Cover Crops

Iowa Study: Soil Conservation Practices On The Rise

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 20:02:40 GMT

Beginning in the 2017 growing season, The Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC) has worked over the past six years with Iowa State University and local ag retailers to study the progress of conservation practices used on the state’s crop acres.

The survey uses records from ag retailers to measure the use of cover crops, nutrient management and conservation tillage and no-till by Iowa growers. When comparing their latest data from the 2022 growing season with 2017’s records, researchers found a significant increase in the adoption of these practices – most notably in the number of cover crop acres planted.

“Iowa cover crop planting has skyrocketed to a record 3.8 million acres over the first decade of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, and that clearly demonstrates that Iowa farmers and landowners are taking on the challenge of improving Iowa’s water quality by accelerating this important conservation work,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “With the help of ag retailers and other conservation professionals, as well as both public and private sector partners, programs, and incentives, I know our farmers and landowners will continue to push these statewide cover crop numbers ever higher.”

In 2022, Iowa growers planted 3.8 million acres of cover crops – which is 16.6% of all corn and soy acreage. This is compared to 1.6 million acres of cover crops in 2017, or 6.9% of acres. Rye accounted for 81.2% of the cover crops planted over the past 6 years.

The survey also looks at nutrient management practices such as timing, rate, source and placement. It found 45% of nitrogen applications have occurred in the spring before planting, followed by fall-only applications at 20%.

As for phosphorus applications, there has been a notable increase in growers applying the nutrient only when the soil is at or below optimum levels for it – increasing from 74.3% of applications in 2017 to 95.4% in 2022.

The number of no-till acres in the state has remained relatively steady throughout the duration of INREC’s survey, averaging 35.8% of fields. It does, however, account for more overall corn and soy acres in the state than conventional tillage and conservation tillage practices.

INREC is currently preparing for its seventh year of the survey, which will be conducted this winter, and the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics & Methodology has randomly selected 150 ag retail locations to participate.

To review the data from each of the six current surveys, click here .

Winter Weather: Find Out What's in Store for Agriculture

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 18:52:06 GMT

The upcoming winter is shaping up to look a bit different than the past several years. The shift to a different weather pattern, El Nino, is in the works – resulting in a very strong subtropical jet stream and a weakened polar jet stream.

Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist, shares the predictable changes to North American weather those involved in the agriculture industry should be on the lookout for.

Northern Weather Will Be Drier
One of the common changes Rippey shares is unusually mild weather across the northern tier of the U.S. The mild weather is a result of the weak polar jet stream and affects areas stretching all the way from the Pacific Northwest to New England.

“That of course has implications for winter crops,” Rippey says. You don’t get as much establishment of a snow cover, but at the same time, you don’t have a whole lot of cold weather to deal with and there’s less concern for winter kill. So, it’s kind of a tradeoff there.”

(Farm Journal)

Along with the milder temperatures, northern states are also predicted to see drier conditions this winter.

An outlook published by NOAA in late September shows between a 33 to 50% chance of below average precipitation for a portion of the northern U.S between November and March. The areas NOAA expects the largest impact are the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes region.

(Farm Journal)

The dry, warm conditions have the potential to make this planting season an early one.

“It all depends on how the snow falls, but generally speaking, soil temperatures will likely not be as cold as they were in the spring of 2023,” Rippey says. “Given the mild, dry forecast, there may be a fairly quick planting season in the north for spring 2024.”

The Story for Southern States is Much Different
“The enhanced subtropical jet stream tends to bring stronger storms across the southern tier of the United States,” Rippey says. “Sometimes that affects Southern California but it’s more likely along the Gulf Coast and southern Atlantic coast.”

NOAA’s predication maps show the highest probability of above average rainfall – 50 to 60% – for states along the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts.

The increased precipitation in those areas is something Rippey says could help with low water levels from the summer’s drought.

“As we get deeper into autumn and the heart of winter, the odds most definitely increase we will see wetter conditions in places like Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi where we’ve got not only low water levels impacting navigation, but also the saltwater intrusion from the Gulf,” he says. “It may take a while but eventually as the winter proceeds, we should see relief especially in the southern part of the basin.”

The Wild Card to Watch For
A less clear aspect for this winter’s forecast could be due to elevated oceanic temperatures, which have the potential to keep global temperatures high through the winter and into 2024.

The high oceanic temperatures produce blocking high pressure systems, which Rippey says can be blamed for Canada’s wildfire season and recent heat waves and fires in Europe.

“If some of the oceanic temperatures continue to induce weird blocking patterns, that can lead to extremes like heat, cold, droughts and floods that’s generally independent from El Nino,” he says.

Effects on South American Production
El Nino has different implications for growers in South America.

Key production agriculture areas such as southern Brazil and Argentina are just moving into their spring growing season and the El Nino weather patterns are expected to create more favorable conditions for their crops than La Nina.

“From a crop production standpoint, I would expect improving conditions in some of the areas that have been impacted by drought over the last few years,” Rippey says. “As you move northward into the Amazon basin, El Nino can trigger drought. That’s a concern from an ecological standpoint and that drought often extends into places like Mexico and the Caribbean for as long as El Nino persists.”

Secy. Vilsack Unpacks Build Back Better and What it Means for Ag

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 20:51:55 GMT

The House passed the Build Back Better (BBB) framework last Friday, allocating roughly $2.2 trillion to climate change, health and child care, among others.

On Tuesday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack rang in on AgriTalk to share agriculture’s angle in the BBB plan with host Chip Flory.

Conservation

According to Vilsack, the historic $27 billion conservation investment will impact as much as 100 million acres of cropland, providing conservation assistance to roughly 200,000 farms across the country on an annual basis.

Vilsack says these funds will offer better farm income, healthier soils and cleaner water and will increase rural jobs by, “providing premiums to farmers who are investing in cover crop production, the ability to convert agricultural waste into a variety of products, creating new revenue streams for farmers and also reducing the greenhouse gas impact of agriculture.”

Cover Crop Incentives

The American Rescue Plan, which offered farmers a $5 per acre discount on crop insurance, proved favorable in farm country. Vilsack says this success led to the BBB’s $25 per acre cover crop incentive.

“I think the point of this is farmers are ready,” Vilsack says. “They just need to be provided the incentives and the economic value to do what they want to do and what they’ve been doing forever, which is to be good stewards of the land and water.”

Ramping Up Rural Energy

Assistance to rural electric cooperatives makes up $9.7 billion in the BBB. Vilsack says these dollars will allow farmers to work with their co-ops to reduce overall energy costs.

Carbon credits were purposefully omitted from the rural energy section of the BBB, according to Vilsack. He says credits will instead be addressed in the Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership initiative framework, which will explain pilot and demonstration resources when released in coming months.

Paying the Toll

Capital gains tax provisions have not been included in the BBB, keeping rural America clear of paying the bill. Vilsack ensures corporations that, “have not paid a single dime on billions of dollars of profit will now have to pay a minimum tax” to cover the BBB price tag.

“Individuals who are making more than $5, $10 or $20 million may face a little higher income tax from the bill, while there are tax cuts for families with children,” Vilsack says. “This creates opportunities for farm families to benefit from relief in early childhood expenses while lowering health insurance premiums.”

House Agriculture Committee’s Glenn Thompson (R-PA) disagrees with Vilsack, saying the “unpopular” bill jeopardizes America’s economy.

“Congressional Democrats spent months crafting this massive legislation behind closed doors, ignoring input from the Agriculture Committee, our members and, most importantly, the communities we serve,” Thompson says. “This bill includes harmful tax increases and billions of dollars in new ideological spending as we face record inflation for everyday Americans and farm families.”

The BBB bill will now move to the Senate who aims to approve it before Christmas.