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Certifying water high quality | Profitable Farming

When the Janski household of St. Augusta, Minnesota, discovered concerning the Minnesota Agricultural Water High quality Certification Program, they jumped on the probability to get licensed. Taking part in this system represented one other step of their ongoing efforts to preserve sources.

“We’d already switched to no-till to cut back soil erosion and inputs like gas, however we wished to additionally enhance our administration of irrigation water, assist wildlife habitat, and do our half to make sure water high quality by stopping runoff from our fields,” says Daniel Janski.

Alongside along with his mother and father, Richard and Marlys, brother Thomas, and cousin Tyler, Janski is a companion in Janski Farms LLC. The household manages greater than 4,400 acres of corn, soybeans, small grains, alfalfa, and edible peas and grows cowl crops. In addition they run a 210-cow dairy, a 750-head on-farm feedlot, and 24 beef cow-calf pairs.

After making use of for this system and dealing with a certifier to establish water-quality dangers on their farm and methods to deal with the dangers, the Janskis grew to become water-quality licensed in 2021. They joined greater than 1,100 Minnesota farmers who’re additionally licensed.

The voluntary Water High quality Certification Program launched in 2016. This system got here from brainstorming by representatives of the Minnesota Division of Agriculture, USDA, the Environmental Safety Company, the Pure Sources Conservation Service, and different companies.

“As a result of Minnesota is a headwater state — which means all of the water within the state finally leaves — we determined to take a novel method to addressing water-quality issues,” says Brad Jordahl Redlin, program supervisor. “We determined to create a voluntary alternative for farmers to take the lead in implementing conservation practices that shield our water.”




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The Janski household is experimenting with grazing cowl crops.

Farmers in Minnesota can apply for the state program at both their native cooperative or soil and water conservation district (SWCD) workplace. A program-approved certifier — sometimes a SWCD worker — schedules an on-farm go to with the applicant.

“The certifier conducts a whole-farm threat evaluation to search out administration areas that may be posing dangers to water,” says Redlin. “If dangers are discovered, the certifier and farmer put their heads collectively to search out methods to mitigate these dangers. However in the long run, the farmer finds his or her personal path to mitigation of the dangers.”

Directing the participant to cost-sharing applications or different sources of technical or monetary help can also be the certifier’s function. In some instances the applicant could qualify for a $5,000 grant accessible via the Water High quality Certification Program to assist implement practices to higher shield water.

As soon as licensed, farmers are deemed in compliance for a 10-year interval with any new legal guidelines enacted regarding agricultural water high quality. 

For the Janskis, the certification course of recognized three administration areas that might result in continued enhancements of their ongoing efforts to higher preserve soil and water.

“We’ve been specializing in making a full conversion to no-till, diversifying our crops and canopy crops, and fine-tuning our pivot irrigation administration,” says Janski.

By this system, the Janskis obtained sensors that monitor soil moisture within the soil profile. The sensors assist them resolve how a lot water to use to fields and provides an correct studying of how a lot they’re truly utilizing and making use of.

“We used to dig with a shovel to see how a lot soil moisture there was, however it is a rather more correct means of understanding how a lot water to use,” says Janski. The sensors additionally doc what the Janskis have been already observing however not quantifying: Cowl crops preserve moisture.

“We’re discovering that after termination, the quilt crop residue on the sphere preserves soil moisture,” says Janski.

Wonderful-Tuning Cowl Crops

Whereas the Janskis started rising cowl crops earlier than making use of for water-quality certification, collaborating in this system has helped them fine-tune the method. On fields the place money crops have been harvested by mid-September, they plant a multispecies cowl crop mix with cereal rye as the principle element.

“After about September 20, we are going to solely plant cereal rye as a canopy crop,” says Janski. “We now have discovered that seeding different species at that late a date doesn’t at all times present sufficient rising time for them to provide vital progress.

“We’re additionally grazing among the cowl crops, however we’re within the experimental part of this,” he says. “We perceive that grazing offers advantages to crops and soil life via the cattle’s saliva and their hooves trampling the soil floor.”

Together with together with cereal rye as a key element in cowl crop mixes, the Janskis additionally search for home windows of alternative within the crop rotation to develop cereal rye as a stand-alone crop for producing grain and straw. They harvest the grain for canopy crop seed and use the straw for livestock bedding.




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Cowl crop alongside corn at Janski Farms.

Lengthy-Time period Planning

Since working with their SWCD certifier, the Janskis have realized that planning their crop rotation provides them the alternatives they should higher develop the rye for grain and straw.

“We’re at all times wanting forward now, at the very least two years prematurely, in order that now we have a plan established for what crop to develop in what discipline,” says Janski. “In years previous we didn’t have a long-term plan.”

They’ve discovered that cereal rye harvested from an early-planted crop yields the most effective. Meaning discovering methods to reap earlier money crops early sufficient to supply well timed planting of the rye. Generally that may imply harvesting a discipline of corn for silage to make room for planting rye in late summer season. Rising an early-maturing number of soybeans can present a window of alternative as effectively.

Wonderful-tuning such administration efficiencies as these ensuing from strategic planning can result in elevated farm profitability for farmers present process the water-quality certification course of. (See “Individuals Extra Worthwhile.”)

Enhanced profitability additionally outcomes from adoption of some conservation practices, resembling no-till, which might probably decrease prices.

“By decreasing or eliminating tillage, we’ve saved cash on gas,” says Janski. “Since changing to full no-till, we’ve reduce our gas use by two tankers a yr. And I’ve heard from others that down the highway, as our no-till system matures, our use of artificial fertilizers might be much less.”

Individuals Extra Worthwhile

A subset evaluation by Minnesota Farm Enterprise Administration discovered that Minnesota farmers who’ve undergone the water-quality certification course of are extra worthwhile than their noncertified friends.

“These which might be licensed have a mean web earnings that’s 20% greater than these that aren’t licensed,” says Brad Jordahl Redlin, water-quality certification program supervisor. “When farmers are maximizing conservation efficiency, it may possibly scale back fertilizer and chemical use, together with tillage and diesel gas. They’re fine-tuning their bills.”

Advertising and marketing premiums ensuing from the clean-water certification standing may outcome, additional growing profitability, he provides. Whereas product premiums are troublesome to glean from the generic market, they’re extra potential for farmers advertising and marketing on to customers.

Water-High quality Enchancment

As farmers resembling Janski proceed to deal with the circumstances on their farm that might presumably threaten water high quality, the general well being of the water flowing out of Minnesota will definitely enhance, says Redlin.

“At this level within the Water High quality Certification Program, we are able to’t see the entire influence it’s having on pure sources as a result of we’re just a few years into this system,” he says. “However as farmers enhance their use of conservation practices, we all know that water high quality goes to be higher.”

For Janski, the method of adopting conservation practices is instructing him loads about soil well being and has put him in a working relationship with NRCS.

“This has been a crew effort between us and them,” he says. “I’m studying extra concerning the life within the soil, and this journey is instructing me that we’re not the one ones utilizing the bottom.”

Study Extra

Extra element concerning the Minnesota Agricultural Water High quality Certification Program is offered at https://bit.ly/32g1gJG.

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