Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: soybeans, wheat
Practices
- Crop Production: cover crops, cropping systems, crop rotation, no-till
- Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, networking, on-farm/ranch research, youth education
- Farm Business Management: agricultural finance, financial management, value added
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil stabilization
- Soil Management: organic matter, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: community development, leadership development, local and regional food systems, quality of life, sustainability measures
Abstract:
Kansas State University, Grain Craft, and in collaboration with farmers (Knopf, Jordan, and Guetterman Brothers) built a team to provide integrated research, extension, and education efforts to farmers and future agriculture generations in understanding the role of regenerative agriculture practices on grain nutritional quality. The adoption of conservation practices has the potential to be a relevant path not only for food security but also for biofortification. Despite the wide range of soil health benefits through the adoption of no-tillage systems and cover crops, the effect of these practices on grain nutritional quality remains unknown. This project was built upon the two current on-farm networks (RAIN Farmer to Farmer Network and the Kansas Soil Health Network) and was conducted in collaboration with farmers across the state (Knopf, Solomon, KS; Jordan, Beloit, KS; and Guetterman Brothers, Bucyrus, KS). The goals for this project were to: i) evaluate the effect of the adoption of cover crops in grain nutritional quality of wheat and soybean crops, ii) assess the interaction between management, environment (soil x weather), crop yield, and grain nutrient density under enhanced agricultural practices, and iii) inform farmers on potential opportunities to obtain a differential price due to grain quality segregation and explore premium prices via new markets. The research was conducted using a randomized complete block design that compared a farmer-standard treatment (no-till) with an improved treatment (no-till + cover crops). Wheat was evaluated at Solomon and Beloit, KS, and soybean at Beloit and Bucyrus, KS. Grain was analyzed for protein, oil, and mineral concentrations (including zinc, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium). Alongside the research, the team delivered field days at the on-farm sites and extension presentations. Through these activities, farmers, students, legislators, and the general public gained an evidence-based understanding of how cover crops relate to grain quality and of the environmental factors that most influence grain composition. Cover crops did not significantly change grain nutritional quality for the large majority of parameters in either wheat or soybean. One exception was wheat grain protein, which was significantly higher under the no-cover treatment than under cover crops at both Solomon and Beloit. Across the remaining wheat minerals and all measured soybean parameters (protein, oil, and minerals), no significant difference between cover-crop and no-cover treatments was detected. Where grain composition did differ, site and environment were the dominant drivers — more influential than the cover-crop treatment itself. The practical implication for the project's premium-market goal is that cover cropping on its own did not create a measurable grain-quality differential over the study period; environment, crop, and site were the stronger determinants of grain nutritional quality.
Project objectives:
Learning outcomes: (1) provide integrated and continued extension and education benefitting farmers to understand the advantages of regenerative agriculture practices on grain quality; (2) develop new foundational knowledge that can help farmers access to differentiated grain markets and receive premium prices for their products; (3) assist on improving quality of life, as well as the financial well-being, of farmers and surrounding communities through the use of regenerative agricultural practices, food production with improved grain quality, and conservation of natural resources. The action outcomes for this project will be: (1) improve wheat and soybean grain nutritional quality through the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices (cover crops); (2) explore new market niches to commercialize grain with better nutritional composition; (3) assist on improving farmer and community’s overall quality of life, economic well-being, and knowledge about better agronomic practices that can improve short and long-term sustainability. The sum of all these outcomes will help us to understand better the relationship between management, yield, and nutrient content on wheat and soybean grain. Furthermore, we also expect to generate knowledge that will improve farming practices in the North Central region.