Putting Together the Puzzle

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Sunday, May 28:

Today we did a variety of things, but one of the most educational was a lecture by Ben Knutson, who hosts Jessie and Josh and works at the USDA Agricultural Research labs near Ames. While we’ve gotten some of the bits and pieces that are part of the puzzle of farming since arriving, we haven’t really received a basic lecture that puts the puzzle together. Mr. Knutson’s lecture tied together what we’ve learned thus far, and helped the group more fully understand what we’ve actually learned as a more cohesive whole. (For our readers out there, this might also help you!)

According to his lecture, there are three main factors of influence that affect farming decisions: weather/climate, soil/topography, and management actions.

  1. Weather/climate: composed of rainfall total and temperature. “Temperature” includes both the average seasonal temp and the frost free dates. This growing season affects the crops that can be grown in an area. For example, corn is grown in Iowa and has between 100 to 120 days to maturity. In contrast, cotton needs a longer growing season and needs 150 to 180 days to fully mature.
  2. Soil/Topography: contains three physical properties: sand, silt, and clay. Additionally impacted by organic matter, CEC, and pH. Topography involves slope and length of slope. For example, the RUSLE2 equation (revised universal soil loss equation 2) is used to determine how vulnerable land is to erosion, and would be considered highly erodible land.
  3. Management actions:
    1. Objective: maximize plant yield without harming the environment
    2. Three steps:
      1. Pick a crop for your soil and climate
      2. Choose a fertility program
  • Keep a pest free environment

His talk also focused on measures used to reduce pests and “cover crop basics”

  1. Measures to reduce pests:
    1. Healthy soil
    2. Pesticides
      1. Herbicides
      2. Fungicides
      3. Insecticides
      4. Rodenticides
    3. Mulch
    4. Fire
    5. Beneficial predators
    6. Mechanical tillage
  1. Cover crop: plants grown after harvest and before planting
    1. Benefits: increased organic matter, decreased nitrogen leaching, erosion control, and weed suppression.
    2. Types:
      1. Oats
      2. Rye
      3. Canola
      4. Wheat
      5. Turnips
      6. Radishes