Climate-smart farming practices sound pretty good about now
by Ryan Stockwell
Carbon farming practices reduce risk of yield loss to increasingly extreme weather. Learn how Carbon by Indigo can help plan practices.
If it seems like there has been more talk recently about major drought and 1,000-year rain events, well, it’s because they’ve been more frequent lately.
With most of the western half of the continental U.S. in a drought (and much of that in a multi-year drought), water shortages have become very real. For farmers and ranchers, this means parched fields, lower yields, diminished grain quality, and increasingly culled cattle herds.
Oddly enough, in the Midwest, there have been multiple 1,000-year rain events in which 10 inches of rain or more fell within a 24 hour period. In 2022, over 6.5 million acres of row crops were ultimately declared prevent plant. 2 million acres were declared Prevent Plant in 2021, over 9 million acres in 2020, and a mind-numbing 20 million acres of Prevent Plant in 2019. Some of the states that experienced incredible droughts one year are met by an onslaught of rain the next. Farming isn’t getting easier as time goes on, it is getting harder.
While we cannot control the weather, what we can do is improve the ability of our crops and land to thrive despite extreme weather. Increasing soil organic matter and improving soil structure can provide the most benefit to helping farmers gain field accessibility in wet conditions while also helping crops survive drought conditions. Here’s how that works:
Soil structure
When we talk about soil structure, we’re referring to the physical composition and strength of soil particles. Good soil structure creates space to store water, can effectively drain excess water, and can better carry farm equipment in wet conditions. In addition, improved soil structure helps a crop’s ability to survive drought conditions. Improving soil structure by just 34% can increase water infiltration by 10 (as measured through aggregate stability).
Soil organic matter
Soil organic matter is comprised of recently decomposed plant, microorganism, and animal manure that hold and deliver nutrients to plants, helps build soil structure, and increases the water holding capacity of soil. Improving soil organic matter by 1% (in this example, from 2% to 3%) increases the water holding capacity of a field by 16,500 gallons per acre, or an additional ¾ of an inch of water.
While soil structure and soil organic matter are firstmost informed by soil type, how land is managed can dramatically shift those numbers. For example, an Ohio Extension research trial showed that shifting from a conventional tillage corn/soybean rotation to a no-till corn/soybean/clover cover crop rotation reduced the time required for one inch of water to infiltrate the soil from 60 minutes to 15 seconds! A huge improvement. Soil organic matter responds in a similar way—tillage degrades soil organic matter while reduced/no till, adding cover crops, and increasing crop diversity all improve soil organic matter numbers.
Reducing tillage and adding cover crops have multiple benefits. Not only do they improve soil structure and soil organic matter, but they can solve a number of pressing agronomic challenges, such as herbicide resistant weeds and disease pressure. Want a few starter ideas for how to improve the soils on your farm? Take a few minutes to try the free Soil Health Optimizer tool (log in or create your account to access the tool).
When you soil health practices to your operation, not only do your soils and crops improve, you can also be generating revenue from carbon credits simultaneously. Curious to know how much you may be able to make from adopting carbon farming practices?
By: Ryan Stockwell, Indigo Grower Engagement Senior Manager and Wisconsin farmer
Citations
-https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/08/23/flood-united-states-climate-explainer/
-https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
-https://www.agweb.com/markets/pro-farmer-analysis/unplanted-acres-rise-sharply
-https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-03/soil-infiltration
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6023111/
This article may include information from third-party sources or other information that Indigo may not independently verify. Carbon quantification methods, processes and understandings are in their nascency and subject to change and continuous development. The information contained herein is for general informational purposes only and may be based on generally applicable assumptions that may not be applicable to any individual operation. Actual results may differ among growers and farms based on a large number of variables. Each operation should independently consider the financial implications and all potential risks and benefits of the use of any agronomic practice. Any payments under Carbon by Indigo are subject to multi-year vesting and are contingent on continued long-term maintenance of regenerative agricultural practices and soil carbon levels. All Carbon Credits generated are subject to buffer pool holdbacks required by third-party crediting; participants will not receive payments for such holdback. Neither Indigo nor its representatives or affiliates makes any representations, warranties or guarantees as to any specific outcomes (agronomic, financial or otherwise) in connection with any recommendations, calculations or predictions. Terms, conditions, limitations and eligibility requirements apply. See program agreement for additional details regarding Carbon by Indigo.
Farmers like you are getting paid to implement practices that improve soil health. With skyrocketing input costs, see how covers help.
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Neither Indigo nor any of its affiliates makes any representations, warranties or guarantees as to any specific results or outcomes, including, without limitation, with respect to soil health outcomes or any minimum amount of greenhouse gasses sequestered or number of carbon credits generated. Participation in Carbon by Indigo is subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of the program contained in the applicable enrollment agreement. Any payments under Carbon by Indigo are subject to multi-year vesting and are contingent on continued long-term maintenance of regenerative agricultural practices and soil carbon levels. All Carbon Credits generated are subject to buffer pool holdbacks required by third-party crediting; participants will not receive payments for such holdback. Not available in all areas.
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