Rolling into a Greener Yield: Maximizing Success Through Soil Health and Mechanical Weed Control

Commodities

Practices

Chemical farming has been and continues to be one of the most destructive human activities on the planet.  The pollution of air water and soil from the chemical inputs is the main culprit to ecosystem degradation.  Water soluble chemicals like glyphosate reach every corner of the Earth and glyphosate is the most common herbicide used in agriculture.  These compounds are like antibiotics to the soil- killing the beneficial microorganisms off that are essential for nutrient cycling, building soil structure, and armoring the plants.  Synthetic fertilizers have been poisoning our soil and waterways with excess nitrates causing major issues down stream all the way to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.  Since the time that I realized the harm that agricultural practices are causing, it has been my goal to return to my family land and figure out a way to farm in a ecologically friendly way that will heal the damage that has been done for generations past.

This project will be set up using 4 different plots: 2 plots will be non-GMO corn and soybeans farmed organically and 2 plots will be GMO corn and soybeans done with chemical inputs.  The plots will be one-acre squares that will have multiple samples taken randomly within the one acre area.  We will start with a soil sample (8 cores taken randomly within the one acre plot and mixed together) in the spring time before planting or applying anything and a biological assessment will be done.  Another sample will be done mid-season and a final one done late in the season.  All of the plots will have a multispecies cover crop mix.  In the organic plots, the weeds will be managed with an in-row roller crimper mower and the chemical plots will be terminated with roundup.  After the harvest, we will calculate the return on investment of each of the plots and compare, along with measuring the difference in biomass of microorganism groups.  We will then see not only the difference in these practices biologically but also in the financial return.