefits.

The agronomists and Certified Crop Advisors are trained to understand the science and help farmers maximize efficiency. The tools and methods for honing in on what is coined "Precision Farming" continue to grow. This certainly is not an all-encompassing list of the science and technology associated with agriculture. In fact, it is just a scratch at the surface of just row crop ag, what about animal agriculture which has had incredible advancements. It's certainly easy to see that the environment not to mention the world's population have benefited tremendously from agriculture's science and technological advancements. We consistently have continued to increase the yields per acre as well as become more efficient at growing. Bob Nielson - Professor at Purdue - Agronomy, "State average corn grain yield in Indiana has increased at a fairly constant 1.6 bushels per acre per year since 1930 primarily due to improved genetics and production technology." from Corn Yield Trends article online

Did I mention that tractors can drive themselves now, cool real-life demo?!!! Watch this.

Through growing programs such as the On-Farm Network the Indiana State Department of Agriculture is encouraging the utilization of technology and science to improve farm efficiencies and environmental stewardship. Much more to come regarding this program in the future. See the excerpt below...

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s (ISDA) project will utilize the “On Farm Network” approach developed by the Iowa Soybean Association. This project focuses on the use of nitrogen on agricultural crops and keeping the nitrogen in crop fields and out of streams. The network approach will gather information about how nitrogen is used by farmers in the watershed, comparing all the variables in type, timing, placement, soils, and yield. Participants can then compare, evaluate, and modify their own system to optimize yields, while reducing overall use of nitrogen and minimizing losses to surface and subsurface waters.

Growing Corn and Soybeans in Indiana

2010-08-17T09:34:00.004-04:00

I ran across this video about one of our grain farming familys in Indiana.
Get To Know A Grain Farmer
Farmers have always been and are increasingly aware of the environment. As agricultural technology improves and we learn more from science on how we can be better stewards of the land, many farmers have adapted their management. As you view this short (under 3 minutes) video; note that they are planting soybeans in a field with standing corn stalks, i.e. no-till planting. These corn stalks have remained in field, providing a cover (commonly called residue) to minimize soil erosion, over the late fall, winter, and early spring. He mentions the use of filter strips (grass strips between the farm field and a stream/creek) and grassed waterways (a grassy strip that moves water safely off of the field minimizing gully erosion). These grassy areas help trap soil and any pesticides/fertilizers that may be carried off of the field during a rain. So, grab Hoosier-grown popcorn...dim the lights...and enjoy getting to know a grain farmer!

The State Fair is Almost Here!

2010-08-04T14:26:00.007-04:00

Stop by the "Pathway to Water Quality" for a cool, free drink!!!

Which Ditch is Which?

2010-07-15T17:11:00.009-04:00

In my last blog entry (I know it’s been awhile) I threw out the water quality concerns associated with artificially drained land. I also mentioned that the face of Indiana today, the agricultural prosperity, and the landscape with which we are accustomed too is a direct result of the importance of artificial drainage. So, I offered up that we will introduce some solutions that help to minimize the water quality concerns with artificial drainage. In this entry we’re going to toss out a relatively new practice that is starting to get some interest around the state and it deals with the exciting topic of ditches! That’s right ditches, generally they are former creeks or streams that have been straightened and completed reshaped for rapid drainage of water. Try to get a hold of yourself, I know that you are probably jumping up and down and screaming with enthusiasm like the new Twilight film just came out! Okay maybe not, ditches are not really something you think about too often or ever, but we do here at ISDA and they are very important. Drainage ditches have had a great deal of impact on the Indiana we know today. For example, have you ever heard of the Grand Kankakee Marsh in Northwest Indiana? This used to be one of the most expansive wetland complexes in the US, over 500,000 acres. Imagine the mecca for hunting water fowl and fur-trading, truly a wilderness that was the Grand Kankakee.

Well, eventually agriculture was the name of the game for Indiana and much of the marsh was drained by ditches. This allowed for agricultural production and settlement into the area. So, my point is ditches play a critical role in our way of life and in many counties the drainage board is an absolutely critical group who makes important decisions and manages large amounts of public funds to maintain adequate drainage.

A typical ditch is simply a straight channel that is flat on the bottom and has very steeply sloping side slopes for carrying large volumes of water quickly off of the land and lower the water table. The problem is that ditches are rarely built in a way that the shape is sustainable. The velocity of the water along with many other factors cause these ditches to erode quickly and the side slopes fall in, they cost a great deal money to maintain and they really do very little to provide water quality/wildlife habitat. This is where the Two-Stage Ditch can serve as an alternative. The Two-Stage Ditch is built with a channel design with which the bottom section is designed to carry the typical/usual flow of water and then as you move up the side slope there is a grassy flat portion, a “bench”, that is intended to mimic nature’s floodplains, and finally the ditch is angled back up to normal ground elevation of the surrounding landscape.

The design, benefits, and more detailed information can better be found on this link to The Nature Conservancy's site. The Nature Conservancy in Indiana have been relentless advocates and supporters of this concept. Many thanks to them for the science and leg work to get this idea accepted as a viable option.
Without the nitty-gritty specifics the fact is that this simple design alteration to a traditional drainage ditch allows for more capture of sediment and nutrients that would typically shoot right through to the next tributary and on and on. In addition to that the side slopes are more stable providing minimal maintenance costs and because of the vegetated slopes the opportunity for more biological diversity is an improvement.

Here's a typical two stage, notice the grassy bench just above the water level.

Racing to Conserve on Artificially Drained Land

2010-06-09T17:41:00.016-04:00

I love the Indy 500. I’m a born and bred Hoosier with a hankerin’ for racin’ and a need for speed, ! I probably haven’t missed the Greatest Spectacle in Racing for over 15 years and every year it still amazes how fast those cars make it around that 2.5 mile track. This need for speed is a common trait among many people and it seems to creep into almost all facets of life; sometimes that’s good and sometimes not so much!

For example, good - fast food, eating your lunch 30 seconds after you order it …….. not good - fast food can taste like it was prepared in under 30 seconds; good – roundabouts, help traffic move more efficiently and reduce 4 way stop delays…… not good…….have you seen the movie European Vacation?(“look kids, Big Ben… Parliament”).

For agricultural example, good – bigger/faster tractors can get across the fields quicker, pull larger equipment, and potentially spread out compaction with distributed weight over larger tires/tracks……not good – corn planted too fast can make the planter bounce and leave a very inconsistent stand which means a likely reduced yield.

As for this blog entry’s specific ag/conservation example, good – agricultural drainage, gets the excess wetness out of the farm fields quick and in Indiana, and much of the Midwest, this is absolutely critical to crop production on most of our farm ground and without it we would not enjoy the strong agricultural presence that we do today…. not so good, altering the natural drainage patterns, water tables, etc. can speed the transport of pollutants to surface waters as well as some other environmental concerns that this modified drainage can exacerbate.

Let’s trench in to this agricultural drainage topic some more, what’s the story??

Much of Indiana’s ag land is drained with ditches or an extensive subsurface drainage system, otherwise known as tile, and many times a combination of both. Without this drainage network, which quickly sends rainwater and excessive moisture from the soils downstream, many of our fields would be too wet to farm or would grow poor stands of crops. So, over the last century or so farmers have invested in these systems to improve their efficiency, boost yields and continue to feed the world’s growing population.

The unfortunate side of these improved drainage systems, as with most anything with nature, there are and have been lots of adverse effects to the aquatic ecosystem that come from moving the water away from the fields quickly. Here are just a few of the general effects associated with increased drainage:

1. Excess nitrogen being transported to surface waters. Nitrogen, which is applied to cropland and is essential for plants, is very water soluble and easily leaches down through the soil to the subsurface drains. Once in the subsurface drain, nitrogen is then quickly transported to the nearest surface water/stream/lake. Excess nitrogen in surface water can significantly boost algae growth or a bloom. Once the algae use up that nitrogen they begin to die off and decompose which uses up the dissolved oxygen in the water. The dissolved oxygen can drop to a point that the area is no longer viable for many aquatic organisms. This lack of oxygen is commonly referred to as Hypoxia. Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River is a well-documented concern.

2. Potential for increased flooding. The rainwater that once used to be soaked up by the land or temporarily pond on the surface for days before slowly moving towards the nearest stream, now it gets there much quicker through tile and ditches. The altered drainage of tiles and ditches send higher quantities of water in a shorter interval of time downstream directly following rain events versus the natural groundwater or landscape delivery which will bring water downstream in a more gradual manner comparatively. This can depend heavily on soil infiltration rates, water holding capacity, ground cover, and many other factors.

3. Erosion on ditchbanks. Ditches tend to be dug in a trapezoidal fashion in a profile view which is an extremely efficient design for moving water quickly. However this design historically requires a great deal of maintenance due to the undercutting of the banks from erosion and then sedimentation downstream. Water systems naturally develop stability through the development of floodplains which act as a relief valve if the waters get too high. In a ditched system, the water is meant to be contained within the ditch, and therefore in high volumes the water will tend to cut a deeper channel which brings instability to the whole setup.

Here’s where the agricultural conservation folks come in hopefully with some usable solutions that are currently being utilized and studied for their effectiveness: Two-Stage Ditch, Drainage Water Management, Constructed Wetlands, Denitrifying Bioreactors, and Blind Tile Inlets. Please check out the next Chew On Dirt to learn more about these practices which are aimed to minimize these environmental concerns associated with drainage.

"Farm the Best and BUFFER the Rest!"

2010-05-13T17:07:00.008-04:00

“Farm the Best and Buffer the Rest”

This snazzy little catch phrase has been used for the last several years to describe a suggested mentality when considering profitability and environmental stewardship on the farm. So, what do we mean by the best and what in the world is a buffer?

Farming “the best” simply suggests that we look at the potential profits for farming a piece of ground after subtracting the cost for fertilizer, seed, time, pesticide/herbicide, sustainability to continue farming that piece, and risk. The fact is there are portions of fields that are planted regularly at a loss of profit and there are options that exist, such as buffers, to minimize the losses.

Think of it like this…. Let’s say you want to plant a garden and you love growing sweet corn. You just moved to a new place with lots of trees and shade. You plant the sweet corn, but only a portion of the garden grows decent because part of it is too shady (all of it was probably eaten by raccoons anyway!) You decide to try the same next year. Same result – a partial crop of raccoon ravaged sweet corn! Wouldn’t it be a better decision to plant the sweet corn in the sunny spot and either don’t plant in the shade, or put in a shade tolerant crop, personally I would go with spinach (obvious reason for spinach - because it makes you strong like Popeye the Sailorman, enough said). But the point is that not all of the garden spot was the best for growing sweet corn and essentially you are wasting your seed, planting time, fertilizer, sore back from weeding, ammunition from trying hit raccoons(oops, I mean you’re tired from chasing them!), and many of these things represent wasted cash money.

Since gardens are somewhat of a hobby to many folks and not nearly the size of most fields, the losses are not such a big deal, however for a farmer whose livelihood relies upon growing quality food in an environmentally and economically sustainable way, this can be a big problem. Ideally every acre on the farm would be making money from the crops grown and harvested each season, so this is where careful planning and management of the farm are critical. We should be figuring all the costs associated with getting the crops in the ground and sold, but the tricky part is trying to best guess what Mother Nature will do as well to determine “The Best” acres.

Three examples where we may not be farming “The Best” :
1. Those low-lying fields which flood and delay planting or prevent harvest 3 out of 5 years need to be really profitable on the 2 good years to justify continued planting.
2. The edge of the field by the woods traditionally has low yields because the trees use up the moisture and the deer/raccoons just reach out and grab an easy meal, but typically the same amount of fertilizer is spent on that acre.
3. That area of the field is always wet, no matter how much tile is installed. The equipment gets stuck and it’s yielding poorly

So, this is where the phrase “Buffer the Rest” comes in to play(for the chemistry nuts we’re not talking about raising the pH/reducing acidity levels). Fields prone to flooding, wildlife damage, excessive doughtiness, excessive wetness, etc are all great candidates for the solution of “Buffers”. A buffer can be described as a vegetated or wetland area placed in the landscape for the purpose of protecting soil resources, improving air and water quality, or enhancing fish and wildlife habitat. Many times buffers or buffer strips are referred to as filter strips or field borders. The great thing about buffers is that, once they are established, the costs associated with seed, fertilizer, and labor are gone for that area. In addition to reduced costs, there are opportunities through federal programs, like the Conservation Reserve Program, to receive an annual payment for the land enrolled as buffer. Current regulations require minimum setbacks from surface waters for spraying pesticides/herbicides and a buffer provides an automatic potentially paid-for setback. A properly planned buffer can straighten up the edges of fields and make fields easier farm all while providing all of the above mentioned benefits. Many farmers enjoy buffers/field borders simply because of the easier access that this lane provides around the field for crop scouting or for activities like hunting.

As farmers carefully calculate their profit vs cost margins, the “Farm the Best, Buffer the Rest” concept should be seriously considered along with the role that buffers can play in the overall operation.

Save Money, Save Soil

2010-05-07T13:38:00.007-04:00

There is a tremedous amount of data and information out there for farmers to digest these days about how to improve farming. It seems like everybody has a tool, seed, herbicide, or method which will improve profitability and help the farmer be more efficient. One thing for sure that can help you make more money on your farm at the end of the day is to spend less on your inputs. By "inputs" I mean, the cost associated with getting the crops planted all the way through grain delivered.

One method that seems to pencil out time and time again is continuous no-till/strip-till. No-till is a tillage system in which the soil is not disturbed before planting, except for injecting fertilizer nutrients such as liquid manure or anhydrous ammonia and opening narrow strips with a coulter or disk seed-furrow during planting. This means that tillage is entirely eliminated. Furthermore, the entire residue from the previous crop remains on the soil’s surface to protect it from erosion. The economic benefits can really be seen when considering the costs of fuel, machinery, time for labor, and yield returns in dry years (generally more available moisture in no-till).

This is a conservation blog, so of course I have to mention that no-till/strip-till have many, many more advantages for the environment over conventional as well. Conservation tillage, particularly in the form of long-term or continuous no-till, minimizes the soil leaving the field by maintaining a cover on the soil's surface. Since nutrients that can pose some environmental concerns, such as phosphorus, are bound to soil particles the soil savings is doubly important.

There are many more benefits that I could go on about, but I'll stop by referencing one great resource to learn more about no-till/strip-till, cover crops, precision farming and nutrient management, the Conservation Cropping Systems Inititaive. This website has some excellent resources, including two good videos detailing no-till planter setup, and contact information for recieving specific technical help with these practices. Thanks to the Indiana State Soil Conservation Board, the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service, and our other conservation partners for making this great initiative possible!

Resources:
http://www.conservationinformation.org/Publications/BetterSoilBetterYields.pdf

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1901D.pdf

Earth Day, Everyday!

2010-04-21T23:00:00.009-04:00

Earth Day, April 22, 2010 was really great for me this year! I tend to get pretty excited about Earth Day, it’s true. My friends and family think I'm crazy and there is no doubt that they are right about that, however for professionals who work in the environmental/conservation world, it's our day! I look at April 22nd, each year, as a day for reflection on my personal actions on the environment and I take a moment to really appreciate the work that is done on behalf of conserving our natural resources.

- First, Earth Day serves to remind us all to reflect on our own actions and the impact we, as individuals, are making on the environment. With new technologies and greening efforts there are many ways to minimize our environmental footprint with our everyday behaviors such as recycling, over or improper fertilizer application, wildlife habitat establishment or enhancement, and water/energy conservation. Over the years there have been some really interesting campaigns regarding environmental stewardship for the everyday citizen, such as this

poster with a guy fertilizing improperly and check out this video from our Indiana Department of Environmental Management. After all, Earth Day really is Everyday! My fellow ISDA blogger The Ag Grant Guru has is right this week, check out her blog!

- Second, Earth Day provides an excellent opportunity to show our appreciation for the many Hoosier conservation professionals, advocates, and partners who have spent years dedicated to the common purpose of making this planet a more ecologically sound/sustainable civilization. I can think of no better group to honor for this dedication than our own ISDA, Conservation staff. Our staff of just over 30 individuals do everything from working with farmers/landowners to install conservation practices on the land, to helping each of the 92 Soil and Water Conservation Districts effectively provide conservation services, to developing the very programs that encourage more and more protection of our precious natural resources. I can't begin to explain how proud I am to be to the director of such an important area and such a quality class of people who share my passion for conservation.

Kenny preaching soil conservation!

I had the opportunity on Earth Day to spend some time out in the field with one of our Resource Specialists, George Reger. We were mostly working with earthwork contractors who were busy constructing Grassed Waterways (designed swales in the field which alleviate gully erosion and minimize sediment/nutrient runoff). One of the contractors hard at work was Kenny "Cornfield" Cain. Kenny has been a great friend and advocate for conservation efforts and is well-known as a conservation farmer. Kenny took a few moments to discuss the current soil conditions with George and I along with the progress of corn planting in the area. It was a great day watching our conservation efforts coming to fruition right in front of us!

My thanks to George and Kenny for the great Earth Day! Thanks again to our Conservation staff and our supporters at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture!
Next week is Soil and Water Stewardship Week!!!

Agriculture is Critical to Hoosier Culture

2010-04-06T15:43:00.001-04:00

There are nearly 23 million acres in our great state of Indiana and approximately 83% of those acres are farmlands or forested lands.

o The forestry and the hard lumber business is a $7.5 billion industry and employees over 54,000 people in the State.

o Indiana’s corn and soybean production brings $5.5 billion.

There is no doubt that agriculture brings significant economic value to Indiana. In fact, 16% of the jobs in Indiana are estimated to work in agribusiness. It’s easy to look at the numbers and break down the statistics to understand the benefits of agriculture in monetary value, but we don’t often discuss the intrinsic social values that we gain from agriculture. It’s difficult to break down these social, emotional, and some would say moral values into statistics or black and white.

Personally, I enjoy driving through the country, seeing wild turkey in a field, and going mushroom hunting in the woods. I am very thankful that these places exist and are still plentiful in Indiana and to many Hoosiers these things may be every bit as important to us as the economic factors above. But, it goes even a little deeper than that.

As a parent, I see how much I want my kids to grow up with a strong understanding and appreciation for agriculture and the conservation of our natural resources. A man considered to the father of Soil Conservation, Hugh Hammond Bennett said, “Take care of the land and the land will take care of you.” Agriculture teaches the lessons of appreciation and wise-use of our natural resources, hard work, dedication, faith, family, working together, reaping what you sow, and many more. There’s just something about farming that is important for our mental health too, people just want to be around it. For me, there are few things that really strum on my heart strings more than watching my sons ride in the combine with my Uncle Kevin, just like I did when I was a wee whipper-snapper.
Keaton with Uncle Kevin

It’s interesting to see that the statistics can tell us that I must not be the only one who feels this way; since 2002, Agritourism destinations in Indiana are up 55 percent. These days, there are a lot of people out there visiting corn mazes, vineyards, or going to see cows being milked! This is a good thing, because it's important that we continue to educate everyone about the origins of their food and the importance that farming has on everyone's life each day.

One of the fathers of conservation, Aldo Leopold, once said, "There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace." It’s really important that we continue to share the values of agriculture, especially those values which almost can not be measured.
There are already too many folks out there who think that chocolate milk comes from a brown cow!

Want to be Cool and GREEN? 4 simple letters SWCD

2010-03-31T11:57:00.001-04:00

These are really exciting times for conservation and the environment! There are many, many people in the world today who are passionate about the environment. Regardless of your views on which theories are true, or which solutions may be best, I think most of the world better understands how fragile ecosystems can be, and that it is the responsibility of every person to be good stewards. The crazy thing is, it seems that today "GREEN" is not only good for the environment, but it just seems like the cool thing to do. In other words, no matter how many time Fonzy from Happy Days snaps his fingers and says "Hey"; he's going to have to reduce his carbon footprint to be cool!

It seems that there is a lot of energy out there to help improve the environment and people can be unsure where to best use that energy. So, let me share with you one of the best avenues to exercise those GREEN muscles and make some real difference....the local Soil and Water Conservation District!

That's right, the Soil and Water Conservation District, commonly referred to as the SWCD. Indiana has an SWCD in each county, so that means we have 92 of these little gems. These entities exist for the sole purpose of improving and conserving our natural resources; that's our soil, water, animals, plants, and air. The SWCDs set conservation goals and priorities within their own county, and then they seek ways to accomplish those goals. SWCDs are sub-divisions of state government who partner with many different organizations and agencies. The strength of this local connection to make real changes is powerful! The SWCDs usually meet once a month, the meetings are open to the public, and they appreciate people who want to get involved.

Interestingly enough, while SWCDs do help in the urban areas, traditionally SWCDs are tied very closely to agriculture. Do you want to guess which sector of our population was GREEN way before it was ever cool......... it was farmers!!! Farmers are the epitome of land stewards, and the SWCDs work very closely with farmers to provide them opportunities to implement even more conservation options on their farms. Also, since 2/3rds of Indiana is farmland, it only makes sense that you would have farmers as your primary customer in most parts of the state. And, those counties with larger urban sectors have loads of information and programs to help in that arena as well.

So, if GREEN is cool, then SWCDs are definitely cool. If you are like me, this GREEN thing may be your only chance to ever be cool, so I would jump on it! Specifically, I would check out what SWCDs are doing in your area and get involved. Beyond just the GREEN stuff, the SWCDs also provide some unique leadership development opportunities that many SWCD officials have found beneficial in all aspects of their life. To contact your local SWCD, visit the Indiana State Department of Agriculture - SWCD Online Directory. To learn more about SWCDs, and their power to make positive environmental changes, visit the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Soil not Dirt!

2010-03-24T08:07:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first posting of Chew on Dirt! I'm really excited to join a fellow ISDA blogger, The AG Grant Guru and certainly recommend everyone to check out her blog. As for Chew on Dirt, this may be the place for you if you're interested in reading about the current happenings of Indiana soil and water resources and agriculture as well as most likely some general silliness.

Right out of the gate I should address this blog's title, "Chew on Dirt". For all of you, including myself, who have spent a countless hours in soil conservation trying to educate our fellow mankind about how critical soil is to our livelihood and that it is not dirt..........I'm sorry! I must admit, I sold out. It's true, it was painful finally agreeing to it, but I have to admit that "Chew on Dirt" sounds catchier than "Jerod on Soil" or if we wanted to be completely literal with the title it would probably be something more like "Crazy Conservation Dude Rambling About Crazy Conservation and Farming Stuff"(while this is probably an accurate description it's just a bit too long and honest!).

The classic "Soil not Dirt Analogy" to the soil not dirt debate...... Dirt is what you sweep off of the floor, but soil is what covers the earth and is essential to life. It would be interesting to know how many times that soil and water folks have had this exchange with their classrooms, wives, friends, kids, families, etc. I know that I personally said this to my oldest son just last week when we were playing in the yard. He said that he wanted to get the shovel out and dig in the dirt for some worms and being the crazy, conservation dad I threw the out the classic Soil not Dirt Analogy mentioned above.

In all fairness to soil, it IS absolutely essential and this natural resource is often overlooked in it's importance. A good friend and colleague of mine, Doug Wolf, is a soil scientist and he used to do a great presentation entitled "Soil - the Rodney Dangerfield of Natural Resources" because it gets no respect!

We are so fortunate in Indiana to have these incredibly fertile soils along with our climate. I took a college soils course a few years ago called World Soil Resources where we studied the soils around the globe in relationship to world health. Invariably, really important factors such as low birth rates, reduced life span, high instances of malnutrition-related diseases, and poor economic stability are found in those countries with poor soils. In Indiana this dynamic brown stuff under our feet grows some of the finest hardwoods in the world and significantly more corn and beans annually than we can even use in this state. This is why it is so important that we take good care of this resource and minimize soil erosion so we keep as much of this precious resource in place on the land, not in our waters.

FYI - Miami is name of Indiana's State Soil. There are 794,994 acres of Miami soils in Indiana. Indiana is nationally ranked for agricultural production because of the highly productive Miami soils along with other prime farmland soils in the State.

I'll continue to discuss important bits about soil, erosion, water quality, and conservation measures in future blogs so please check back. A good resource for learning about your soils can be found on the Web Soil Survey . Feel free to contact us here at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture for resources or contacts related to Indiana's soil and water resources.