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Hills field one of four sites in state to measure soil health

Lead Summary
By
Lori Sorenson

A farm field west of Hills is one of four sites in Minnesota that will demonstrate soil health management over the next three years.
Terry Aukes is partnering with Rock County to establish an on-farm, field-scale plot to compare conservation practices from site to site.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase utilizing no till and cover crops in a real field scenario,” Aukes said.
The Rock Soil and Water Conservation District received grant funds to set up the Aukes field as a research and demonstration site in southwest Minnesota.
Doug Bos of the Rock County Land Management said the location will offer unique opportunities for comparison.
“The importance of this demonstration plot is it will be comparing recommended soil health practices to conventional tillage with no cover crops on a field scale with full width tillage and planting (versus small university test plots),” Bos said.
“Unique to this demo site versus the other three sites in the State will be utilizing a ‘Learning Blocks’ concept that measures soil health, yields and profits per 1.5-acre grids.” 
Aukes said he’s utilized cover crops and no-till methods for many years and has seen notable benefits, but he’s never done a side-by-side plot. 
“These realized benefits do not necessarily show up in the first year, so the other intriguing thing to me this is a multi-year approach,” he said.
“We are going to measure soil health differences, soil characteristics and yield, which many growers worry about.”
He said the intent is to no-till and use cover crops on the farm for a three-year period with a three-acre block in the middle of the farm that represents traditional tillage for the area without cover crops. 
Soil health tests, water filtration tests, compaction tests and yield will be taken every year, with the goal being to compare the three-acre learning block of tillage and no cover crop to the remaining part of the farm. 
Bos said there will be many practical benefits to the study.
“This data can be used to not only measure improvements in soil biology but prescribe herbicide and insecticide programs to combat resistance problems plaguing our farmers,” he said.
Kittson, Wilkin and Waseca counties are the other three locations in the state to receive funding for on-farm, field-scale plots that will be in place for at least three years.
During that time, they’ll contribute data to a statewide soil health database and serve as sites for outreach and education in local communities.
Practices being demonstrated vary by site, and each site has its own unique soil characteristics, depending on its location in the state.
Most include reduced tillage and cover crops in a common row crop rotation, compared to full-width, no cover crop fields alongside.
The idea is for producers to see how practices work on the demo farm near them and to talk to other farmers and ag advisers who have experience, according to Anna Cates, State Soil Health Specialist with the University of Minnesota’s Office for Soil Health.
“Around the state, farmers trust farmers who are working on similar soil types, in similar climates, even with the same agricultural service providers,” she said.
“There’s something about seeing it work for your neighbor that’s more convincing than all the data in the world.”
Aukes and the other farmers involved in field demonstrations hope to guide their peers through the somewhat complex process of improving soil health.
“On this three-year plot I hope we can demonstrate that a grower can confidently adapt these practices and realize benefits of reduced erosion and better soil health characteristics without giving up profitability in the near term with fewer trips across the field,” Aukes said.
“Land is our highest-priced asset by a long shot, and my goal is to do whatever I can to protect that investment while maximizing profitability.”
Adding cover crops and reducing tillage are only part of the approach, and many producers are wondering if and how to get started.
Timing of field work, equipment adjustments, crop varieties, livestock considerations, financing and impact on weeds and fertility are also important factors to be considered.
 Grant funding comes from the University of Minnesota’s Office for Soil Health, the Minnesota Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.

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