Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack yesterday afternoon announced $150 million in funding is available through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for agricultural producers. During the 2016 fiscal year, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plans to add an estimated 10 million acres to the rolls of CSP. “The Conservation Stewardship Program is one of our most popular programs with producers … Read More
Indiana Farmers Speak At #SHPSummit16
Carrie Volmer-Sanders farms with her husband and parents in Northeast Indiana/Northwest Ohio, and they have implemented cover crops on their farm for about 5 years now. Sanders works for The Nature Conservancy which is where she first heard about the project. “There are a couple of goals being a part of this. Some include sharing the information with local farmers … Read More
The Economics of Cover Crops
At the first Soil Health Summit last year, I talked with Purdue University agricultural economist Dr. Wally Tyner about the need to quantify the economic benefits for farmers of using cover crops. This year, Chuck talked with him again about where they are at with that initiative. “We’ve designed some new studies…to get statistically, economically valid comparisons on farm fields … Read More
SHP, Farm Foundation Share Common Goals
Farm Foundation is one of the supporting partners of the Soil Health Partnership (SHP). While at the Soil Health Summit late last week, Tim Brennan, Farm Foundation, shared why the being a part of the Partnership just makes sense for their organization. The Farm Foundation started the Soil Renaissance (with the Noble Foundation) a little over two years ago to … Read More
Indiana Dept of Ag Director Visits #SHPSummit16
The Director of the Indiana State Dept of Agriculture, Ted McKinney, stopped by the Soil Health Summit last week in Indianapolis to show support for the direction of the program. “[The Soil Health Partnership] is outstanding, primarily because it brings together a lot of different groups to be aligned and focused on a single purpose. One of the best things … Read More
Iowa Farmer Brings Unique Spin To Soil Health Project
John Maxwell was introduced to the idea of soil health last year at Commodity Classic. From there, he became excited about it and signed up to become a demo farmer with the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) to learn how cover crops could impact the soil on his farm. Years ago, Maxwell originally got into cover crops years ago to feed … Read More
Soil Health Partnership Continues To Grow
Nick Goeser, Director of the Soil Health Partnership as well as Director of Soil Health and Sustainability for the NCGA, gives us an update on what to expect at the Soil Health Summit as well as future plans. “The Soil Health Summit is a number of different topics combined together. First we’re focusing on innovation, innovation in agriculture production. We’re … Read More
NCGA Supports Soil Health Partnership
Chris Novak, NCGA, spoke with us while at the Soil Health Summit in Indianapolis last week. Novak gave us an update on the progress of the Partnership and the impact that it has had within the industry so far. “It’s exciting to see the number of farmers who are hearing about the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) and are coming to … Read More
Soil Health Important To Demo Farmers
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) has a number of their demo farmers, the farmers who are implementing field size research trials over the next 5 years, at the Soil Health Summit this week. Hear from a few of them about their experiences so far in the program, and their hopes for what the next few years will bring. Gordon Smiley … Read More
National Organizations Support Soil Partnership
Several national organizations are supporting the efforts of the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) and the research they are doing with farmers across the US. Jim Gulliford with the Soil and Water Conservation Society spoke about their involvement while at the Soil Health Summit in Indianapolis this past week. When asked about the value in supporting the SHP, Gulliford commented on … Read More