Documenting the Economic Benefits of Soil Health Management for Farmers - Mines

7/30/2015

Documenting the Economic Benefits of Soil Health Management

Report from Year 1: Scoping and Initial Data

Sarah Mine July 27, 2015 SWCS Annual Conference Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel Greensboro, NC

2 2 daturesearch.com

We Will Empower Advocates with Economic Data

http://www.daturesearch.com/


We Targeted Soil Health Farmers with Well-Kept Records



Why Did We Choose to Start with the UMRB?

Photo: USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. 2015. http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/fmg/nfmg/bl_hardwood/img/upper_mississippi_basin_map.gif



Thirty-three Producers Were Nominated across 6 states

State SWCD Executive Directors

Producer Associations

Non-governmental Organizations

NRCS State Resource Conservationists & Agronomists

33 Producer

Nominations



We Selected 4 Soil Health Producers across 3 States



The Soil Health Producers Capture Important Diversity

Producer 1 Producer 2 Producer 3 Producer 4

Location MO – western IL – northern IA – northern IL – south central

Acreage 385 52 2,000 1,619

Row crops Corn, soybean,

some wheat, CC

seeds (cereal rye)

Corn, soybean Corn, soybean Corn, soybean

% No-till 100 100 100 Soybeans - 100;

Corn – about

every 5 years,

uses manure and

tills ~160 acres

% Cover crops 50 100 35 ~3 (trying out)

Data Before & after CC

data

Before & after CC

data

Before & after CC

data

Before & after NT

data

Livestock Cattle 3 goats No livestock Hogs

Other

distinguisher

Age <40, Third

crop in the

rotation

Limited

Resource/Socially

Disadvantaged

Strip till



Our Case Studies Will Show Economic & Community Impacts

Case Study Components

Impact on Community

Benefits Challenges Case study

producer’s influence

Economic Comparisons

Before v. after Case study v.

average farmer CC v. non-CC

acres (where possible)

Farm Description Acreage, crop

mix, soil types, climate, etc.

Reasons for no-till & cover crop use

History of no-till & cover crop use



We Will Use Farmer Data to Quantify What Changes



We Will Use Partial Budgets to Analyze What Changes



We Will Compare Farmers’ Costs and Yields to Average Data



Our Next Step is Data Analysis

Begin Scoping

Complete Scoping; Conduct Round 1 Producer Data Collection,

Community Interviews &

Analysis

Conduct Round 2 Producer Data

Collection, Community

Interviews & Analysis

Conduct Round 3 Producer Data

Collection, Community

Interviews & Analysis;

Complete Final Report

2014 2015 2016 2017

Data Analysis, Summer – Fall 2015



Thank you

Find updates at www.daturesearch.com

Soil Health Producer Frank Moore in northern Iowa, in front of his no-till drill



Documenting the Economic Benefits of Soil Health Management for Farmers - Mines

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