Don’t go broke standing on principle
When the High Plains Journal crew began brainstorming on our Soil Health U project months ago, we knew that today’s High Plains farmers needed a new type of event— one that could merge the concepts and ideas of no-till and cover crops with the reality that sometimes, a pass of “strategic tillage” may be needed to thwart herbicide-resistant weeds.
I hope that the inaugural Soil Health U and Trade Show—held Jan. 24 to 25 in Salina, Kansas—provided the kind of information growers are seeking. I hope, too, that the event prompted new ideas on how to save natural resources yet remain profitable.
To me, one of the more intriguing sessions of the event was a panel discussion featuring long-term no-till farmers who in the last few years felt compelled to break out tillage tools—mainly sweep plows—to beat weeds that are difficult (or impossible) to control with herbicides. This discussion came at the request of some farmers who feel frustrated and hopeless. What was discussed at this panel is that it’s OK to till occasionally with a low-disturbance machine to kill weeds, or mix manure and/or lime with topsoil—provided the tillage pass is done infrequently or in rotation every few years.
I love the term “strategic tillage” but can’t take credit for it. That goes to Augustine Obour, a soil scientist at Kansas State University’s Western Kansas Agriculture Research Center in Hays. (Incidentally, Obour is conducting a research study on the impact of strategic tillage in dryland, no-till crop rotations. If interested, send him an email at [email protected].)
The point is farmers who have believed for years that one farming practice is superior over another are finding that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Tough economic times, combined with crippling weed pressures, are forcing farmers to think differently. One farmer attending Soil Health U and Trade Show told me he pulled an old Flex King sweep plow out of the shelterbelt, repacked the wheel bearings and went to work on fields filled with pigweeds. The cost—roughly $6 per acre to cover those fields, as opposed to spending $30 to $40 an acre on herbicide applications.
The same farmer pointed out, however, that he planted cover crops on those same acres to keep the ground covered and prevent further weed establishment. A trip with a sprayer and herbicide just before planting left the ground in good shape to get a cash crop established. He pointed out that his preference is long-term no-tillage, but the realities of today’s farming challenges have forced him to modify that system.
When crop prices were high and herbicides worked without fail, it was easy to find a program and stick with it. In this era, however, standing fast on the principle of a specific cropping system could force a farmer to go broke.
Our team coverage of Soil Health U begins this week with stories in preceding pages. We’ll have much more about this topic and other Soil Health U presentations for the next several weeks in the print edition of High Plains Journal. We’ll also have coverage online at www.soilhealthu.net and HPJ.com, including video interviews with speakers and full coverage of some of the keynote sessions.
Welcome Amy Bickel!
You may have noticed a new byline gracing the pages of High Plains Journal. We are pleased to welcome Amy Bickel to our staff. Amy, a native of Gypsum, is an award-winning agricultural journalist who most recently worked at the Hutchinson News in central Kansas. Bringing Amy on board is further evidence of our commitment to readers to bring you the best agricultural coverage in the business.
Bill Spiegel can be reached at 785-587-7796 or [email protected].
