Last week, I headed east to Brownsburg, Ind., (just west of Indianapolis) to attend a first-ever gathering at Starkey Farms dubbed “Conversations about Conservation” that was held exclusively for a non-farming, landowner audience.
I’d heard about it at the first Conservation Ag Foundation (CAF) board meeting in Louisville in January and needed to see it first-hand. I’ve always been perplexed as to why landowners (who presumably want their farmland protected for ensuing generations) don’t take a more active role in the conservation practices their tenants do – or should I say don’t – follow. After all, these practices are guaranteed to save topsoil and keep vibrant healthy soils.
Mike Starkey
Seventh and eighth-generation farmers Mike Starkey and his nephew, Jeff are one of only two active farmers in the county bordering Indianapolis. Starkey, a No-Till Innovator of the Year Alum, aims to share with the neighbors what he and his fellow no-tillers are doing in soil health, land and water health to increase interest in no-till and cover crops.
Bust Through the Ceiling
Bob Barr, research scientist at the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at Indiana University - Indianapolis, told No-Till Farmer during a break that conservation practices in the area have plateaued.
“We're here trying to understand how we can get more of Indiana's farmland in conservation practices, soil health practices, controlled drainage and different practices that improve the soil and quality of the water coming off of those fields.”
“The bottom line is always, can I make money doing this? The conservation farmers we've worked with now for almost 20 years answer with a resounding YES … that this is the only way they can make money. As a matter of fact, I heard it said that if you aren’t doing conservation practices and soil health management systems, you won't be farming in another decade...” – Bob Barr, research scientist at the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at Indiana University - Indianapolis
That plateau in no-till and cover crops is concerning to him. “We're told by producers that those who want to are already doing these practices and those who don't want to are not. But USDA and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) understand, and see that a lot of the rental ground is not being managed with conservation practices. And that population doesn't get a lot of the outreach.
An Interview with a Landowner
Indiana landowner Mary Huber was an active participant in the February workshop, "Conversations in Conservation" spending the day at Starkey Farms before heading into town to teach 4-H kids. She owns land in Indiana's Putnam County and Hendricks County, where she also lives.
During a Q&A about what it takes to get conservation practices onto landowners’ radars, Huber's personal commitment to getting a farmer going in cover crops was shared.
“I did the research, read up on cover crops and their benefits, as well as how to do them. I talked to the soil and water conservation people to hear what they had to say and did research. And then I talked to my farmer about it and proposed that for the first couple years I would take care of making all the arrangements and paying for it. And after several years, he converted, and now he also does cover crops on other lands that he farms.”
It was not just paying for the change that made the difference, she says, it was also putting in the work. “It's not only the money,” she says of the obstacles, “but also the time and effort and digging into this sort of stuff when it's something that they haven't done before.”
Huber doesn’t recall her farmer being resistant to the idea, she says, but that “I just took it upon myself because I wanted it done. So I put the time and effort into doing it and financed it.”
Her impact went far beyond her fenceposts, too, as this farmer carried his conservation experiences to other farms in the area.
As became evident, the landowners have tremendous power to impact the land – with their tenants, with elected officials and so on. Krista Kirkham, aquatic ecologist of The Nature Conservancy in Illinois, says conservation needn’t be a difficult conversation to have with the tenant. “It starts with empowering landowners with the knowledge and resources should they want to make changes on their land, and then working with the farmers to do it.”
“Farmers and producers talk to each other. They go to the county extension agents; they go to the soil conservation folks. But absentee landowners or rented landowners often don't do that. So we wanted a way to reach those people and came up with the idea of trying to put together a dedicated event to reach out to people outside of that core community. This is our first attempt, but 65% of the group today are non-farmers, which is probably a record for us."
Landowner Event: What’s the Point?
Michael Dunn, director of fresh water conservation programs for the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, notes that about 50% of the neighboring watershed area is farmed by someone that doesn't own it. “We're shepherding a conversation between landowners and farmers about conservation outcomes.”
“I’ve always been perplexed as to why landowners (who presumably want their farmland protected for ensuing generations) don’t take a more active role in the conservation practices their tenants do – or should I say don’t – follow. After all, these practices are guaranteed to save topsoil and keep vibrant healthy soils…”
“Two-thirds of my land that I farm is rented,” says Starkey. “Besides giving them a rent check, they need to see the benefits of what we’re providing besides income; that we’re not just trying to make a buck. We're improving on nature and providing bigger and better things on their soil for the next generation.”
Starkey’s motivation was to pay it forward and let others know that farmers are interested in more than a buck and safeguarding the land. “This is not about us; it’s for all landowners that rent their ground out if we show them what is happening on their soil. They can take that message to their neighbors, hopefully their legislators. They are voters; there's a lot more landowners out there than there are farmers.”
The Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Ag Foundation distributed copies of the publication, How No-Till Improves Your Land Value to the attendees. The editors of No-Till Farmer are currently seeking support to put this 24-page guide into the hands of the entire Lessiter Media Conservation Ag Division subscriber base.
How To Run an Effective Landowner Event
When asked for recommendations on what other no-till farmers should do in planning a similar event for their landlords, Starkey says to start with the end in mind – consider what the landowners want to learn. It’s a different agenda than regular farm meetings, he says.
“Instead of talking about how to improve their equipment for no-till or what kind of cover crop seed to purchase, the landowners want an agenda about their farm, their soil, their water, and hopefully to learn how to help transition their tenants in providing the soil health practices that we do.”
Slideshow: Starkey Farms Conversations about Conservation
Starkey personally contacted all his landowners and most neighboring ones. “You can also contact landowners in your county through our Soil and Water Conservation District; it’s public information. We went directly to the landowners and sent the agenda and the invite.”
Barr advises others to “reach out to farmers who are doing it. They'll tell you what their experience has been. Those are the people that can guide you in your area better than anyone."
“If you’re curious about any of these practices just go for it, because there are so many resources out there – both technical and financial resources. It’s easy to think about that change and to get things in order to execute it. Some aren't easy to do, but there's so much assistance behind it to do it. Go for it…” – Krista G. Kirkham, aquatic ecologist, The Nature Conservancy in Illinois
“And work with your larger group. This is the result of the Nature Conservancy, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Hendricks County Soil & Water Conservation District, Indiana University-Indianapolis outreach programs, etc. Everybody came together to try to figure out how to reach this group. It's a group effort.”
Starkey’s event included hands-on activities including the passing around of soil samples. Krista Kirkham, aquatic ecologist, The Nature Conservancy in Illinois adds that the interaction is important (“It’s a business, but conservation is a topic that those showing up care about deeply,” she says) and is a lot better than conventional meetings where you “have to listen to 7-8 PowerPoints.”
Their Magic-Wand Wish
Starkey hopes each of his 30-some attendees leave with a knowledge that farmers are providing good things on their land. “And there's hope out there that their ground and soil is going to be better today and even better tomorrow so they can pass it on to the next generation.”
Starkey can’t control whether their land stays in ag or is sold for development, as has been happening rapidly in his area “That’s their business,” he says. “But I want them to know we are doing good things for their soil and water.”
Dunn’s hope is that all the attendees learn just “one thing” to talk about with their farmers, perhaps just one improvement to make on ag land that they own. “It could be anywhere on the spectrum, from just getting started to looking for one additional step, one additional practice, one additional outcome that they can do with their farmer,” says Dunn.
Below is the agenda for the landowner event hosted by Indiana University - Indianapolis, TNC and Indiana Corn & Soy at Starkey Farms, Brownsburg, Ind.
Tuesday, February 18
Conversations on Conservation! Managing your leased farmland
Learn from land owners and operators that have worked together to make conservation farming work and sustain soil health on leased farmland. Presented by IU Indy, TNC, Indiana Corn & Soy.
10 a.m to 10:10 a.m. – Welcome
10:15 - 10: 45 a.m. – Starkey Farms Partnership: 15 Years of Conservation – Mike Starkey & Bob Barr
11 to 11:30 a.m. – Franklin Farms, a family-owned research and development farm, Lexington, Ill. – Maria Lemke & Krista G. Kirkham
12:30 - 1 p.m. Working Lunch & Networking
1 to 1:30 p.m. Soil Health Demonstrations
1:40 - 2:50 p.m. Panel Discussion and Exchange
