If you want to make small changes, change how you do things. If you want to make BIG changes, change how you see things. - Don Campbell
Soil Surface the study of relationships between people, animals, and plants, and their environment
BISMARCK WSFO AP, NORTH DAKOTA (320819) Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary Period of Record : 7/ 1/1948 to 12/31/2007 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annu al Average Max. Temperature (F) 20.1 26.6 38.2 55.4 68.1 77.2 84.6 83.4 71.8 58.6 39.4 26.2 54.1 Average Min. Temperature (F) -1.5 5.5 17.3 30.7 42.4 51.9 57.0 54.8 44.0 32.4 18.2 5.4 29.8 Average Total Precipitation (in.) 0.47 0.47 0.78 1.39 2.33 2.94 2.44 2.00 1.40 1.02 0.58 0.46 16.2 Average Total SnowFall (in.) 7.9 7.2 8.5 3.6 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.6 6.5 7.6 43.8 Average Snow Depth (in.) 4 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 40 Centimeters Annual Precipitation
Universal Principles Creating a Home & Food Source
Winter Spring Summer Fall Winter J F M A M J J A S O N D LEGUME based perennial pastures Winter Annuals Summer Annuals Winter Annuals High Quality Hays Corn (grazing) High Quality Hays Diverse Native Perennial based pastures/forests
Winter Spring Summer Fall Winter J F M A M J J A S O N D LEGUME based perennial pastures Winter Annuals Summer Annuals Winter Annuals High Quality Hays Warm Season Grass/BrdLeaf High Quality Hays Diverse Native Perennial based pastures/forests
Imitate Native Landscapes Water Cycle Mineral Cycle Biodiversity Energy Flow
Cause or Effect?
Building the Soil Home & Food 1. Armor 2. Diversity 3. Continual Live Plant Root 4. Appropriate Disturbance 5. Adequate Recovery Time 6. Take your Reward.please!
EXAMPLES
Cropland Soil Health Timeline
Richter Farms Marlyn and Patrick Richter Provide soil surface armor Build soil aggregates Improve the water cycle Integrated pest management Build soil organic matter Livestock integration
Cover Crop Seeded After an Early Harvest Field Pea Winter Triticale
Cover Crop Cocktail Millet (8#) Cowpea (10#) Soybean (15#) Turnip (½ #) Oilseed Radish (1#) Sunflower (1#) Sweet Clover (1#) WS Grass WS Broadleaf WS Broadleaf CS Broadleaf CS Broadleaf WS Broadleaf WS Broadleaf
Dual Feeding System Soil Biology and Livestock
52 lbs Average Gain/Calf 3.1 lbs Average Daily Gain/Calf
Fecal Sample Analysis Cover Crop Cocktail 10-5-2007 Crude Protein 15.01% Digestible Organic Matter 65.95% Fecal Nitrogen 2.38% Fecal Phosphorus 0.60% Samples tested by Grazingland Animal Nutrition Lab, Texas A & M Univ.
Net Profit of Grazing Cover Crops Gross Income Per Acre = $111.00 Expense Per Acre = $45.00 Net Income Per Acre = $66.00 Value of increased recovery time on Native Rangeland? Value of Improved Soil Health?
No Wind Erosion On The Cover Crop Field
Inches of Available Water on 5/6/08 Following the 2007 Cover Crop Summary No Cover Crop 3.11 Inches Cover Crop 3.07 Inches Difference 0.04 Inches
Cover Crop No Cover Crop
2007 Herbicide Expenses Field Treatment Herbicide Applications After Pea Harvest. Cost Per Application =$12.00/ac North Cover Crop No Manure July 1X Sept None $12.00 Middle No Cover Crop July Sept $24.00 Manure 1X 1X South No Cover Crop July Sept $24.00 No Manure 1X 1X
Corn Herbicide Expense 2008 Field Treatment 2008 Corn Herbicide Cost Per Application = $15.95/ac North Cover Crop May June July $31.90 No Manure None 1X 1X Middle No Cover Crop Manure May 1X June 1X July 1X $47.85 South No Cover Crop No Manure May 1X June 1X July 1X $47.85
Corn Net Income North Cover Crop Middle Manure South No Treatment Total Expense $227.53 $255.98 $243.48 Gross Income Net Income $289.80 $305.55 $257.25 $62.27 $49.57 $13.77
Resource Concern Soil Organic Matter 2001 SOM Levels Averaged 1.5% Present Levels Average 2.5%
Black Leg Ranch McKenzie, ND Adding Biology with Animal Impact
Addressing Resource Concerns Crop Vertical Structure Legume Nitrogen Scavenger Wildlife Pollinators Carbon Deep Rooted Proso Millet + Med Pearl Millet Med Sudan Med Corn + High Soybean * Low Cowpea * Low Sweet Clover Radish * Low X Turnip Low X Sunflower + * Med X Low
COVER CROP MIX 2010 300 ACRES $33.53 per acre Pearl Millet 1 lb Proso Millet 2 lbs Sudan 4 lbs Soybean 15 lbs Cowpea 10 lbs Sunflower 1 lb Radish 2 lbs Turnip 1 lb Sweet Clover 1 lb Corn 1 lb @ $.74/lb @ $.25/lb @ $.45/lb @ $.53/lb @ $1.13/lb @ $4.00/lb @ $1.53/lb @ $1.53/lb @ $1.40/lb @ $1.25/lb
CORN ON COVER CROP COVER CROP ON COVER CROP Total Biology 1774 ng/g soil Total Biology 3312 ng/g soil Bacteria 1473 ng/g soil Bacteria 2510 ng/g soil Fungi 147 ng/g soil Fungi 513 ng/g soil Mycorrhiza 37 ng/g soil Mycorrhiza 251 ng/g soil BIOLOGICAL SOIL TESTS
Turned in 350 dry cows on November 29, 2010 Grazed with no additional feed until January 3, 2011
Crude Protein 7.9% Total Digestible Nutrients 59%
Stock Density 300 yearlings on 1/3 acre 675 AU/acre
Return Plant Material to the soil surface
Food & a Home for Soil Biology
Soil Organic Matter and Available Water Capacity Inches of Water/One Foot of Soil Percent SOM Sand Silt Loam Silty Clay Loam 1 1.0 1.9 1.4 2 1.4 2.4 1.8 3 1.7 2.9 2.2 4 2.1 3.5 2.6 5 2.5 4.0 3.0 Berman Hudson Journal Soil and Water Conservation 49(2) 189-194 March April 1994 Summarized by: Dr. Mark Liebig, ARS, Mandan, ND Hal Weiser, Soil Scientist, NRCS, Bismarck, ND
Soil Aggregates Glomalin & Hyphae Dr. Kris Nichols, Microbiologist, ARS, Mandan, ND
Tissue Sample Taken from Non-Fertilized Corn WARD Laboratories, Inc
Long Term No-Till w/ High Diversity
Browns Ranch (Native Rangeland SOM: 7.2) Two Years Mob Grazing West Side of Shelterbelt Total Biology: 6105 ng/g soil Actinomycetes: 213 ng/g soil Bacteria: 4417 ng/g soil Fungi: 786 ng/g soil Ratio Bacteria/Fungi: 5.6 Mycorrhiza: 230 ng/g soil SOM: 5.0 No Mob Grazing East Side of Shelterbelt Total Biology: 4228 ng/g soil Actinomycetes: 418 ng/g soil Bacteria: 3349 ng/g soil Fungi: 386 ng/g soil Ratio Bacteria/Fungi: 8.7 Mycorrhiza: 145 ng/g soil SOM: 3.8
How do I get started??
Addressing Resource Concerns Tool Soil Cover Diversity Infiltration SOM Nutrient Cycle Succession Energy Flow Grazing Animal Impact Rest Fire Technology Biology Human Creativity Money Labor
Management Layering Giving & Taking Is MOWING the same as GRAZING?? McPeak Ranch, Sterling, ND
Many opportunities are lost when we operate daily under the worst case scenario, rather than have a plan in place for when it actually happens.
Tying It All Together