Podcasts about usda nrcs

Stephen is a professor in the department of geology at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. He obtained his bachelors in geology and earth science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his PhD in geology from North Carolina State University. He teaches classes in structural geology, geomorphology, and field geology, and his research projects have focused mostly on tropical landslides and landscape evolution, with the funding of such organizations as the NSF, USGS, USDA-NRCS, and NOAA.

George Henshaw, Illinois State Resource Conservationist for the USDA NRCS shares the USDA request for public input on its climate change mitigation and adaptation conservation practice standards.

If you find yourself uncomfortable at every turn these days, you're not alone. In this episode, the Soil Sisters wade through the idea and experience of getting comfortable with discomfort. They talk about tackling new and uncomfortable tasks - from starting a radio show, to learning holistic farm management, to participating in agriculture committees, and maintaining family land. And how it's all led to personal growth and excitement for the process. This conversation touches on their efforts to be better stewards of the land, healing family relationships through shared projects, and the importance of advocating for agricultural changes. The Soil Sisters also touch on the benefits of methylene blue as part of a daily wellness protocol and its impact on health. This conversation originally aired on KLKT-LP 107.9 Radio Lockhart.TIME STAMPS:00:00 Soil Sisters Introduction00:55 Embracing Discomfort in Life03:34 Health Habits and Uncomfortable Realizations08:26 Family Conversations and Ranch Plans10:45 Managing Discomfort and Personal Growth24:04 Community and Collaboration26:29 Participating in Important Meetings28:03 USDA NRCS State Technical Committee29:33 Municipal Advocacy Training - FARFA34:41 The Power of Decision Making45:03 Serendipitous Interaction46:57 Methylene Blue Benefits52:31 Upcoming Episode Teaser

This month we are joined by Carlos Villarreal, Nebraska State Soil Scientist at USDA-NRCS, to discuss all things soil health in Nebraska and beyond.    Resources: Soil Health Basics and Benefits Unlock Your Farm's Potential: Dig a Little, Learn a Lot Unlock Your Farm's Potential: Discover the Cover Unlock Your Farm's Potential: Do Not Disturb   Carlos Villarreal [website] Dr. Andrew Little [academic profile, @awesmlabdoc] Nathan Pflueger [website] AWESM Lab [website, @awesmlab] Nebraska Pheasants Forever [website, @pheasants_quailforever_of_ne]   Watch these podcasts on YouTube If you enjoy this podcast, leave a rating and review so others can find us!   Music by Humans Win Produced and edited by Iris McFarlin  

This month we are joined by Carlos Villarreal, Nebraska State Soil Scientist at USDA-NRCS, to discuss all things soil health in Nebraska and beyond.     Resources:  Soil Health Basics and Benefits  Unlock Your Farm's Potential: Dig a Little, Learn a Lot  Unlock Your Farm's Potential: Discover the Cover  Unlock Your Farm's Potential: Do Not Disturb    Carlos Villarreal [website]  Dr. Andrew Little [academic profile, @awesmlabdoc]  Nathan Pflueger [website]  AWESM Lab [website, @awesmlab]  Nebraska Pheasants Forever [website, @pheasants_quailforever_of_ne]    Watch these podcasts on YouTube  If you enjoy this podcast, leave a rating and review so others can find us!    Music by Humans Win  Produced and edited by Iris McFarlin 

A passion for gardening and tasty, flavorful tomatoes, cucumbers, and hot peppers continues to drive Bill Patterson's experimentation with crop rotations, mulching, composting, and winter and summer cover crops in his home garden. Mary Sketch Bryant and Eric Bendfeldt talked previously with Bill about his conservation work with soil health and grazing lands. Bill is equally passionate about his home garden as he is about farmers' grazing lands.He uses his garden as an experimentation station to test and observe the soil health-building principles. Bill emphasizes: "rotations, rotations, rotations," and allowing the critters to do the tillage for you. With his love for building soil carbon and enjoying a great-tasting tomato, Bill's gardening rotation includes a diverse mixture of summer and winter cover crops.To learn about winter and summer cover crops, please visit the Southern Cover Crops Council's website at https://southerncovercrops.org/  The site includes a selection tool for vegetables, grazing, and row crops. For information about careers and programs of the Virginia USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, please visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/virginia To access close to seventy episodes of the 4 The Soil: A Conversation podcast and additional resources on soil health-building principles, please visit https://www.4thesoil.org/. To learn about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, visit https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/. We would love to hear your stories about the passion you have for experimenting with the four core soil health principles in your garden, cropland, and grazing lands.

A love and curiosity for soil sparked a fifty-year career in soil and natural resources conservation. Mary Sketch Bryant and Eric Bendfeldt talk with Bill Patterson, retired district conservationist and present grazing specialist with Virginia USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, about his career and to hear his insights on soil health and grazing. Bill is affectionately called "Pops" and has served as a mentor for many farmers and soil conservationists. Bill was recently recognized at the Virginia Farm to Table Conference for his lifetime achievement with the 2023 Carl Luebben Soil Health and Water Quality Award.In reflecting on his career that started in 1974, Bill states that we know more about soil health, but there is still a whole lot more to learn. The more we learn, the less we know. Therefore, it is important to ask good questions, be observant, remain flexible, stay curious, and love what you do.To learn about careers and programs of the Virginia USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, please visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/virginia To access more than sixty episodes of the 4 The Soil: A Conversation podcast and additional resources on soil health-building principles, please visit https://www.4thesoil.org/. To learn about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, visit https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/. We would love to hear your stories and the ways you follow the four core soil health principles and express your love for the soil.

As an irrigation water management specialist at Centra Sota Cooperative, Rebecca Schubert does farmer outreach, education, and program partnerships. As a Technical Service Provider, Schubert assists farmers with opportunities via USDA-NRCS. She says this expansion is beyond what has been assumed a co-op can provide while also helping farmers pull together all aspects of their approach to conservation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Geitzen - USDA NRCS

Tuesday's Second Hour: Kyle Hanson from Hertz Real Estate Services discusses the latest Iowa State University study finding an increase in farmland values. Asisstant State Conservationist Sam Adams with USDA NRCS tells us about the funding they have received and the projects it will go toward. David talked a few weeks ago at the NAFB Convention with Beef Checkoff Chairman Jimmy Taylor about herd size and promoting exports to countries around the world. Brian Hoops from Midwest Market Solutions ends today's show with a closing look at the markets!

Dr. Jay Martin is a Professor of Ecological Engineering in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State and is the Project Director for the Pilot Watershed project in the Shallow Run Basin. He joined Kernels host Luke Crumley on this episode of Kernels to talk about this new project. Spoiler alert: Growers in the project area can earn incentives, bring funds to their community, win a fishing trip, and much more by participating in this project. Not to mention increase yields and promote water-quality practices. Learn more about the project at https://u.osu.edu/wilsonlab/current-projects-and-publications/pilot-watershed-project/. Get involved by contacting Dr. Jay Martin by email at Martin.113@osu.edu. The largest sponsors and contributors of this project include USDA-NRCS ($6.8M), and the State of Ohio ($6M) via the Ohio Department of Agriculture and H2Ohio and Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The Agricultural Retailers (Nutrient Ag Solutions, Heritage Cooperative, Haselman Ag, and Sunrise Cooperative) are supporting the project by contributing a total of $207,000 of personnel time. Other contributors include SWCD-Hardin County, The National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University, USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Program, USDA Agricultural Research Service-Soil Drainage Research Unit, Mosaic, Ohio Agribusiness Association-Nutrient Stewardship Council, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Dairy Producers, Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio Corn and Wheat, American Farmland Trust, United States Geological Survey, Ohio Sea Grant, National Wildlife Federation, Lake Erie Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy. Contributions of personnel time are also being made by academic partners supporting the project (OSU, BGSU, Kent State U,. and U. Toledo). Luke Crumley is the Director of Public Policy & Sustainability at Ohio Corn & Wheat. Kernels is a production of Ohio Corn & Wheat and hosts conversations about the corn and wheat industry in Ohio, their respective checkoff programs, and the work the Grower's Association is doing in on behalf of Ohio grain farmers. About Ohio Corn & Wheat Ohio Corn & Wheat works to create opportunities for long-term Ohio corn and small grain grower profitability. It is a strategic alliance of two checkoffs and one membership-based organization. The Ohio Corn Checkoff and Ohio Small Grains Checkoff work to develop and expand markets, fund research and provide education about corn and wheat, respectively. The Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association is a membership organization advocating for supportive public policy on behalf of its farmer members.  For more information, visit ohiocornandwheat.org.

“Pesticide trends in a tailwater recovery system in the Mississippi Delta” with Dr. Matt Moore, Supervisory Ecologist and Research Leader of the USDA-ARS Water Quality and Ecology Research Unit at the National Sedimentation Laboratory in Oxford, Mississippi Farmers in Mississippi have a two-fold problem. Agriculture requires a lot of water, leading to a water quantity problem, and agricultural runoff can cause environmental issues, leading to a water quality problem. One potential solution? Tailwater recovery systems. These systems collect and recycle water from rain and runoff so it can be used for irrigation on farmer fields. When the water is re-used, however, it is important that excess pesticides don't harm the watered crops. This episode, Dr. Matt Moore discusses his work studying potential pesticide contamination in tailwater recovery systems. Tune in to learn: ·         How tailwater recovery systems work ·         What kinds of pesticides may be detected in tailwater recovery systems ·         What, if any, harm pesticides found in tailwater recovery systems can cause ·         Considerations for farmers who want to add a tailwater recovery system to their farm If you would like more information about this topic, this episode's paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.20325 This paper is always freely available. Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe. If you'd like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/. If you would like to reach out to Matt, you can find him here: matt.moore@usda.gov If you would like to reach out to Sachin Dhanda from our Student Spotlight, you can find him here: dhanda@ksu.edu Twitter: https://twitter.com/sachin__dhanda Resources CEU Quiz: https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Learning-Center/Courses/Course-Detail?productid=%7b5C9C2C4D-9C25-EE11-9CBD-000D3A365051%7d  Transcripts: https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/1B1w0oMrHZB-wlzfPxp-i7DNfsNAbyPvOeff2OxYuTtCpDicyoPUHv8tv4XjwSg-sdATooAJUVLTP3DP0q2pyNsk6iM?loadFrom=SharedLink  USDA NRCS: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ USDA ARS: https://www.ars.usda.gov/ Sponsored by METER Group. METER sensors deliver real-time, plant, soil, and atmospheric data that fuels environmental research. Listen to METER Group's new podcast We Measure the World to hear how innovative researchers leverage environmental data to make our world a better—and more sustainable—place at metergroup.com/fieldlabearth Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

"There was a guy in my office for years, who used to refer to people like me as hobby farmers. And it drove me crazy. One day I finally said, “You know what? These hobby farmers, if they are getting up every day, and taking care of animals, it's not a hobby. A hobby is something you do when you feel like doing it.” Karen Hoffman started working for Cornell Cooperative Extension for a few years after grad school, and then began working for USDA-NRCS as an Animal Scientist to help dairy farmers convert to grazing more successfully. She is now the State Grazing Specialist for NY, although she still reminds folks that she's an animal scientist inside. Her farming journey began in 2011 when she and her partner Jack decided to raise sheep and beef cattle and market their meat locally. They bought a small farm and started with 5 Dorset ewes that he already owned. Much of the land needed to be reclaimed, which they did with a lot of manual labor and animal impact. Links: Peaceful by Nature Farm email Peaceful by Nature Farm Facebook FAMACHA⁠ scoring Grasstravanganzainfo: https://grasstravaganza.morrisville.edu/   Drop a review at www.choosingtofarm.com   Join our Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

In this episode of Voices from the Field, two NCAT staffers talk about their years of experience working with historically underserved farmers. Gulf States Regional Director Rockiell Woods and Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell discuss who the USDA NRCS defines as historically underserved and some of the programs that are available to them. They also address topics that agriculture professionals might experience as they deal with historically underserved farmers, from a reluctance to make use of government programs to the need to respect the cultures many of the farmers come from.Related ATTRA Resources:Farmer EquityEpisode 298. Ag Professional Series with Brennan Washington of Southern SAREWeekly Wednesday Workshop: Ag Professionals with Otis Wright Jr. of RAFI-USABeginning Farmer TutorialsOther Resources: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Contact Rockiell Woods and Felicia Bell at rockw@ncat.org and feliciab@ncat.orgPlease complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast. You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.  

In this episode of Voices from the Field, two NCAT staffers talk about their years of experience working with historically underserved farmers. Gulf States Regional Director Rockiell Woods and Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell discuss who the USDA NRCS defines as historically underserved and some of the programs that are available to them. They also address topics that agriculture professionals might experience as they deal with historically underserved farmers, from a reluctance to make use of government programs to the need to respect the cultures many of the farmers come from.Related ATTRA Resources:Farmer EquityEpisode 298. Ag Professional Series with Brennan Washington of Southern SAREWeekly Wednesday Workshop: Ag Professionals with Otis Wright Jr. of RAFI-USABeginning Farmer TutorialsOther Resources: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Contact Rockiell Woods and Felicia Bell at rockw@ncat.org and feliciab@ncat.orgPlease complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast. You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.  

In this podcast, Buz Kloot talks to Dan Mehlhaf, District Conservationist for the USDA NRCS, currently stationed at Yankton, South Dakota. Dan was raised on a farm and has a degree in agriculture from South Dakota State University and he actively farms with his son on land they own in Hutchinson County, about 30 miles from his work. The discussion centers around Dan's experience in April and May 2022, that culminated in the May 12, 2022, windstorm (or derecho) that occurred in South Dakota. Prior to the derecho, the entire spring was extremely windy and warm; and on April 14, 2022 there was a day of constant 40-50 mile an hour winds that caused wind erosion in the fields. Dan went to investigate a relative's report of severe wind erosion about 30 miles northeast of Yankton and saw soil coming off the field due to the tilled, dry soil and the absence of any residue or canopy cover. Dan looked up the soil to find this was an Egan-Ethan soil, which is a silty clay loam, considered a very good soil. Five days later, Dan revisited the site on a sunny day, and the road ditch was completely full of soil that had come off the field, Dan noticed that the soil in the road ditch was sand, not the texture on the field which was a silty clay loam. Dan realized that the silts and clays that made up the soil had gone airborne and disappeared, and the only particle left was the sand left in the ditch. He took a soil sample to be tested and found high to very high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and other nutrients which ought not to be in a sand, and calculated that over $900 of fertilizer per acre were in the ditch sand, what about the rest of the silts and the clays that blew off the property? Buz and Dan turn to the topic of the importance of cover (small grains, standing residue, cover crops) and no-till agriculture in the context of wind erosion was raised. Dan highlighted his experience on April 14th, 2022 (a full month before the May 12th 2022 derecho) in the significant difference in wind erosion between two fields of the same soil series (Egan-Ethan), where one was bare ground and tilled, while the other had a cover crop of cereal rye. The field with the cover crop experienced virtually no erosion compared to the other field, which was blowing soil around even with a moderate wind. Dan emphasizes that the adoption of no-till and the use of cover crops are slowly changing farmer's attitudes towards conservation tillage. Dan does note that a well-planned cover crop can protect against a 25 mile an hour wind fairly easily, while a 50 mile an hour wind requires a good, intact residue from the cover crop to prevent significant erosion. Dan notes that adoption of no-till and the use of cover crops is slowly gaining momentum, in both and wet dry years, and that the attitude of farmers towards reduced tillage is changing. Dan hopes that the change in attitude towards cover crops and no-till agriculture is a long-term change and not just a temporary response to the dry years. Dan highlights that there is still a need for more education and awareness on the importance of cover crops and no-till agriculture to protect soil quality and water quality. MORE ON THE DERECHO See: https://www.growingresiliencesd.com/ for more on the derecho and find our Growing Resilience name for videos wherever you get your social media. OTHER REFERENCES: Description of a Derecho: https://www.weather.gov/lmk/derecho May 12 derecho summary: https://www.weather.gov/abr/StormsummaryMay122022

Grazing operations benefit the animals, the farm, and the environment.  In this episode, Jim Gerrish joins Jared to talk about  Grazing Management to restore soil health. Jim Gerrish, is an independent grazing lands consultant providing services to farmers and ranchers on both private and public lands across five continents.    Jim was co-founder of the very popular 3-day grazing management workshop program at FSRC. These schools were attended by over 3000 producers and educators from 39 states and 4 Canadian provinces from their inception in 1990 through 2003. Fifteen other states have conducted grazing workshops based on the Missouri model and Jim has taught in eleven of these states. He is an instructor in the University of Idaho's Lost River Grazing Academy held annually near Salmon ID. He typically speaks at 20 to 25 producer oriented workshops, seminars, and field days around the US and Canada each year.  For 22 of the years he spent in Missouri, he stayed in touch with the real world on a 260- acre commercial cow-calf and contract grazing operation. In this setting, he took a worn out marginal crop farm and converted it to a highly productive grass farm. After the move to Idaho, Jim keeps his day-to-day grazing tools sharp through management of a ranch unit consisting of 450 center pivot irrigated pastures, 90 acres of flood ground, and several hundred acres of rangeland. He was deeply involved in the Green Hills Farm Project, a grassroots producer group centered in north-central Missouri and emphasizing sustainability of family farms. His research and outreach efforts have been recognized with awards from the American Forage and Grassland Council, Missouri Forage and Grassland Council, National Center for Appropriate Technology, USDA-NRCS, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Progressive Farmer, and American Agricultural Editors Association.For more information, you can contact him at:Website: https://www.americangrazinglands.com/  Learn more about his books:1. Management-Intensive Grazing: The Grassroots of Grass Farming 2.  Kick the Hay Habit: A Practical Guide to Year-around Grazing 

In this week's episode of Bug Talk, Jen chats with Stefanie Steele, Pollinator Conservation Specialist for urban and small farms in underserved communities and USDA NRCS partner biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation! We chat about Stefanie's background and education and how she found her role at the Xerces Society. Stefanie also gives some tips on steps you can take while in graduate school to gain skills to work at a non-profit. To learn more about the Xerces Society and their work visit xerces.org

“.. everything works together. The more diverse a pasture or grassland is, the healthier it is, the more resilient it is to any disturbance that comes at it. So, if we can have that diversity it's going to reduce the inputs needed and the landscape can be more resilient as well”. - Emily Helms USDA-NRCS's State Rangeland Management Specialist in South Dakota. If you find yourself in a meeting or in the field where farmers or ranchers are demonstrating or discussing good grazing practice (like Rotate, Rest, Recover), whether East or West River, you're likely to find Emily Helms, USDA-NRCS's State Rangeland Management Specialist in South Dakota. While Emily is not one to draw attention to herself, anyone who is interested in rangeland function and diversity would do well to pay close attention to what Emily says. While most of us would walk by an obscure-looking plant, Emily is likely to stop and say “Oh! This is a …..” and she'd take you to school about the plant above and belowground, it's story, its function in the prairie and how or when it can be grazed. Soil Health Lab's Joe Dickie and Buz Kloot sit down to chat with Emily Helms about rangeland, it's value, the threats to rangeland, what can be done to mitigate the threats and we discuss a number of examples of what folks are doing right to restore function to grasslands in South Dakota. In the podcast, Emily walks us through four threats namely: 1. Woody encroachment on rangeland 2. Urban encroachment 3. Conversion to cropland 4. Cool season invasive species Finally, in the last few minutes of the interview, Emily walks us through why the grasslands are important, why diversity is important to resilience and why this groundswell of partners and partnerships has the potential to restore grasslands in the state, and elsewhere. We hope you enjoy the podcast! Other Links Mentioned in the Podcast: USDA-NRCS South Dakota Range and Pasture website that includes the SD Drought Status and Drought maps, Drought Tool, South Dakota Range Planning Tools and South Dakota Prescribed Burning - https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/sd/technical/landuse/pasture/ SD Grasslands Coalition - https://sdgrass.org/ The Central Grasslands Roadmap: https://www.grasslandsroadmap.org/ Book by Owen Wormsley - Lawns to Meadows Mid Missouri River Prescribed Burn Association: https://www.midmissouririverpba.com/ Prescribed Burn Videos, Podcasts and Blogs: https://www.growingresiliencesd.com/prescribed-burn Drought Management Videos, Podcasts and Blogs: https://www.growingresiliencesd.com/drought-management

We highlight an event at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago featuring Midwest Dairy, the IHSA, an Illinois dairy family and Chicago Bear David Montgomery. We also have more National FFA Convention coverage with Newark's Ty Steffen--a national proficiency winner; newly elected National FFA officer Gracie Murphy from Macomb; and Don Donovan with USDA NRCS. The show wraps up talking weather with DTN ag meteorologist John Baranick.

It is a rare pleasure to speak with a person of consequence and have their undivided attention for an hour. Ray Archuleta, who needs little introduction, has been a person of consequence in the lives of Buz Kloot (Soil Health Labs at the University of South Carolina) and Tanse Herrmann, NRCS Grazing Lands Soil Health Specialist working out of Rapid City, South Dakota. In this podcast, Buz and Tanse host Ray Archuleta and catch up with him, but before that, both Buz and Tanse tell their stories of how they first met Ray and how he has impacted their lives. A theme that runs through the podcast is The Goal of farming/ranching – making money is an outcome, but The Goal is to Follow the Pattern that Mother Nature has provided. We talk to Ray about his journey since he left the USDA-NRCS (where he served for 3 decades) and what he's been up to since then. Ray now has land near Seymour, Missouri and talks about having “Skin in the Game” now that he has his own land payment and his own livestock to manage! Ray talks about having skin in the game as being a great tool to make him more empathetic to the ranchers and farmers he speaks to, and he still does a lot of that. Ray also speaks from his own experience of farming with sheep, the mistakes he has made and what he's learned in the process – infrastructure, animal safety and health, epigenetics and simplicity of design are discussed. The conversation turns to the work that Alejandro Carrillo has done on the Las Damas Ranch in the Chihuahua desert and how transformational this has been to the landscape (see the Las Damas Case Study at the end of these show notes). Ray uses the discussion about Alejandro's land as an opportunity to educate us on the principle of ecological context (often considered the 6th principle of soil health), in this case, he discusses ecological context in terms of the difference between rainfall on his land (~45” a year) versus Alejandro's (8” - 10” a year). Note that the first five principles of soil health are: 1. Minimum disturbance; 2. Cover the soil; 3. Keep a live root in the soil as many days as possible; 4. Add diversity of plants (e.g., grasses and broadleaves, warm and cool season, annuals, and perennials); 5. Incorporate livestock back to the land. The discussion of ecological context also led us to spend some time discussing the very important human dimension of rangeland and farmland management, and how people make decisions. We make a few references to Dr. Ellen Davis's Book “Scripture, Culture and Agriculture” and the work by Hannah Gosnell and others in a paper called “Transformational adaptation on the farm: Processes of change and persistence in transitions to ‘climate-smart' regenerative agriculture” where “dimensions of transformation [are] associated with beliefs, values, emotions, worldviews, structures of meaning-making, and consciousness” are discussed. See below for the links to these two references. References from the Podcast: Alejandro Carrillo: Las Damas Ranch Case Study, Las Damas Ranch, Aldama County, Chihuahua, Mexico https://understandingag.com/case_studies/las-damas-ranch-case-study/ Ray discusses infrastructure, and there is no better network on rangeland and farmland advice than the SD Grasslands Coalition Mentoring Network where mentors on fencing and water placement, among other things, are provided: https://sdgrass.org/mentoring-network/ SoilHealthLab's podcast with Shannon Kulseth-Iverson: “39 How Rangeland Health and Livestock Work to Solve Environmental Issues” https://www.growingresiliencesd.com/podcasts/episode/c506bbc6/39-how-rangeland-health-and-livestock-work-to-solve-environmental-issues Books Discussed in Podcast: Note we have links for convenience- there are other outlets that carry these books as well. André Lund. The Wonder of UHDSG (Ultra High Density Strip Grazing): Elandsfontein Beaufort West - Central Karoo South Africa. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40894069-the-wonder-of-uhdsg-ultra-high-density-strip-grazing Ellen Davis. Scripture, Culture and Agriculture. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/5941497-scripture-culture-and-agriculture Movies: “Kiss the Ground.” Understanding Ag's Ray Archuleta, Gabe Brown and Kris Nichols, Ph.D. https://kissthegroundmovie.com/kiss-the-ground-understanding-ags-ray-archuleta-gabe-brown-and-kris-nichols-ph-d/ Recommended Podcast: The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast – hosted by John Kempf. https://regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com/ Books Recommended by Ray Archuleta (these are all searchable, some of them available in pdf format) 1) Allan Savory - Holistic Management 2) Eugene P. Odum - Fundamentals of Ecology (3rd or 4th edition) 3) David Gleissman -Agroecology by 4) Weil and Brady - Nature and Properties of Soils (15th edition I available) 5) Martin Alexander - Introduction to Soil Microbiology 6) Patrick Lavelle and Alister V. Spain - Soil Ecology 7) David Coleman, mac Callaham and D.A. Crossley, Jr. Fundamental of Soil Ecology 8) Sir Albert Howard – An Agricultural Testament 9) N.A. Krasil‘nikov -Soil Microorganisms and Higher Plants: The Classic Text on Living Soils 10) Michael John Swift and others: Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems 11) Donald Q. Innis- Intercropping and the Scientific basis for traditional agriculture 12) David Pimentel - Handbook of Energy Utilization in Agriculture (ISBN 9781315893419) 13) Ken Killham - Soil Ecology 14) David Pimentel - Food, Energy and Society 15) Richard Bardgett, Usher and Hopkins - Biological Diversity and Function in Soils 16) Bill Mollison - Permaculture: A designers Manual 17) Fred Magdoff and Harold Van Es - Building Better Soils for Better Crops 18) Richard Bardgett and others - Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services 19) Brian walker and David Salt - Resilience Thinking: sustaining ecosystems and people in a changing world 20) F. Stuart Chapin and others - Principles of Terrestrial ecosystem ecology 21) Masanobu Fukuoka – One Straw Revolution

Leann WintersHello! My name is LeAnn Winters and I am honored to be nominated to serve on the ADSBS Board. My husband and I own and operate Twin Ridges near Kahoka, Missouri. We currently run roughly 350 registered and commercial Dorper ewes and 50 cow calf pairs. Our two children, Wyle,12, and Ally, 11, have a flock of white dorper ewes. I am currently a District Conservationist for the USDA-NRCS.My passion for raising sheep started when I was 8 years old. I was fascinated at tracing their genetics, recordkeeping, and rotational grazing and I still am to this day. I was active in 4-H, FFA, University Extension events, and Church. I attended collage at the University of Missouri and completed an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Education and a Masters in Agronomy with an emphasis in Grazing Management. Throughout my college education, I worked as a research specialist preforming grazing trails on perennial and annual forages and presenting at field days across the US and international. In 2006, I began my search for a breed of sheep that focused on production, carcass characteristics and growth. I was pleased to find the Dorper breed and added 4 ewes and a ram…and the rest is history! I have taken the Senior Course with Raymond Reed and have been honored to have Theuns Botha and Colene van der Merwe inspect our flock. I feel it's not only important to select by standards but also carcass merit and productivity. We are currently transitioning from an excel program to an EID tagging system with reader and software from Select SheepWare. We are also utilizing Flock 54 for genetic testing. I would like to promote this level of record keeping in the Dorper breed. My children enjoy being involved in 4-H and Junior events. I believe in developing strong youth programs and promote showing and education in our Junior Members and was recently added to the ADSBS Youth Committee. I appreciate the opportunity to run for the Board and if elected, look forward to working with my fellow Board Members and networking with you to promote the breeds! www.Dorpersheep. orgwww.Nationalagco.com

Joe Smedberg and Jesse Haen of USDA NRCS shares how to get started with conservationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Smedberg and Jesse Haen of USDA NRCS shares how the relationships have improved between farmers and the local NRCS.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Smedberg and Jesse Haen of USDA NRCS shared the main principles of soil health, exciting practices in Manitowoc County and planting cover crops ASAP during harvest season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dairy farmers Greg Gries and Zak Kenneke of Libertyland Farms in Newton shares ag-challenges in Manitowoc county. Joe Smedberg and Jesse Haen of USDA NRCS shared challenges for Calument and Manitowoc counties. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Smedberg and Jesse Haen of USDA NRCS shares conservation items being covered, what farmers are doing to promote soil health and tips on getting started in conservation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this, our second chat with Bart Carmichael, rancher out of Faith SD, we quizzed Bart on his approach to year-round grazing where Bart walks us through why he aims to graze year-round, what he does to make this possible and what benefits he sees from this practice. Given the dry conditions experienced at the time of the podcast, the conversation also turned to drought; Bart is always planning for drought he agrees with fellow rancher Pat Guptill who says (paraphrased) “when we call it a drought plan, we get scared, a drought plan is nothing other than a forage plan”. We discussed a very interesting innovation with Bart, namely destocking without selling off his herd – how does that work? Find out in the podcast. Keep in mind that to be able to support year-round grazing, land needs good management, one of the keys to Adaptive Grazing management is long rest time coupled with high stocking densities. We highlight a quote from Bart in the first 30 seconds of the podcast where he says “I figured up last fall that 99% of my land that I'm in control of is in rest. You know, we're only ever on like 1% of it at any given time. So that way there's always something there and we graze it once and then give it plenty of time to recover and send down the roots and build up soil, and once the soi temperature is up, it's ready to grow grass...[even] in a drought”. More about Bart: Bart Carmichael and his wife Shannon run the Wedge Tent Ranch (https://www.wedgetentranch.com/) seed stock operation with their family just north of Faith, SD. Bart is also an educator at heart and is extremely active in the SD Grassland Coalition (see https://sdgrass.org/ ) . For more information from our sponsor, the USDA-NRCS in South Dakota please visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/sd/

NWTF Inks Expanded Forest Conservation Agreement with USDA/NRCS

Farming is also an art. Ask any farmer. But there is more than meets the eye when you drive past a corn field. Agronomy, the science of producing crops, is the topic of this episode. We asked Jordan Miller, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture: Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), all of our burning questions, including those on soil, agriculture technology, and how the NRCS fosters healthy ecosystems and ensures productive farms, simultaneously.     Links to more information! 1) The book that Josh mentioned: "Water for Every Farm", by P.A. Yeomans 2) Richland SWCD's website "Agriculture" page, with local SWCD and NRCS resources: https://richlandswcd.net/services/agriculture 3) NRCS's about page: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/about/ 4) Agronomy.org: https://www.agronomy.org/about-agronomy/ 5) About conservation agriculture: http://conservationagriculture.mannlib.cornell.edu/pages/aboutca/advantages.html   Richland County's NRCS district office phone #: 419-747-8691 Richland SWCD's website and phone #: 419-747-8686 | www.richlandswcd.net Kingwood Center Garden's website: www.kingwoodcenter.org   Music: Music permissions for tracks used in this and all of our episodes was generously granted by the artists. Special thanks to Dan Lebowitz, whose "Run One Down" is our theme song. Also thanks to TrackTribe for the other tracks used in our program ("Running Errands" & "Easy Stroll")  

Phoebe discusses irrigation pumps, including their capacity and maintenance, with Jon Chilcote, a USDA NRCS team engineer for the Southern San Joaquin Valley.The website for the Department of Water Resources groundwater data: http://wdl.water.ca.gov/waterdatalibrary/There are several additional resources you can find on our episode page.Thank you to the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board for their support. Music by Muriel Gordon.

Makhayla Labutte details her conservation work with agencies like USDA NRCS, USFS, MUCC and more as well as what it's like to live life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We also discuss how to bridge the gap between consumptive and non-consumptive uses of the outdoors, the emotional side of hunting, fly fishing and more on this episode of the Aptitude Outdoors Podcast. Buy me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/Aptitudeoutdoor More Aptitude Outdoors here: https://bit.ly/2YLp82N Get 10% off Absolute Aid Products: https://bit.ly/3px2Jnt Discount Code: APTITUDE10 Merch: https://bit.ly/3KTd4BD  

How can we purposefully enhance soil life? Lydia Fitzgerald is an integrated cropland agronomist with Virginia's USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Virginia Tech. Lydia grew up on a family farm in Nelson County, Virginia, and was inspired by her family to take active participation in Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school to dream of and pursue a career in agriculture and natural resources. In her outreach and education role, Lydia uses hands-on soil health demonstrations and research to encourage farmers, ranchers, market gardeners, and land managers to take an integrated approach to soil, crop, and natural resource management. Lydia shares that purposeful cover cropping and no-till systems that enhance deep root development and minimize disturbance are essential for enhancing soil life and resilience.To learn more about educational and technical assistance programs as well as possible career opportunities with Virginia USDA-NRCS, please visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/va/home/ For additional soil health resources and information, please visit the Virginia Soil Health Coalition website at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/resources-1. To make your pledge towards improving soil health and to become an ambassador, please visit https://www.4thesoil.org/take-the-pledge.html

How did a grandmother's passion for gardening inspire her grandson's career in taking care of the soil? In this episode, Cory Guilliams, district conservationist with Virginia USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), recalls the influence and lessons learned from his grandmother about soil health and winter cover crops as he helped her as a youth in picking and weeding beans and potatoes. Cory shares the history and definition of no-till farming in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic Region and how important the practice is for aggregating soil particles and reducing erosion. Tillage can be extremely destructive so minimizing soil disturbance is critical. We can all be 4 The Soil and do our part to build health from the soil up.To learn more about soil health and possible careers in natural resources conservation and environmental sciences, please visit the Virginia USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/va/home/. For more information about cover crops, no-till practices, and other ways to build soil health or share your own story of how you became interested in taking care of the soil, please visit the Virginia Soil Health Coalition website at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/resources-1.

The USDA-NRCS will hold an informational program meeting regarding the Gulf Coast Conservation Reserve Program on May 5, from 6-7 p.m. in the Wilson County Courthouse Annex III (room 10) at 1103 Fourth St. in Floresville. Funds allow producers to restore, protect, and improve the natural resources and ecosystems on their land. More than 0K is currently available to implement best practices that will result in downstream benefits of improved fisheries, marine, coastal wetlands, beaches, and the economy of the Gulf Coast region. For more information, call Jason Katcsmorak at 830-393-3555, ext. 3, or Ernesto Favela at 830-583-3224, ext. 3.Article Link

Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here, wherever here is, and today it was near Radcliff on Heath Stolee's farm to check in on one of our first Clean Water Wednesday projects, his 16 acre CREP wetland that is now full. Sean McMahon with the Iowa Agricultural Water Alliance also dropped by to inform Bob and Andy of a big announcement, we have secured an additional $7 million dollars in funding from USDA-NRCS to expand wetland construction across Iowa. PLUS Doug Pooch from Wyffels provides our planting season update (or lack there-of given mother nature's lack of cooperation" AND the Three Big Things You Need to Know.

Listen to our first podcast of 2022, where we discuss weed management techniques, old and new, and the tools being developed to achieve food crop yield optimization with Vipan Kumar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University. Weeds can reduce food crop yields by more than 30%.  In this podcast, Kumar discusses the ways in which this problem might be solved when the need for food production will continue to increase, and the challenges caused by climate change create a moving target.   Transcript: “Diversity is the key to Sustainability; Challenges and opportunities in the field of Weed Science”.      Diversity is the key for sustainability. You keep doing one thing again and again you will see a problem that we have seen in our herbicide based methods or weed control.   Something to chew on is a podcast devoted to the exploration and discussion of global food systems. It's produced by the Office of Research Development at Kansas State University. I'm Maureen Olewnik, coordinator of Global Food Systems. We welcome back co host Dr. Jim Stack Professor of Plant Pathology, weeds can reduce food crop yields by more than 30%. These interlopers compete for resources including soil nutrients and water. We attempt to control weed growth through chemistry, but over time they manage to mutate, overcome, thrive, and adjust to given management techniques. So how is this problem solved when the need for food production will continue to increase and the challenges caused by climate change create a moving target. Today, we will hear more about weed management techniques old and new. And the tools being developed to achieve food crop yield optimization with Dr. Vipan Kumar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University, I want to welcome you Vipan would like to before we get started in the technical side of things, just get a little background and understanding of who you are and how you got to the place that you are today as far as your professional interests go.   Sure, So my name is Vipin Kumar, I'm originally from India. I did my bachelor in crop science, but finished in 2008 from Punjab Agricultural University back in India, in the state of Punjab, it's a Northwestern State in India, mainly known for wheat production and rice production. And it's very big in ag, Punjab state. So, my original goal was to help communities there, especially the farming communities to management practices they are doing so I did my bachelor there. And then I started my master actually mastering Weed Science in Pau 2008, fall 2008. But somehow I was also interested to come abroad and expand my education here in the States. So I was looking through some programs and during that time, I got to know there is a master positions open in Louisiana State. So I I applied there and I got invited and came over 2009 That was summer 2009 started my graduate research assistant with LSU, Louisiana State, Louisiana State University. So that program was specifically looking for someone who can help growers in terms of managing their irrigation water irrigation scheduling, developing some crop coefficients for the cotton prop in North East side of Louisiana. So I was based in actually a research center. It was in North East Louisiana, about five, four or five hours from the main campus Baton Rouge. So my whole research was on resource center and I got to know very few people there but I had a very excellent project to work with. So during that time, I was doing a master I got interested in Weed Science because wonderful. One of my committee member was a weed scientist. He was the superintendent with the research center and he was on my committee and glyphosate resistant Palmer Amaranth was kinda getting a lot of attention during that time in codon. So during that conversation and meeting with his students, I got interested in wheat science. So finishing master and then I started applying for PhD program. So I think during that time, there was not a whole lot of opportunity because of the economic constraints, but I found one position in Montana State University 2011 So I started my PhD 2011 in Montana State University, Bozeman, the whole my dissertation research was focused on herbicide resistant weeds, mainly Tumbleweed Kosha, looking at, you know, characterizing herbicide resistance evolution, how we can manage in terms of what strategies growers can use to control herbicide resistant Kosha in Different cropping systems. So, that was for four years I spent there and then just immediately after finishing my PhD, I started my postdoc there and two year postdoc in the same program in Montana State. So 2017 I got here at K State got this position, where I am in his as an assistant professor in Weed Science. Part of my responsibilities. I am 100% researcher. All the focus is on developing integrative weed management strategies for western Kansas. Looking at herbicide resistance evolution in weeds, what are the novel and innovative strategies we can come up for our dry land are no till dryland growers in western Kansas. So that's I have been doing last for more than 40 years in Hays, Kansas. And a little bit history on this tradition. My predecessor, Dr. Phil Stallman, he had spent 42 years on this role. He was kind of He's like one of the pioneer in herbicide resistance management in High Plains specially in dryland cropping system in Kansas. So right now leading a statewide program, research program and little bit outreach program because I've been involved with a lot of growers here are the my appointment is not extension or no extension tents, but the been doing some extension as well. So that's kind of in the nutshell, what I'm doing here.    That's great. Okay, well, thank you so much for that overview. That's helpful in me understanding a little bit more about what it is you're doing in reading through some of the information I found on your website about what you do, there was a lot of discussion on no till and the impact of no till on managing weeds and that type of thing. Can you tell me a bit more about what that term means and how it impacts the growing period?   Sure, since the dustbowl period, the soil conservation practices have been you know, taken place among growers in the main reason was those soil conservation practices were to conserve the soil and other resources for longer term because soil erosion in these areas, especially the Great Plains area, or High Plains area was pretty obvious. And because we control it was generally achieved by tillage. So folks still the ground and control the weeds in history, if you see that's like number one method it used to be and then USDA NRCS folks came up with this idea of conserving the soil not to till the ground just to preserve the soil from erosion as well as not to blow the surface soil where we have fertile soil. So, so no till is basically a concept brought up after the Dust Bowl period and got adopted by growers throughout the Great Plains. And no tillage equipments also got, you know, into the market after that like no till drills, no till planters, that growers don't have to till the ground to make the seed bed they can directly go and plant or drill their crops. And this idea or concept was achieved with the chemical weed control. So if you look at after 1940s, when the this chemical era started, like the two four D came into the market, or any other cleaning herbicide came into the market, one of those early products came into the market grower started using those and they found very convenient to kill those weeds and not till the ground. So this chemical era helped to adopt that concept of no tillage in High Plains as well as in throughout the Great Plains. So mostly what growers been doing is they don't tell the grounds they clean their fields before planting and after planting and in season crop by using chemicals and by using herbicides, so it's kind of serving to purpose they're controlling the weeds and they are also conserving the soil. Another aspect of doing no tillage is to conserve the moisture. We are in semi-arid regions our annual precip is not that great. If you look at historically we are between somewhere between 12 to 24 inches, you know depending on the place where you are in the Great Plains so doing a no tillage practice also helped conserving the moisture throughout the winters time. So whatever the snow or the moisture comes, if you don't do the ground, you know it stays there for the subsequent crop to plan and have the crop in place. There are two things basically conserving the soil and conserving the moisture that no till practice came into existence. But however, I would I also like to emphasize over the last 1015 years, what has happened is because we have relied too much on chemicals, too much on herbicides, and we are seeing evolution in weeds, they are developing or evolved resistance to these chemistries, what folks have been using in our systems. So herbicide resistant weeds have really, really become a threat to this Nortel production system and chemical industries are struggling in terms of bringing new chemistries into the market, because there is not a whole lot of investment going into bringing a new motor factions, especially from herbicide standpoint. So the dilemma is to control those herbicide resistant weeds, we need alternate strategies, alternate methods of weed control. So that's where my role kind of come into that where that fit is how we can combine different methods of weed control, including chemical or non chemical, and come up with some sort of sustainable system that can go in longer term.   Yeah, if I could follow up with a question. How prevalent is this problem globally?    Herbicide resistance globally, it's, it is the number one problem for Weed Science communities as well as the grower community. Wherever folks have been using herbicides, we have been seeing increasing trend after 1980s, we have been seeing exponential increase in a number of cases of herbicide resistant weed population being reported, there is a website called Weed Science dot O R G, that documents every single case been reported to the world. And if you go to that website, you will see after 1980s, that graph has just jumped to the highest level. And it's not only one herbicide, it's basically, you know, all the available herbicide motor factions, we have reported case of resistance somewhere in the world. In the US, we are leading in that graph, country wise, in terms of herbicide resistance, the complicated issue is okay, one time a herbicide fails, for example, glyphosate. So folks start using other herbicides or other mode of action, but now been doing those things, we have been seeing multiple resistance in our weed populations. So resistance not only to one herbicide mode of action, but 23456, even six herbicide mode of action resistance in those weed species. So that's the challenge that we are having a limited options in terms of chemicals.   One of the quality parameters for seed, like the grains and things like that is the number of weed seeds that are also in with the grains. Is that a significant way of moving herbicide resistant genotypes around?   Yes, recently, what happened has most of our soybean, you know, most of our corn, we export to other countries. And there has been international standards in those products. And there's inert material and weed seeds are one of those standards. And recently, we have got email from our society, as well as USDA that come up with the plans how we can minimize those weed seeds in the crop seeds. Because some of the Chinese importer, they have stopped taking some of our soybean because of the big weed seeds present in those crop seeds. So it's a function of what is escaping in those crops, what is leaving in those crops at the time of harvest what you're harvesting with. And that's ultimately making those crop quality lower and making those export important difficult. And it's not only that they have they have also raised concern that hey, we don't have this, let's say big weed in China, you are sending herbicide resistant pigweed in our ways. So that's the hurdle with the growers how to sell those because the quality is lower in terms of having weed seeds in those. Those greens.   Yeah, so you mentioned some, weed genotypes with resistance to five, six or more chemistries. What's the strategy then? How do you get on top of this?   Yeah, I feel fortunate and excited some time that I'm in the field that where there is a lot of growth, there's a lot to do. I don't know if you have probably noticed that recently, a Weed Science area we have so many openings, so many positions coming up in industry as well as in academia and public sectors. And the reason is that we are struggling with these issues of resistance and crop weed competition in different scenarios. So, you know, considering that we are getting, you know, way back in terms of herbicide options. Industry is not coping up with the new molecules in the market. And we have more and more cases of resistance. So the shift of the research or read science research has gone to looking at non chemical strategies, what are the non chemical strategies we can bring into our system? So historically, as I said, folks used to do tillage. But in our system in Great Plains, High Plains, that's probably not a good recommendation, if you want to give folks will not like that, because we've been promoting that no till system for decades. And that is number one challenge. But in other areas, tillage is helping and it's helping those folks controlling those herbicide resistant weeds or multiple system weeds. Another approach we are looking at, what are the ecological tactics? How about the crop weed competition, how we can make our crops so competitive against weeds, that we don't have to rely too much on chemicals. One example I can give that is ecological method we are testing here is cover crops, how the cover crops can come into the system, and helps pressing those weed populations and reduce the seed bank. Again, these are not these ecological tactics don't work like chemicals, but they have a fit in our system. If we can, let's say suppress our weeds from 100 100 weeds to 70 weeds, there are still benefit having that. And you can add with the chemicals method of weed control. So that's just one example than other methods, we are looking as a non chemical methods or harvest weed seed control, that new thing is kind of getting a lot of interest among growers and researchers throughout the globe. So when I say harvest weed seed control is basically a technique when you're harvesting the crop, you have weeds in that crop, so you are harvesting the crop and you're also collecting those weed seeds. And then either you are destroying those weeds by crushing them when they're coming out of the Combine that's called harvest wheat seed destruction or you can put them as a CEF as a narrow line called chaff lining behind the combine. So this concept was brought up or discovered by a grower actually in Western Australia in a dryland wheat grower actually, just similar to what we have in western Kansas, he was struggling with the rigid ryegrass, multiple resistance to the rye grass. So what he did is he started destroying those rye grass seeds when he was harvesting wheat. So over the two, three years when he did that, he found that he reduced the seed bank, he didn't have to deal with that problem with the chemicals. So but in US or in North America, that technology has just arrived. And we are the first one in classes we have bought that destructor and Jeff minor. And we have got some USDA wants to test here in High Plains, how that's going to work in our system. I'm just giving example that those are the kind of approaches we are looking at it from the future work. Third thing which I really like to touch base is the proceeds. And that's the coming future of the Ag digital agriculture or Smart Agriculture. You can name it differently, but that's happening. So from a weed control research or weed control perspective, precision agriculture is another way to look at these problems or herbicide resistant weed problems.   So how specifically does the Precision Ag is it about applying chemical where it's needed when it's needed? Is that the strategy there? Or?   Yes, that there are different aspects there preseason agriculture or preseason technology is what we are, but I can envision is, you know, it can help us at least doing field mapping with to start with if we can detect early detection of herbicide resistant weed population in a farm. And then we can develop strategies accordingly. And again, then the next level of proceeds and that could be a variable rates of herbicide application or spot treatment. We don't need to spray the whole farm maybe, but just a little patch where we have herbicide resistant weeds growing. So that's where we can, you know, have precision ag tools helping us in the future if we have a good set of data, especially if you have good algorithms and good database, we can identify our pig weeds or Kosha or any other weeds in our crops, I think that can help making making your decisions or plans for weed control.   Yeah, thank you. Sorry, Maureen I've been dominating.    No, that's okay. It was you know, as he was talking about some of the methods that they're looking at it. It took me back to my previous life. Were working in the food safety area, we focus heavily on integrated pest management, it sounds to me like the directions that you're heading now that the chemicals are not doing what they're supposed to necessarily be doing. You're looking at these integrated systems of trying to control those weed productions from a whole variety of different areas. And it may be that there are packages or approaches  that can be taken based on location based on crop type based on a variety of other things. But you will have that group of tools in your toolbox. Is that am I interpreting that correctly?    Yes, yes, you're right, you're on the same page. The things are like with this herbicide resistance management, it's all economic aspects. Economy drives these things, the farmer economy, when they are going to make their weed control decision, they're going to look at what herbicide how much it takes, what is the rate? What is the cost. And if you see, like with the roundup resistant weeds, folks have been switching to other chemistries which are more expensive, and having more other issues as well as like drift to other crops or drift to other organisms from environmental standpoint. Also, chemical control is kind of getting ahead. In terms of some folks, they don't like some chemicals because they are hitting their other organism or other crops sensitive crops. And the second is, economically Is it viable to use that chemistries, for example, you know, most of the folks most of the industry, you might notice these days, they're giving a talk having a true two or three different herbicide mode of action in a tank, they have a pre mixes available two to three actives in those pre mixes. But those are very, very expensive. Those are not cheap products to use. So the idea with the growers with the lower commodity prices, they don't want to put those high expensive herbicides at especially when you are doing in a fallow weed management, you're not getting any output or any return in those fallow fields. So to make the system more economical, you need to think about where my money is going in terms of inputs, those herbicide applications and in fallow systems grower used to spray like three, four times in the season. It's not like one application, and they're done. They used to spray three times four times. And you can imagine like 5000 acres spraying three times $10 an acre, that can multiply pretty quick. So that's where I think the folks or the weed science community is thinking to bring some of those cost effective programs or cost effective management strategies in our system that not only helps pressing this problem or suppressing these weeds, but also give benefit to the growers, and the environment and ecology or agro ecology, like a cover crops. So we are not just thinking integrating cover crops for weed suppression. But we are thinking that cover crops can help suppressing weeds. It can help you know fixing nitrogen, it can help improving the soil quality soil health. And it can also be used for grazing purpose to the animals. So there is a livestock integration as well. So we have we are thinking from a system standpoint that can help folks to be more economically viable.   This next question is kind of out there as it's taking us probably outside of your major focus at this point. But I've done a little bit read a bit of reading recently on the land institute and some of the work they're doing in Salina on perennial grains. Have you looked at that at all or have any thoughts on perennial brains? And if there's any value to that and what impact it would have on what you work on?   Definitely, I have not personally looked at that system yet. But I've been hearing that quite a bit. And we have a cropping system specialist here in his he's been talking one other day was giving a presentation on that side of it. But I think again, I would like to emphasize that Perennial system or perennial grain springing into our system is basically improving you know, our our ecosystem and also increasing the economic value of the products as well as the farm profitability overall. And some of the work being led by cropping system specialist here or agronomist here. Also looking at those forage species or forage annual forages or biennial forages or perennial forages as a part of the system that can integrate into our system. So, from Weed weed management side of it, I think that would be a win win situation that if that species or if those grains or perennial grains can provide that kind of weed suppression benefits what we are getting from other cover crops. I think that's what we need.   So one of the reasons we care about weeds as the as we do the other pests as their impact on production and grow the crops for to feed people, we grow the crops to feed the animals that become the food that they feed people. Are there reasonable estimates of the economic impact or the yield impacts that you know, general rules of thumb? I know there, there are no exact numbers, but what what are we talking about in terms of scale of impact that we have on food production, but then also, what having herbicide resistant weeds contributes to that?   Definitely, there has been several reports in different crops. And I will just highlight some of the examples here for Kosha or, or Palmer Amaranth. Those are the prevalent species here in western Kansas or central part of state, if you like, look at some of the reports on Kosha. previous reports from my previous predecessor and other colleagues in other other states, they have found Kosha is quite competitive. Irrespective of resistance, let's say there's no resistance in these species. These weed species are very, very aggressive, very invasive. They have good traits, good biological traits, to compete very well with the crops. First, you need to understand that the biology behind those weeds, that's why they're becoming more and more troublesome problem for the folks here. So in terms of yield impact, I would say Kosha, let's say you know, you leave the kosher season long infestation in a crop like that the sugar bee does the least competitive crop in among all those crops, we grow in the northern or central Great Plains by up to 95% reduction in those sucrose yield as well as the beat heels we have reported. We have seen in the literature since 1970s 1980s. Wheat 20 to 30%. Yield reduction, going to be the kosher season long infestation, when I'm saying the Kosha is like moderate densities 40 to 50 plants per square meter, if they are present, they can do that 20-30% of damage to the yield big waves, they can choke our our sorghum. So one of the worst fields I have seen in my lifetime here in western Kansas is sorghum because the folks they don't have option, there's not not a single effective option that can go with for controlling pigweed controlling Palmer Amaranth in sorghum, especially when the sorghum is above certain stage, like 30 inch tall, there's no label chemistry to go with controlling pigweed. And that's the time I start getting calls from growers, hey, our pigweed is this much our Milo is already two feet tall, can I spray Dicamba that's the off label you cannot and if you do it, you will hurt you leave you will that will cause a crop injuries that will cause reducing the grain quality. So yeah, really impact. I mean, there's a huge impact. And you can imagine now if those species are resistant, and you are putting the chemical, and they are surviving 70% of those ceilings are surviving. And you know, going up to the seed production, you can imagine that you have put the cost to control it. Plus you still have a problem, and there is a double hit there.   Right. That's the double insult with resistance.   Right. So yeah, that's I think that's where we need to be more proactive. And we need to think more in longer term. The growers don't think in a longer term, they think on an annual basis because their budget is running annual basis. They have like let's say 5000 acres, they have a plan for 5000 acre for one year, they don't have a plan for three year or five years. That's where the problem starts. And as I said, economy drives all these things that resistance management. And that's become really, really challenging for researcher as well as extension person to convince folks to do things they're not doing.   You're talking about the aggressive nature of some of those weeds and thought just came into my mind on the genetics of those materials as any work being done at K State on the genetics of some of these weeds.   Yes, yes, we have a weed physiologist, weed physiology lab in in Manhattan. There has been quite a bit of work been done. And yeah, there's all kinds of different genetic mechanisms they have found in these weed species, why they are adapting to these kinds of situations herbicide applications. One example I can give here is Kosha and Palmer Amaranth. They have developed resistance to glyphosate commonly used chemistry or herbicide in our system in Roundup Ready crops. We have seen both species Palmer and Kosha. What they do is they multiply that target gene so they have more copies of that gene with the glyphosate go and target. So what it does is instead of one copy, single gene in they have Kosha has like 10-15-20 copies of that gene. So that Are those number of copies of that gene produce more enzyme, so the chemical cannot inhibit that much enzyme. So the those plants survive those treatments. That's how they are kinda adapting to that glyphosate treatments or other mechanism recently, weed physiology lab in Manhattan, they have found these multiple resistant pigweeds, what they are doing is they have enhanced metabolism. So some of the genes involved in metabolism in those plants, they got activated, and they are just metabolizing, whatever you're spraying. So no matter what, even a new chemistries is not even existing, it can just metabolic metabolite because it's not reaching to the target gene and hitting those targets side. So that is a more fearful thing happening in the nature, that metabolism based mechanism is also evolving in weed species. And as I said, it's a function of the biology of the species like palmer amaranth, very, very diverse genetic background Kosha. Same with very diverse genetic background, a lot of gene pools, they're sitting in those, you know, individuals and they can, they can adapt, and they can evolve to any of those stresses. Among other biological feature if you read about kosher Palmer, both are highly prolific seed producers, a single kosher plant can produce hundreds of 1000s of seeds. A one female Palmer Amaranth can produce millions of seeds. So that many seed production, it has potential to infest more areas, more lands, and keep going if you don't manage them properly.   Is dissemination and equipment. Problematic locally, though, going from one field to the next?   Yes, yes, big weed or Palmer Amaranth. We had a meeting North Central wheat science meeting, talking with the folks from North Dakota, and South Dakota, they have started seeing palmer amaranth, it was not the case, five years back. And that's happening because of movement of equipment, movement of products, like hay movement, or even animal feed, people take the animal feed and take to the other states, and those farmer seeds go with that. And, and infest those areas. So that's kind of tricky, you know, managing those moments is very, very difficult. That's where we kind of emphasize that control those weeds in the field, so that you don't have to deal with in the products. Okay, or, or green or or equipments. For weeds like Kosha, it's a tumbleweed and doesn't need that many it can tumble miles and miles when the wind is blowing. And that's the kind of beauty of that weed species that finds new areas of infestations with the high winds, especially in the high plains, it can tumble, it's very hard to kind of contain that.   How is the contaminated seeds physically removed from the grain itself? I'm sitting here trying to get in my mind if we're going to be selling to other countries, and they've got obviously a lower limit that's allowed in there. Is there some kind of assuming practice or an air movement as the heavier seed goes through? How's that done?   Yeah, I don't know exactly how that will happen. Because this year, we are talking like a bulk export. And folks just take the produce from the field and sell it to the coop cooperative marketing places and I don't know how much storage they have, and it gets pretty big pretty quickly. So that's where we try to emphasize to the grower Hey, you know, if you can manage in the field, that's the best you can do. You don't let it go to the produce or to the greens I see that's where this harvest we'd see destruction is going to have a fared very well that can destroy the weed seeds don't don't don't let it go into the grains and escape folks to get the contaminated grains. And it's not only that in crops like wheat, we have a problem we have a central Kansas growers they've been dealing with awry federal MRI or CT or MRI issues. So those dry what it does is it contaminate it has allergen, so it contaminate the grains when you export to the you know, Asian country, they don't take that because they are allergic to that allergens in CRI. So the idea there is and it's very difficult there's no inseason chemical you can try and control in wheat unless you have herbicide resistant weed like waxy and wheat or Learfield weed where you can spray some of the herbicide and get rid of those grass species. So in those situation against this see destruction can really really help folks not letting those weeds eat grains in the in the crop grains.   Is there a limit in the seed size? Or? I think that new technology sounds excellent for being able to destroy the seed in the field, or the limit that in terms of which species would be vulnerable.   Yeah, yeah, those are all questions we are trying to address here as a future research in Australia, they have destroyed these rigid ryegrass that's quite a bigger size like a wheat grain size of the wheat seeds we are talking. But the things we are talking here like big weeds, very tiny small black color seed and waterhemp or Kosha. They're very tiny, tiny seeds, very small seed seed weeds. As per my experience. I have gotten the unit last Wolsey last fall September and we put together there was a technical team came and put on a combine and let's try that one of the grower field, we took it by miles south of Hayes and run on a grower farm was heavily infested with the Palmer Amaranth. I couldn't see even a sorghum plant, as all Palmer Amaranth. And I was trying to do that. The idea was how that goes, I was very curious how much destruction it can do especially in crop like sorghum, when it's green, and you know, high material, you're going through the combine what kind of destruction it can do, I was very, very curious. But somehow I found that we collected some of the samples out of the combine, and behind the Combine of that destructor I was always amazed to see like 85-90% of destruction is was doing on those Palmer Amaranth seed, those tiny, tiny seed was kind of pulverized. It was like powder form after that. So I was pretty amazed. So I was telling my team of folks from Iowa State and University of Arkansas, we're gonna run this in soybean, corn, as well as sorghum plots in the coming season to see if what it does and what how the crop species or the how the crop varieties also matters, using this technology, not only weed species, and then how the environment impact those results in high plane versus Midwest versus mid south, how things change from region to region, crop to crop, weeds to weeds. And with this, this grant, we have also a Ag Econ person on the team. So I'm going to look at the economic side of it. Because as I said, economy drives everything. And if you're gonna promote this technology, where we stand in terms of economy, is it cost effective? Is it sustainable? So I think I'm telling more future research here. But that's, that's going to happen.   Good. Good. Sounds promising. Yeah.   Pretty interesting, pretty exciting. And along with that, we are also not looking at one tool at a time. Our main mission with this project, which we got funded by NIFA, based on our TFS grant was to having bringing all the tools together, it's like bringing little hammers together. So we have a cover crops early in the season, we have herbicides applied. And then at the end of the season, we're gonna do see destruction versus Jeff lining, and comparing with what growers are normally doing conventional harvest. So there are three different approaches, we are trying to bring in one growing season, to say, hey, early season management with the cover crop, herbicides, late season management, or weed seed management, with this destructor or outlining how they come together as a system, and help growers if they're struggling with some of these multiple resistant pigweeds.   I appreciate your mentioning the seed grant and appreciate you having come to Manhattan to present the results of that work recently. And that information will be up on our website in the near future. We'll have all of those and have those available for anyone to listen to, as well. I'm glad to hear that it panned out into a larger grant. So that's great.   Yes. And that was really, really good support to get that kind of grant and reach out to the folks what they're really looking for the survey we did me and Sarah, we learn a lot. And some of that information. We just plug in our proposal. And it sold out pretty quickly. And to your surprise, and to my surprise, that proposal was ranked number one in CPPM in the country was in that program, NIFA CPPM program and the Secretary with agriculture wrote a letter to the PI. That was excellent proposal to put together for such kind of strategies to look in the soybean system.   Congratulations on that. That's great.    Yeah, that's, yeah, that was really, really a great help from the TFs good Add money in that we could create some data to supplement data for the proposal.   But you know, the phenomenon of resistance is just creeping through agriculture. So it's the herbicide resistant weeds. It's the fungicide resistant pathogens. It's the antibiotic resistant bacterial. And we really need to get a handle on it, if we're going to continue to produce at the levels we've been producing. So I'm wondering if the strategies you're looking at it, if there are some general principles that you think will be helpful in, in the other arenas, as well, not just the herbicide resistance, but in the others?   Yeah, the basic principles, we are looking at the diversity in our system, I think, diversity is the key for sustainability, you keep doing one thing again, and again, you will see a problem that we have seen in our herbicide based methods of weed control, you've been doing same chemistries over and over, we have seen resistance issues, diversity, could be anything diverse cropping systems and diverse, you know, diverse methods of weed control, doing different things, you don't give same thing to that we don't do that best again and again, that that test start adapting to that matters or that strategy. So every year you change that strategies and give something new to the past and head those past with a different approach. So diversity, I think, is the key, what we are trying to achieve with this eating greater weed management system or ITM systems that you bring diversity in crop diversity in your herbicide diversity in your read species, overall system wide. I think that's the key principle we are looking at it. And that can be translated easily to the other disciplines, like, as you mentioned, plant pathology or entomology, not to look at one strategy or one thing at a time, but looking at the system level, where things can be bring and can bring that diversity into the system.   I love this area. You mentioned that there are a lot of opportunities right now for weed scientists. And I look at the agronomy department here at K State. It's been really strong in terms of the scope of capabilities, the expertise that's in that department. It's pretty impressive what they've got within one department. So what if there are students that listen to this the either graduates or undergraduate students listening to this? What skill sets? Would you recommend chemistry? I mean, ecology, what skill sets would you recommend if they want to help tackle this problem?   Yeah, that's a great question. As I mentioned, a lot of opportunities coming for fresh graduates and a lot of weed science positions recently opening up in academia, industry and other public sectors and private sectors. What I see as the weed scientists in this position, the four most important skill sets I can see is the knowledge of field based research, field based Weed Science Research, every fresh graduates they need. And then training of all the plants, science, biochemistry, physiology, genetics are those are specialized area already there. If you can take little bit of that have some expertise, you don't need to be doing five different projects in that area. But if you have little, little component of those areas, that really, really help understanding the problem, you know, from the root stand point of view, but applied Weed Science, statistical skills, how to handle the data, because the future is all about the data. With all this digital agriculture, you're going to tackle with the big data set, how to look at the data, there is a lot of data but what you make of out of the data. So statistical analysis, or analytical skills are also very, very important. And then you can also look at the mysteries in Weed Science, especially herbicide you need to know what you're doing and what you're tackling with. Because again, 70%, more than 70% of the calls the growers give me is they asked me the option herbicide option. They don't ask me, Hey, should I try this cover crop? They simply asked Hey, can I spray they can buy glyphosate is not working? How expensive? Is there a generic one? Is there a lower price one what is the formulation? All kinds of chemistry related question will come if you are going to go to those real world situations like applied weed sign, you know Precision Ag or engineering side of it. If you can learn some of the skills. I think that's the benefit as well, because that's happening right now. Preseason agriculture tools, a lot of weed science folks, they have started really using it and implementing into their programs. And that's going to be the future. A lot of the industry investment is going into that digital agriculture, especially from pest management, especially from weed management perspective. So those are some of the skills I just listed is applied Weed Science, applied field based research, chemistry knowledge, little bit of those physiology, genetics, biochemistry is knowledge, statistical analytical approaches. And procedure neck, I think, if you have little bit of all of those, and you can sell yourself, you will get the job, I'm sure. But for the weed scientists, as far as I know, yeah.   Thank you. Thanks.   Great question. And great, good bit of information for the students here on campus to file away as they think about what they want to work on. Yes.   And I think I would also encourage undergraduate students if they are interested in in ag and if they are specifically interested in in weeds or any other pairs, they should do some project, they should contact folks on Main Campus or research center to get involved and to get learn how to handle the project or what to do in terms of research and how the research is conducted and how the data is handled. That's pretty basic. But there's quite a bit of learning before you get into your graduate schools, or Masters or PhD. If you can do a little project in undergrad that'd be really, really helpful.   I enjoyed this conversation quite a great. One other big challenge on the horizon is, of course, climate change. And a number of studies done on how it's impacting the migration of plant populations and impacting fertility of some plant species, things like that it does that come into play here in terms of weed management?   Yes, exactly. If you talk about climate change, or drastic changes in environmental conditions, weaves are one of those first pieces who will adapt to these changes, because they have highly diverse genetic background. And they have already been doing that molecular weight science program in Colorado State has been looking at Kosha from different angle. So they're trying to sequence the whole genome, they're trying to characterize some of the genes, good genes, they call it good genes, which are helping this Kosha to adapt cold treatments, or frost or drought, or heat, or salt, or even herbicide resistance, how those genes can be incorporated into our crops to make them more resilient for the future. Okay, so that's kind of angle to look at these weed species, we have that gene pool in those species, why don't we characterize and understand then how, and what they can do when we incorporate those gene in our crops for the future crops that can be resilient to the, to the these changes in climate environment. But as I said, changing climate changing environment, adaptation is going to be happen, evolution is going to happen in those weed species. Along with that, what's going to happen is interaction of the chemistry with the plant and the environment is going to change. And that's very critical to understand the efficacy of some of the chemicals we are seeing now probably will not be there into that future environmental future climate. Just because plant adapt, and they adapt differently, they have TIG cuticle, for example, the chemical may not penetrate that cuticle in the future, and cannot give you 90 95% control versus less than 70% control. So the efficacy is going to change or with increasing temperature or increasing carbon dioxide, C three C four species who's going to win and depending on those weeds species are those C three or C four, the shift will happen. And there'll be lot to play with climate and the principles of precipitation, how the precipitation change globally, some of these root shifts, also gonna share some some of the prediction has been done. Okay, if Great Plains start getting more rain, for example, we start going to see waterhemp coming this way, in Great Plains, if it's going to get more drier. Kosha is going to start going towards Midwest. There are predictions happening. And I think that's true, based on the biology of those weed species and based on the history of those species, how they have infested, and they have line ated themselves in those geography based on the climate.    Vipan, you had talked about when you were first over in the US you were working in Louisiana State working on cotton. And with climate change, I'm sure that that impacts this we're seeing cotton work its way into Kansas cropping Are you seeing? I mean, I know your focus is on the weed side of things. But are you seeing some of those other types of crops moving in more and more into these areas, some of the crops that we're used to moving Further north and having some new impacts of weed stress and that type of thing coming in with these new prompts.   Definitely, with changing things with the changing environment and climate, these things are happening. And we need to be very resilient in terms of adopting those things, changing things like we were doing this faculty meeting other day and prioritizing our missions for the unit other days. So one of the priority we have have for next 1015 20 years is to look at alternative crops, new crops, basically what folks need, provided that our conditions get changed, our environment gets changed, we get less peace, we get more dry land, what are the alternative crops, things like barley, millet is number one can be adapted to in the West, that has not been expanded. There's a lot of potential for that crop. There's a lot of potential for canola in the southwest Kansas. That has been happening already happening expanding. In as you mentioned, cotton, yes, it has gone up. It was not the case five, six years ago, but it has gone up 300,000 acres of cotton in Kansas, can you imagine. And then over the top of that you can see the changes, the commodity Commission's have started funding some of the positions for those areas as well, they are looking for a pattern specialist in Kansas, they can support this. So things have been changing with the climate change with environmental change, as well as you know, other changes. And one thing I can I can say for sure, from a read science perspective, you bring new things, new crops, for example, that has long term impacts on our weed population. Some of the previous studies, long term studies, 1020 years long term studies have shown that the crop rotation in competitive crops and what kind of crop you're growing, will have ultimate impact on those wheat population. If you are growing, for example, let's say highly competitive crop like corn, or could be any cereal grains, that grows pretty aggressively, it can shift some of those wheat population over the time, a study done in Nebraska has shown that you keep doing this corn soybean rotation, you will see more and more issues weather resistant Kosha and resistant big weed, but you will bring cereal into the system, you will lower down some of those resistance issues is because the crop competition expressed those cycles of those weed species and don't let them produce seeds. So weight shift is going to happen when these crop change is going to come into play in our system. But as again, I said we have to be very resilient and proactive, like things are happening. And it's going to happen, especially from climate change standpoint. So we need to be resilient, or what alternative crops we can grow. And we can still make these folks or the growers more profitable in the future. Considering all these constraints, weeds and other pests we will have.   Yeah, I'm hoping for mango and oranges.   I'm not sure on that. One more. Yes, really,   This has been a really a fun and interesting discussion. Well, thank you so much for your time. And thank you, Jim, for joining us as well. Do you have any final remarks, or any questions you might have for us before we sign off?   Well, I would like to thank you both for your time. And also I like to reiterate that the support I got through the GFS Grant was pretty timely, and very supportive. And I could develop that project based on that information. So I would keep looking at future opportunities from GFS folks that I can come up with and collaborate with folks from other disciplines. And I would encourage young faculty at K State to look for those opportunities. And to come up with ideas there where they can collaborate with folks like me sitting in Hays versus in you know, in Manhattan and we come to know each other. That's a great opportunity and really appreciate all the support you guys have.   So glad it worked out well. And thank you for your efforts. They're very much.   Thank you.   If you have any questions or comments you would like to share check out our website at https://www.k-state.edu/research/global-food/ and drop us an email. Our music was adapted from Dr. Wayne Goins's album Chronicles of Carmela. Special thanks to him for providing that to us. Something to Chew On is produced by the Office of Research Development at Kansas State University.     

In this episode, Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt talk with Chris Lawrence, State Cropland Agronomist with Virginia Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Chris discusses how the soil works for all of us and the importance of taking care of and respecting it by following the four principles of soil health. Virginia NRCS and Chris Lawrence first started the Virginia Soil Health Coalition in 2013 to increase communication and promote consistency around soil health. You can find more information about Virginia NRCS and soil health in Virginia at the NRCS website. And don't forget to check out the two books recommended in today's episode: Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David Montgomery and The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT's Southeast Regional Director and Director of NCAT's Armed to Farm Program Margo Hale, talks with Alvina, an Air Force Reservist who owns River Hill Ranch in Richmond, Kentucky.Alvina Maynard credits a commercial she happened to see on television while staying in in a hotel with inspiring her to raise alpacas.Alvina talks about her military background, her farming enterprises, and how her operation has grown. She also shares her experience accessing various USDA programs, including the Value-Added Producer Grant and EQIP. Alvina discusses the programs and services she has utilized, how those programs have helped her reach her farm goals, and tips for veterans and other farmers as they navigate USDA programs.Related ATTRA Resources:NCAT Armed to FarmWebsiteNCAT Armed to FarmFacebookVeteran ResourcesFinancing Your Farm: Guidance for Beginning FarmersFederal Conservation Resources for Sustainable Farming and RanchingVeterans Discuss USDA ProgramsHigh Tunnels and the NRCSOther ResourcesRiver Hill RanchFarmer Veteran CoalitionKentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentUSDA Veteran InitiativesUSDA Service Center LocatorUSDA Farm Service AgencyUSDA Natural Resources Conservation ServiceStep-by-Step: How to Get Assistance from NRCSUSDA Rural DevelopmentContact Margo Hale via email at margoh@ncat.org.Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.Please call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag@ncat.org. Our two dozen specialists can help you with a vast array of topics, everything from farm planning to pest management, from produce to livestock, and soils to aquaculture.You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find our other extensive, and free, sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at NCAT/ATTRA's website.You also can stay in touch with NCAT at its Facebook page.Keep up with NCAT/ATTRA's SIFT farm at its website.Also

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT's Southeast Regional Director and Director of NCAT's Armed to Farm Program Margo Hale, talks with Alvina, an Air Force Reservist who owns River Hill Ranch in Richmond, Kentucky.Alvina Maynard credits a commercial she happened to see on television while staying in in a hotel with inspiring her to raise alpacas.Alvina talks about her military background, her farming enterprises, and how her operation has grown. She also shares her experience accessing various USDA programs, including the Value-Added Producer Grant and EQIP. Alvina discusses the programs and services she has utilized, how those programs have helped her reach her farm goals, and tips for veterans and other farmers as they navigate USDA programs. Related ATTRA Resources: NCAT Armed to FarmWebsite NCAT Armed to FarmFacebook Veteran Resources Financing Your Farm: Guidance for Beginning Farmers Federal Conservation Resources for Sustainable Farming and Ranching Veterans Discuss USDA Programs High Tunnels and the NRCS Other Resources River Hill Ranch Farmer Veteran Coalition Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development USDA Veteran Initiatives USDA Service Center Locator USDA Farm Service Agency USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Step-by-Step: How to Get Assistance from NRCS USDA Rural Development Contact Margo Hale via email at margoh@ncat.org. Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast. Please call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag@ncat.org. Our two dozen specialists can help you with a vast array of topics, everything from farm planning to pest management, from produce to livestock, and soils to aquaculture. You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find our other extensive, and free, sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at NCAT/ATTRA's website. You also can stay in touch with NCAT at its Facebook page. Keep up with NCAT/ATTRA's SIFT farm at its website. Also check out NCAT's Regional Offices' websites and Facebook Pages! Southwest Regional Office: Website / Facebook Western Regional Office: Website / Facebook Rocky Mountain West Regional Office: Facebook Gulf States Regional Office: Website / Facebook Southeast Regional Office: Website / Facebook Northeast Regional Office: Website / Facebook

This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Mike Henderson, Iowa State Agronomist with USDA-NRCS. Henderson will discuss how to prioritize cover crop goals when choosing species, which cover crop species can accomplish multiple goals for growers, how management preferences influence cover crop selection and more.

"If we are interested in ecosystem function, if we are interested in wildlife diversity, going on a 100% plant-based diet is absolutely the worst choice that anyone can make."  Grazing expert, author, consultant, and speaker Jim Gerrish is an independent grazing lands consultant providing services to farmers and ranchers on both private and public lands across five continents. Jim received a BS in Agronomy from the University of Illinois and MS in Crop Ecology from University of Kentucky and joined the faculty of the University of Missouri where he conducted beef forage systems research and outreach for 22 years. The University of Missouri-Forage Systems Research Center (FSRC) rose to national prominence as a result of his research leadership. His research encompassed many aspects of plant-soil-animal interactions and provided foundation for many of the basic principles of Management-intensive Grazing (MiG). At the same time, he stayed in touch with the real world on a 260- acre commercial cow-calf and contract grazing operation. In doing so, he took a worn out marginal crop farm and converted it to a highly productive grass farm. After moving to the Pahsimeroi Valley of Idaho, Jim keeps his day-to-day grazing tools sharp through management of a ranch unit consisting of 450 acres of center pivot irrigated pastures, 90 acres of flood ground, and several hundred acres of rangeland. Jim has authored two books on grazing and ranch management. “Management-intensive Grazing: The Grassroots of Grass Farming” (2004) and “Kick the Hay Habit: A practical guide to year-around grazing” (2010). These and other materials are available at https://www.americangrazinglands.com/collections/books-more. He has written a regular monthly column in The Stockman Grass-Farmer magazine (https://www.stockmangrassfarmer.com/index.php) for over 20 years.  Jim was co-founder of the very popular 3-day grazing management workshop program at FSRC. These schools. Fifteen other states have conducted grazing workshops based on the Missouri model and Jim has taught in eleven of these states. He is an instructor in the University of Idaho’s Lost River Grazing Academy held annually near Salmon ID. He is a frequent speaker at producer-oriented workshops, seminars, and field days around the US and Canada. Jim was deeply involved in the Green Hills Farm Project (https://www.facebook.com/GreenHillsFarmProject), a grassroots producer group centered in north-central Missouri and emphasizing sustainability of family farms. His research and outreach efforts have been recognized with awards from the American Forage and Grassland Council, Missouri Forage and Grassland Council, National Center for Appropriate Technology, USDA-NRCS, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Progressive Farmer, and American Agricultural Editors Association. Call @ 208-588-3900 for information on how to get Jim to your next event or your ranch. https://www.americangrazinglands.com/

Stan Boltz, a USDA NRCS rangeland management specialist in South Dakota for 33 years, describes how healthy soil and cattle grazing management can reduce invasive species, bring back native rangeland and increase stocking rates. Listen to the podcast interview with Robin “Buz” Kloot on Growing Resilience podcasts or Soil Health Labs podcast.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announces the first phase of the Department of Agriculture's new project that includes 51 water quality initiatives in the Des Moines and Raccoon river watersheds! We are also joined by some of the people that are going to help make it happen: farmer Kurt Lehman, project manager from Polk County SWCD Tanner Puls, Sarah Anderson of USDA NRCS, Polk Co. Public Works water resources planner John Swanson, Keegan Kult from ADMC, and Jacob Handsacker of Hands on Excavating. It's also Wyffels Wednesday with Blake Ballard.

On this edition of the HAT Soil Health Podcast, Barry Fisher, a recent retiree after 39 years with USDA NRCS, and AJ Adkins with NTM Ag Equipment join Eric Pfeiffer to discuss final planter modifications for no-till and cover crops.  Whether you've hit the field already or not, Fisher and Adkins both say there are modifications that might need to be made. Tune in to learn what you should be looking for. 

Erosion comes in many forms and costs associated with soil loss are undervalued. Join us and our special guest Joe Lehman from the USDA NRCS and learn about how to take care of your soil and keep our streams running clear.  

Tractors are working ground in the Sacramento Valley, as the 2021 rice season is underway. Whether it’s farmers, those in cities or for the environment, this year will pose challenges due to less than ideal rain and snowfall during the fall and winter. At Montna Farms near Yuba City, Vice President of Operations Jon Munger said they expect to plant about one-third less rice this year, based on water cutbacks. As water is always a precious resource in this state, rice growers work hard to be as efficient as they can. Fields are precisely leveled and will be flooded with just five-inches of water during the growing season. Rice is grown in heavy clay soils, which act like a bathtub to hold water in place. High-tech planting and harvest equipment also help California rice farms and mills operate at peak efficiency. Expectations of less rice acreage will impact other parts of the valley – rural communities, allied businesses and the environment – birds and fish. “The Central Valley is arguably one of the most important waterfowl areas on the planet,” remarked Jeff McCreary, Director of Operations for Ducks Unlimited’s Western Region. “It’s because of all of these birds coming down the Pacific Flyway… and when we think about the drought, it’s going to affect that wintering habitat. Is there rice on the landscape? Is there water for wetlands? How do we make sure that those populations are in as good enough condition that when they go back to the breeding ground, they can have a successful year.” McCreary said rice fields are critically important for wintering waterfowl, supporting 60 percent of the food energetics these birds need.  He said of all of the duck species, the Mallard is perhaps the most impacted by dry weather in California. Another environmental concern during dry weather is the wild salmon population, which faces significant challenges.  However, farmers, water districts, conservationists and others are working hard to find solutions. “The salmon rice work is among the most exciting work I’ve ever been a part of, “said Andrew Rypel, an associate professor and the Peter B. Moyle and California Trout Chair in Coldwater Fish Ecology at UC Davis in the Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology. Rypel is one of the key participants in pilot salmon research, including raising juvenile salmon in winter rice fields, then releasing the fish into the ocean. So far, results with the project have been very positive. Another key project to help salmon is putting a shallow amount of water on rice fields in the Sacramento Valley after harvest, which creates “fish food”- zooplankton – which is then released into the river to help feed wild salmon runs. Water managers always have a balancing act to meet the needs of their customers, and dry years provide even more careful consideration.  Lewis Bair, General Manager of Reclamation District 108 in the Sacramento Valley, is one of those navigating through this dry year, which includes creative approaches with water, including the likelihood of transfers. “In a dry year, our folks would still love to farm, just like they always love to farm,” he said. “But in these types of years, we end up kind of sharing the pain by doing water transfers. Sometimes, it’s better to move water around for the whole system. You end up being able to achieve other benefits. It really is a short-term solution. We need to have a more reliable water supply for California, and I’m hoping that the long-term vision and long-term investments will help reduce the need for those sorts of transfers.” Bair said building Sites Reservoir would be a major help to the state’s water future, providing new storage and flexibility to re-operate the system for water use efficiency. “I think it’s the most promising thing we can do from an infrastructure perspective,” he added. Munger, McCreary, Rypel and Bair all have different responsibilities, but they share a common goal- to help our region withstand dry years, including a healthy ecosystem and sufficient water for cities and farms. They all agree that the level of cooperation is great in the Sacramento Valley, as evidenced by the scores of voluntary, collaborative projects that have been done to help maintain the Pacific Flyway and enhance the wild salmon runs. Episode Transcript Jim Morris: Tractors are in the field and work is underway to prepare ground throughout the Sacramento Valley for rice planting. An old challenge has returned, one we faced in the past, that will impact virtually all Californians. The question before us, how to navigate through a dry year with subpar rain and snowfall? Jim Morris: Welcome to Ingrained, the California Rice Podcast. I'm your host, Jim Morris, proud to have worked with California farmers and ranchers for more than 30 years to help tell their stories. Over that time, there have been years of abundant water and dry years, which provide challenges, and this is one of those years. I'm in the Yuba City area, one of many areas of our valley where fields are being prepped for rice planting. Jon Munger is with Montna Farms. John, what's happening out here today? Jon Munger: Today we're starting our field prep with chiseling. It is opening the ground up. It's the first piece of equipment that we use since the rice fields have been flooded for the wintertime. Jim Morris: Jon, looking at it from a longer-term perspective, what are your thoughts as you are going to enter your very busiest time of the year? Jon Munger: Over the years, we've had many dry years. We've dealt with a COVID pandemic and, like we did last year, we quickly implemented the policies to keep all of our workers safe in the field and our workers that we have here, they're spread out quite well. They're driving their own tractors and we implemented policies last year that worked very well to keep everybody safe and we're planning to do the same this year. So, it's no different now rolling into the drought that we're currently facing. We've had dry years in the past. We always will get through them. It does affect our local rural communities. A lot of folks depend on the farming activities that we have out here. For our farm, we're looking at potentially growing a third less of our acres this year and that's definitely an impact. Jim Morris: One thing people may not know about rice is of course we have this season coming up, the harvest will be in the fall, but rice is stored and milled according to order essentially year round. So Jon, tell me a little bit about how rice is milled and marketed right now and what it means for the consumer. Jon Munger: Each and every year during harvest rice is delivered to many different dryers throughout the valley. It is then dried and stored until millers and marketers make orders, and then rice is shipped onto mills and milled and shipped out there to whatever buyer or whatever location it's going to. Last harvest crop 2020 is being stored and will be used all the way through this year. Then come this fall, the 2021 crop will go back into storage and will be used in during the year of 2022. Jim Morris: That really helps in a year like this because there is rice, it's already in storage, it's already going to be shipped to consumers at home and abroad. So that helps us during dry years like this. Jim Morris: It's important when looking at a dry year to talk with someone who manages water on a daily basis. Lewis Bair is general manager of Reclamation District 108 on the West side of the Sacramento River, about 30 miles north of Sacramento, and they represent about 75 square miles of agricultural land and rural communities. Lewis, how does your job change during a dry year? Lewis Bair: Most of it stays the same. I mean, watershed management is a long-term vision, a long-term exercise in how you manage water. But, during a dry year, a lot of people are interested in that and the impacts are more severe because we don't have enough water to go around. So, I do a lot of education during these years to explain the reasons why we're making the trade-offs that we're making with water management. There are things that we do to help spread the water around a little bit more during these dry years. Jim Morris: The decisions made in a dry year aren't always easy. You obviously want to make sure that the needs of your district are as whole as they can be, but will you also try to reach out and help some of your neighbors, if that's possible? Lewis Bair: In a dry year, our folks would still love to farm just like they always love to farm, but, in these types of years, we ended up kind of sharing the pain by doing water transfers. Sometimes it's better to move water around with those transfers for the whole system. You end up being able to achieve other benefits. It really is, though, a short term solution, right? We need to have a more reliable water supply for California and I'm hoping that the long-term vision and long-term investments will help reduce the need for those sorts of transfers. Jim Morris: How helpful would Sites Reservoir be if it can be constructed and available down the road? Lewis Bair: Well, Sites Reservoir does something that climate change is kind of unwinding right now, right? So climate change means water, more precipitation as opposed to snowfall. What happens with that is we lose our storage over winter. Sites Reservoir is kind of perfectly situated in the middle of the system to provide both some new storage and some flexibility to re-operate the system. So, you can kind of think about it as a storage and a water use efficiency project rolled into one. I think it's the most promising thing we can do from a infrastructure perspective. Jim Morris: The Sacramento Valley is a unique place and one of the ways it is, is the Pacific Flyway and the amazing wildlife we have. There's also really an emphasis on helping salmon, too. How important is it from a water management perspective but also for someone who lives here to try to help the ecosystem as much as possible? Lewis Bair: I think it's super exciting right now because we have a long-term vision for the Sacramento Valley that I think supports a reliable water supply, a healthy environment, and an economy for the State of California. It's really dependent on that reliable water supply. So, in the Sacramento Valley, what that means is taking a look at what impacts some of the flood control system and water supply system development created. It impacted species and those species impacts are affecting water supply. What's exciting is that we found out we can unwind some of those flood control impacts. We can restore those floodplains that are really the energy that kind of fueled our amazing environment in the Sacramento Valley. So if we can do that, I think we have a very positive outlook for the future. Jim Morris: This isn't something that happened yesterday. I mean, these things have been in works for many years with millions of dollars behind them. So how long has this been an area of dedication and how important is it to you personally as well, to try to have the best environment we can here? Lewis Bair: Well, I think everybody loves the Sacramento Valley up here. Everybody is super excited. Two decades ago, we started with the bird programs and that's really what I think woke folks up here in the Sacramento Valley, that these wetlands are so important to kind of fueling our environment. We've seen now that that applies to fish too, and that's really the door that's been opened, that's changing things for water supply reliability. The floodplains that were separated from the river when we constructed our flood control system, we now believe they're extremely critical to restoring the fisheries. If we can restore the fisheries, that sure takes a lot of pressure off of the water supply system. Jim Morris: Throughout the Sacramento Valley over the last 20 years, there have been about 155 different projects that have voluntarily been done cooperatively to aid salmon. One of the interesting ones here in Reclamation District 108 that may be happening again later this year, hopefully, is getting some water on the floodplain to provide fish food. Can you comment a little bit about that? It's a really interesting concept, but perhaps even more valuable this year than normal because of the dry year. Lewis Bair: Yeah, so historically we built a flood control system and drainage systems that essentially kept water from staying on the land long enough to produce food, phytoplankton, that we all hear that fish eat. But what we've learned is that the rice fields that we farm in work perfect during those winter months to hold water. So, we have a program where we will flood and hold water, produce phytoplankton and drain that back to the river to help support the fishery. This can also be done on the floodplains in the bypasses. So it's really an exciting program. We think fundamentally it's one of the biggest things affecting juvenile salmon out migration. Jim Morris: One thing that is clear in the Sacramento Valley is the collaboration that's happening between agriculture and the environment, communities, water districts. How important is that approach in a year like this? Lewis Bair: Well, it's super exciting. We have so many talented partners that are coming together to push forward on these floodplain efforts, at the fishery efforts. It's really wetlands with birds and the fisheries. So we have NGOs, state and federal partners, local water agencies, and landowners all on the same page and driving this forward. I think it's the kind of partnership that's going to make change in the Sacramento Valley. Jim Morris: The environment is an important part of the Sacramento Valley, and there are some challenges heading into this dry year. Jeff McCreary heads up the Western Region for Ducks Unlimited and Jeff, before we get into that, a milestone for Ducks Unlimited with 15 million acres conserved throughout North America. That's awesome news. Can you comment a little bit about that? Jeff McCreary: Yeah, Jim, it's fantastic. The 15 million acre mark is a remarkable achievement for the Ducks Unlimited family of organizations, that includes Ducks Unlimited Incorporated here in the United States, Ducks Unlimited Canada and DU de Mexico, which covers Mexico. So we've got from Los Mochas, Mexico to Yellowknife, Canada and everything in between has been conserved, whether it's protected, restored, improved up to the 15 million acre mark. We're just really proud to be able to celebrate that with our partners and our members and our volunteer leadership. Jim Morris: That is awesome. We are heading into a dry year. We're going to need all of those skills. You're a wildlife biologist. What are some of your thoughts heading into this dry year? Your concerns about waterfowl health in the Sacramento Valley. Jeff McCreary: Well, Ducks Unlimited takes a continental approach to waterfowl conservation, and, when we look at the Pacific Flyway, we think about where are the birds coming from, where are they going to, and then where are they going back to? So, they're coming from Canada and the breeding grounds, and they're coming to California for the winter. The Central Valley is arguably one of the most important waterfowl areas in the planet, and it's because of all these birds coming down to the Pacific Flyway here in the Central Valley, in this narrow band of habitat that is comprised of wetlands and agricultural working grounds. When we think about the drought, it's going to affect that wintering habitat. Is there rice on the landscape? Is there water for wetlands. How do we make sure that those populations are in as good enough condition that, when they go back to the breeding ground, they can have a successful year? Jeff McCreary: The remarkable thing about waterfowl is that they have a large clutch sizes, like up to 12 eggs, so they can be responsive to the good times and the bad times. Our job this year is to make sure that they're in good enough condition in these bad times so that when the good times come around, they'll be able to respond and grow at their population. Jim Morris: So as we head into this year, how important are rice fields in this equation when you talk about ducks along the Pacific Flyway? Jeff McCreary: Rice fields are critically important for the wintering population of waterfowl. They support 60 percent of the food energetics that waterfowl need during the winter. Now, rice and wetlands have this interplay. So the birds move back and forth between both types of habitats, but with rice, what we are doing now with our planting, we're getting ready to get out in the fields and get the rice planted, so that's really going to drive how much energetics is out there in eight months from now. Jim Morris: Are rice fields more important than a drought time? About the same? Do you have a thought on that? How much do we need rice to keep the population healthy? Jeff McCreary: Well, we certainly need rice to keep the population healthy and ducks are just one of the waterfall guilds that we have. Of course, geese and white-fronted geese are growing in numbers and so rice certainly play an important role for those birds as well. When we look at the Sacramento Valley, wetlands and rice agriculture use the exact same water infrastructure and water delivery system the rest of the valley uses. So, it's important to look at both wetlands and rice as a whole unit, because the water comes from the same place. Jim Morris: Is there one duck species in particular that is especially dependent on the Sacramento Valley habitat? Jeff McCreary: Yeah, I'd say the iconic California bird is the Mallard, and over the last 10 years and the last 10 year drought, we saw significant declines in the California Mallard population, nearly by half from what it was. We went from 400,000 to somewhere around 200,000 birds. If you drew a graph of that and you paralleled that graph with the graph of the water years, you would see this decline over time. In the last several years where we had some better water years, we've actually seen an increase in the Mallard population. So that's a concern going forward. Jim Morris: How important are the partnerships between rice growers and conservation groups like Ducks Unlimited? Jeff McCreary: The partnerships are everything. Ducks Unlimited never does anything by ourselves. It's always with somebody else, whether it's a grower or whether it's with an association or whether it's with a federal or state or local agency. Everything that we do is by partnership. In times like these, when drought and stress is going to be out there, it's all that much more important for stakeholders to come together and find those innovative entrepreneurial solutions to deal with some of these challenges that we're facing. Jim Morris: What are your thoughts when you see that big flock of birds that's taking off from a rice field? I mean, to me, I just have a big smile on my face when I see that. Jeff McCreary: It's a spectacle of nature, and if no one's been to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area or the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge to see the waterfowl fly offs in the evening, I really strongly encourage you to do that. We are blessed to be in this part of the world, with this amazing waterfowl population that comes here and they're here for a reason and the things that we do on the landscape with our wetland management, with our working agriculture and riceland management, that's what keeps those birds here, that's what keeps them coming back, that's what sends them back to the breeding grounds to be successful and do it all over again. Jim Morris: What does this dry year mean for fish in California? Probably a lot of unanswered questions, certainly a big subject, not just for environment, but it also impacts water to cities and farms. Andrew Rypel is an associate professor and the Peter B. Moyle and California Trout chair in cold water fish ecology at UC Davis in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, and that's probably the longest title I've ever seen, but that's all important. Andrew, what are your comments as we head into this dry year, concern for the wild salmon population, and maybe what we can do here in the Sacramento Valley? Andrew Rypel: Droughts are difficult times for fishes in general. However, our native fish fauna in California are well adapted to cyclic climate patterns where they are adapted for dealing with drought cycles and wet cycles, and that's part of the business of living in the Mediterranean climate for these species. Jim Morris: You're participating with many others in some pretty interesting research that I think could help in the long run. Can you comment a little bit about some of the work that you're doing with rice farmers and how it may help in the longer term? Andrew Rypel: The salmon rice work is some of the most exciting work I've ever been a part of. It's based on the idea that the Central Valley was once a giant floodplain wetland ecosystem complex, and the water originated in the mountains much like it does today, and would spread out over the valley floor and the native fish and wildlife really evolved to capitalize on those resources. It's abundant food for fish, abundant for birds, for Tule Elk, things like that. Of course, much of that is gone. However, there's an increasing awareness that we've got a lot of acreage, roughly 500,000 acres of rice, which is not a perfectly natural wetland, but it can approximate some of the important wetland processes that can facilitate the life cycle of native species, particularly fishes in my case. Andrew Rypel: So, there have been a lot of really interesting work done with migratory waterfowl and highly successful NRCS programs that were developed that, in my opinion, it looks like it has arrested the decline of migratory birds on the Pacific coast. So a lot of people have been looking at that and saying, "If we can do that for birds, why can't we do that for fish?" So we've been working with the California Rice Commission, with other science partners to really kind of pilot how this could work for fish in the Central Valley. So we've been growing salmon on bypass rice fields, looking at how well they grow, how well they survive in these fields when they're flooded in the winter time, and also how well they survive out in the Pacific Ocean. Andrew Rypel: To sum it up in a really short way, the results are very positive. Salmon grow really well in these habitats. They put on weight very fast. Just within a month they can go from 30-40 millimeters in length all the way up to 70-80 millimeters in length. So they get big, fast, and that's important because it tends to time these fish up with the natural flow regime that these rivers experience. So baby salmon tend to have better survivorship when there is more water in the rivers and more food in the rivers. If we can grow them bigger, faster so that they get out on the high tide of the rivers earlier in the year rather than later in the year when the river is low and doesn't have much food and it's full of predators like striped bass, that's just a good thing. So, we think that rice fields could play a role in fish conservation in California, much like they have for bird conservation before. Jim Morris: Not only raising salmon in rice fields, but also fish food. How positive are you on that approach and how important would it be in a year like this to have more food in the river for the wild salmon? Andrew Rypel: Both concepts are extremely important. There are certain fields, rice fields, that flood naturally, so fish can come on those fields and off those fields in a volitional way. They want to be there and they want to spend time in these fields. But that footprint is finite and so there's a lot of other rice field that could be useful in other ways. One of those ideas is to grow fish food in those fields. So I'm extremely positive about this idea because what we know is that these are productive habitats to just grow a ton of zooplankton, which is basically the fish food that we're talking about. Andrew Rypel: Most of those 500,000 acres are on the dry side of the levee. They're not exposed to regular flooding. If we could learn how to grow fish food, and then drain those fields strategically so that fish that are actually moving through the river system and the river network will have food resources when they need them, when they're migrating, when they're vulnerable, we think we can also leverage the fitness and the health of populations that way as well. So it's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, but these things fit together and we think they fit together fairly nicely. There are probably other ways to use these habitats that we haven't thought about yet. So we spent some time thinking about that as well. So it's exciting. Something like this only happens when you have a lot of partners at the table that are willing to work together and help the situation. Andrew Rypel: Obviously I'm a scientist, I'm at UC Davis. There's a whole team of scientists at UC Davis that are interested in this. California Trout is an NGO that we work with quite regularly that's been at the forefront of this project as well. The California Rice Commission, obviously, a crucial partner for linking in with the actual growers, with the landowners. USDA-NRCS program has been funding a good chunk of our pilot research, trying to figure this out with the goal that we could eventually have a practice standard that growers could enroll in, to participate in these practices to really actuate these conservation practices at scale. Then we work with so many of the agency scientists, managers, partners, whether that's NOAA Fisheries, CDFW. We spend a lot of time communicating with CDFW, DWR, water managers throughout the Central Valley. Everybody's kind of involved at some level and we communicate with all those folks quite regularly, and need them. Jim Morris: The Sacramento Valley is a one of a kind place with great natural resources and another strength, a lot of people, including those you've heard today, dedicated to keeping it that way. Dry years are challenging to be sure, but there are many people devoting a lot of time to doing the most with the water that is available. Jim Morris: We'll, of course, keep you updated on planting, the growing season, harvest and much more on future episodes of Ingrained. For now, that wraps up this episode. Thank you to Jon Munger, Jeff McCreary, Lewis Baer, and Andrew Rypel. You can find out much more and listen to past episodes at podcast.calrice.org. Thanks for listening.

Host John Mesko is joined by Dr. Bianca Moebius-Clune – Director of the Soil Health Division for the USDA NRCS – to learn more about the agency’s work, how they partner with groups like SHP to help farmers implement soil health practices, and why she sees soil health benefits extending beyond agriculture.

In this episode of Pond University, we talk with Scott Wagner, a Certified Agricultural Engineer with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Scott has worked on pond construction and maintenance (among many other things) for over 18 years. Scott discusses the importance of proper planning and permitting for pond construction, and conducting annual inspections for maintaining your pond. He also provides a bunch of useful information and resources for pond management, including potential financial assistance for conservation projects. So, if you are thinking about building a new pond, or need help fixing a leaking pond; hopefully, this episode can help you.   USDA-NRCS website: http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov NRCS Ponds - Planning, Design, Construction Handbook: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/16/stelprdb1246427.pdf NRCS Field Office Technical Guide: https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/details Web Soil Survey: https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/ Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts: http://wordpress.iaswcd.org Indiana DNR Division of Water: https://www.in.gov/dnr/water/ Indiana Waterways Inquires Request Portal: https://www.in.gov/waterways/ Indiana 811: https://indiana811.org/ IDNR Lake and River Enhancement Program: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2364.htm NRCS Pond Inspection Checklist: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_030195.xls Mitch's profile page: https://ag.purdue.edu/fnr/Pages/Profile.aspx?strAlias=mzischke&intDirDeptID=15 Mitch's twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAussieWahoo Megan's profile page: https://ag.purdue.edu/fnr/Pages/Profile.aspx?strAlias=mlgunn&intDirDeptID=15 Megan's twitter: https://twitter.com/_TFFP Pond and wildlife management website: https://extension.purdue.edu/pondwildlife/ Natural Resources University website: https://naturalresourcesuniversity.libsyn.com/ Purdue's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources website: https://ag.purdue.edu/fnr/Pages/default.aspx Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant website: https://iiseagrant.org/ Contact us! https://extension.purdue.edu/pondwildlife/contact-us/

Get the latest agriculture news in today’s Farm City Newsday, hosted by Danielle Leal. Today's show is filled with stories covering the World Ag Expo Top Ten Product winners, USDA-NRCS series of "how-to" videos and the momentum surrounding water supply. Tune in to the show for these news stories, recipes, features and more.

After watching friends succumb to poor health and cut down in the prime of their life. Dave Skattum knew he had to make some major changes in his life to see his dreams come true. After 10 years of grueling work, not only did he make some miraculous transformations, he also found his passion in life; To Help Men Take Steps Towards Good Health.This show promises to be a place that will encourage you to take steps towards good health. We do three things; 1. Provide cutting edge teaching on men’s health topics, 2. Interviews with men who have done it and 3. Interviews with major influencers and pros in the men’s health arena. All focused around helping men move closer to good health.Today we talked about:1. Mentorship and financial security through the Amway business2. Being intentional about staying healthy3. The dangers of not paying attention About Tom PotterTom Potter and his wife of 35 years, Barbie, live on a beautiful piece of property bordering the Gallatin River near Manhattan, Montana. Tom grew up in Michigan, and after earning degrees in Forestry and Wildlife, headed west to look for work. He spent several summers working for the US Forest Service and finally landed a permanent position doing GIS work for the USDA-NRCS in Bozeman, MT. Tom worked in this cutting-edge field for about 20 years, advanced to State GIS Coordinator, and retired at the age of 56. The early retirement was a result of a decision made in 1992 to look at the Amway business. Skeptical at first, they soon got started, never realizing how much it would radically change their lives. Today Tom and Barbie operate one of the largest Amway businesses in Montana.Amway owns the oldest and largest vitamin supplement company in the world, Nutrilite. Number one by sales, number one by quality. As a member of the Baby-boomer generation, Tom has been exposed to a lot of conflicting information on what and how to eat to be healthy. Tom believes that no matter how hard you try to eat properly, there will always be gaps. The Nutrilite vitamins have filled the gaps for him, and at age 61, he is healthy and only 10 pounds over his college weight! More info about Nutrilite can be found at www.amway.com/myshop/drycreekTom was a Boy Scout and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Tom joined Toastmasters International and achieved the honor of Distinguished Toastmaster. In both of these endeavors, it was something available to everyone, but only a small percentage get that far. It required commitment. He applied this same logic to the Amway business and became very successful. Some of the things learned along the way: When people think about health, they usually think about physical health. There is also mental health, spiritual health, financial health, and relationship health. Through the mentorship he received in the Amway business, Tom has been able to focus on all these areas, and in return, to mentor others. Tom can be contacted at dce00@outlook.com. About Dave Skattum:Dave Skattum is a family man, a health guru and an inspirational speaker. In his late 40s, some life-changing experiences created a starting gate for him to make drastic changes to improve his health. Since then he has taken off 70 pounds, participates in Triathlons and Ultra Trail running, and has weaned himself off junk food. He enjoys nutritious foods, has become accurate in his thinking, and has taken his spiritual life to a new level.When speaking to an audience about his experience in getting healthy, he brings excitement and hope. Dave is a Certified Nutritarian, a CPT, distinguished Toastmaster and a Certified Instructor with the Napoleon Hill Foundation. To get in touch with Dave, join the online forum and to order his book visit http://www.the4pillarsofmenshealth.com The 4 Pillars of Men’s Healthhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/the-4-pillars-of-mens-health/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/tom-potter-your-story-how-tom-took-steps-towards-good-health-interview-with-dave-skattum-and-the-4-pillars-of-mens-health

After watching friends succumb to poor health and cut down in the prime of their life. Dave Skattum knew he had to make some major changes in his life to see his dreams come true. After 10 years of grueling work, not only did he make some miraculous transformations, he also found his passion in life; To Help Men Take Steps Towards Good Health.This show promises to be a place that will encourage you to take steps towards good health. We do three things; 1. Provide cutting edge teaching on men’s health topics, 2. Interviews with men who have done it and 3. Interviews with major influencers and pros in the men’s health arena. All focused around helping men move closer to good health.Today we talked about:1. Mentorship and financial security through the Amway business2. Being intentional about staying healthy3. The dangers of not paying attention About Tom PotterTom Potter and his wife of 35 years, Barbie, live on a beautiful piece of property bordering the Gallatin River near Manhattan, Montana. Tom grew up in Michigan, and after earning degrees in Forestry and Wildlife, headed west to look for work. He spent several summers working for the US Forest Service and finally landed a permanent position doing GIS work for the USDA-NRCS in Bozeman, MT. Tom worked in this cutting-edge field for about 20 years, advanced to State GIS Coordinator, and retired at the age of 56. The early retirement was a result of a decision made in 1992 to look at the Amway business. Skeptical at first, they soon got started, never realizing how much it would radically change their lives. Today Tom and Barbie operate one of the largest Amway businesses in Montana.Amway owns the oldest and largest vitamin supplement company in the world, Nutrilite. Number one by sales, number one by quality. As a member of the Baby-boomer generation, Tom has been exposed to a lot of conflicting information on what and how to eat to be healthy. Tom believes that no matter how hard you try to eat properly, there will always be gaps. The Nutrilite vitamins have filled the gaps for him, and at age 61, he is healthy and only 10 pounds over his college weight! More info about Nutrilite can be found at www.amway.com/myshop/drycreekTom was a Boy Scout and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Tom joined Toastmasters International and achieved the honor of Distinguished Toastmaster. In both of these endeavors, it was something available to everyone, but only a small percentage get that far. It required commitment. He applied this same logic to the Amway business and became very successful. Some of the things learned along the way: When people think about health, they usually think about physical health. There is also mental health, spiritual health, financial health, and relationship health. Through the mentorship he received in the Amway business, Tom has been able to focus on all these areas, and in return, to mentor others. Tom can be contacted at dce00@outlook.com. About Dave Skattum:Dave Skattum is a family man, a health guru and an inspirational speaker. In his late 40s, some life-changing experiences created a starting gate for him to make drastic changes to improve his health. Since then he has taken off 70 pounds, participates in Triathlons and Ultra Trail running, and has weaned himself off junk food. He enjoys nutritious foods, has become accurate in his thinking, and has taken his spiritual life to a new level.When speaking to an audience about his experience in getting healthy, he brings excitement and hope. Dave is a Certified Nutritarian, a CPT, distinguished Toastmaster and a Certified Instructor with the Napoleon Hill Foundation. To get in touch with Dave, join the online forum and to order his book visit http://www.the4pillarsofmenshealth.com The 4 Pillars of Men’s Healthhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/the-4-pillars-of-mens-health/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/tom-potter-your-story-how-tom-took-steps-towards-good-health-interview-with-dave-skattum-and-the-4-pillars-of-mens-health

In this episode, Jeff Schahczenski, an agricultural and natural resource economist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, discusses working-lands conservation solutions with NCAT outreach specialist Rich Myers. Both work out of NCAT's headquarters in Butte, Montana.In the 2018 Farm Bill, significant changes were made in the two most important federal working-lands conservation programs: USDA NRCS's Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). Jeff and Rich discuss the importance of these programs to farmers and ranchers in supporting a more sustainable agriculture, as well as the recently adopted NRCS Conservation Assessment and Ranking Tool (CART), which is used to rank applicants for limited funding available for these valuable working lands conservation resources.For more information on this topic, you can contact Jeff Schahczenski directly at jeffs@ncat.org. Related ATTRA Resources Conservation Assessment Ranking Took (CART) webinar series Other Resources: USDA National Resources Conservation Service Please complete a brief survey to let us know what you thought of the content presented here. Please call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag@ncat.org. Our two dozen specialists can help you with a vast array of topics, everything from farm planning to pest management, from produce to livestock, and soils to aquaculture. You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find our other extensive, and free, sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at NCAT/ATTRA's website. You also can stay in touch with NCAT at its Facebook page. Keep up with NCAT/ATTRA's SIFT farm at its website. Also check out NCAT's Regional Offices' websites and Facebook Pages! Southwest Regional Office: Website / Facebook Western Regional Office: Website / Facebook Rocky Mountain West Regional Office: Facebook Gulf States Regional Office: Website / Facebook Southeast Regional Office: Website / Facebook Northeast Regional Office: Website / Facebook

In this episode, Jeff Schahczenski, an agricultural and natural resource economist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, discusses working-lands conservation solutions with NCAT outreach specialist Rich Myers. Both work out of NCAT's headquarters in Butte, Montana.In the 2018 Farm Bill, significant changes were made in the two most important federal working-lands conservation programs: USDA NRCS's Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). Jeff and Rich discuss the importance of these programs to farmers and ranchers in supporting a more sustainable agriculture, as well as the recently adopted NRCS Conservation Assessment and Ranking Tool (CART), which is used to rank applicants for limited funding available for these valuable working lands conservation resources.For more information on this topic, you can contact Jeff Schahczenski directly at jeffs@ncat.org.Related ATTRA ResourcesConservation Assessment Ranking Took (CART) webinar seriesOther Resources:USDA National Resources Conservation ServicePlease complete a brief survey to let us know what you thought of the content presented here.Please call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag@ncat.org. Our two dozen specialists can help you with a vast array of topics, everything from farm planning to pest management, from produce to livestock, and soils to aquaculture.You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find our other extensive, and free, sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at NCAT/ATTRA's website.You also can stay in touch with NCAT at its Facebook page.Keep up with NCAT/ATTRA's SIFT farm at its website.Also check out NCAT's Regional Offices' websites and Facebook Pages!Southwest Regional Office: Website / FacebookWestern Regional Office: Website / FacebookRocky Mountain West Regional Office: FacebookGulf States Regional Office: Website / FacebookSoutheast Regional Office: Website / FacebookNortheast Regional Office: Website / Facebook

In this episode of the podcast we are honored to have as our guest Kevin Norton, the Acting Chief of the USDA NRCS in Washington D.C.    Kevin talks to us about the history of the NRCS and the role of the agency in helping farmers and ranchers deal with extreme weather events and other natural resource concerns while producing the food and fiber we need to feed and clothe the world.

This podcast is the sixth in the series 6 “Resilience” podcast series. We recorded this one in Crooks, SD the backdrop was the extremely wet weather on 2019. In this podcast, Kent Vlieger (NRCS-SD) facilitates a discussion with farmers Kurt Stiefvater, Ryan Larson, Nate Stroschein, Ross Hanson and SDSU’s field soils specialist Anthony Bly. We wanted to feature this episode because we were struck by the different reasons each farmer feels no-till is working for them. Ultimately this comes down to money and time and the general message from these farmers to others is that patience pays off! If you’d like to our selected video material from these conversations, please visit SD NRCS’s 'Growing Resilience with Soil Health' playlist on YouTube. This podcast was made possible by sponsorship from the USDA-NRCS in South Dakota. The views and opinions of the farmer participants expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

The World Food Prize is awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to food and food security around the world. The brainchild of Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug, it was founded in 1986 and is the foremost international award for those in these fields. Dr. Rattan Lal is the 2020 World Food Prize Laureate for his continent-spanning work with climate change and holistic soil health. This episode, we talk with Dr. Lal about his life, career, and the soil health lessons he’s learned along the way. Tune in to learn: The importance of animals like earthworms, termites, and centipedes to soil health How covering soils can increase soil health properties How the health of animals, people, plants, soil, and the environment intertwine What future steps we can take to increase food security and soil health If you would like more information about this topic, the CSA News feature about Dr. Lal is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/csan.20290 It will be freely available from 16 October to 30 October, 2020. If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/ Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you would like to reach out to Dr. Lal, you can find him here: lal.1@osu.edu Resources CEU Quiz: https://www.certifiedcropadviser.org/education/classroom/classes/882 World Food Prize: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/ World Food Prize feature on Dr. Rattan Lal: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/laureates/2020_lal/ Rattan Lal: Translating Science Into Action video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug07app6FDo&feature=youtu.be Rattan Lal: Soil Is Like a Bank Account video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zA8F1Q8P4U&feature=youtu.be Rattan Lal: Early Life and Path to The Ohio State University video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C36I4_EK24w&feature=youtu.be CFAES Faculty Profile: Rattan Lal video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnNXKqgSMMI&feature=youtu.be Rare Earth Alumni Magazine video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53z-97lKkuI&feature=youtu.be The Ohio State University: https://www.osu.edu/ Soil Science Society of America: www.soils.org American Society of Agronomy: www.agronomy.org Crop Science Society of America: www.crops.org International Union of Soil Sciences: https://www.iuss.org/ United Nations University: https://unu.edu/ USDA ARS: https://www.ars.usda.gov/ USDA NRCS: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/ “Soil Carbon Sequestration Impacts on Global Climate Change and Food Security” article in Science: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/304/5677/1623 Rattan Lal, PhD Presenting at Nobel Conference 54 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mbSzIojsRQ S is for Soil book: https://lsrwa.org/news/s-is-for-soils/ Sponsored by Gasmet Technologies. Gasmet Technologies range of portable analyzers are used for environmental research measuring CO2, CH4, N2O, NH3 & H2O gas fluxes simultaneously at sub-ppm levels. Check out www.gasmet.com for more information and to request a quotation. Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Dan Brick is a fifth-generation farmer in Greenleaf, Wisconsin who earnestly takes his role as steward and caretaker of Wisconsin’s natural resources and water ways. After a series of significant runoff events influenced Dan to increase the pace and scale of his transition to cover crops and minimal tillage, today Dan’s operation, Brickstead Dairy, is 100% no-till and keeping the soil and its nutrients on his land is a top priority. Healthier soils mean greater water infiltration and by absorbing every droplet of rain that falls, Dan’s farm can better withstand heavy rains without losing top soil.Dan is an advocate for soil health and water quality – both with Wisconsin farmers and his local community. Brickstead Dairy is part of the Lower Fox Demonstration Farms Project, a collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USDA-NRCS, and the Brown County Conservation District. The group puts research and innovative conservation practices on the ground to demonstrate how to reduce soil erosion and minimize impacts to water quality. Brickstead Dairy also regularly hosts outreach events for the general public so they can learn more about the farm they drive past every day on their way to school or work.In our conversation we talked about some of the challenges with farming in Wisconsin, experimentation with reduced disturbance manure applications, the ability to learn lessons from your failures, biogas and carbon neutral milk production, thinking like a CEO, how the type and quality of soil can make your vegetables taste better, and so much more. There’s a lot packed into this nearly 40-minute episode, so I hope you enjoy!--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/dan-brick ------ TOPICS DISCUSSED ---1:34 – A brief overview of Brickstead Dairy in Greenleaf, Wisconsin2:32 – Tie stalls vs free stalls4:45 – The cost of farming in Wisconsin7:33 – Farming practices changing over time8:50 – Lower Fox Demonstration Farms Network12:05 – Challenges with farming in Wisconsin and learning lessons from your failures16:34 – Low-till vs no-till and challenges making the transition from traditional agriculture20:48 – N-P-K vs natural methods21:51 – Comparing wine with corn and the influence of soil on flavor profiles and nutrient density22:56 – The importance of having a great team around you24:44 – Soil testing and nutrient management planning25:56 – Hidden costs of financial distress27:34 – Carbon neutral milk production and producing energy from manure29:01 – Increased rate of consolidation of farms in Wisconsin32:59 – Having the mentality of a CEO33:39 – Urban development and educating your neighbors and local community35:35 – Public perception of farmers’ concern for water quality37:11 – Milking cows in the morning and tailgating at Lambeau Field 45 minutes later. Go Pack Go!

Ohio Farm Bureau is the textbook definition of a grassroots organization. Policies and issues that the state’s largest farm organization takes up on the behalf of agriculture are developed and voted on by their members. The process for putting future policies together started last month when Twenty Ohio Farm Bureau leaders began serving on the 2020 Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Policy Development Committee. Meet 2 of the committee members and hear about some of the issues they are considering. 00:00 - Dr. Larry Antosch, Director of Policy Development and Environmental Policy, Ohio Farm Bureau Board Member Adele Flynn (District 3) and Paulding County farmer Abram Klopfenstein. 23:50 - Frog Pond Farm in Canfield, Ohio had a very big country star as a customer recently. Farmer David Coakley tells the story To the Beat of Agriculture. 32:20 - As the election nears, American Farm Bureau's Michael Sistak shares details about the IFarmIVote initiative. 42:20 - Doug Deardorff with USDA-NRCS gives specifics on the agency's New and Beginning Farmer program.

This podcast is the fifth in the series 6 “Resilience” podcast series we recorded in Mitchell, SD (podcasts 1-5) and Crooks (Podcast 6), the backdrop was the extremely wet weather on 2019; at the time of recording the James River had frozen outside of it’s banks and there was every expectation of another wet summer. In this podcast, farmers Charlie Edinger, Daniel Harnisch, Craig Stehly and Bryce Rabenhorst discuss the ideas of resilience and soil structure in the context of their operations and the conversation also turns to the use of perennials in marginal areas. Charlie, Daniel, Craig and Bryce are joined by Kent Vlieger (facilitator) Brent Woods and Eric Barsness from the NRCS in South Dakota and by Sara Bauder from SDSU. If you’d like to our selected video material from these conversations, please visit SD NRCS’s 'Growing Resilience with Soil Health' playlist on YouTube. This podcast was made possible by sponsorship from the USDA-NRCS in South Dakota. The views and opinions of the farmer participants expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

This podcast is the fourth in the series 6 “Resilience” podcast series we recorded in Mitchell, SD (podcasts 1-5) and Crooks (Podcast 6), the backdrop was the extremely wet weather on 2019; at the time of recording the James River had frozen outside of it’s banks and there was every expectation of another wet summer. In this podcast, farmers Charlie Edinger, Daniel Harnisch, Craig Stehly and Bryce Rabenhorst discuss salinity (a big issue in the James River Valley). Salinity is a multifaceted, long-term problem that needs understanding – the farmers talk about the use of perennials, livestock and the use of annuals to mitigate salinity, but it must be understood that there are no easy fixes. Young farmer, Bryce Rabenhorst asks his fellow farmers advice on how to include small grains into the rotation and keep the cash flow going. Charlie, Daniel, Craig and Bryce are joined by Kent Vlieger (facilitator) Brent Woods and Eric Barsness from the NRCS in South Dakota and by Sara Bauder from SDSU. If you’d like to our selected video material from these conversations, please visit SD NRCS’s 'Growing Resilience with Soil Health' playlist on YouTube. This podcast was made possible by sponsorship from the USDA-NRCS in South Dakota. The views and opinions of the farmer participants expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

This podcast is the third in the series 6 “Resilience” podcast series we recorded in Mitchell, SD (podcasts 1-5) and Crooks (Podcast 6), the backdrop was the extremely wet weather on 2019; at the time of recording the James River had frozen outside of it’s banks and there was every expectation of another wet summer. In this podcast, farmers Charlie Edinger, Daniel Harnisch, Craig Stehly and Bryce Rabenhorst discuss the nuts and bolts of cover crops including timing, seed mix selection, planting depth and seed size, and trafficability related to the use of covers. Charlie, Daniel, Craig and Bryce are joined by Kent Vlieger (facilitator) Brent Woods and Eric Barsness from the NRCS in South Dakota. If you’d like to our selected video material from these conversations, please visit SD NRCS’s 'Growing Resilience with Soil Health' playlist on YouTube. This podcast was made possible by sponsorship from the USDA-NRCS in South Dakota. The views and opinions of the farmer participants expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

Nolan and Sam sat down with Aaron Hird, a State Soil Health Specialist with USDA/NRCS. We talked in great detail about how soil health effects the yield, plant health, erosion control, and a lot more on your farm. Cover crops are a vital tool when it comes to making sure your field is able to carry your crop to its full potential as well as ensuring your land stays stable and nutrient rich without washing away. Ask your agronomist for more information today or visit the Farmers Cooperative website at https://www.myfarmerscoop.com.

This podcast is the second in the series 6 “Resilience” podcast series we recorded in Mitchell, SD (podcasts 1-5) and Crooks (Podcast 6), the backdrop was the extremely wet weather on 2019; at the time of recording the James River had frozen outside of it’s banks and there was every expectation of another wet summer. In this podcast, farmers Charlie Edinger, Daniel Harnisch, Craig Stehly and Bryce Rabenhorst discuss topics related to priorities for a wet 2020 growing season. Topics ranged from equipment to fallow syndrome, weeds versus cover crops and native prairie grasses. A good discussion of various ways of planting into covers (also planting green) emerge from this discussion. Charlie, Daniel, Craig and Bryce are joined by Kent Vlieger (facilitator) Brent Woods and Eric Barsness from the NRCS in South Dakota. If you’d like to our selected video material from these conversations, please visit SD NRCS’s 'Growing Resilience with Soil Health' playlist on YouTube. This podcast was made possible by sponsorship from the USDA-NRCS in South Dakota. The views and opinions of the farmer participants expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

This podcast is the first in the series 6 “Resilience” podcast series we recorded in Mitchell, SD (podcasts 1-5) and Crooks (Podcast 6), the backdrop was the extremely wet weather on 2019; at the time of recording the James River had frozen outside of it’s banks and there was every expectation of another wet summer. In this podcast, we are joined by farmers Charlie Edinger, Daniel Harnisch, Craig Stehly and Bryce Rabenhorst and well and Kent Vlieger (facilitator) Brent Woods and Eric Barsness from the NRCS in South Dakota. The discussion centered around some of the operational frustrations that were experienced (rutting, planting difficulties) in the James River Valley during the extremely wet summer of 2019 and toward the end of the podcast the discussion moved toward using cover crops to manage moisture. If you’d like to our selected video material from these conversations, please visit SD NRCS’s 'Growing Resilience with Soil Health' playlist on YouTube. This podcast was made possible by sponsorship from the USDA-NRCS in South Dakota. The views and opinions of the farmer participants expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

This week on the AgEmerge Podcast... Dr. Wayne Honeycutt Dr. Honeycutt is the President and CEO of the Soil Health Institute where he leads the Institute’s programs to safeguard and enhance the vitality and productivity of soils. Among his wealth of experience, Dr. Honeycutt has served as the Deputy Chief for Science and Technology with the USDA-NRCS in Washington, DC, and as a Research Soil Scientist with the USDA-ARS just to name a few. His experience in research in the field of soil health is extensive and you can check out his full bio on the Soil Health Institute website to really appreciate all the work he’s done. We cover so much ground in this discussion from soil health, research, measurements, profitability, leadership, public policy, and education. We’d also like our listeners to know that this podcast was recorded shortly prior to the events of COVID-19 in the US. Our discussion with. We recognize the efforts across the agricultural landscape to continue to produce nutritious food for our country and the world especially during this difficult and unprecedented time. Thanks for listening. Soil Health Institute Website https://soilhealthinstitute.org/ Soil Health Policy Catalog https://soilhealthinstitute.org/resources/catalog/ Dr. Honeycutt's Bio https://soilhealthinstitute.org/leadership/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm We’d love to hear from you!

Episode 66: Catherine E. Semcer ( https://www.perc.org/people/catherine-e-semcer-2/)is a Research Fellow with the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) where her work focuses on rights and market based solutions to policy challenges in environmental security, conservation finance and sustainability... [continued below....] This episode's motto: "Owners are the best conservationists." __Links__ Habitat Loss and the Great Migration: https://www.perc.org/2019/12/04/will-the-circle-be-unbroken/ IWCC Testimony: https://www.perc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/IWCC_Testimony_3_18.pdf Conservationists Should Support Trophy Hunting: https://www.perc.org/2019/09/06/conservationists-should-support-trophy-hunting/ CECIL Act Testimony: https://www.perc.org/2019/07/18/the-role-of-hunting-in-conserving-african-wildlife/ David on hunting elephants: https://kysq.org/aguanomics/2016/09/demand-for-elephants-can-save-elephants/ [Bio continued...] Catherine is the past COO of Humanitarian Operations Protecting Elephants (H.O.P.E.), a boutique NGO delivering training, advisory, assistance and procurement services to African counter-poaching programs. During her tenure with H.O.P.E. she was responsible for leading the opening of projects in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Ethiopia. Prior to working with H.O.P.E. Catherine served as Senior Washington D.C. Representative for Sierra Club, where she worked to advance conservation programs in the Department of Defense to increase training range sustainability as well as further efforts to conserve the Greater Sage Grouse. Her work led to her being recognized by the USDA-NRCS for “outstanding contributions” to their Sage Grouse Initiative. Catherine began her career with McKinsey & Company where she supported the Environmental and Non-Profit Practices. Catherine's research and commentary has appeared in the International Journal of Environmental Studies, The Hill, and other publications. She has also been a guest on programs including Intelligence Squared US and EconTalk, where she has debated and discussed the political economy of African wildlife conservation. In addition to her work with PERC, Catherine serves as a research fellow with the African Wildlife Economy Institute at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. She is a member of Sustainable Use and Livelihood Specialist Group International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Protected Areas Finance Working Group of Conservation Finance Alliance. Catherine is also a contributing editor to Conservation Frontlines and a past field editor of African Indaba, the official African publication of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC). Catherine is a graduate of Muhlenberg College. In her spare time she enjoys fly fishing, upland bird and waterfowl hunting, and sailing.

Today, most of us are three or more generations removed from life on a farm—therefore, we don't know how our food, fuel and fiber gets from the farm to our families. In this special episode, recorded live during Tennessee Ag Literacy Day at Discovery Park, listeners will meet and get to know farmers and others working in the agriculture field. By the year 2050, the production of food, fuel and fiber around the world must more than double in order to support an estimated population of ten billion. Sustaining our environment for future generations while meeting that need is only going to happen because of the hard work of farmers like the ones who share their personal stories of agriculture on this episode. During this episode, you’ll hear from Wes Totten, Ph.D, chair Department of Agriculture, Geosciences, and Natural Resources, UTM; Josh Richardson, district conservationist, USDA-NRCS; Beth Cochran, farmer and technician, Obion County Soil Conservation District; Derek Giffin, farmer, Giffin Farms; Alexis Beach, student and FFA member; Carol Reed, farmer and executive director of the Tennessee Corn Promotion Council; Mike Holeman, farmer and president of the Tennessee Corn Growers Association; Mike Brundage, farmer and chairman of the Tennessee corn promotion council; Brenda Baker, farmer and ag educator; Matt Fennel; farmer and regional field director, Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation; Rusty Grills, farmer and Tennessee state representative for District 77; and Misha Madding; precision ag specialist, Nutrien Ag Solutions. Then, Katie chats with John Watkins, grounds director at Discovery Park, about the challenge of getting the park decorated with more than a million lights for “Let it Glow,” the annual Christmas light show.

The use of cover crops is a big part of a plan to improve soil health.  Increasing the diversity of your cash crop and cover crops is one of the four basic ideas that USDA-NRCS promotes. This podcast addresses cover crop selection, the impacts of cover crops on biodiversity and how this benefits cotton.

Plus a Wisconsin Certified Crop Advisor has received the nation's first "Conservationist of the Year" award through USDA - NRCS.  Nick Guilette of Casco, received the honors Friday in Washington, DC.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we discuss agricultural sustainability topics including cover crops, pollinator health, and control of soil erosion with Ivan Dozier. Ivan is Illinois State Conservationist with the USDA National Resources Conservation Service. You can contact Ivan at ivan.dozier@usda.gov and follow USDA NRCS on Twitter @USDA_NRCS.

Phoebe discusses irrigation pumps, including their capacity and maintenance, with Jon Chilcote, a USDA NRCS team engineer for the Southern San Joaquin Valley.The website for the Department of Water Resources groundwater data: http://wdl.water.ca.gov/waterdatalibrary/There are several additional resources you can find on our episode page.Thank you to the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board for their support. Music by Muriel Gordon.

Cover crops blanket the soil from the time you harvest one crop until you plant the next. And there’s a long list of benefits they provide: they can replenish soil in between planting, prevent soil erosion, slow water down, pull moisture deeper into the soil, and increase soil organic matter over time. For Doug Adams, an Iowa farmer and soil conservation technician at USDA-NRCS, cover crops also provide a way to recycle his nutrient dollars. In this episode, he tells Zach and Mitchell about how much he hates seeing valuable fertilizer leak out of his system, as it’s never coming back. “If I can get a good cover crop established,” he says, “it will help sequester some of those nitrates and other fertilizer and keep it from getting flushed out of my system.” Also in this episode: Mitchell explains what it means to “keep it squatchy,” and Zach weighs in on how to speak Minnesotan to earthworms.

In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast I talk with Larry Caldwell, Upstream Flood control specialist with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and former USDA NRCS state engineer for Oklahoma.  Larry will talk about the history of the USDA upstream flood control program and how it continues to provide real time protection for life and property, especially during the rain events we have seen recently in the midwest.

In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast I talk with Larry Caldwell, Upstream Flood control specialist with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and former USDA NRCS state engineer for Oklahoma.  Larry will talk about the history of the USDA upstream flood control program and how it continues to provide real time protection for life and property, especially during the rain events we have seen recently in the midwest.

Charles Lowry is a forest landowner and heir that grew up in the city! He is currently engaging in forest management for the first time in his life as an absentee landowner. He is based in Washington, D.C. and his property is in Alabama! Charles shares his story on how he found out about this land, how he manages it from afar, and some things he wished he'd known before about the value of his land. Find someone you can trust locally in the area to help you make the right decisions.   Key Takeaways: [1:35] A message from Leadership Nature. [2:15] A quick intro about Charles's background. [4:05] Charles shares a little bit about the history of the land he inherited. [9:15] Charles was lucky because his grandfather did have a will before he died. [13:15] With the property being in Alabama and Charles being in Washington, D.C., How did Charles get re-connected with his land? [24:30] With the wide geographical location of the heirs, every single one of them has a varying interest in the land. [25:45] What are some of the challenges of being an absentee landowner? [27:50] Prior podcast guest Alex Harvey has helped Charles with his land. What kind of things did he help Charles with? [31:30] What kinds of goals does Charles have for the property? [41:45] You really need someone on your side to help you through this process, whether it be through the NRCS, the government, or a consultant. [45:45] Charles is excited to know more people in this industry to get a better idea of what his land can do.   Mentioned in This Episode: Charles on LinkedIn Website for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities: Usendowment.org More information on the SFLR Program: Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) More information on USDA NRCS services: Nrcs.usda.gov More information on the Alabama Forestry Association: alaforestry.org

Alex Harvey is a consulting Forester and a Registered Professional Forester in Mississippi and Alabama. Alex has helped with the development and pilot of the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) and will be diving into some of the work he has done to help educate landowners about the value of their land. On today's episode, Alex lists some challenges he has had in his line of work and some of the reasons why a landowner would benefit from working with a consulting forester. There's a lot of bad apples that spoil it for the rest of us and it takes time to build up the trust that you're one of the good guys.   Key Takeaways: [1:40] A message from Leadership Nature. [2:20] A quick intro about Alex's background. [4:30] How did Alex come up with the name ‘Legacy Land Management' for his company? [7:40] Alex gives a quick recap on what is Heirs property. [12:55] How did Alex first get into this line of work? [21:50] What are some of the reasons why a landowner would want to work with Alex? [24:55] Alex shares a horror story about what happened to an elderly lady's land and timber. [32:15] It took Alex about three years to help landowners make small steps towards the proper use of their land. [34:45] What resources can landowners tap into to get the help that they need? [38:25] What kinds of challenges does Alex run into and why does he love his job?   Mentioned in This Episode: Alex's website: Legacylandmanagement.org Alex's first interview on the show: June 2018 Alex on LinkedIn Website for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities: Usendowment.org More information on the SFLR Program: Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) More information on USDA NRCS services: Nrcs.usda.gov

If your farm is located in an Agricultural Security Area, contains contiguous acreage of at least 50 acres, contains at least 50% soils of a capability class I-IV as defined by USDA-NRCS, has at least 50% of the property’s total acreage in current use as harvested cropland (excluding timber harvest), pasture, or grazing land and is not part of a normal farming operation generating farm income, contact the Susquehanna County Conservation District before January 15th, 2019 to fill out an application to preserve your agricultural land.

In this episode we visit with Shanon Phillips, the Director of the Water Quality Division of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.  Through the work of her division in partnership with USDA NRCS, Region Six EPA, Local Conservation Districts, USDA FSA and others, Oklahoma has taken over 70 stream segments off of the EPA impaired list--the most of any state in the country.  They have achieved this success not with regulations or law suits, but with voluntary, incentive based locally-led conservation with a focus on those practices that improve soil health.  Shanon also talks about how these practices save communities down stream money by reducing treatment costs while helping farmers and ranchers better prepair for drought and floods while reducing emissions and sequestering carbon dioxide.

In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we talk to Nathan Hale, Soil Health Specialist for USDA NRCS in the State of Texas.  Nathan talks to us about how the Natural Resources Conservation Service is working with producers to promote soil health/regenerative agriculture in Texas, how producers are responding to this work and the role soil health can play in helping farmer and ranchers adapt to extreme weather events.

Jessica “Dixie” Mills graduated from Auburn University in 2012 as a Biosystems Engineer with a minor in Agronomy and Soils. After working in the rat race with the USDA-NRCS and the later with Halliburton, she decided to take a walk … Continue reading →

Gary Casabona of the Rhode Island Natural Resources Conservation Service is interviewed by URI student Grace Sanford.

The Ohio Ag Net Podcast, brought to you by AgriGold, brings a wide variety of topics for episode 53. We start off with a parody song written and performed by our own Ty Higgins called "I just want to plant." Ty also recently caught up with a farm that's already planted a bit in Ohio for a test of how early soybeans may actually do. We hear his conversation with Jakob Wilson of JCW Farms. Joel Penhorwood brings some audio from the press conference last week with House Ag Chairman Mike Conaway with the announcement of the first draft of the 2018 Farm Bill. The big question now is whether or not we'll see it advancing in 2018. A big topic addressed in the Farm Bill is conservation titles. Matt Reese talks with Jim Hoorman from USDA NRCS about conservation tips during the recent Dave Brandt Field Day. Dale Minyo was at Wilmington College this past week and caught up with student Sara Pope about her path in agriculture. All that and much more in this week's podcast, courtesy of AgriGold.

In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we talk to Tom Roth, Kansas State Agronomist for USDA NRCS about soil health, its roll in water and soil conservation and the work of NRCS in the state of Kansas.

Margy Lindquist is District Conservationist with the USDA NRCS office in Templeton, California. She explains what the NRCS is and how they help landowners conserve the resources on their property through technical and financial assistance. References: Natural Resources Conservation Service Web Soil Survey (WWS) Listen to the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.

Este es el sexto episodio de la serie titulada “Cambio Climático y Agricultura” que es parte de los esfuerzos educativos y de divulgación científica del Centro Climático del Caribe. Entrevistamos al agrónomo José M. Santiago quien trabaja en la región de Caguas con el Servicio de Conservación de Recursos Naturales (NRCS por sus siglas en inglés). El agrónomo…