The Tree
T h e U W D i s c ove r y Fa r m s N e w s l e t t e r
March 2016
Special Edition: The Farmer’s Voice
WORKING WITH DISCOVERY FARMS Corey Leis, Leis Farms LLC , UW Discovery Farms cooperator Cashton, WI
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ello to all friends of agriculture. My name is Corey Leis, I am a partner in Leis Farms LLC in Cashton, WI. We are a 3rd generation dairy farm that has seen many changes over 60 years. The farm currently consists of 350 milking Holsteins, 300 young stock, 80 dairy steers, 40 Hereford cross beef cows and 1500 acres of crops. The dairy cows are housed The Leis Family, photo courtesy of Miranda Leis in a four row, sand bedded free-stall barn and milked in a double-eight parlor. The newborn calves now have a new home in an automated feeding barn, which was built in 2014. Once the animals reach 4 months of age, they are a conversation with John Peterson, Spring Creek Farms moved to a naturally ventilated barn with group pens. Discovery Farms Minnesota cooperator North Branch, MN Once the heifers reach 8 months of age they move through a series of buildings and pasture until they are f you tell John Peterson, a farmer in Chisago County, ready to join the milking herd. Minnesota, that something can’t be done, it’s likely The dairy manure is stored in liquid manure storage and he’ll take the time to prove you wrong. Partly all heifer manure is bedding pack or semi-solid. The because he is stubborn, but more than anything liquid manure is all trucked to our farms between two because what he loves about life is the challenges and and eight miles from the dairy. The bedding pack and opportunities to learn that come along with it.
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
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INSIDE
Working with Discovery Farms........................................ 1, 2 Up for the challenge............................................................. 1, 3, 4 Meet our steering committee.............................................. 5 Discovery Farms resources.................................................. 6 Dates to remember............................................................... 6
“We chose no-till because it was different, was a challenge, and you could still make money,” John explained during our afternoon together on his 1,400 acre corn and soybean operation. John and his wife, Jewell, have owned and operated Spring Creek Farms since the mid-1970s and have been part of Minnesota Discovery Farms since 2010. Their two sons, Nate and Nic, are also directly involved in the operation. continued on page 3
Working with DF, continued from page 1
semi-solids are applied closer to the dairy where most of the corn silage is harvested.
There are five strips that are 75 feet wide and consist of hay and corn. We have been using no-till practices on this field since 2002. The harvest of hay is made four times and corn fodder is made after high moisture corn. In the spring we will apply liquid manure and urea to the corn strips. The data received from the monitoring stations proves that our farming practices are keeping nutrients on the land. Our nutrient run-off rates are lower than the average of the previous sites from around the state. We are happy that we are working towards accomplishing our goals of keeping the soil on the land and making that soil more productive for the future.
The crop side of the business is another thing that has seen change over the last 60 years. Growing up we utilized moldboard plows and disks to prepare the ground for spring planting. Now, we are able to simply plant the fields. No-till has been a great enhancement to our dairy’s future. Not only is it faster, but it has many great benefits for the land. Benefits we have seen are, soil retention, water infiltration, increasing organic matter, and soil health to name a few. When we first started notilling in the mid 1980s, we did only The opportunity to work with corn on sod fields. Then eventually we Discovery Farms has been great. The began planting corn-on-corn in the data they have, not only in the Jersey 1990s. The final step we took was noValley but all their other testing sites, lets tilling the alfalfa in the late 1990s. us see what other farms are doing to More recently we have begun using make their land better. Since working rye as a no-till cover crop for with Discovery Farms we also added alfalfa. We seed the rye in the fall “Since working with Discovery cover crops to the mix after corn and let it emerge. As soon as the silage. This practice is going to be a Farms, we also added cover ground is fit in the spring, we will big step in the next phase of soil crops to the mix after corn no-till alfalfa directly into rye building for our farm. silage. This practice is going to growth. Once the rye reaches Not only are they checking fields but boot stage, we harvest it for heifer be a big step in the next phase of forest, pasture, and other potential feed. The alfalfa then takes over runoff sources such as local soil building for our farm.” and develops into what is usually a municipalities. Pinpointing the main beautiful stand. contributors to runoff lets us know where we should Over the years we have wondered if what we are doing start implementing practices to help. Without this data, is truly worth it. In 2010, we had the great opportunity we are just guessing and that can be costly. If you ever to work with Discovery Farms. They came into the have the opportunity to work with Discovery Farms I Jersey Valley watershed and set up water monitoring would highly recommend taking advantage it. § stations. We have one on a 10 acre parcel we operate.
2 The Tree-March 2016
Up for the challenge, continued from page 1
According to John, when it comes to tillage, there is only so much tinkering you can do. In order to rid of both the monotony of 20 years of farming and the washouts that appeared year-after-year, he decided the next sensible step was no-till. Perhaps the final push to adopt no-till was hearing about how impossible it would be to make it work from his fellow farmers. The challenge of it only made him even more driven to see it through. Although he might have been the only one at the time to think it was a sensible next step, after 20 years of success and data that shows just how little he is losing, people can’t help but come around. He’s found no-till’s cost savings, environmental benefits, and tractor time reductions to be truly incredible. It is this interest in being challenged as well as a strong desire to learn that drove John to participate in the Discovery Farms Program. He hoped the data would help him understand if he was doing what he set out to do: “to improve soil fertility and everything we can about the soil while we’re on the ground. We just get to use it while we’re here. It is nice if we can leave it in better shape for the next ones.”
Considering no-till? “If you have issues with soil and nutrients leaving your farm, no-till is worthwhile and it doesn’t take that much to change. One of the biggest things is that you can’t use the same planter. You have to equip it totally different for no-till to work the best. You’ll spend more on your planter but less on tillage tools.” - John Peterson, no-till farmer
“It was a way to learn and give at the same time,” John explained. “It fits well. It’s been a good learning experience. Better than what we expected.” “The experience has improved our thought process. We see how much runoff there is. So it is important to figure out how to apply our chemicals and fertilizers so that they don’t leave. We aren’t interested in fertilizing the Gulf of Mexico.” “The water that drops on the land annually is incredible. You don’t realize it until you see something like that flume gathering water from an 8.3 acre piece of ground. You don’t realize that much falls. And then you get to see how much soil and nutrients leave the area. When you see that much water it is hard to believe you aren’t doing more damage. It is really eye opening.” After sitting in on his data meeting that afternoon, it became clear that he is achieving his land stewardship goals. His losses are some of the lowest from the Wisconsin/Minnesota Discovery Farms dataset. But that doesn’t mean he’s ready to coast. He continues to make tweaks to his farming system based on the data. “The data has shown us how important the timing is as far as putting [N] on and it becoming available and the plants utilizing it before it disappears. We’ve learned a lot more about that.
John Peterson (far right) listens during a field day on his farm in Chisago County, MN
We’re trying to perfect our nitrogen application so that it is better for our bottom line and better agronomy.” continued on page 4
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Up for the challenge, continued from page 3
After looking at the data, he sees split application as the clear choice. The data coupled with his meticulous notes on the timing of his fertilizer applications has allowed him to pinpoint exactly what happened when a rare uptick in N loss occurred. As a result, his timing of applications have changed. The data is powerful not only to John but to the other farmers he talks with about no-till. “Everything I talk to farmers about no-till revolves around the data. It helps convince them and justify my stubbornness.” It’s not just the data and resulting bragging rights John has enjoyed about participating in Discovery Farms, it’s the people he’s met along the way. “You meet good people that are able to discuss other issues even if they aren’t directly related to Discovery Farms. You have acquaintances you’ve met through the program that you can discuss other things that you’re thinking about with. It opens doors and avenues.” When monitoring wraps up on Spring Creek Farms next year data collection on the farm might stop, but the relationships and connections will continue.
Data collected from the edge-of-field monitoring site on Spring Creek Farms helps determine how a corn-soybean rotation and no-till management system impacts water leaving the field.
For more information about Spring Creek Farms and Minnesota Discovery Farms visit www. discoveryfarmsmn.org. §
Another Discovery Farms participant up for the challenge-- Ben Peterson of Four Cubs Farm describes his farm’s challenges to a crowd of 180 farmers, crop consultants, and agency personnel at the 4th Annual UW Discovery Farms Conference. 4 The Tree-March 2016
MEET OUR STEERING COMMITTEE Brian Forrest, Steering Committee Member
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ello, my name is Brian Forrest and I am a second generation farmer in Stratford, WI. I am co-owner of Maple Ridge Dairy which is an 1800 cow dairy farm. Lucas, my seven year old son, spends hours every week as my right hand man. I graduated from UW River Falls in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in Ag engineering. We crop around 3800 acres growing most all of our own forage and about half of our grain. We produce around 30 million gallons of sand laden manure per year and our feed pad calculates to around 1 million gallons of water/leachate per year. Our calves are raised in hutches on an area around 2 acres.
Brian Forrest checking on the calves at his 1800 cow dairy.
The decision to get involved with Discovery Farms was easy: I like science and I like data! There has never Our Mission at Maple Ridge Dairy is simple: “Leave the been a more critical time in the agricultural community Land, Air and Water Better than when we Began.” to have actual on-farm data to help improve our There are 7 billion people in the world to feed with practices. When Mark Diederich’s predictions of many more in the (former PDPW pres.) asked me to “There has never been a more fill his role on the steering future. Like many farms, we are very proud of our efficiencies and low critical time in the ag committee I did not hesitate. carbon footprint for the amount of community to have actual on- I am currently closing in on my milk and meat produced. In all farm data to help improve our first three year term on the PDPW honesty, our farm has a lot of board. Amber and Eric have been practices. “ nutrients in a very small area that guest speakers to our board on have to be stored, fed, hauled, numerous occasions over the last three years and I spread etc. We have a responsibility and are have always come away impressed with the committed to constantly improving our practices to information shared from their research. I recall Amber handle all these nutrients and I am passionate about talking about the data coming back on Leachate from finding these avenues! feed pads and the fact that nutrients flow differently from feed than an urban area. So why are we putting in expensive systems based on data from areas that are not feed pads? Posing helpful questions such as this can really make a difference. PDPW and the UW Discovery Farms Program are both organizations which represent unbiased education on a farmer level. It’s all about education and effective communication working from the bottom up instead of top down through regulation. I am relatively new to the committee so I am looking forward to learning more. If elected to a second term for PDPW, I will be eager to share information between the two great organizations! §
Maple Ridge Dairy’s mission: leave the land, air and water better than when we began. 5
The Tree-March 2016
HOT OFF THE PRESS... and available at www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org... Are your fields at risk of erosion?
Our new Field Walkover Guide highlights simple ways to visualize erosion risks and offers potential solutions and considerations for your farm’s unique situation.
Want to know what we were up to in 2015?
Check out our list of accomplishments in our 2015 Year in Review.
Interested in starting a farmer-led watershed project?
We’ve got a new resource on the web that will walk you through what to consider.
DATES TO REMEMBER... March 10th and 11th Wisconsin Assocation of Professional Ag Consultants Annual Meeting & Conference Where: Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells, WI What: Attendees will hear from Aaron Wunderlin and Eric Cooley of Discovery Farms about the evaluation of feed storage systems and Jeff Endres of Yahara Pride will discuss farmer led watershed groups. Jerry Apps will be the keynote speaker sharing stories from his book, Wisconsin Agriculture: A history For more detailed information visit www.wapac.info.
March 17th and 18th Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Business Conference Where: Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI What: Attendees will hear from keynote speakers, engage in hands-on labs, and choose from specialty sessions (including a cover crop presentation from Amber Radatz and Dennis Frame) during the two-day conference. For more detailed information visit www.pdpw.org.
Funding from DATCP available for producer led conservation projects! Deadline to apply is April 1st When: Applications due Friday, April 1st. Webinar to discuss application requirements will take place on Wednesday, March 16th from 11am to 12pm. Who: This grant is available to farmer groups of at least 5 working on water improvement projects in a single watershed. To see what watershed you are in view the map on the DATCP website. What: The grants are available for water quality improvement projects led by farmers such as farmer to farmer education and outreach, watershed work planning and action plan development, providing incentive payments to farmers for conservation practices, farm assessments to identify farm and nutrient management strengths and weaknesses, staff time to coordinate group efforts, as well as other innovative approaches to soil and water quality issues For more detailed information visit http://datcp.wi.gov/Environment/Land_and_Water_Conservation/index. aspx?Id=237 or contact Rachel Rushmann at Rachel.Rushmann@wi.gov or by phone at 608.224.4622. For questions regarding the newsletter call 715.983.5668 or email Discovery Farms at uwdiscoveryfarmsorg@gmail.com. 6 The Tree-March 2016