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14:50
Fix Saline Soils: Regenerative Farmers/Ranchers Share Proven Tips for Restoring Soil Health & Yields
In 2023, Buz Kloot and Joe Dickie filmed an interview with Jeff and Scott Hamilton in Beadle County, South Dakota, providing a practical, on-the-ground look at how salinity can be managed on a real farm. Buz Kloot narrates the video, which gives insight into the Hamilton brothers' journey of tackling salinity's impact on their land. Through their experimentation with annual and perennial vegetation, especially the “Hamilton Blend”, and changes to their farming practices, they've found ways to improve the productivity of previously unproductive land. 1:04 CHAPTER 1: WHEN THE SALTS CAME TO STAY 2:52 CHAPTER 2: TIPPING POINT: SALINITY, STRUGGLES, SURPRISES, SOLUTIONS 8:29 CHAPTER 3: MINDSET MAKEOVER: CUTOFF, KOCIA, COWS 12:09 CHAPTER 5: BEYOND THE BENEFITS: FINDING JOY IN THE JOURNEY The video is enhanced with imagery from the past, provided by Jeff Hamilton, which illustrates the gradual and sometimes dramatic changes in their land. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender. #regenerativeagriculture #soilhealth #agriculture
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17:24
Growing Together: How Farmers/Ranchers And USDA-NRCS Are Teaming Up For A Regenerative Future
Join Mitch Faulkner, Area Rangeland Specialist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Craig Gardener, a retired wildlife biologist turned rancher, as they delve into their collaborative efforts for conservation and regenerative agriculture. In this enlightening discussion, they explore the challenges and opportunities of managing native rangeland, combating invasive species, and optimizing grazing practices for ecological health. Craig shares his journey of transitioning into ranching and the invaluable insights gained from working alongside Mitch to develop sustainable land management strategies. Together, they emphasize the importance of preserving biodiversity, implementing grazing plans, and embracing continuous learning to cultivate resilient landscapes. Discover how farmers, ranchers, and conservationists are teaming up with organizations like USDA-NRCS to foster a harmonious relationship between land stewardship and agricultural production. Join the movement toward a greener, healthier future by witnessing firsthand the power of collaboration and growing regenerative agriculture--together. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender. #regenerativeagriculture #agriculture #soilhealth #usda
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14:33
Farmer's Top Advice for Cropland Grazing Success
'The biggest regret I have is not jumping on this sooner.' See how South Dakota farmer/rancher Brian Johnson and his family are discovering increased profits, decreased workload and enhanced land and operation resilience through an innovative approach to grazing. For more, visit us at: growingresiliencesd.com/videos USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender. #grazing #farming #farmingvideos #cattle #soilhealth
Featured Videos
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19:30
Two Regenerative Ranchers Share Shocking Soil Health Discovery
Soil health principles are a great guide... But they're no replacement for direct experience. In this feature video, South Dakota ranchers Candice Mizera and Justin Thompson share with us the surprising benefit of hoof action when it comes to grassland diversity, health and management. For more free resources, visit: https://growingresiliencesd.com USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender. #ranching #soilhealth #grasslands #regenerativeagriculture
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13:29
Year Round Grazing: A Change to Believe In
South Dakota ranchers Pat Guptill and Bart Carmichael, pioneers of year round grazing, share their journeys into the practice along with the top obstacles and insights gleaned along the way. 1:03 Bart and Pat's Stories 2:50 Make or Break: The Essentials for Year-Round Grazing Success 9:12 Costs to Wean a Calf and Winter Feed 12:08: Mentors and Resources USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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10:30
Calving on Grass: SD Ranchers on the Benefits of Alternative Calving Dates
In a recent podcast with Jenita Qualm, she touched on the subject of traditionalism in ranching which may not always serv the rancher well, e.g., “it’s November, therefore, it’s time to feed hay”, or “we’ve always calved in February”. So, why consider calving in late April/May instead of February, or put another way, why calve on grass instead of the traditional barn? Many ranchers/farmers have grown tired of the increasing animal (and financial) losses and the associated human stress caused by calving during more extreme February and March weather. Calving on grass has become the management tool of choice for many ranchers in South Dakota. This video features Mike Blaalid (Micthell, SD), Candice Olson Mizera (McLaughlin SD) and Larry Wagner (Chamberlain/Pukwana, SD) discussing the advantages of calving on grass, why they changed calving dates, a few pointers to success on calving on grass, cattle traits for grass calving, calf health, reductions in costs (also reductions in capital for infrastructure ), and the knock on effect in terms of reduced labor and human animal stress. This short video (10 ½ minutes) is really a small sample of the benefits of calving on grass. There is an excellent 25-video series that can be found on the SD Grassland coalition web page called Alternative Calving Dates. We have also produced a Q&A and quick fact sheet based on the SD Grassland Series that can be found at https://www.growingresiliencesd.com/articles or bit.ly/GrowingResilience , or if you are from South Dakota, these will be available through the NRCS offices. One final question: what does calving on grass have to do with soil health and healthy rangeland. One of the biggest threats to rangeland in South Dakota is conversion to cropland and this land use change is especially tempting when corn prices are higher. May calving allows (1) folks like Larry Wagner to stay in the cow business and (2) reduces the barriers to entry for new producers to come into the cow business because of lower infrastructure costs (covered in the final section of how calving on grass can work for you) – in short, keeping the prairies in ranching and recruiting more folks into ranching allows us to keep the grass green side up, allows us to preserve the prairie, a national treasure and finally, allows us to preserve a way of life. For more info on alternative calving dates, please visit: sdgrass.org/calving-considerations/ USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:46
SD Grazing Stick
What is the South Dakota 'Grazing Stick'? Why is it Important? How is it used? Find out these answers and more in this video with Rangeland Management Specialist Mitch Faulkner of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:48
Drought Management Plan (Jim Kopriva)
In this short exchange between Casey Wenzlaff, Natural Resources Conservation Soil Conservationist and Producer Jim Kopriva (Raymond, SD) Jim provides a quick overview of the elements of a drought plan and a few tips on how to preserve the grass under varying rainfall conditions. At the time of this video’s release (March 2021), it looks like this growing season will be a dry one. Now is the best time to begin to think about drought planning to begin the process of building resilience on your operation – visit https://bit.ly/GrowingResilience for more information on drought planning. Remember the R’s for Rangeland Resilience: Rotate, Rest, Recovery USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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00:59
Remember the R's: Rotate (Drew Anderson)
Rancher, Drew Anderson doesn’t have uniformly sized pastures, but he is rotating as much as possible to allow for rest and then full recovery for his pastures. At 0:30 in this video, Drew says “It take the livestock to make a full recovery”. The grasslands were meant to be grazed and Anderson is a big believer in the 5th principle of soil health, namely the benefit of livestock on the land. He and his neighbors have seen land flourish under Rotation, Rest and Recovery. At the time of this video’s release (March 2021), it looks like this growing season will be a dry one. Now is the best time to begin to think about drought planning to begin the process of building resilience on your operation – visit https://bit.ly/GrowingResilience for more information on drought planning. Remember the R’s for Rangeland Resilience: Rotate, Rest, Recovery USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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00:46
Remember the R's: Rest (Dan Anderson)
Rancher, Dan Anderson (faith, SD) is a big believer in Rest and how it affects both aboveground Recovery and Root growth and his ranch’s Resilience. Dan recently wrote to us and said: “On our operation it has actually allowed our daughter to come home and be part or the day-to-day operating of this ranch since we are now running from 80% to 100% more livestock than we did in the past.” At the time of this video’s release (March 2021), it looks like this growing season will be a dry one. Now is the best time to begin to think about drought planning to begin the process of building resilience on your operation – visit https://bit.ly/GrowingResilience for more information on drought planning. Remember the R’s for Rangeland Resilience: Rotate, Rest, Recover USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:05
Remember the R's: Recover (Bart Carmichael)
Rancher, Bart Carmichael (Faith, SD) always aims at grazing year-round, he often achieves 11 months. In this video, Bart talks about Recovery of his grass after grazing and then a Rest that often, in his dry conditions, lasts over a year. In this way, Bart has managed to use Rotation, and Rest to give his grass time to Recover to grow resilience in his soils. At the time of this video’s release (March 2021), it looks like this growing season will be a dry one. Now is the best time to begin to think about drought planning to begin the process of building resilience on your operation – visit https://bit.ly/GrowingResilience for more information on drought planning. Remember the R’s for Rangeland Resilience: Rotate, Rest, Recover USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:18
Remember the R's: Recover (Van Mansheim)
Van Masheim Producer, Van Mansheim (Colome, SD) is in his second year of rotational grazing. Van has been watching his pasture, formerly predominantly smooth brome, transform and increase in the number of native species over time. In this video, Van talks of his experience of noticing the regrowth just 10 days after he grazed and removed his animals from the land. The regrowth has led to recovery of his grass, and the opening of the canopy of brome has also allowed native species to appear. At the time of this video’s release (March 2021), it looks like this growing season will be a dry one. Now is the best time to begin to think about drought planning to begin the process of building resilience on your operation – visit https://bit.ly/GrowingResilience for more information on drought planning. Remember the R’s for Rangeland Resilience: Rotate, Rest, Recover USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:06
South Dakota Drought Tool
In this short video, Emily Helms, State Rangeland management Specialist, provides a short overview of how to locate the South Dakota Drought tool, and briefly what it does. The Drought Tool is an Excel spreadsheet that is downloadable from the SD NRCS website. To find it search “south Dakota drought tool”. The tool is designed to be extremely easy to use (basically a 4-click system). For more details on the drought tool, visit: https://tinyurl.com/3ny3sj8c where we have a PowerPoint presentation called 'DroughtManagementPlanning' that gives step by step instructions on how to use the drought tool and additional information and options for drought management planning. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
SD DROUGHT AND LAND MANAGEMENT TOOLS
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09:57
Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning issue
Eastern red cedar trees have invaded as much as 30 percent of the grassland along the Missouri River in southern South Dakota, and are slowly invading grasslands to the north. This is not unique to the Missouri and we are seeing similar encroachment in other river valleys in South Dakota, including the James River. Fire is an ecological process and recognized control method, but many ranchers are hesitant to use it because of the fear of a runaway fire. As a result, the conversion of grassland to forest is equal in scale to the loss of grassland to row cropping. In this video, we visit with Rod Voss (NRCS), Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) to talk about the eastern red cedar and the use of fire to restore rangeland. In this video we summarize the spread of the tree in the last 40-50 years and what it has cost us in terms of grazing, we talk about the role of fire in natural prairie systems, fear versus respect of fire, creating a burn plan, the Mid Missouri River prescribed Burn Association (MMRPBA) - the only one of its kind in South Dakota, and its role in helping producers prepare and execute burn plan, how to prepare the land for a fire including mechanical treatments, ensuring a good fuel load, in small situations where trees are small or large. Finally, we discuss fire return interval as it relates to the eastern red cedar and why it is important to begin addressing this problem now. In addition to this summary video, we provide more detailed videos (1-2 minutes) that address specific subjects including why we need action now, the role of fire and why mechanical treatment is not enough, more on the burn plan, more on the MMRPBA, more on land preparation fuel loads and ladder fuel, and the concept of a fire return interval. Also, we provide a small case study and the Feltman ranch that demonstrates some of the practical aspects of the burn. Lastly, we take a deep dive through podcast interviews with Rod Voss who helps us look at the issue from a 30,000 ft level. We also talk about the nuts and bolts of the burn plan and safety with Sean Kelly who is an SDSU Extension agent, is on the MMRPBA board and is a volunteer in the Gregory Count (SD) fire department. The Voss podcast will be available after June 21 2021 and the Kelly podcast will be available after July 5, 2021 at https://www.growingresiliencesd.com/podcasts or if you’d like to subscribe on your mobile phone to the Soil Health Labs podcast series under Apple Podcasts. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:54
Invasion of the Green Glacier
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, we visit with Rod Voss (NRCS), Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) to take a more detailed look at the eastern red cedar and it’s inexorable march northwards, and why it is called the Green Glacier. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:10
What We've Lost to Red Cedar
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, we visit with Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) who take a more detailed look at what has been lost (especially rangeland) to the red cedar. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:29
The Role of Fire in the Prairie
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, we visit with Rod Voss (NRCS), Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) who take a more detailed look at the role of fire in the prairie, how it has been used in other southern plain states (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska) and why we need to overcome our fear, yet respect fire so we can address this issue in South Dakota. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:31
Making a Burn Plan
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, we visit with Rod Voss (NRCS), Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) who take a more detailed look at a burn plan. The burn plan seen in this video is adapted from other prescribed fire associations, but standard for the Mid Missouri River Prescribed Burn Association. While there is always a risk to fire, a well written burn plan, executed properly, will reduce risk of the fire getting away. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:43
Mid Missouri River Prescribed Burn Association
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, we visit with Rod Voss (NRCS), Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) who take a more detailed look at the Mid Missouri River prescribed Burn Association (MMRPBA) and how they help in the planning and preparation for the burn as well as how they help on the day of the burn where the plan is executed. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:15
Preparing Your Land for a Burn
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, we visit with Rod Voss (NRCS), Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) who take a more detailed look at how to prepare your land for a burn. We look at fuel load from forage (and grazing deferment) and also discuss the use of mechanical treatments to create ladder fuel when the trees get too tall and the forests get too thick to allow grass underneath. In addition we discuss the use of grazing or mowing to create “soft” fire breaks that allow a black line on the day of the burn. As always, the Mid Missouri River prescribed Burn Association (MMRPBA) assists in terms of planning and executing the prescribed fire. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:30
Fire Return Interval
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, we visit with Rod Voss (NRCS), Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) who take a more detailed look at the concept of the fire return interval. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:02
The Time is Now
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, we visit with Rod Voss (NRCS), Sean Kelly (SDSU) and Ranchers Rich Grim (Gregory Co., SD) and Doug Feltman (Brule Co., SD) who take a more detailed look at the concept of the fire return interval and why it is always more economical and less dangerous to burn trees when they are smaller rather than when they get larger and turn into thick forests. The video ends with rancher Doug Feltman calling ranchers to action to take a “calculated risk and do everything to mitigate the danger of it [the fire] getting away and then then to go ahead and do it”. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:37
Feltman Case Study
If you haven’t viewed our composite video (Eastern Red Cedar: A Burning Issue), we recommend you do so before diving into this one. The Composite video can be found at the top of this playlist! In this video, Doug Feltman (Rancher in Brule Co., SD and also member of the MMRPBA) discusses the prescribed fire he conducted on his land and some of the decisions he had to make because of suboptimal conditions. Doug highlights the fact that when variables like weather and other people are involved, one sometimes needs to move forward even if conditions are not optimal (however, always working on the safe side). USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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07:24
April 2024 - Our Amazing Grasslands - Prescribed Burns
Individuals may consider burning when facing issues like overgrowth of cedar trees impacting the landscape, reducing wildlife habitat, and limiting the carrying capacity for livestock. Factors such as involvement in conservation initiatives, collaboration with relevant groups, and having a well-structured burn plan are keys to initiating successful burns. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
PRESCRIBED BURN
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03:44
Introducing the Soil Health Revolution "Merit or Myth"
This is the exclusive trailer for "Merit or Myth"; a soil health project that seeks to engage the South Dakota Farming Community in the pursuit of healthy, functioning soils. Featuring soil scientist Dr. Ray Weil along with South Dakota NRCS State Conservationist Jeff Zimprich, this piece gives a quick glance at the goals, methods, and mediums through which Merit or Myth will engage the SD farmer. Please join us in this exciting journey and follow along on our website (www.meritormyth.com), Facebook (www.facebook.com/meritormyth) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/meritormyth) as we determine once and for all what farming practices have "merit" and which are merely that of "myth". USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:13
Residue is Your Friend - Dwayne Beck
Residue is Your Friend - Dwayne Beck This video is part of a series in the "Merit or Myth" South Dakota Soil Health Education Efforts. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:10
Ralph Holzwarth - Building Your Organic Base with Residue
In this three minute video, we discuss the idea of residue with long term no-till farmer, Ralph Holzwarth who farms near Gettysburg South Dakota. While residue is considered a problem to many farmers, something that has to be plowed under, Ralph considers residue friend. Ralph also alludes to the growing season, and while in the early part of the season his corn may be behind, residue shines in the latter part of the season when water Is the most limiting factor to plant growth. Ralph discusses the long-0term benefit of residue that he has experience over the last 26 years and alludes to the soil’s increased available water capacity (typically about 19,000 gal per acre per % increase) that increased soil organic matter brings. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:48
Soil Microbes Consuming Residue – Al Miron
With a PhD in ruminant nutrition, Al Miron knows that his littlest workers, the soil microbes, are always at work, like those in the rumen of a cow, consuming his residue. Al noticed a few years into his no-till journey that his residue was being consumed, leaving issue like planter plugging a distant memory. With the soil biology on Al’s farm as active as it is, he finds that its often difficult to retain residue through the entire growing season! www.meritormyth.com USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:16
Why Beat My Head Against the Wall to Fight Residue? - Chris Nissen
Dick Nissen and his son Chris farm in Clay County, SD and encounter some of the typical east River conditions many farmers face especially in the spring. It turns out that Chris Nissen is a passionate soil health guy sometimes struggling to see why his neighbors spend as much as they do on inputs (including time for tillage) to raise the same crops and Chris and his dad do. Listen to Chris’s story and insights! www.meritormyth.com USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:04
Dr. Peter Sexton – Considering the Change to No-Till
In this video, Dr. Pete Sexton, SDSU farm manager at the Southeastern Research Station Beresford, SD discusses the pros and cons of no-till versus conventional till. Based on the data, it appears that over a several years average yields between the two systems are no different from each other and swings are often dependent on weather. What remains consistent is that costs for no-till production are always lower. This video will be followed by Dr. Sexton speaking about some of the nuts and bolts of a transition to no-till. Learn more about managing soil at www.MeritorMyth.com or visit the USDA Soil Information Center: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:24
Dr. Peter Sexton – What can we expect when we change to No-Till
In this second video of our time Dr. Pete Sexton, SDSU farm manager at the Southeastern Research Station Beresford, SD, Dr. Sexton walks us through some of the broad brush strokes of a change to no-till. While the overall cost of no-till is lower, the immediate impact being a reduction in tillage expens, there are things that one needs to pay attention to. Let’s face it, a change to no-till is not trivial! Dr. Sexton wants new no-tillers to learn from the experience they have had in Beresford namely: (1) a small increase in nitrogen demand as the soils adjust to no-till (more microbes in the soils), (2) a changed weed regime, and the importance of a good burn-down at or before planting. (3) ensuring that the combine is distributing residue properly and not leaving windrows and (4) ensuring the planter is set up for the no-till conditions. One somewhat less talked about benefit of no-till is this idea of trafficability – the experience in Beresford is that they are able to get in their no-till plots (right next to the tilled plots) sooner for field operations. An extreme example is the clip of Dick Nissen (Vermillion, SD) in his field (planted with soybeans) and a neighbor’s field. The neighbor was forced to prevent-plant because of a wet spring. Learn more about managing soil at www.MeritorMyth.com or visit the USDA Soil Information Center: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/.... USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:17
Ollila says there's more to No-till than buying equipment
A decade or two ago, a saying went: “no-till, no yield”. Today, Dave Ollila, ag producer and SDSU Extension Sheep Field Specialist, says “no-till, no brainer” and that’s especially true for him where every drop of moisture counts. No-till allows Dave to keep undisturbed the root system he has worked so hard to develop below ground in his diversified operation. More roots, and always an above ground cover of either residue or a live plant canopy protects his soil, increases trafficability, reduces ponding, and ensures that every precious drop of rain falling goes into his soil. The take-home from this video is that while you need a sprayer and a drill to do no-till, no-till is not about the equipment, it’s about the mindset. While this video may not provide answers to “tell me what I need to do”, we’d like you to think on the mindset part and walk with us through the videos in this series and especially the next three where Dr. Randy Anderson walks us through the nuts and bolts of soil dynamics and how no-till systems can be the first step to regenerating soils. How about that for good news? Visit www.meritormyth.com or the NRCS Soil Health Information Center at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:12
Dave Ollila on soil health, quality of life and the next 600 Years
We often find that producers who really “get” soil health have something in common, namely vision that seems to be intergenerational (see also our "One Minute with Dan Forgey” Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvri-LBQ1O4&t=10s). While out in the field, we captured this gem as Dave, relaxed after an afternoon of shooting, just shared why he does what he does. Enjoy. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:03
Dr. Randy Andersons Spiral of Regeneration, Part 1.
This is the first part of a three part series in Dr. Anderson’s 10-minute talk on his spiral of regeneration. Dr. Randy Anderson, Research Agronomist with the USDA-ARS in Brookings, SD, shares with us his spiral of soil regeneration. The concept of the spiral had its genesis in Dr. Anderson’s work in no-till where he observed a number of interactive biological effects at work. We hope this and the next two videos in the series give you a much better grasp of what happens when you begin to disturb your soils less! USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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05:35
Dr. Randy Andersons Spiral of Regeneration, Part 2.
This is the second part of a three part series in Dr. Anderson’s 10-minute talk on his spiral of regeneration. Dr. Randy Anderson, Research Agronomist with the USDA-ARS in Brookings, SD, shares with us his spiral of soil regeneration. The concept of the spiral had its genesis in Dr. Anderson’s work in no-till where he observed a number of interactive biological effects at work. In this second video, Dr. Anderson walks us through the benefits to the farmer of regeneration that include better soil hydrology, better yields, better weed tolerance in crop plants and healthier plants. We hope this and the next two videos in the series give you a much better grasp of what happens when you begin to disturb your soils less! USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:33
Dr. Randy Andersons Spiral of Regeneration, Part 3 of 3.
This is the third part of a three part series in Dr. Anderson’s 10-minute talk on his spiral of regeneration. Dr. Randy Anderson, Research Agronomist with the USDA-ARS in Brookings, SD, shares with us his spiral of soil regeneration. The concept of the spiral had its genesis in Dr. Anderson’s work in no-till where he observed a number of interactive biological effects at work. In this third video, Dr. Anderson provides a real-life example of two winter wheat scenarios based on tillage and crop rotation. It’s often that the farmer’s eye test is all that needs to be done to see where the advantage is, no degree in agronomy required! We hope this and the next two videos in the series give you a much better grasp of what happens when you begin to disturb your soils less! Learn more about managing soil at www.MeritorMyth.com or visit the USDA Soil Information Center: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/.... USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:10
Residue Recap ~ Merit or Myth?
In this video, we recap the last 11 videos on our Merit or Myth Series that deal with residue and tillage. We sum up the information provided by our farmers and researchers, from West River to East River of South Dakota. As we consider the statement: “Farming without tillage and with surface residue is not only possible, it works!” we have to ask “Merit or Myth?”. It’s up to the viewer to decide. Learn more about managing soil at www.MeritorMyth.com or visit the USDA Soil Health Information Center: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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05:02
Dr. Tom Schumacher Discusses Soil Architecture
While soils are made up of solid materials (sand, silt, clay and organic materials), Dr. Tom Schumacher, SDSU (retired) shows us how important soil structure or soil architecture is for soil hydrologic function, i.e., making water infiltrate andkeeping water for the next crop. Natural soils have an architecture that includes a diversity of interconnected macropores, mesopores and micropores, when soil architecture is destroyed by tillage this is equivalent to a wrecking ball to a building, so while all of the components of the building/soil remain, it no longer functions as it was originally designed. Dr. Dwayne Beck finishes off the video by emphasizing that in natural systems, TILLAGE IS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT!. While in nature, we do see catastrophic events from time to time, tillage once or twice a year is catastrophic and will serve to continually degrade the very resource the farmer depends on. From a purely technical standpoint, Dr. Tom adds the following: “I was working on something that required a quantitative look at pore sizes and I noticed that I took liberties with my pore classification terminology used in the video. The point that I wanted to make is still valid that pores of different sizes are important for different functions. However I do not want to get you in trouble with “pore size taxonomists”. There are several classification systems for mesopores and micropores. To make a point I used my own classification tht does not match the commonly used Luxmore, 1981 classification of greater than 1 mm (1000 um) macropores; 10-1000 um mesopores; less than 10 um micorpores. Pores greater than 1 mm drain quickly, pores between 1000 um and 30 um drain more slowly but are usually empty at field capacity (around 3 days after being saturated), pores between either 30 and 10 um (depending on if sand or clay) and 3 um hold water that is easily available to crops, pores between 3 and 0.6 um hold water that is less available to the crop slowing growth, pores 0.6 to o.3 um hold water that is more difficult for plants likely resulting in stress, pores 0.3 to 0.2 um hold water that is difficult for crops to extract and will likely result in significant wilting but recovery at night under low transpiration., pores less than 0.2 um in diameter hold water unavailable to most crops, they wilt and do not recover. As you can see I oversimplified the terminology to make a point, and you may wish to clarify.” Learn more about Soil Health Merit or Myths at: www.meritormyth.com Facebook www.facebook.com/meritormyth Twitter www.twitter.com/meritormyth USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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05:00
Water Movement Through Soil Profiles Under Three Different Farming Systems (Part 1)
Dr. Tom Schumacher, Retired, SDSU, walks us through the experimental setup he used with large rainfall simulators, the type developed for the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), on three different farming systems. The data Dr. Tom discusses is based on experimental runs conducted four years after this land was taken out of CRP and then continuously treated with a moldboard plow, a chisel plow and no-till. With the use of TDR probes that sense moisture at 10 cm (4inches) and 40 cm (16 inches), Dr. Tom shows what happens to soil moisture at 4 and 16 inches in the moldboard plow treatment and what the runoff consequences are and he briefly compares them to the other two treatments. In the next video we will continue as Dr. Tom walks us through the no-till and chisel plow treatments. References to this work can be found at: Lindstrom, M. J., Schumacher, T. E., & Blecha, M. L. (1994). Management considerations for returning CRP lands to crop production. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 49(5), 420-425. Schumacher, T., Lindstrom, M., Blecha, M., Cogo, N., Clay, D., & Bleakley, B. (1995). Soil management after CRP contracts expire. In Clean Water Clean Environment 21st Century Conference Proceedings. Lindstrom, M. J., Schumacher, T. E., Cogo, N. P., & Blecha, M. L. (1998). Tillage effects on water runoff and soil erosion after sod. Journal of soil and water conservation, 53(1), 59-63. Dr. Schumacher is working with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on South Dakota's Merit or Myth. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:19
Water Movement Through Soil Profiles Under Three Different Farming Systems (Part 2)
Dr. Tom Schumacher, SDSU, (Retired) walks us through the experimental setup he used with large rainfall simulators, the type developed for the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), on three different tillage systems. The data Dr. Tom discusses is based on experimental runs conducted four years after this land was taken out of CRP and then continuously treated with a moldboard plow, a chisel plow and no-till. With the use of TDR probes that sense moisture at 10 cm (4inches) and 40 cm (16 inches). In this video, Dr. Tom discusses how much quicker water infiltrates into the no-till system and explains why that is. The chisel plw treatment discussed at the end is somewhat in between the no-till and moldboard plow treatments – notice the chisel plow surface still gets saturated and water has a tough time getting into the soil profile at 16” showing a 50-minute delay. References to this work can be found at: Lindstrom, M. J., Schumacher, T. E., & Blecha, M. L. (1994). Management considerations for returning CRP lands to crop production. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 49(5), 420-425. Schumacher, T., Lindstrom, M., Blecha, M., Cogo, N., Clay, D., & Bleakley, B. (1995). Soil management after CRP contracts expire. In Clean Water Clean Environment 21st Century Conference Proceedings. Lindstrom, M. J., Schumacher, T. E., Cogo, N. P., & Blecha, M. L. (1998). Tillage effects on water runoff and soil erosion after sod. Journal of soil and water conservation, 53(1), 59-63. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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09:24
Influence of Tillage, Cover Crops and Manure on Infiltration with Al Miron and Anthony Bly
Influence of Tillage, Cover Crops and Manure on Infiltration with Al Miron and Anthony Bly When SDSU Extension’s Anthony Bly and farmer, or shall we say citizen scientist, Al Miron get together, you can be sure good things will happen. This spring (2017) Al and Anthony looked at the influence of tillage, cover crops and manure on infiltration in a number of fields in Minnehaha County, SD. They compared soils in two long term (9 year) no-till fields, two conventionally tilled fields that had not been tilled for a year and one field that was deep tilled in the fall and then again tilled with a field cultivator in the spring. Al and Anthony did 4 repetitions at each site and came up with some interesting results as concerns the effect of cover crops and tillage. The “aha” moment experienced by the grower who loaned the team some tilled land to do the study on is important as his paradigm was “more tillage = less infiltration”. As this farmer saw the results, especially of the 5th (double-tilled) field, he was sold on the idea of changing his farming system pretty quickly! USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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04:14
Managing Water in Soils, What Do South Dakotans Say
While research showing that tillage actually reduces infiltration into the soil, and that cover crops actually enhance infiltration is proven, the refrain of “it won’t work here” is nevertheless often heard when it comes to applying soil health principles. This is not unique to South Dakota, soil health, nor to farming, but this phenomenon is common. In Merit or Myth’s final video on soil water movement, we are giving a perspective from three producers, one from way East River, one from the center of the state and one from way West River. Our point is: these principles work across landscapes and indeed across the state of South Dakota. As Doug Sieck says in the video, “we need to stop making excuses for why it won’t work here” and rather say “how can we make it work here”? Join the revolution! www.meritormyth.com USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:06
Weeds: A Chemical or an Ecological Problem?
We introduce the idea of weeds, and touch on how the production agricultural model views weeds. As the first in the Merit or Myth series on weeds, we’d like to introduce an alternative way of viewing weeds namely, to understand their ecological role as the “scabs” or “ambulance workers” of the land. The natural job of a weed is to cover disturbed soils and through tillage and monocultures, we create ideal environments for weeds. With the ecological way of thinking of weeds and by using a systems approach to our farming systems we can, according to Dr. Dwayne Beck, outsmart them. Rather than wage a full-on chemical warfare with weeds (and do everything the same) we can use natural systems to perform a little ecological ju-jitsu on weeds and not only reduce their populations but save on herbicide costs. Take a peek at this 2 minute video that sets us up for a three part series with the ARS’s (Brookings, SD) Dr. Randy Anderson. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:34
Fate of the Weed Seed in Conventional and NoTill Soils
In a world where technology offers a quick fix to our weed problems, but inevitably leaves us with unintended consequences, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Brookings, SD, Dr. Randy Anderson offers an approach to weed science that says "wait a minute", what are we doing? in our systems to encourage or reduce weed proliferation before we consider which herbicide to use? To begin to grapple with this question, we have to understand the fate of the weed seed. Dr. Anderson considers weed seed when on the surface of the soil and when buried. Join us in this, the first of three discussions as Dr. Anderson shows us how we can use natural systems to reduce weed populations and save on herbicides. As Dr. Anderson says, "A key point is when you leave the weed seeds on the soil surface you enhance these fates [predation, environmental exposure, natural death]. in other words, predation is much greater if insects can reach the seeds -if they are buried in the soil, the insects do not process the soil looking for weed seeds so therefore tillage actually protects seeds. Almost all studies with weeds seeds have shown that when you bury them in soil the weed seeds live longer and survive longer." USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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04:08
Weed Seedling Emergence in Conventional and No-Till Fields
In our previous video, Dr. Randy Anderson walked us through the various fates of the weed seed in conventional and no-till fields. In this video, the theory comes alive as he discusses the results of a three year study he did in comparing conventional and no-till weed seedling emergence. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:25
Tapping into Time with Rotations with Dr Anderson, USDA ARS, Brookings, SD
In our previous videos, Dr. Anderson showed us how (1) no-till reduces weed prevalence and (2) how he verified this idea experimentally. In this third video, Dr. Anderson discusses why rotating cool season crops into our warm season rotations are so beneficial to weed control. Dr. Anderson demonstrates how through the synergistic effects of no-till combined with diverse rotations, one can reduce weed pressure by a factor of eight before the first drop of herbicide is used. We recommend you view the first two videos(“Fate of the Weed Seed in Conventional and NoTill Soil” and “Seedling Emergence in Conventional and No-Till Fields” with Dr. Anderson. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:46
Weeds: What SD No-Tillers Say
In this, the final video on weeds, we spent a little time with no-tillers Matt Bainbridge, Al Miron and Ralph Holzwarth and got them to tell their stories about how their no-till, diverse rotation systems were doing with weeds, and how this affected some of their costs to cope with weeds. The message we received from them is consistent with our previous videos namely that with low-disturbance (i.e., no-till) systems, especially when combined with diverse rotations, weed control can actually improve and costs for weed control can be lower than in conventional tillage systems. Visit www.meritormyth.com or the NRCS Soil Health Information Center at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:32
Soil Temperature Part 1: Comparing Conventionally Tilled vs. No Tilled Temperatures Summer 2016
Description: In this video, the USDA-NRCS’s (Brookings, SD) Eric Barsness and SDSU’s Anthony Bly discusses and experiment the NRCS conducted in Vermillion SD on a conventionally tilled and a long-term no-tilled field. Eric buried two temperature probes at 2” and the probes were able to record temperatures every 15 minutes over the entire growing season of 2016. This test is a nice example of how no-till and conventional till fields perform side by side and also show that, while there may be differences in the heat units (or growing degree days) at the beginning of the growing season, by the end of the season each crop received the same number of heat units. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:28
Soil Temperature Part 2: How do No-Till temperatures catch up to Conventional Till?
In our previous video we saw that by the end of the season, there is no difference in the number of heat units seen by a conventional versus a no-till soil. In fact any differences in cumulative heat units between the two systems disappears by the first week of July. In this video, SDSU’s Anthony Bly explains how that happens by examining the side-by-side temperature comparisons between a no-till, and conventional till system near Vermillion, South Dakota. In the latter part of the season (after July 1), we also see that in no-till soils maximum temperatures are consistently cooler and minimum temperatures are consistently warner than conventional till soils. The NRCS Eric Barsness discusses this and tells us why it’s a good thing. Visit www.meritormyth.com or the National Soil Health Information Center at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:45
Soil Temperature Part 3: What’s the Biggest Driver of Your Heat Units over the Growing Season?
The growing season of 2016 was a warm one even though it started out cool and wet, and by the end of the year, the number of heat units or growing degree days for 2016 was 216 above the norm. The take-home from this particular chart was that ambient (or air) temperatures have by a far greater influence on soil temperatures at planting than any other management factor, further rendering the till/no-till issue as it relates to soil temperature at planting a non-issue. In this, the final video on weeds, we spent a little time with no-tillers Matt Bainbridge, Al Miron and Ralph Holzwarth and got them to tell their stories about how their no-till, diverse rotation systems were doing with weeds, and how this affected some of their costs to cope with weeds. The message we received from them is consistent with our previous videos namely that with low-disturbance (i.e., no-till) systems, especially when combined with diverse rotations, weed control can actually improve and costs for weed control can be lower than in conventional tillage systems. Visit www.meritormyth.com or the NRCS Soil Health Information Center at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:33
What are SD No-Tiller saying About Soil Temperatures
In the previous three videos we have looked at and discussed some soil temperature data from the 2016 growing season in Vermillion, SD. In this video we speak to some long-term no-till farmers from Crooks in the east to Box Elder in the west of South Dakota and guage their opinions. While all recognize that residue may reduce soil temperatures in the spring, they also recognize that early growth in the spring is not a good yield predictor. As we have heard Al Miron and Ralph Holtzwarth say: “you don’t harvest your corn in June!”. Ultimately one of the main benefits of residue farmers value in the summer is its ability to keep the soil moister for longer. In a dry year, this property is critical. Bottom line is that for these farmers, cooler spring soil temperatures are a non-issue in terms of their yield. Visit www.meritormyth.com or the NRCS Soil Health Information Center at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:53
Economics: Jorgensen Land and Cattle Case Study Part 1 of 5
At Merit or Myth, we have found that getting farmers to talk about money can be tricky, so we were particularly grateful to find that Bryan and Nick Jorgensen were willing to talk dollars and cents with us! This is the first in a 5 part series on the money side of soil health and, as all will understand, the particulars will apply to the Jorgensen Land and Cattle operation while the principles can be applied universally. A generation or two ago, the Jorgensen cropping system was conventional till wheat with summer fallow, clearly this has changed and they grow a diverse rotation that includes corn, soybeans, small grains and multiple species cover crops today. Jorgensen land and Cattle is also diversified and their wildlife/hunting component and livestock/grazing component are intimately connected to their cropping component (see the Jorgensen Land and Cattle Partnership logo at http://www.jorgensenfarms.com/ to see that their diverse land ethic is embedded in the logo!). When discussing economics, it is important to provide context and Bryan provides context to the discussion of the next four videos by allowing us to look into the way he and the folks at Jorgensen Land and cattle think. Bryan describes himself as a market maker and not a market taker, and in this video, Bryan alludes to an excellent teacher and indeed, collaborator in the operation, namely the Native Prairie. Watch this video (just under 3 minutes) where Bryan sets the scene for some of the analyses his son Nick provides us in subsequent videos. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:54
Economics: Jorgensen Land and Cattle Case Study Part 2 of 5
In this video Nick Jorgensen provides a simple calculation related to equipment costs based on what Jorgensen land and cattle may have done 30 years ago in a wheat – fallow system compared to today. By not operating tillage equipment and running a sprayer the Jorgensens are saving between $25 and $45 in reduced equipment costs. Keep in mind that Nick wisely provides a range because even in the case of one operation things change (number of tillage passes, number of spray passes, unit costs for equipment etc.), but the principles don’t change. Your operation may also vary, but the bottom line is that just on equipment costs alone by going no till, your equipment input costs (capital, maintenance, fuel) will go down. While one may argue the amounts and the range, the direction of input costs is pretty certain - they go down. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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04:05
Economics: Jorgensen Land and Cattle Case Study Part 3 of 5
In our previous video of the Jorgensen Land and Cattle Economics Case Study, Nick Jorgensen discussed some of the savings they were able to realize in their long-term, no-till fields where typically Organic Matter measured over three percent. What the Jorgensen land and cattle operation was able to do in this analysis was save about $50 an acre on N and P2O5 fertilizer and exceed the 168 bushel yield goal by 8 bushels. All of this begins with no-till and other tools like diverse rotations, cover crops and in the case of the Jorgensens, the inclusion of grazing livestock into the system as they try as far as possible to imitate some of the processes on the Native Prairie. Keep in mind we are not advocating that viewers go out and immediately cut back on fertilizer, but we do want to open the idea up that when we build our soils, we not only have the potential to save on tillage costs, fertilizer, chemical and other inputs. When we let soils function the way that natural systems do, we save on inputs and in the Jorgensen’s case, they were able to do this without decreasing production. Our next video in this series poses the question “how long can they keep this up?”, the answer would be “longer than you’d think!” USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:25
Economics: Jorgensen Land and Cattle Case Study Part 4 of 5
The standard narrative when one quits the application of synthetic fertilizer is that you would be mining your soils. This may be true for soils that are degraded, probably tilled, and being managed in a undiversified rotation. But what about regenerative soils? Are we still mining them? The Jorgensen Land and Cattle operation went 100% no-till in 1991 and since then, have diversified their rotations and cattle are not only being used for aftermath grazing, but they are also grazing the cover crops. In this episode, Bryan talks about how long they have cut application of dry P to the soil’s surface and what has happened to their soil test P levels as well as what they observe. The idea that plants can access pools of nutrient that cannot be detected by the soil test is not necessarily a new one, but to many with conventional agronomic training, this idea is a little scary, yet this case study is but one situation in South Dakota where farmers are thinking outside the box and saving one inputs, and, oh by the way, improving their environmental performance. Good for the farmer, good for the land, that’s what we love at merit or Myth! Click here to go to the series of Merit or Myth on YouTube. www.FaceBook.com/meritormyth www.twitter.com/meritormyth Learn more about managing soil at http://www.MeritorMyth.com or visit the USDA Soil Health Information Center at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:27
Jorgensen Economics Case Study Part 5 of 5
Click here to go to the series of Merit or Myth on YouTube. www.FaceBook.com/meritormyth www.twitter.com/meritormyth Learn more about managing soil at http://www.MeritorMyth.com or visit the USDA Soil Health Information Center at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/. Economics: Jorgensen Land and Cattle Case Study Part 5 of 5 One may take the view that soils are a static, medium to grow plants and place nutrients. If one holds this static view of soils, what the Jorgensens have been able to achieve would simply not make sense; at best it would appear anomalous. If one holds the view that soils are living, dynamic ecosystems that can improve good management, then what the Jorgensens have seen is consistent with that view of soils. One measure that the Jorgensens have monitored over the last 15 years (they have been full no-tilled since 1991) is soil organic matter and the organic matter of their lands has steadily increased to mimic, and in some cases exceed what they see in the native prairie. And Jorgensen Land and cattle is benefiting in spades in both tangible financial and in intangible ways. Their case is not an anomaly, in other words, the principles that the Jorgensens apply are universal – and wherever you farm in South Dakota, or for that matter, elsewhere, you can build your soils too! If you have not already done so, we invite you to watch all of the Jorgensen Land and Cattle case study videos in the Merit or Myth’s playlist on South Dakota NRCS’s YouTube channel. Principles of soil health are: 1. Limit disturbance (this would include the tool of no-till) 2. Keep the soil covered, either by residue or a canopy 3. Keep a live root in the soil as many days of the year as possible – when you don’t have a cash crop, use a cover crop to maintain that live root 4. Add diversity – this can be done with cash crops (e.g., small grains added to a corn-soybean rotation) and cover crops – if you use a 5 to seven way mix in your cover crop, your diversity inex goes way up. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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14:12
Top Bale Grazing Advice from Dakota Ranchers
We get together with ranchers Drew Anderson (Lemmon, SD), Bart Carmichael (faith, SD) and Harold and Jodie Gaugler (Grant Co., ND, also ranching near Thunder Hawk SD.) to discuss their experiences with bale grazing. Special thanks to Drew Anderson and Jodie and Harold Gaugler for additional still images and explanations which were so crucial to this story. Points of note in this video: 0:17 – meet Drew Anderson 0:40-meet Bart Carmichael 1:10 – meet the Gauglers 1:35 – Gaugler’s first year – bales, acres and cows 1:40 – change as a constant 2:45 – infrastructure water and fence 3:00 – the finer points of bale grazing – bale placement 3:30 - the finer points of bale grazing – setup 4:05 – what to do when you don’t have your posts out in time or you have too few posts 4:25 – Anderson’s use of metal step-posts instead of plastic posts (note that Gauglers use fiberglass posts) 4:40 – using bales as wind breaks 4:45- bale grazing into the wind in bad weather 5:55 – choice of bale if bale grazing on prairie land to avoid cool season invasive grasses 5:20 -improvements in soils and increased prairie diversity around bales 5:25 – Anderson frequency and convenience of moves with livestock that are accustomed to moving 5:45 – Carmichael moving frequency and time taken to move fence 6:15 – Gaugler cattle behavior in moves year-round 6:40 – common concerns dispelled – Gaugler and livestock abuse 7:35 - common concerns dispelled – Anderson and waste 8:30 – hay as fertilizer 8:45 – question about weeds 9:00 – bale grazing making economic sense of reduced hauling and labor costs when comparing bale grazing to rolling out of hay 10:30 – making sense economically – tractor depreciation 11:55 – a better ranch – improvement in soil and grass regrowth around bales 11:45 – improvement in hay production, manure and urine recycling and improved moisture around impact area 12:35 – increasing animal-days per acre 13:00 – changing perceptions about bale grazing in the last 10 years (since 2010) 13:20 – making bale grazing work for you USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:07
01 Year-Round Grazing (Carmichael)
Bart Carmichael from Wedge Tent Ranch near Faith, SD aims at grazing cattle year-round, but keeps his eyes out on the weather. When weather dictates, he moves his livestock into sheltered areas (coulies, draws), and uses his Bale Grazing as plan B. Points of note in this video: 0:33 - Year-round grazing is inexpensive 0:50 - The system is simple 0:55 - Moving fence takes about 9 minutes... a day… 1:33 - Cows can access grass under snow 2:10 – contingencies during bad weather USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:35
02 The Need for a Flexible Grazing Plan (Carmichael)
Bart Carmichael from Wedge Tent Ranch near Faith, SD aims at grazing cattle year-round, but in 2020, because of the weather, they bale grazed for sixty days then went back to grazing, however, bale grazing is the backup plan. Points of note in this video: 0:50 – number of bales raised in an 80-acre field and number of bales brought in 1:50 – type of hay fed on prairie bale grazing locations to avoid invasive cool season grasses 1:58 – benefits of bale grazing to soil health and rangeland diversity USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:20
03 Adaptive Management (Carmichael)
Bart Carmichael from Wedge Tent Ranch near Faith, SD explains his philosophy of adaptive management; while he is a consummate planner, Carmichael understands that circumstances (weather, animals, forage, economics, people, new information) change and that he needs to adapt whether in the short term or the long term. Points of note in this video: 0:20 – holistic approach 0:37 – planning assumptions 0:45 – adaptive system and fine-tuning 1:00 – watching and working with Mother Nature USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:28
04 Nineteen Minute Work Day (Carmichael)
Bart Carmichael from Wedge Tent Ranch near Faith, SD explains how little time it takes to move cows! USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:28
05 Graze First; Bale Graze Second (Anderson)
Drew Anderson from Lemmon, SD likes to winter graze as long as possible, but typically bale grazes for some of the winter every year. Points of note in this video: 0:27 – site selection for bale grazing 0:80 – what do the animals do when weather gets bad USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:56
06 Addressing Concerns about Waste Management (Anderson)
Drew Anderson from Lemmon, SD discusses one concern (waste) that people express about bale grazing, and his observations. Points of note in this video: 0:20 – management and learning curve on when to move livestock 0:40 – when bale grazing works best 1:08 – what Anderson observes in grass growth around bales in subsequent seasons 1:30 – why Anderson stopped harrowing around the bales USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:52
07 The Nuts and Bolts of Bale Grazing (Anderson)
Drew Anderson from Lemmon, SD discusses nuts and bolts about his bale grazing system. Points of note in this video: 0:11 - why Anderson uses sisal twine for his bales. NOTE: this is Anderson’s preference, the Gauglers in this series prefer to use netting. 0:38 – bale placement 0:50 – installing fence in the fall 1:15 – what happens if he doesn’t get to setting up all fencing in he fall 1:40 – reasons for why he uses metal instead of plastic posts 2:02 – use of galvanized aircraft cable 2:16 – frequency of moves USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:21
08 The Cost of Rolling Out Hay vs. Bale Grazing (Anderson)
Drew Anderson from Lemmon, SD discusses the marginal cost (mainly labor, and excluding feed costs) of rolling hay out versus bale grazing, based on his draws from personal experience. Points of note in this video: 0:24 – cost of hauling bales to hay yard 0:29 – unrolling bales 0:45 – costs to feed cows per head per day with rolling bales out 0:57 – costs to feed livestock per head per day with bale grazing 1:13 – example of the 2016 blizzard USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:54
09 Added Benefit: Nutrient Cycling (Anderson)
Drew Anderson from Lemmon, SD discusses another benefit of bale grazing, namely improved nutrient recycling which has allowed him to increase his production. Points of note in this video: 0:25 – hay does not leave the land with bale grazing 0:52 – effects on lessening deer presence in hay yard 1:10 – cattle grazing habits in the bale graze areas 1:20 – improved animal days per acre on bale grazing lands USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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02:06
10 A Look Back on a Decade of Bale Grazing (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Harold Gaugler reflects on ten years of bale grazing, the beginning and some of the changes over time. Points of note in this video: 0:23 – Gaugler’s decision to first try bale grazing 0:32 – number of bales, acres and animals in Year 1 0:45 – rough start and end dates for bale grazing 0:53 – adding bale grazing capacity and rotating bale grazing locations 1:18 – infrastructure 1:28 – adjustments to the amount of fence over time for shorter runs USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:57
11 Factoring in Water and Wind for Winter Setup (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Harold Gaugler discusses some of the nuts and bolts of his bale grazing system. Points of note in this video: 0:15 – setup in August/September, preference for fiber glass posts 0:28 – setting bales out after fence posts have been set up 0:40 – the need for water and location of water points 0:55 – bales as wind breaks and cow behavior, use (or non-use) of steel wind breaks 1:20 – design – bale grazing into the wind especially in severe weather USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:38
12 A Guide to Residue Management (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Harold Gaugler discusses some of the residue management strategies he uses. Points of note in this video: 0:14 – reasons for original idea of harrowing after bale grazing and why they stopped 0:35 – grass regrowth from bale-grazed areas 0:47 – experiments with flash-grazing the hay land after bale grazing to control residue and weeds USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:36
13 The Need for an Adaptive Approach (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Harold Gaugler discusses the need for an adaptive approach to bale grazing. Points of note in this video: 0:15 – design change of setting up bales and posts 0:46 - increase of bale grazing capacity over 10 years 1:00 – number of rotations in bale grazing area 1:05 – late weaning strategy 1:18 – adaptation in response to how cows act USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:47
14 A Guide to Setting Up Your Bales (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Harold Gaugler discusses how they place bales and how that has changed. Points of note in this video: 0:15 – setting bales to improve soil conditions 0:40 – change in bale placement approach with hay fields that are back to high production 0:50 – bale placement on rangeland and growth of natives in response to increased moisture and nutrients The USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender
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02:13
15 Addressing Common Concerns (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Harold Gaugler discusses a common concern that was held about bale grazing, namely that they were abusing their animals by leaving them out, and what the Gauglers have observed with their animals since. Points of note in this video: 0:14 – the concern 0:45 – situation in one particularly cold winter blizzard 1:05 – checking cows left on the land after the snowstorm was over USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:58
16 Changing the Bale Grazing Narrative and Perception (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Jodie Gaugler discusses the positive changes in perception of bale grazing over time. Points of note in this video: 0:11 – initially people would not ask the Gauglers directly about bale grazing 0:18 – initial bale grazing questions from different people 0:22- the beekeeper 0:53 – wrong conclusions of Gaugler bale operation based on observations from the road 1:02 – examples of people who say “I bale graze now” to the Gauglers 1:25 – make this work for you! USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:55
17 More on the Practicality of Bale Grazing (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Harold Gaugler answers some of the common questions that arise from ranchers who want to know more about bale grazing. Points of note in this video: 0:14 – weeds 0:35 – increased production 0:55 – livestock smoothing and trampling areas that were washed out to improve hay making process 1:11 – the ease with which the livestock are moved USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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01:51
18 Why Make the Change to Bale Grazing? (Gaugler)
Harold and Jodie Gaugler operate out of Grant Co., ND also ranch on land near Thunder Hawk, SD. In this video, Harold and Jodie Gaugler talk about some of the changes that have made to reduce their own time and effort in labor and how they have used this to advance their goal of breeding grass cattle. Points of note in this video: 0:14 – hauling buckets to weaned calves in the feedlot 0:30 – questioning the status quo – hauling grain to calves when we are trying to develop a grass system for the cows 0:50 – “I only have so many more buckets in me!” 1:00 – strategies for heifers on grass 1:30 – “we want grass cattle" USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
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03:48
19 Bale Grazing Contingency Plan (Bachler)
In this video with SDSU’s Jessalyn Bachler (Lemmon, SD), we repurposed an excerpt from our Growing Resilience podcast so that Jessalyn could talk about contingency plans. Jessalyn relates her experience from the winter of 2016 at the Streeter, North Dakota, Central Grasslands REC. Points of note in this video: 0:16 – Jessalyn relates what happened in the storm 1:13 – rounding up cows on foot after the blizzard 1:33 – advice for new bale grazers regarding set up and contingencies 1:48 – winter water contingencies 2:54 – awareness that a contingency plan is needed 3:05 – bales that were not fed because of the blizzard USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
MERIT OR MYTH - SEASON 1
TOP BALE GRAZING ADVICE FROM DAKOTA RANCHERS
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