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December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains
Landlords Must Take an Active Role in Management of Their Farm
by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist
Landowners leasing land to farmers need to view their properties as an asset much like a retirement account and heed investment advice that says: “If you’re spending down your principal, you’re likely to run out of money.”
In a special No-Till management Report on How No-Till Improves your Land Value Barry Fisher owner of Fisher Soil Health in Greencastle, IN says the “principal” is the overall long-term productivity of the land. How that land is farmed is vital to maintaining its value. He says, “In recent years farm experience and research has shown improving soil health by reducing or eliminating tillage, incorporating cover crops into a diverse rotation plan and reducing chemical inputs can actually rebuild soils depleted through years of conventional farming”.
Landowners need to be aware of how their tenants farm, and then find growers whose practices best align with the long-term goal of maintaining and growing the “principal” of productive soils. Fisher says landowners can make informed choices on who farms their property and how well they are likely to steward it.
Organic matter (carbon) levels are one of the most important indicators of a farm’s productivity. The amount of soil organic matter many times is crucial to how much a tenant will pay to rent or buy land. Finding a grower interested in building organic matter through practices such as no-till and cover crops is like finding better rates of return on a personal investment account.
Cover crops provide a green, protective blanket through the winter months. The green-growing covers collect solar energy and provide habitat for a diverse population of wildlife above and below the soil surface during a time when the soil would otherwise be lifeless and barren.
Research has shown over-use of pesticides can have negative effects on soil biology similar to those of physical disturbance from conventional tillage. Growers taking advantage of beneficial insect and microbial populations along with judicious chemical controls can achieve effective crop protection without making expensive and unnecessary chemical applications.
To improve soil health, landowners and tenants both have to take a long-term view. The duration of lease agreements is probably the most critical factor in ensuring farmed land is managed to improve its productivity from year to year.
Growers can build the productivity and resiliency of their landowner’s soil, but it likely will take several years to realize the full benefits of doing so. As an incentive for stewardship, landowners are encouraged to consider multiple-year leases to provide security for the tenant. Longer tenures and flexible leases allow the landowner and tenant to mutually benefit from sustainable conservation practices, provides incentives for both parties to improve soil productivity and realizes long-term production gains and profitability.
There often seems to be a disconnect between landlords and farm operators. This is why it is vital for landowners to be aware of how their tenants’ farm. The value of the land, and the return on farming enterprises, depend on how well the land is cared for over the long-term.
