By Jeannette E. Warnert, Conservation Agriculture

The timeworn water tower that stands in front of the Giacomazzi Dairy in Kings County is a hallmark of the farm’s endurance. It proclaims, “Since 1893.”

Dino Giacomazzi, the fourth generation to run the operation, said cows have been producing milk and the land producing feed every single day of the ensuing 120 years.

In order to maintain the family business in times of mounting environmental pressures and tightening economics, Giacomazzi became a leader in developing completely new production paradigms for dairy industry feed production in the San Joaquin Valley.

Last year, he received the prestigious Leopold Conservation Award for California, and last week he hosted a luncheon at his rural Kings County dairy to raise awareness of efforts being made around the San Joaquin Valley to boost agricultural sustainability.

“I want this to be about all the work being done here. I am accepting this award on behalf of a whole industry of people,” Giacomazzi said. “Every farmer I know is a conservation agriculturist. That’s just called doing business.”

In California, the Leopold Conservation Award is presented by the Sand County Foundation, California Farm Bureau Federation, and Sustainable Conservation. The recognition, said Karen Sweet of the Sand County Foundation, “honors ethical and scientifically sound practices that benefit us all, and inspires other landowners as an example.”

Giacomazzi, a founding member of UC’s Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) Center, for years has evaluated equipment, planting configurations and fertilization approaches in silage production. He worked closely with other dairy operators to build a reservoir of knowledge and experience that is accelerating the development and implementation of conservation tillage practices, said Jeff Mitchell, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis and chair of CASI.

“Dino’s a person of tremendous vision for seeing a better way and for, as he is fond of quoting Abraham Lincoln, ‘thinking anew and acting anew,’” Mitchell said. “He’s a rather unique example of someone who has had the courage to disenthrall himself of dogma and create something new.”

In the spring of 2005, Giacomazzi initiated a demonstration evaluation of strip-till corn planting in a 28-acre field as part of an Environmental Quality Incentives Program contract he had received from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. In 2006, he hosted a public field day to share what he learned about strip-till implements, planters and configurations, an event Mitchell considers the best public field day of his Extension career. Giacomazzi has traveled to Davis to address agriculture students, accepted speaking engagements -such as the keynote address at the launch of CASI last year – and hosted numerous agricultural tours on his farm.

“Dino is a leader,” Mitchell said. “He has opened a lot of eyes to what can be, to how agricultural systems can be improved, to both make money and to be good for the environment.”

During the celebration, Giacomazzi took to the podium to turn the spotlight on Mitchell. Giacomazzi praised Mitchell’s personal commitment to sharing conservation agriculture practices.

Recognizing Mitchell’s distinct character and energy, Giacomazzi said he could think of no more fitting way to honor him than with a customized “Jeff Mitchell Award,” which he said Mitchell would hold “in perpetuity.”

Another founding member of CASI, Ron Harben, former field officer for the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, also spoke at the event.

“Jeff’s enthusiasm is contagious,” Harben said, “but it’s solidly backed up with knowledge, experience and the real desire to bring sustainability – both economic and environmental – to agriculture.”

Mitchell travels in the Valley extensively, visits farms from Kern County to as far north as the Intermountain area on the border with Oregon, and takes two or three trips from his Fresno County headquarters to Davis each week for meetings, teaching classes and working with graduate students.

“His Toyota Prius has nearly half a million miles on it,” Harben said.

During his presentation at the celebration, Mitchell also called attention to the Giacomazzi Dairy’s weathered water tower.

“Think about that. There is something quite profound here,” he said. “There is no better example of sustainability. This is where sustainability is happening. This is the real thing.”

Sand County Foundation, its major partners, California Farm Bureau Federation and Sustainable Conservation, and its other sponsors, S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy are accepting nominations for the 2013 Leopold Conservation Award until July 12. Nominations of agriculturalists and foresters may be submitted at the Leopold Conservation Award website, http://www.leopoldconservationaward.org.

Original blog post can be found on Conservation Agriculture

Photo © Paolo Vescia

As technology continues to play an increasing role in agricultural operations, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched the Water Quality Index for Agricultural Runoff (WQIag), which helps producers calculate how much impact their agricultural and conservation practices are having on water quality.

Producers input information about a given field, such as slope and soil characteristics. They can also enter their tillage, nutrient and pest management, and conservation practices. The combination gives them a single number that indicates their water quality level. Producers can also make adjustments to elements, such as conservation variables, to gauge what kind of impact certain practices will have on their operation.

WQIag presents a simplicity and accessibility to this information that wasn’t available before. It’s a 10-point system that’s less expensive and easier to interpret than the data that are collected from in-stream and edge of field water quality monitoring systems.

NRCS continues to improve the system, which is still in a pilot phase, and plans to launch a smartphone app at some point.

Water quality index for ag runoff streamlined

By Spencer Miller, NRCS

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has developed a new web-based tool to help producers easily calculate the quality of water flowing off their fields.

It’s called the Water Quality Index for Agricultural Runoff, or WQIag for short, and this is how it works: Producers input variables about their field, such as slope, soil characteristics, nutrient and pest management, tillage practices, and, finally, conservation practices.

Then, as NRCS National Water Quality and Quantity team leader Shaun McKinney explains, “The WQIag takes the complex scientific information of these variables and synthesizes them into a single number.”

Though some variables – such as slope and soil – won’t change, producers can adjust others for a quick estimate of how conservation impacts water quality. A few clicks calculate the consequences, in terms of water quality, of using less tillage, less fertilizer, natural pest management techniques and other conservation practices.

“Water quality is complex,” says McKinney. In the past, “experts have usually focused on one aspect of water quality – such as temperature, nutrients or pesticide content –instead of thinking about a more complete picture.” Read more …

In celebration of Earth Day, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman announced the Beel family  as the recipient of the 2013 Leopold Conservation Award, the state’s premier award for private lands conservation, during a ceremony at the State Capitol on Friday.

The award, which is presented by Nebraska Cattlemen, Cargill, and Wisconsin-based Sand County Foundation, recognizes outstanding, positive contributions to natural resources by agricultural families.

Third generation ranchers Frank, Henry, and Adam and their wives, Jennifer, Mary, and Jenny operate the nearly 22,000-acre ranch located in north-central Nebraska. Carrying on a tradition of conservation begun by their ancestors, the Beel brothers and their families, among other efforts, implement practices that improve wildlife habitat and water quality and quantity, which has helped them withstand the second driest season on record.

Congratulations to the Beel family!

Photo courtesy of Omaha World-Herald

Johnstown family receives conservation award

By Martha Stoddard, Omaha World-Herald

Nebraska ranch family that has handed down an ethic of conservation from father to son was honored Friday for its stewardship.

Gov. Dave Heineman announced the Beel family of Johnstown as the recipients of the 2013 Leopold Conservation Award.

The award, named in honor of world-renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, is presented to agricultural families in Nebraska who practice responsible land stewardship and management.

“Conservation on private land is something Nebraskans do very well,” the governor said.

The Beel brothers, Frank, Henry and Adam, along with wives Jennifer, Mary and Jenny, operate a nearly 22,000-acre cattle operation along the border between Brown and Cherry Counties. Read more …

Soil conservation experts in Maryland recently discovered that the level of conservation practices on farmland in their state has been underestimated by as much as 40 to 50 percent. A major reason for the discrepancy is some farmers are engaging in efforts to enhance soil, water, wildlife habitat, and vegetation without assistance from state and federal agencies. With or without assistance, however, the researchers found that most farmers are adding these practices, such as riparian buffers and efficient water management structures, to their farming operations simply because it’s the “right thing to do”.

This is nothing new, however, and, given the fact that most land in the United States is privately owned, it is vital to our nation’s environmental health. Landowners across the country are making an effort to enhance natural resources, so high quality land, water, and wildlife will endure for future generations. These efforts are evident through recognition programs such as the Leopold Conservation Award and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Environmental Stewardship Award, which identify hundreds of farmers, ranchers, and foresters who are worthy candidates for the awards. These landowners “do the right thing,” not out of obligation, but out of passion for the natural resources they care for as an integral part of their successful agricultural operations.

Conservation on local farms is highly underestimated

Star Democrat

According to a study by soil conservation experts released in March, farmers in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Howard counties have been implementing environmentally conscious practices on their own to the extent that the Watershed Implementation Plan will need to be re-evaluated.

Conservation on Maryland farms in general, may be underestimated by 40 to 50 percent according to the data.

Most of these undocumented practices were installed by farmers without technical or financial assistance from state or federal agencies, because it’s the right thing to do, the farmers said. Read more …

A private-public partnership is working to improve rice productivity, as well as enhance waterbird habitat in California. Montna Farms, owned by Al and Gail Montna enrolled in the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Waterbird Habitat Enhancement Program (WHEP), which pays incentives to landowners who implement pro-wildlife habitat practices on their land. The rice belt, where Montna Farms is located, is an area where birds, including ducks, geese, swans, sandpipers, avocets, herons, egrets, and cranes stop to nest during winter.

Practices that WHEP encourages include the placement of water boards in rice fields post-harvest to collect additional water, intentional flooding and incremental draining of rice fields as birds gradually arrive and leave.

This is not a one-way street, however. The presence of the waterbirds benefits rice production, as well. After harvest, rice straw is is left in the fields, which are flooded to help decompose the straw. After flooding, waterbirds will mix the straw into the soil, improving the soil and increasing its capacity to retain water, which leads to improved rice production.

Al and Gail Montna are not new to natural resources conservation. They are the recipients of the 2010 Leopold Conservation Award, California’s premier recognition of conservation on private lands. The award was the result of many efforts to improve land, water, and wildlife habitat at Montna Farms, including the installation of a solar powered rice dryer and  the establishment of an over 1,000-acre waterbird easement that was the first of its kind in California.

Photo © Paolo Vescia

WHEP program a win-win for California rice, waterbirds

By Cary Blake, Western Farm Press

The Montna farming family of Dingville, Calif., successfully integrates commercial rice production on its 3,000 acres of land with habitat enhancement practices which benefit waterbirds, thanks to a partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Montna Farms is in the second year of a three-year contract in the NRCS’ Waterbird Habitat Enhancement Program (WHEP). The voluntary program is designed to help rice production and waterbirds successfully co-exist in California’s Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys.

Montna Farms, located in the Sacramento Valley’s Sutter County, is owned and operated by Al and Gail Montna and their two daughters. The vertically-integrated farm grows super premium Japanese short-grain rice with a rice-drying operation onsite on Highway 99, halfway between Sacramento and Yuba City.

“The Waterbird Habitat Enhancement Program is a win-win for rice production and wildlife,” said Jon Munger, Montna Farms’ manager of operations. “The program requires some extra work on the grower end but it is worth the effort.” Read more …

Excess manure running off of farmlands into waterways is a significant issue across the nation, negatively impacting the quality of soil, water, and wildlife. In Wisconsin, county conservationists play a major role in working with farmers who wish to develop crop rotation and other nutrient management practices to reduce the runoff. The conservationists also often find state and federal funding to help farmers implement these nutrient reduction methods.

However, proposed cuts in Wisconsin’s upcoming budget may mean fewer county conservationists across the state, leading to less encouragement for farmers to voluntarily engage in conservation programs. The proposed budet calls for funding cuts for two programs in the Agriculture Resource Management Division of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). The first is a carryover from the previous budget, which reduces funding for county conservation offices. Critics fear that this will lead to staffing cuts. The second slashes DATCP’s budget for soil and water resource management by 50 percent. This fund provided financial assistance to farmers who wished to utilize soil and water conservation programs.

Although DATCP Secretary Ben Brancel claims that the conservation programs can survive with less funding, others aren’t so sure, pointing to a state law that requires DATCP to develop conservation practices that meet the DNR’s performance standards for farms. In its fiscal estimate, DATCP projected that this effort would require an additional 40 county conservation staffers.

If you are interested in learning more, DATCP will hold five public hearings on the proposed changes. A hearing will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, April 4, in the State Agriculture Building, Room 106, located at 2811 Agriculture Drive in Madison.

Photo: USDA NRCS

Farmland conservation efforts take double hit in Walker budget

By Jessica Van Egeran, The Cap Times

Earlier this month, after a substantial rainfall on top of the snow-covered farm fields across Dane County, an all-too-familiar problem arose that pulled Dane County conservationist Pat Sutter away from a conference where attendees were discussing the very situation he was headed off to fix: manure runoff.

As Sutter knows all too well, the slick conditions caused by the rain work against keeping manure, in this case liquid manure, in its place.

“It’s like putting waste on top of a parking lot,” he says. “It can’t be absorbed. It’s going to run off.”

The result was nine calls from Dane County residents to his office. The liquid manure from nearby farmland had flowed onto the callers’ properties and in one case into the basement of a house.

“This is not the first conference I’ve had to split on to address calls,” says Sutter, who manages Dane County’s Land Conservation Division. “We didn’t have enough folks to address the problems and we like to get out within 24 hours. It’s amazing how a day can change things if you don’t respond timely to situations.”

In Dane County, 111 farms encompassing 67,000 acres of land have permits that allow the spreading of liquid manure when the ground is frozen or snow-covered. This activity is only allowed with a permit. Read more …

Wisconsin-based Sand County Foundation and the Kentucky Agricultural Council have announced the launch of the Leopold Conservation Award in Kentucky. Kentucky is the ninth state to offer the $10,000 award, which honors farmers, ranchers, and foresters who do outstanding work to enhance natural resources as part of their agricultural operations. 

Applications are being accepted until July 31, 2013 and the award will be presented at the Kentucky Ag Summit in November. Read the full press release below.

New Leopold Conservation Award program seeks nominees in Kentucky

PRWeb

Sand County Foundation and Kentucky Agricultural Councilhave announced the launch of the Leopold Conservation Award program in Kentucky, and are accepting applications for the award.

The $10,000 Leopold Conservation Award will honor Kentucky farmers, ranchers and other private landowners who voluntarily demonstrate responsible stewardship and management of natural resources.

“Private landowners across the State of Kentucky are doing exceptional land conservation work,” said Brent Haglund, Ph.D., Sand County Foundation President. “We look forward to honoring these good stewards of the land who are committed to the enhancement of Kentucky’s rich and diverse agricultural landscape.”

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. It inspires other landowners through these examples and provides a visible forum where farmers, ranchers and other private landowners are recognized as conservation leaders. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage, which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.”

“The Kentucky Agricultural Council is proud to be part of the Leopold Conservation Award program,” said Kentucky Agricultural Council Chairman, Tony Brannon. “From the beginnings of pioneering no-till farming in the 1960’s through today’s many and varied farm sustainability efforts to leave this place better than they found it, Kentucky farmers have a proud tradition of feeding, clothing, sheltering and fueling our nation and our world. This award will allow us to celebrate and learn from the examples of Kentucky farmers who have taken a thoughtful approach to conservation and stewardship of our land.”

The Kentucky Agricultural Council will be seeking sponsorships to host the award and will present a celebration of the award recipients at the Kentucky Ag Summit, to be held in November 2013.

Nominations must be postmarked by July 31, 2013, and mailed to Leopold Conservation Award c/o Kentucky Agricultural Council, P.O. Box 5478 Louisville, Kentucky 40255-0478.

For application information, please visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org or www.kyagcouncil.net

Wisconsin is experiencing some deep budget cuts to land and water conservation efforts, which is being felt by state conservation offices at the county level. As the article below states, cuts at the county level will have an immediate impact on Wisconsin agriculture.

Cap Times writer Margaret Krome traveled around Wisconsin, asking farmers how these budget cuts will affect their farms:

Sam Zimmerman, a Marathon County dairy farmer is concerned that this will negatively affect the conservation tradition his grandfather started on the farm. In addition, county conservation staff have acted as the catalyst for Zimmerman receiving state and federal assistance for various conservation projects.

Joe and Christy Tomandl said that county conservation funding helped their farm, and others, get off the ground. They also cite county conservationists for helping them implement a grazing plan, as well as keeping their farm up to environmental standards.

For Richard Wagner, as well as the Tomandls, their relationship with county conservationists is mutually beneficial. Farmers can benefit financially from conservation practices and the county and state can, too.

Robert Grove, a crop farmer in Racine County, said that county conservationists help him achieve much more than what he would be able to do on his own.

“It doesn’t seem fair that the state is always pushing for conservation but then they cut the exact help we need to make it happen,” Grove said.

Wisconsin is just an example of the impacts budget cuts can have on conservation efforts. It’s clear that cuts to county conservation offices will hurt farmers, ranchers, and foresters on a number of levels.

Photo: USDA NRCS

Farmers explain how land conservation cuts hurt

By Margaret Krome, The Cap Times

Wisconsin’s agricultural economy was most recently estimated as bringing $52 billion into the state each year. Across the state, with manure from all of those cows, hogs, sheep and goats, and with the millions of acres of plowed ground, it’s the land conservation department in each county that works with Wisconsin farmers and other landowners to protect the natural resources that are the foundation for this industry and that are crucial to state residents, while helping farmers stay profitable.

Because of their crucial role statewide, county conservationists are funded largely from the state budget. Unfortunately, Gov. Walker’s proposed budget was not kind to local land conservation, making permanent cuts to that funding, from about $9.3 million in the 2009-2011 budget down to $8 million, in addition to cutting by over half other funding to protect water quality.

This matters, because soil erosion rates are increasing, reversing decades of progress. Not only is the impact readily seen in lakes and streams, but increasing runoff also erodes the foundation of Wisconsin’s agricultural economy.

These cuts would come on top of previous cuts; any flexibility that existed in the system has long since been removed.

I talked with farmers of various sizes and kinds across Wisconsin about these cuts. They make the case better than anyone of the powerful importance of county conservation staff to the state’s economy and its long-term agricultural prospects. Read more …

The Farm Bill we had hoped Congress would act on last year is still pending. One of the conservation issues under discussion has been conservation compliance – the requirement that farmers receiving farm program payments maintain a conservation plan to limit damage to highly erodible land and wetlands.

Some have argued that, with direct farm program payments becoming less important in an era of high crop prices, conservation compliance ought to be extended to the heavily used federal crop insurance program.

A report by former USDA Deputy Secretary Jim Moseley is particularly timely in this context. The report, entitled Conservation Compliance: A 25-Year Legacy of Stewardship, is summarized in the Oklahoma Farm Report article linked below.

Download the full report

- Joseph Britt, Sand County Foundation

Report Reveals Success of Conservation Compliance in Protecting Soils and Wetlands

Oklahoma Farm Report

Over the last 25 years, one of the least-publicized farmland conservation efforts has actually been one of the most effective, says a new report by former USDA Deputy Secretary and Co-Chair of AGree Jim Moseley. Conservation Compliance: A 25-Year Legacy of Stewardship explains how conservation compliance, which has historically required farmers to implement conservation measures in return for federally funded farm support, helped save millions of wetland acres while keeping billions of tons of soil on farms. As a result, millions of marginal, erosion-prone lands have remained healthy and productive.

“Few conservation programs can boast the success rate of conservation compliance,” said Moseley, who served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2001 to 2005. “This program has helped farmers save 295 million tons of soil per year and kept an estimated 1.5 million to 3.3 million acres of vulnerable wetlands from being drained. The results of this compact between farmers and taxpayers have been astounding.”

The report urges Congress to reattach conservation compliance to crop insurance premium assistance in the next farm bill reauthorization. As federal farm policy is updated, it is increasingly likely that some commodity programs will be phased out in favor of a strengthened crop insurance program that is becoming the core component of the farm safety net. Therefore, according to Moseley, it seems essential that conservation compliance also be updated to apply to the crop insurance premium assistance. Read more …

In a recent study, researchers from South Dakota State University have documented a sodbusting trend in the Central Plains states. Due largely to rising commodity prices, the Western Corn Belt has lost  1.3 million acres of grassland over the past 5 years, which is a rate that hasn’t been seen since the 1930′s.

The authors found that farmers and ranchers in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota are taking advantage of the doubling of corn and soybean prices, at the expense of native grassland, by converting those lands to crop production.

Aside from the loss of native prairie, there are other troubling environmental impacts. Grassland is often plowed up on marginal lands that are highly susceptible to erosion and vulnerable to drought. Also, crops in Minnesota and the Dakotas are increasingly being planted near wetlands, which is having a detrimental impact on waterfowl habitat.

Lawmakers in Minnesota and South Dakota, with an endorsements from groups like Ducks Unlimited and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, have introduced legislation to try to slow down this trend. The “Protect Our Prairies Act” would reduce crop insurance on newly broken grassland for four years.

Read the entire study

Photo: Kevin Kiley

Study documents conversion of grassland to crops

Associated Press

A new study documents a loss of 1.3 million acres of grassland over a five-year period in the Western Corn Belt — a rate not seen since the 1920s and 1930s.

The research by Christopher Wright and Michael Wimberly of the Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence at South Dakota State University said a recent doubling in commodity prices has created incentives for landowners in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa to convert grassland to corn and soybean cropping.

“Historically, comparable grassland conversion rates have not been seen in the Corn Belt since the 1920s and 1930s, the era of rapid mechanization of US agriculture,” the authors wrote.

The study is published in Tuesday’s edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Read more …