Illinois Farm Bureau holds field day

HARVEL — Illinois Farm Bureau hosted a Nutrient Stewardship Field Day on Thursday, March 27, at Don Murphy’s farm in Harvel. The morning began at the farm, with donuts and coffee provided by the Farm Bureau.

Illinois Farm Bureau funds the Nutrient Stewardship Grant, which is eligible for all county farm bureaus to apply for. Nutrient Stewardship Grant funds allow farm bureaus to host field day events.

According to Illinois Farm Bureau Environmental Program manager Bena Pegg, funds are used towards Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) efforts. NLRS is a national strategy being utilized in the Mississippi River Basin, where drainage from upstream creates an area afflicted by hypoxia, a lack of oxygen in the water that can kill aquatic life.

There is currently a 4,000 square mile deadzone in the Gulf of Mexico. NLRS efforts hope to reduce that to 2,000 square miles. There is also a goal for 2025 to reduce nitrate by 15 percent and phosphorus by 25 percent.

When normalizing for flow, nitrogen has seen a reduction, while phosphorus levels are still high, although that is not exclusively due to runoff from farms. Another contributing factor to higher phosphorus levels is streambank erosion.

“We’re looking to keep nutrients in the field,” said Katie Wilson, Montgomery County Farm Bureau manager.

The first stop during the day was the Meisner farm to discuss no-till and cover crop strategies. The land is farmed by Matt Meisner, his father Mark, and uncle Larry.  They started using cover crops in the field that was toured in 2014, mostly cereal rye. They currently plant 40 pounds per acre, but plan on cutting back to 30 or 35 due to the thickness they see in some years. The current rye had been planted between Sept. 11 and Sept. 15.

In previous years, they would have terminated the cover crops earlier, however, they reported not seeing beans for around a month, leading to the creation of weed pressure. “If we let it grow, then burn it off, that’ll save a pass with the sprayer and save some money,” said Matt Meisner.

Meisner also reported no erosion or concern with mice in the cover-cropped field. There was also no issue with cover crops getting into the tilling. Meisner said that they only use herbicide when it’s time to terminate cover crops.

The next stop was one of Murphy’s farms, where he practices strip tilling. David Kleinschmidt with Progressive Agronomy Consulting spoke to those in attendance while investigating the inside of a soil pit. He specified how, through strip tilling, farmers have greater control over where crops are planted, and can concentrate the roots in an ideal area for nutrients, rather than have roots that greatly spread throughout the area.

The farm on display during the tour currently uses wheat as a cover crop. Kleinschmidt noted that wheat doesn’t grow as deep as rye, and that deeper-rooted cover crops, when terminated, can leave a path for corn roots to follow, allowing them easier access to carbon, and thus, growth.

After the farm tour, the group met back at Murphy’s machine shed for lunch, which was provided by Lipe’s Lunchbox.

Pegg was first to speak, giving an introduction and talking about the Nutrient Stewardship Program. Kleinschmidt was next, showcasing a rainfall simulator and comparing a plot of land with cover crops and one without. The simulation showed the difference in runoff between the two plots of land.

Kris Reynolds, Midwest Director of the American Farmland Trust (AFT), highlighted key takeaways from the tour and discussed AFT resources. Lora Scott with the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District then spoke on farmer resources and an update for the Hillsboro Lakes project.

Comments from farmers were then taken before the day’s events concluded.

Katie Wilson, Montgomery County Farm Bureau

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