First Posted: 3/3/2015
ADA — Some farmers think erosion isn’t a problem — but Soil Scientist Newell Kitchen says it should be a top priority in the farming community.
Kitchen, who works for the University of Missouri, was the keynote speaker at the Conservation Tillage and Technology conference Tuesday at Ohio Northern University. The conference started on Tuesday and lasts through today.
“I think a lot of people still think that erosion is no longer an issue,” Kitchen said. “I still see erosion as kind of the first line of what needs to be attacked. … Our research would suggest that no-till and cover crops together is the best tool we have.”
Dwight and Lisa Clary attended the conference Tuesday and farm about 1,000 acres in Seneca County. They have had success using no-till cover crops on their fields for more than 30 years.
“Cover crops do such a wonderful job,” said Dwight, who attended the conference to represent Center Seeds and learn as a farmer. “It’s an incredible benefit we’ve seen in all those years. The longer a person uses cover crops, the better it gets.”
Dwight sells cover crop seeds in an eight-county area. For him, experience has been important in his work.
“Make sure you have experience and knowledge of what to do so you’re successful,” he said, adding that some farmers don’t know how to use cover crops when they first try, and their failure the first time dissuades them from trying again.
Changing methods of farming can be difficult, acknowledges Mark Badertscher, agriculture and natural resources educator at the Ohio State University-Extension in Hardin County, but the conference is meant to help farmers make changes based on research.
“We’re hoping they’re going to take away some new ideas, some new business and management practices,” Badertscher said of the conference, which is hosted by the OSU-Extension and many other organizations.
The conference features several different topics over the two-day span, including presentations on biofuels and bioproducts; mobile applications for farmers; big data; precision seeding and placement; advance scouting techniques; cover crops and soil health; nutrient management and solving the phosphorus and nitrogen problem.
“Agriculture is a high-tech industry, just like any other industry,” Badertscher said. “We need to be on the cutting edge to be competitive. … We need to be mindful of the environment as well.”
