


SOIL HEALTH
Our crops are our business. Doing everything we can to preserve our dirt is one of our top priorities. With that in mind, every year we review our nutrient/manure management plan and make any necessary adjustments to optimize the condition of our soil. Sometimes farmers have to till their soil to turn it over and loosen it up and get the soil ready for planting. Unfortunately, this can cause soil erosion and loss of nutrients. More and more famers have evolved to no-till practices to conserve and preserve the soil. On our farm, we use either no-tillage, minimum- tillage, or zone-tillage practices. There are several factors to consider when determining which tillage practice is best for your farm, ie. soil type, crop rotation, proximity to waterways. Planting a cover crop, such as cereal rye, during the winter months also helps prevent erosion and maintain the nutrients in the soil. Soil is arguably the single most prized element of agricultural ecosystems. Soil quality can be maintained and enhanced in many ways, including leaving crop residues in the field after harvest, plowing under cover crops, or adding composted plant material or animal manure.

SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is a word you hear quite often these days. To the consumer, it means "eco-friendly". For us farmers, it is a way of farming, through modern technology, that allows us to plant more with less - less water, less herbicides, less pesticides, on less land. Some of the most common sustainable agriculture techniques employed by farmers today to achieve the key goals of weed control, pest control, disease control, erosion control and high soil quality include crop rotation, cover crops, and soil enrichment. In crop rotations, farmers can plant soybeans after a corn crop to naturally replenish the nitrogen in the soil, thereby reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. Many farmers also take advantage of the benefits of having plants growing in the soil at all times (cover crops), rather than leaving the ground bare between cropping periods. The planting of cover crops such as wheat, rye, or oats helps farmers prevent soil erosion, suppressing weeds, and enhancing soil quality.
Using appropriate cover crops is worth the extra effort because it reduces the need for chemical inputs like herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers.
FUN FACT: There is a preference for U.S. soybeans because of our sustainability practices!

CROPS
GMOs
FUN FACTS: Sweet potatoes were genetically modified 8,000 years ago... AND broccoli didn't occur naturally, humans bred it to wild mustard seed almost 100 years ago!
One of the most important pieces of information to know about your food is that whether it is organic, genetically modified, or conventionally grown, they are all equally nutritious. Numerous studies over decades and multiple generations (livestock) have been done by reputable scientists. They have concluded time and time again that GMO's are safe. On our farm we grow conventional (genetically modified) field corn and soybeans. GMO crops afford us the opportunity to use less to grow more.
For more information on GMOs:
USFRA (U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance)
