Ag Policy Blog

Yes, I drank the Kool-Aid.

I got an email from my office on Tuesday declaring "Don't drink the Kool-Aid!" just as the National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health began.

But I was all in with the conference. Most of the major apostles for cover crops were there speaking, including Howard G. Buffett, Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, Dave Brandt and Gail Fuller, just to name a few. The conference was a great way for Buffett to advance his "Brown Revolution."

Disclosure here: Not only was I drinking the Kool-Aid, but I also played a role as a discussion facilitator on federal policy and cover crops.

As I stated before, the goal of the event is to build synergy to get cover crops to 20 million acres by 2020. Currently, farmers plant roughly 3 million acres. That's an estimate because there doesn't seem to be good data on exactly how many acres of covers are out there. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service can tell how many acres the agency has enrolled in its programs, but then there are separate state initiatives as well.

Also, there are the farmers who receive no program payment whatsoever. That may have been one of the bigger surprises from a survey of 1,500 farmers by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. The survey found 63% of farmers growing cover crops receive no financial support for doing so. Another 14% of farmers received cost-share to help them get started. Eight percent of farmers polled are growing cover crops only because they are paid for it.

Nonetheless, we had this incredibly exciting meeting in Omaha for a cropping practice that might be used on 2% of the nation's farmland, likely less. The benefits, however, are hard to ignore for both farmers and the public. Cover crops increase organic matter in the soil, water infiltration and holding capacity. In dealing with water-quality challenges, cover crops may be one of the easiest areas to demonstrate long-term improvement. Maryland can attest to that, given that cover crops are one of the main tools used to help reduce nitrate leaching in the Chesapeake Bay.

Indiana is held up as a model state where federal, state, university, farmers and agribusiness people have worked together over the past 15 years to boost cover crops. There is consistent messaging and outreach about the benefits and value to producers who grow them. Crop consultants and agri-retailers play key roles and are willing to sell both seed and machinery, as well as labor for planting covers.

There's a strong belief that cover crops improve nutritional value in food and feed. It would seem logical that if cover crops and soil-health practices add nutrients and micro-nutrients to the soil and produce healthier plants that the grains and oilseeds would be healthier too. However, more research is needed to provide solid data to back up such statements. That's a game changer. If data shows covers translate into healthier food on the grocery shelves then consumers and food companies are going to seek out farmers who can deliver more nutritious food.

Cover crop champions should be heralded. Some certainly are praised for their work, but they are not recognized the same way as commodity yield winners. Maybe the guy who most deserves recognition is the guy building the most organic matter in his soil.

As was repeated over and over, the biggest problem promoting covers is getting mindsets on the farm and in industry to change. Cover crops must be stressed as a long-term risk-management strategy to improve soil health rather than a short-term risk that must be scrapped if cover termination gets in the way of next spring's planting season. Crops have to show that cover crops pay. Some surveys and studies show long-term yield gains and/or a reduction in input costs. Yet, one of the bigger bangs for the buck with covers is integrating livestock into the mix and gaining income through grazing.

More partnerships are developing. Farm Foundation and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Oklahoma has developed a soil-health initiative. Next week at Commodity Classic, a soil-health partnership will be rolled out with National Corn Growers Association, Monsanto and the Walton Family Foundation. What's the connection there? Well, Walmart is pushing for lower nitrogen fertilizer usage from commodity corn that goes into food on Walmart shelves. Cover crops are going to play some role in these various efforts.

Key to these initiatives is the importance of making farmland more resilient.

When it comes to federal policy, everybody wants to see what the new farm bill will bring for cover-crop practices and research opportunities. Since resiliency is important, it would seem logical USDA's new climate hubs will play a role in both of those areas.

USDA's Risk Management Agency has come a long way, but there are still problems in areas that summer fallow that must be addressed. The crop insurance industry needs to get on board. People at the conference suggested premium discounts or rebates for farmers without insurance claims or are proven to apply strong conservation practices.

One participant came up with the idea that cover crops are "health care for the soil."

We just don't want that to turn into "Obamasoil."

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