Farm406

Dan began no-till on his land in 2006, starting with a hoe drill and later moving to a disk drill to prevent moisture loss and reduce soil disturbance. "e disc drill allows biology to stay intact. Some of the higher-level soil biology is heavily impacted by disturbance," states NRCS's Fischer. "Bacteria not so much, but you get to the fungal component; it doesn't take disturbance." Prior to 2005, the family had done some no-till and continuous cropping but used conventional farming practices, meaning tillage and a grain followed by grain crop rotation. "In 2006, we decided to develop a rotation. We started seeding peas, safflower, corn, millet for hay and crop, lentils and canola, not all to good effect," continues Dan. "But we are trying." Dan farms around 2,500 acres in annual diverse crop rotations and cover crops. "I believe, particularly with the rotations, we have been able to help ourselves an awful lot," states Dan. "If you introduce different kinds of biology into the soil, it all has a synergistic effect. Diverse rotation aracts a whole different kind of biology, and different root structures can benefit the soil long-term," he states. Safflower, a warm season broadleaf, is known for its deep taproot and ability to pull nutrients up from deeper soil. There is also good standing stubble in this field. NRCS Supervisory District Conservationist Ann Fischer shows taproot of plants on native prairie. farm406 42

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