On March 5, the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District (FRSWCD) in partnership with Golden Peanut Company held a Soil Health Field Day on Dutch Ford Farm in Metter, Georgia.
“It was so great to get back to Dutch Ford Farm for a second annual event highlighting innovative practices and programs to improve soil health in southeast Georgia,” says Perri Cooper, Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District Executive Director. “Not only do we get to hear from researchers and technical service providers, but directly from farmers on the forefront of adopting these soil health practices.”
Soil Health refers to the ability for soil to perform its functions and how they are being preserved for future use. This term encompasses many practices on the farm, including planting cover crops, reducing soil disturbance, preventing erosion, and more. 35 attendees, ranging from local farmers, USDA personnel, UGA Extension representatives, and other conservation stakeholders convened to learn about the latest research in soil health, learn about cost-share programs, and to see soil health in practice.
Host farmer Ricky Nevil kicked off the field day with an overview on his farm practices. “We’re learning every year,” Nevil remarked while discussing how the multi-day freeze in late 2023 impacted his cover crop stand.
University of Georgia (UGA) County Extension Agent Ross Greene highlighted the importance of agriculture in Candler and surrounding counties; agriculture is a top industry of the region and includes not only peanut production, but also cotton, onion, and even a hog farming operation.
Following the farm and Candler County welcomes, UGA Area Water Agent Jason Mallard highlighted results from a cover crop trial in Midville, Georgia.
“This is a fairly in-depth study,” Mallard said. The trail measured soil moisture of various cover crop treatments over the entire study period. “Every year is different, but we’re trying to look for consistencies over time. We know the most return to farm is when we have a consistent soil moisture around 45 kilopascals, with the higher that gets, the closer we get to wilting points.”
Mallard highlighted results of the trial over the study period, and how each treatment measures up to achieving consistent optimal soil moisture levels.
“We see that rye by itself as a cover drops that soil moisture more quickly and it more volatile,” Mallard highlighted. He also discussed the benefits of multi species cover crops in increasing soil organic matter when compared to a single species like rye. “Increasing soil organic matter is critical when thinking about plant water needs as an objective, such as in dryland cropping systems. A 1% increase in soil organic matter translates to 20,000 more gallons of available water in the soil.”
Field day attendees then had the opportunity to hear from Blake Sheppard at Mixon Seed Services to better understand how to make cover crop species decisions. This year, Mixon Seed Services released the ReVive Cover Crop blends for corn, cotton, peanuts and soybeans.
“This is our attempt to simplify the process and have something ready for you to follow your cash crop,” Sheppard said of the multispecies blends. Sheppard also highlighted the importance of cover crop seed quality and ensuring farmers use certified seed and prevent introducing unwanted weed seeds into the field.
Following Sheppard, attendees were given a demonstration of the Rainfall Simulator, which outlines how various land treatment practices have an impact on both runoff and infiltration.
“Most of your major runoff is going to come from large summer storm events,” Stuart Proctor with United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) explained while highlighting the runoff volume demonstrated on compacted, bare land. “A raindrop hits the ground at about 20 miles per hour, but a cover can reduce that impact.”
The economic benefits of improving infiltration as a result of cover are also an important consideration—assuming it costs an average of $10 an acre inch to run center pivot irrigation, ensuring that water is going where it is needed and not running off the field improves economic sustainability of the operation.
Jason Gatch, District Conservationist, highlighted USDA-NRCS tools and resources for developing and adopting a soil health conservation plan that supports farmers implementing the practices highlighted.
Gatch discussed cost share programs available through CSP and EQIP. CSP includes longer term 5-year management plans , which EQIP are shorter plans focused on a specific practice. There are also currently Conservation Incentive Contract funding that includes cover crop and strip till practices, as well as the Cover Crop Initiative funding through EQIP. The Cover Crop Initiative includes cost share for such practices as mixed species cover and early cover establishment.
Sustainability Director at the American Peanut Council, Allison Randell, closed out the field day by highlighting the Sustainable U.S. Peanut Initiative through the American Peanut Council. Randell highlighted the importance of transparency along the supply chain and to consumers on the sustainability of peanut production. Farmers familiar with the Cotton Trust Protocol can use the same credentials to participate in the Council’s initiative, which aims to gather data from 300 farmers this year.
Cooper also highlighted efforts of the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District to measure sustainability of peanut production in partnership with USDA Agriculture Research Service (ARS) and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) through data collection that has been ongoing since 2016.
Following the field day, attendees gathered for lunch at Dutch Ford Farm, where Emmanuel Bankston of ADM provided a summary to attendees of the second year of the Re:GenerationsÔ Program.
“This is one of the first group of farmers to jump on to this program,” Bankston shared with attendees, “Private companies are interested in ensuring the crops they purchase are sustainable, and allowing us to pay farmers directly to it.”
Bankston highlighted the increased acreage enrollment for the 2023 crop year, up to 300,000 acres from 150,000 in 2022, as well as a new aspect of the program that incorporates soil sampling to measure soil benefits, such as carbon sequestration.
Launched in the southeast in 2022, the Re:GenerationsÔ Program directly compensates peanut farmers for soil health practices including cover cropping, no-till, and other practices that improve overall farm efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
The Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District is comprised of farmers, landowners, and community leaders that are dedicated to the conservation, wise use, and protection of natural resources in the Flint River Basin. Learn more about the District at flintriverswcd.org. Learn more about Re:GenerationsÔ at admadvantage.com/regen/. Reach out to Emmanuel Bankston or Taylor Sinquefield, FRSWCD Soil Health Coordinator, to learn more about 2024 opportunities for the Re:GenerationsÔ program and other soil health programming at the FRSWCD.