Please consider a gift to the Cerro Gordo Soil and Water Conservation District. Your tax deductible donation will assist our Commissioners and staff in spreading the word about protecting our natural resources on private lands. Please send your gift to the Cerro Gordo SWCD at 1415 South Monroe Ave., Mason City, Iowa 50401.
The National Association of Conservation Districts - 2022 theme is
Healthy Soil : Healthy Life
The Cerro Gordo SWCD publishes a monthly article in The Globe Gazette newspaper that discusses a current topic in conservation. The articles are written by Dennis Carney one of our commissioners. The most recent articles are reprinted below:
New Conservation Evaluation Tool - July 2021
The Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (S.T.A.R.) program is an exciting new free program to assist producers and landowners in evaluating their nutrient and soil management practices on individual fields. The Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) is promoting a 25 county pilot project this year in East Central Iowa.
S.T.A.R., developed in Champaign County, Illinois by their local Soil and Water Conservation District commissioners, is a way to promote conservation practices. The S.T.A.R. evaluation program assigns points to each cropping, tillage, nutrient application, and soil conservation activity on individual fields. Higher point values are assigned to those practices that align best with Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Based on the points awarded, the field is assigned a rating of one to five stars, with five being the best.
In calendar year 2020, CDI adapted S.T.A.R. to Iowa’s cropping practices and natural resource goals. A Science Committee, comprised of university agronomists, water quality experts, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship representatives, conservation-minded producers, and others, met several times to develop this year’s S.T.A.R. point system. This list of practices and the points assigned to each will be reviewed annually.
S.T.A.R. is still in its early stages. Iowa was the first state outside of Illinois to formally sign-on with the program. Several additional states, including Missouri, Colorado, and Minnesota, are in the preliminary stages. In addition, a variety of major agricultural industry companies have been closely following the progress of S.T.A.R.. These suppliers and buyers of agricultural products are acutely aware of increasing consumer pressure focused on resource protection and sustainably produced food, feed, and fuels. To be able to make claims of environmental stewardship these companies will need to reward producers for “doing the right things” and S.T.A.R. may well become a trusted method of verification.
On a more local level, the S.T.A.R. program will assist landowners in ensuring that their valuable cropland is being operated and cared for in the way desired. A landowner need only to specify in the lease that a tenant must participate in the program and maintain a specified “S.T.A.R. rating”. This is much easier than specifying in the lease what practices the landowner wants and doesn’t want on the land. Also, tenants who wish to rent land from owners concerned about the land’s long-term productivity, should participate in S.T.A.R. for third-party validation that they are farming in an environmentally sound way.
When the S.T.A.R. program comes to an additional 25 counties in Iowa (including Cerro Gordo) in 2022, verification and spot checks will be managed by the local soil and water districts. This means the program is local, public, and operated by a group that will have no stake in the ratings. If you are curious about S.T.A.R. and want to learn more, log into the CDI website at cdiowa.org and look under the S.T.A.R. banner for the 2021 field form that can be completed on-line.
DISTRICT PLANNING - June 2021
The Cerro Gordo Soil and Water District Commissioners completed development of
their five-year district conservation plan last month. With the guidance of a planner
employed by the Conservation Districts of Iowa, and with input from several members of
the community over a series of six meetings, the commissioners identified five priority
goals. These goals will help us direct our efforts and our funding going forward.
It should come as no surprise that increased natural resource and water quality
education will be our top priority. Unsustainable soil losses from tillage and excessive
nutrients in our surface waters due to bad timing, overapplication, and too much tillage
are certainly our primary concern. We plan to get involved with natural resource
education programs for youth, hold more field days, and work to reach landowners
through a variety of print and electronic media.
Traditional (at least for the past 100 years) farming methods in our area need to be
reevaluated as we as a society become increasingly aware of the true costs of these
extractive farming methods. Our soils must be protected and returned to health through
the use of practices that keep the soil covered and provide a living root in the soil profile
for more than just 5 months of the year. The use of no-till methods and the addition of
cover crops has to become the new “traditional” if we plan to keep using the soil to
produce food and fiber.
The second priority goal stated in our plan is to increase the use of grassed waterways
as a way to allow excess surface water to exit a field without causing severe erosion
and gullies. Too often these scars on the landscape are just filled in every year with
tillage that hides the true cumulative soil loss. We have been fortunate this spring to
have not had heavy rainfall events so far. But we will, and the damage in areas that
should be covered by vegetation is often hidden by growing crops during the season.
We want to educate landowners about the devastating cost of this resource (asset) loss
and about the many cost share programs available that will help to defray the
construction costs of a properly designed grassed waterway. Most areas where a
waterway should be may be enrolled in a continuous CRP contract where there is cost
share, incentive payments, and a yearly rental payment to defray the cost of lost
production or rent. Waterways do need to be maintained. Our office can also help you
improve an existing waterway that is no longer doing its job.
It is our hope that these first two goals, if aggressively pursued, will help the district
begin to move from extractive agriculture to a type of regenerative agriculture. If you
are interested in being informed about what is going on in the district and in programs
that may help you begin to make this change, send your email address to
Marcia.Mork@ianacdnet.net to be added to our mailing list or check out our website at
cerrogordoswcd.org.
Soil Health - April 2021
Spring is upon us! Agriculture producers and landowners are finalizing decisions and actions for this
year’s planting season. Most of the decisions involving expensive inputs, such as seed, fertilizers,
and herbicides, are usually made using economic considerations. However, some application
methods, timing of operations, and other land preparation decisions tend to be done based on farm
traditions, resistance to change, and bad advice.
As stated repeatedly in this column, I realize change is hard. Many producers are more than willing
to change the variety of corn hybrid they plant from year to year but are unwilling to change how they
plant it. Herbicides that are widely used change completely every few years as a new and improved
system is released, yet many producers have been doing the same tillage operations and timing for
nearly their whole farming career. Unnecessary tillage continues to degrade water quality and soil
health.
The science of soil health, which is defined as the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital
living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans, has become the primary focus of those
working in conservation. The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) led the way in the
adoption of this terminology and promotes it through educational programs. Soil health practices
support the goals that conservationists have always strived for – less soil erosion, better water
quality, improved wildlife habitat, and reduced water quantity leaving the landscape. It also gives the
soil greater resiliency to overcome increased weather volatility. Stated simply, soil health practices
include reduction or elimination of tillage, the use of cover crops, and the resulting reduced need for
supplemental nutrients.
In the past few weeks, commissioners contacted Iowa legislators in support of HF 801, Soil Health
and Soil and Water Conservation Policy. This policy incorporates soil health language into the Iowa
Code section that governs conservation districts. There has been a drive by federal agencies to
better align national program goals and funding with modern language. Surprisingly, there has been
some resistance from the major producer and commodity groups, based mostly on a lack of
understanding of the science. Encourage commodity groups with whom you are associated to do
some research and get on board with soil health.
Commissioners have also visited with Iowa’s congressional delegation to encourage continued
support for longstanding conservation programs, such as CRP and CSP, that will be important with
the new administration’s emphasis on carbon reduction and mitigating climate change. The locally
led, voluntary, incentive based model administered through your local SWCD/NRCS offices needs to
be supported as a source of the technical assistance that landowners and producers will need to take
advantage of new incentives.
In an effort to provide current information about existing and new conservation programs to
landowners and producers, the Cerro Gordo Soil and Water Conservation District is developing an
email list of individuals interested in receiving this information. To be included on this email, contact
Marcia at the Cerro Gordo Soil and Water District office at Marcia.Mork@ia.nacdnet.net.
Healthy Soil : Healthy Life
The Cerro Gordo SWCD publishes a monthly article in The Globe Gazette newspaper that discusses a current topic in conservation. The articles are written by Dennis Carney one of our commissioners. The most recent articles are reprinted below:
New Conservation Evaluation Tool - July 2021
The Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (S.T.A.R.) program is an exciting new free program to assist producers and landowners in evaluating their nutrient and soil management practices on individual fields. The Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) is promoting a 25 county pilot project this year in East Central Iowa.
S.T.A.R., developed in Champaign County, Illinois by their local Soil and Water Conservation District commissioners, is a way to promote conservation practices. The S.T.A.R. evaluation program assigns points to each cropping, tillage, nutrient application, and soil conservation activity on individual fields. Higher point values are assigned to those practices that align best with Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Based on the points awarded, the field is assigned a rating of one to five stars, with five being the best.
In calendar year 2020, CDI adapted S.T.A.R. to Iowa’s cropping practices and natural resource goals. A Science Committee, comprised of university agronomists, water quality experts, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship representatives, conservation-minded producers, and others, met several times to develop this year’s S.T.A.R. point system. This list of practices and the points assigned to each will be reviewed annually.
S.T.A.R. is still in its early stages. Iowa was the first state outside of Illinois to formally sign-on with the program. Several additional states, including Missouri, Colorado, and Minnesota, are in the preliminary stages. In addition, a variety of major agricultural industry companies have been closely following the progress of S.T.A.R.. These suppliers and buyers of agricultural products are acutely aware of increasing consumer pressure focused on resource protection and sustainably produced food, feed, and fuels. To be able to make claims of environmental stewardship these companies will need to reward producers for “doing the right things” and S.T.A.R. may well become a trusted method of verification.
On a more local level, the S.T.A.R. program will assist landowners in ensuring that their valuable cropland is being operated and cared for in the way desired. A landowner need only to specify in the lease that a tenant must participate in the program and maintain a specified “S.T.A.R. rating”. This is much easier than specifying in the lease what practices the landowner wants and doesn’t want on the land. Also, tenants who wish to rent land from owners concerned about the land’s long-term productivity, should participate in S.T.A.R. for third-party validation that they are farming in an environmentally sound way.
When the S.T.A.R. program comes to an additional 25 counties in Iowa (including Cerro Gordo) in 2022, verification and spot checks will be managed by the local soil and water districts. This means the program is local, public, and operated by a group that will have no stake in the ratings. If you are curious about S.T.A.R. and want to learn more, log into the CDI website at cdiowa.org and look under the S.T.A.R. banner for the 2021 field form that can be completed on-line.
DISTRICT PLANNING - June 2021
The Cerro Gordo Soil and Water District Commissioners completed development of
their five-year district conservation plan last month. With the guidance of a planner
employed by the Conservation Districts of Iowa, and with input from several members of
the community over a series of six meetings, the commissioners identified five priority
goals. These goals will help us direct our efforts and our funding going forward.
It should come as no surprise that increased natural resource and water quality
education will be our top priority. Unsustainable soil losses from tillage and excessive
nutrients in our surface waters due to bad timing, overapplication, and too much tillage
are certainly our primary concern. We plan to get involved with natural resource
education programs for youth, hold more field days, and work to reach landowners
through a variety of print and electronic media.
Traditional (at least for the past 100 years) farming methods in our area need to be
reevaluated as we as a society become increasingly aware of the true costs of these
extractive farming methods. Our soils must be protected and returned to health through
the use of practices that keep the soil covered and provide a living root in the soil profile
for more than just 5 months of the year. The use of no-till methods and the addition of
cover crops has to become the new “traditional” if we plan to keep using the soil to
produce food and fiber.
The second priority goal stated in our plan is to increase the use of grassed waterways
as a way to allow excess surface water to exit a field without causing severe erosion
and gullies. Too often these scars on the landscape are just filled in every year with
tillage that hides the true cumulative soil loss. We have been fortunate this spring to
have not had heavy rainfall events so far. But we will, and the damage in areas that
should be covered by vegetation is often hidden by growing crops during the season.
We want to educate landowners about the devastating cost of this resource (asset) loss
and about the many cost share programs available that will help to defray the
construction costs of a properly designed grassed waterway. Most areas where a
waterway should be may be enrolled in a continuous CRP contract where there is cost
share, incentive payments, and a yearly rental payment to defray the cost of lost
production or rent. Waterways do need to be maintained. Our office can also help you
improve an existing waterway that is no longer doing its job.
It is our hope that these first two goals, if aggressively pursued, will help the district
begin to move from extractive agriculture to a type of regenerative agriculture. If you
are interested in being informed about what is going on in the district and in programs
that may help you begin to make this change, send your email address to
Marcia.Mork@ianacdnet.net to be added to our mailing list or check out our website at
cerrogordoswcd.org.
Soil Health - April 2021
Spring is upon us! Agriculture producers and landowners are finalizing decisions and actions for this
year’s planting season. Most of the decisions involving expensive inputs, such as seed, fertilizers,
and herbicides, are usually made using economic considerations. However, some application
methods, timing of operations, and other land preparation decisions tend to be done based on farm
traditions, resistance to change, and bad advice.
As stated repeatedly in this column, I realize change is hard. Many producers are more than willing
to change the variety of corn hybrid they plant from year to year but are unwilling to change how they
plant it. Herbicides that are widely used change completely every few years as a new and improved
system is released, yet many producers have been doing the same tillage operations and timing for
nearly their whole farming career. Unnecessary tillage continues to degrade water quality and soil
health.
The science of soil health, which is defined as the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital
living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans, has become the primary focus of those
working in conservation. The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) led the way in the
adoption of this terminology and promotes it through educational programs. Soil health practices
support the goals that conservationists have always strived for – less soil erosion, better water
quality, improved wildlife habitat, and reduced water quantity leaving the landscape. It also gives the
soil greater resiliency to overcome increased weather volatility. Stated simply, soil health practices
include reduction or elimination of tillage, the use of cover crops, and the resulting reduced need for
supplemental nutrients.
In the past few weeks, commissioners contacted Iowa legislators in support of HF 801, Soil Health
and Soil and Water Conservation Policy. This policy incorporates soil health language into the Iowa
Code section that governs conservation districts. There has been a drive by federal agencies to
better align national program goals and funding with modern language. Surprisingly, there has been
some resistance from the major producer and commodity groups, based mostly on a lack of
understanding of the science. Encourage commodity groups with whom you are associated to do
some research and get on board with soil health.
Commissioners have also visited with Iowa’s congressional delegation to encourage continued
support for longstanding conservation programs, such as CRP and CSP, that will be important with
the new administration’s emphasis on carbon reduction and mitigating climate change. The locally
led, voluntary, incentive based model administered through your local SWCD/NRCS offices needs to
be supported as a source of the technical assistance that landowners and producers will need to take
advantage of new incentives.
In an effort to provide current information about existing and new conservation programs to
landowners and producers, the Cerro Gordo Soil and Water Conservation District is developing an
email list of individuals interested in receiving this information. To be included on this email, contact
Marcia at the Cerro Gordo Soil and Water District office at Marcia.Mork@ia.nacdnet.net.