Speakers: no-till farming better for health of soil

    The no-till field day on June 20 at the Wine Glass Ranch, north of Imperial, enjoyed a turnout of more than 50 farmers, and representatives of ag businesses, insurance companies and conservation services.  
    It was a day of demonstrations and experience-sharing about soil health practices.
    The event was hosted by Logan Pribbeno, a fifth-generation heir of Wine Glass Ranch, with Drew Olson, a veterinarian from Omaha and a Grant native.  
    Together they work in a partnership sharing their respective skill sets and assets. Wine Glass cattle can graze on a diversification of farmland, pasture and dryland of his, Olson said.  
    Wine Glass is currently in a cowherd expansion mode, Pribbeno said.  
    “We will sell 1,000 good cows in two to three years,” he said.
    “The stocking rate is set to maximize yield per grazing acre, not on individual animal performance from better use of the land.”
    Pribbeno outlined the benefits of diversifying row crop acres with animal impact in his opening presentation.
    Diversifying the cover crops with a variety of plants has proven to be a better stewardship of land and water retention, he said.
    “We need to increase the health of our soil. Healthy soil comes from healthy plants and roots,” Pribbeno said.  
    Using minimal disturbance of the soil when harvesting plant life gives a better retention of water in the soil and a better quality of water by using less fertilizer, he said.  
    Aaron Sawyers, Director of the No-Till on the Plains organization, coordinated the day’s events and presentations.  
    A grant from the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture & Education helped fund the event, along with an Imperial Community Foundation Fund donation.  
    “We have educational events such as this one during the summer months, then ending with the winter conference which, this year, will be in Wichita, Kansas,” he said.
    Candy Thomas from the Kansas U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Services gave a presentation on water and nutrient efficiency with a rainfall simulator.  
    With a demonstration of different cover plants with various root depths and rainfall, soils showed differing water absorptions and retentions and condition of water.
    Land erosion is a serious concern, she said.
    “Excessively plowed farmland and rainfall runoffs have eroded the lands where topsoil is not replaced,” she said.
    About 50 million acres of good farmland in the U.S. have been ruined for further practical conservation by unchecked erosion, she noted.
    “Where good land conservation has been practiced the erosion rate is no faster than soil is formed,” she said.
    The solution for safeguarding the soils is to increase the rainwater intake capacity of the soil by retaining crop litter at the surface, soil improvement, crop rotations and strip cropping on the contour, she said.
    Paul J. Jasa, Extension Engineer from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, provided information on planting equipment for no-till.  
    Planters, drills and air seeders have to cut and handle residue, penetrate the soil in the desired seeding depth, establish proper seed to soil contact and close the seed-vee.          Keeping these four items in mind, a producer can evaluate the strengths or weaknesses of any piece of planting equipment and make the adjustments or changes necessary to make a no-till with few, if any, modifications, he said.
    Steve Tucker, a no-till producer from Venango, gave a presentation titled “Have a plan B,” in which he outlined the concept of diversifying in a producer’s environmental stewardship.
    By using a broader range of non-traditional crops in crop rotation and staying abreast of newly-developed no-till techniques, it increases efficiency and the financial bottom line, he said.
    Ray Ward, Ph.D, founder of Ward Labs in Kearney, said his laboratories test soil samples and adjust fertilizer content for use on specific land areas.  
    Use of fertilizers on Nebraska lands can influence nitrite levels.  
    “High nitrite levels in the water table makes the uranium more water soluble and excessive levels of nitrate require decontamination protocols,” he said.  
    The ongoing developments in no-till farming are the right direction for the future of soil and water conservation, he said.
    Lunch for the event was sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, and afterwards, Sawyers escorted the attendees to observe the cow and calf grazing areas on the ranch.  
    First observed was a cool season area with cover crops of oats and peas, followed by what was considered a warm season area of wheat and other grains for grazing.  
    “No-till farming developments and more conscientious land and water stewardship will be a positive for the future of agriculture,” he said.