Farmers strive to be better stewards

As no-till acres in South Dakota have risen from just 30,000 in 1990 to 5 million in 2010, producer interest in lesser tillage farming continues to grow. Which is exactly why the South Dakota Corn Growers Association dedicated an entire day of GrowingOn Part 2 to no-till and strip-till with planting and field preparation expert Kevin Kimberley, who spent Wednesday with over 200 producers in Sioux Falls sharing his 30 plus years of experience on the subject.

Practicing lesser tillage means that farmers are also using less energy, cutting down on fuel usage and emissions. In fact, in the last 20 years farmers have cut energy use by 37% and emissions by 30% per bushel produced.

By not disturbing the soil, farmers are cutting down on erosion and building up their soil’s organic matter. During the past 20 years farmers have decreased their soil loss per bushel of corn by 69%.

To improve their overall operation, farmers are not only aiming to increase their productivity and efficiency, but are also decreasing their environmental footprint as they understand the importance of leaving the land better than they found it.