Conservation on My Farm

On our family farm, conservation and stewardship have always been important. My grandpa believed in conservation and being a steward of the land. He passed along the passion for agriculture, farming, conservation, and stewardship to all of us.

My dad has been farming for over 50 years. And over those years, he has utilized numerous conservation practices on the farm. For more than 35 years, he has farmed using no-till (growing crops or pasture from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage). That has proven to be very beneficial to the soil health on our farm. He has improved the farms with grassed waterways and tile to safely move surface and subsurface water off fields. Vegetative filter strips along crop fields border creeks also offer protection from erosion. My dad has used crop rotation (growing corn, soybeans or hay in rotating fields each year) and planted along contours of fields. Cover crops like rye, oats, turnips, or millet are planted to protect the soil, improve soil fertility, and for our cows to graze as high quality forage.

Permanent pasture where our cattle graze is on soil that is more sensitive to erosion. Installing rip rap (loose stone) along creek banks for stream bank stabilization has protected creeks in pastures from erosion. Pastures, hay fields, and fence rows provide great habitat for wildlife. We often see wildlife among our cow herds … deer, turtles, rabbits, bees, butterflies, quail, and a variety of other birds. It makes my heart happy.

This sign was installed on the farm, and it means so much to me. My grandpa would be so proud.

Originally posted on The Life of a Cow Chick.