Soil Sense
145 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 months ago - ★★★★★ - 54 ratingsWelcome to the Soil Sense Podcast, where we believe that building healthier soils is not just a prescription, but rather a pursuit. This journey requires collaboration, curiosity, and communication among farmers, agricultural researchers, agronomists, consultants, and extension. You’re going to hear their stories and discover how and why they’re working together to make sense out of what’s happening in the soil.
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Episodes
Field Check: Decades of Soil Health Building Practices
August 31, 2020 17:31 - 10 minutes - 14.5 MB“I’m always curious about the stories behind soil health and how the farmers choose to use these practices. And so I was wondering if someone could help answer a question on how they got started in soil health, the practices they may have tried over the years, things that worked and didn’t work, and what they’re going to try in the future to keep these practices going on their farm? ” - Dr. Abbey Wick, NDSU Extension Soil Health Specialist Kerry Swindler farms near Mott, North Dakota. He st...
Field Check: Understanding Soil Biology
August 24, 2020 13:35 - 10 minutes - 14.4 MB“I’ve been farming for 40 years and for the last 4 years we’ve adopted an approach of conservation agriculture and have shifted to no till drilling. I suppose like many of my generation, have firmly embraced the physical side of managing our soils and the chemical side of managing our soils. But it’s only recently while appreciating how important our soil is that I’ve looked at the biology of our soils. How do we make that subject more understandable to more farmers than it currently is?” -...
Field Check: Infiltration During Intense Rain Events
August 17, 2020 15:42 - 10 minutes - 14.2 MB“We’ve been having significant rain events the last couple of years. 2 inches, 3 inches, 5 inches at a time. And I’m just curious, what can I do in my soil health program to ensure that the soil keeps as much rainfall as possible? I hate to see soil leaving my fields after working so hard in no till and cover crops to keep it in place.” - Bill Spiegel, Kansas Farmer and Successful Farming Magazine Editor Dr. Aaron Daigh is an Associate Professor of Soil Physics and Hydrology at North Dakota...
Field Check: Managing the Complexities of Adding a New Crop
August 10, 2020 23:17 - 10 minutes - 14.4 MB“How do farmers add more crops in their cropping rotation and manage the complexity of doing that in their farm operation?” - Jocelyn Velsestuk, Independent Agronomy Consultant for Western Ag, the President of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association and a Director of The Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Dr. David Ripplinger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University. He considers himself “an economist by...
Field Check: Getting Started with Cover Crops
August 03, 2020 11:00 - 10 minutes - 14.1 MB“I’m getting the question about farmers wanting to plant a cover crop. But it's kind of a generic statement. So I think what they’re really asking is what do I plant and when do I plant? Where do I start? Where do we begin on this journey? ” - Jason Hanson, Consultant with Rock and Roll Agronomy Dr. Abbey Wick is a Soil Health Extension Specialist at North Dakota State University. She offers some great advice for farmers wanting to venture into cover crops and the many benefits they offer. ...
Hybrid Rye
July 27, 2020 19:09 - 10 minutes - 14 MB“Hybrid small grain varieties seem to be gaining traction in some parts of Canada and the United States. What are the benefits and drawbacks of hybrid rye, wheat and barley varieties?” - Luke Struckman, Researcher and University Instructor based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Steve Zwinger is a Field Agronomist at the North Dakota State University Carrington Extension Center where he works with many cereal crops including hybrid varieties of rye. “Some of these hybrids have been in in order t...
Field Check: Hybrid Rye
July 27, 2020 19:09 - 10 minutes - 14 MB“Hybrid small grain varieties seem to be gaining traction in some parts of Canada and the United States. What are the benefits and drawbacks of hybrid rye, wheat and barley varieties?” - Luke Struckman, Researcher and University Instructor based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Steve Zwinger is a Field Agronomist at the North Dakota State University Carrington Extension Center where he works with many cereal crops including hybrid varieties of rye. “Some of these hybrids have been in in order t...
Field Check: Fertility for No Till Corn
July 20, 2020 14:42 - 9 minutes - 13.7 MB“What is the best way to get all your fertility down in a no-till corn situation, especially your P and K?” - Kyle Geske, a Farmer from Enderlin, North Dakota Dr. Dave Franzen, an Extension Soil Specialist at North Dakota State University, joins us to answer Kyle’s question. Dr. Franzen has extensive experience in both research and retail agronomy. You may recognize him from Season one of Soil Sense Episode Three and Episode Four. “It is really important in the northern plains, specificall...
Fertility for No Till Corn
July 20, 2020 14:42 - 9 minutes - 13.7 MB“What is the best way to get all your fertility down in a no-till corn situation, especially your P and K?” - Kyle Geske, a Farmer from Enderlin, North Dakota Dr. Dave Franzen, an Extension Soil Specialist at North Dakota State University, joins us to answer Kyle’s question. Dr. Franzen has extensive experience in both research and retail agronomy. You may recognize him from Season one of Soil Sense Episode Three and Episode Four. “It is really important in the northern plains, specificall...
Field Check: The Tradeoffs of Planting Green
July 13, 2020 13:05 - 10 minutes - 14.1 MB“I like seeding soybeans green into growing winter rye for a variety of reasons. I think trafficability and weed control are much better with 40 or 50 pounds of rye growing in the field. The tradeoff is that the rye and the existing stubble keep the ground colder and wetter in some years, so the soybeans have a hard time getting going. My question is, is there any way to have warmer drier ground in the spring and reap the other benefits of planting green?” - Nathan Neameyer, Farmer from Rol...
Field Check: How to Revive Nutrient-Depleted Forage Ground
July 06, 2020 14:44 - 10 minutes - 13.9 MB“Recently I bought a piece of land that most of it has been hay land for generations. So there’s been a lot of nutrients exported and I’ve been trying to intentionally replace nutrients. I was just wondering what kind of a cover crop strategy would you employ on something like that given the season, particularly for fall grazing? When would you sow? What would you sow? What kind of mixes? How much per acre? Mainly to be harvested as standing stockpile by cows and some sheep. How would you ap...
Field Check: Cutworms in Soybeans Planted Green into Cover Crop
June 29, 2020 12:58 - 10 minutes - 13.8 MB“I heard from a customer the other day about cutworms in a soybean field that was planted green into cereal rye. I was wondering if this is common and do we need to recommend scouting for cutworms or other pests when using cover crops?” - Chris Prochnow, Territory Manager for Agassiz Seed and Supply Dr. Janet Knodel, an extension entomologist at North Dakota State University, joins us to help answer Chris’s question. North Dakota is home to at least 32 different species of cutworms. “Most ...
Field Check: Considering Crop Rotation When Selecting Cover Crops
June 22, 2020 12:42 - 10 minutes - 14 MB“I’m looking at cover crop mix to put on some ground that’s going to be seeded to wheat and barley next year. I’m wondering if barley works in that mix or if I should be looking at something else?” - Bryan Kenner of Kenner Farms Dr. Andrew Friskop joins us to answer Bryan’s question. He is a cereal extension plant pathologist at North Dakota State University. Dr. Friskop begins tackling this question by pointing out that the focus needs to be on whether already present “diseases in barley c...
Field Check: Cereal Rye for Kochia Control + Dicamba Update
June 15, 2020 13:53 - 7 minutes - 10.8 MBIntroducing Soil Sense: Field Check. We find the right expert to answer YOUR questions about anything related to farming, agronomy, and soil health. We invite you to participate at www.NDFieldCheck.com. Today’s question comes from Jason Hanson of Rock & Roll Agronomy: “There’s going to be Prevented Plant, and now with the uncertainty of dicamba registrations moving forward, even though North Dakota is a 24(c): How does winter cereal rye help with controlling kochia as a potential other opt...
Collaborations to Advance Soil Health
June 08, 2020 13:33 - 25 minutes - 34.8 MBToday we review some fascinating examples of advancing soil health. One individual farmer interested in these new practices will find a lot of obstacles to being successful. Most of the farmers we have interviewed have formed collaborations with other farmers, worked with an independent agronomist, and communicated with research and extension professionals. Collaborations can’t be forced. It takes honesty and passion for achieving an end goal. These collaborations often foster deeper relatio...
Measuring Soil Quality (Soil Health Dynamic Duo, Part 2)
June 01, 2020 12:52 - 21 minutes - 29.3 MBWe are back with Mark Liebig and Susan Samson-Liebig. In case you missed our last episode, they are two leading soil scientists of the USDA. Mark works as a soil scientist within the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Susan works as a Soil Quality Specialist in the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). In this episode we focus on metrics of success for soil health. First, Mark defines soil quality through the lens of research on soil management. “I think of it often...
Soil Health Dynamic Duo, Part One: Cover Crops
May 25, 2020 12:00 - 21 minutes - 29.2 MBMark Liebig and Susan Samson-Liebig are two leading soil scientists that work in two different agencies within the USDA. Also, they just happen to be spouses. Mark works as a soil scientist within the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Susan works as a Soil Quality Specialist in the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). ARS is “focused on solving problems for producers” using science based research. NRCS has a “mission to protect the soil and water and all of the natu...
Decades of Soil Health Collaboration
May 18, 2020 12:38 - 22 minutes - 30.3 MBBrad Brummond joined the NDSU extension in 1982 and has been in his current position in Walsh County for 28 years. His body of work allowed him to be the first North Dakotan selected for the County Agricultural Agents Hall of Fame. Brad’s experience and knowledge are invaluable. He joins us today to share some of what he’s learned. Brad has made it his mission to not only get people involved in soil health practices but also to work together in doing so. “This can be done. This is very doab...
Soil Health and the City
May 11, 2020 11:00 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MBToday we are joined by Sally Jacobson, Executive Director of the Red River Zoo, and Dr. Abbey Wick, Soil Health Extension Specialist. The unlikely collaboration between NDSU Extension and the Red River Zoo has led to an innovative outreach program telling the story of modern day agriculture. The Red River Zoo has had a longtime focus of “education through fun” with a focus on conservation and their zoo farm exhibit is no different. The zoo farm was due to be updated a few years ago with the...
A Soil Health Journey from Crops to Cattle
May 04, 2020 11:00 - 27 minutes - 37.8 MB“I hope that we can just do so much more with an acre of land than just grow a crop on it.” -Mike Schaefer Mike Schaefer farms wheat, barley, corn and soybeans in New Rockford, North Dakota. His farm has been using soil friendly protocols for years and is now adding intermittent livestock grazing to his farm ground. Mike didn’t set out to follow the soil health movement. 10 years ago he had initially reduced his tillage out of a “shortage of manpower.” In 2016 a severe episode of wind erosi...
Intercropping and Soil Health
April 27, 2020 11:00 - 36 minutes - 50.3 MBCould intercropping be a viable option for large-scale row crop producers? Lana Shaw, Research Manager at the Southeast Research Farm in Saskatchewan, and Dr. Mike Ostlie, a Research Agronomist at NDSU, join us today to tell us what we need to know about intercropping. Lana shares that at the most basic level “intercropping would be intentionally growing more than one species at a time in an agricultural situation.” “The main type of intercropping that I’ve been concentrating on is growing ...
Strip-Till and Cover Crops
April 20, 2020 12:00 - 24 minutes - 33.3 MBToday we are joined by Mark Olson, a farmer in Southeast North Dakota, and Matt Olson, an agronomist with 20 years of experience with Centrol Ag Consulting. The two bring interesting insights into their 20-year long relationship they have cultivated between farmer and agronomist. Their relationship started over questions about soil fertility and soil testing. “I learn a lot from my growers because a lot of my growers are very innovative and want to try new things.” - Matt Olson Matt admits...
Cover Crop Seed Considerations
April 13, 2020 11:00 - 22 minutes - 30.7 MBToday we go back to the beginning of any soil health program - or any crop for that matter - seed. We are joined by Steve Zwinger who is an agronomist at NDSU’s Carrington Research Extension Center and Jason Goltz the Regulatory Manager for the North Dakota State Seed Department. Together we will explore and discover the value of seed selection and how seed labels need to be evaluated prior to making any purchases. Steve shares that, unlike other crops, cover crop success is not tied to a h...
The Value of Livestock to Soil Health
April 06, 2020 11:00 - 31 minutes - 42.9 MBToday we answer a popular question about soil health:. How does the farmer integrate cover crops and livestock? Dr. Kevin Sedivec joins us today to shed some light on this topic and show what can be done. Kevin is the Extension Rangeland Management Specialist with North Dakota State University and the Director of the Central Grasslands Research and Extension Center near Streeter, North Dakota. By trade Kevin is a range ecologist who focuses on “livestock production, wildlife management and r...
Measuring the Impact of Sharing Information about Soil Health
March 30, 2020 12:00 - 28 minutes - 39 MBToday we explore the impact of sharing information. Are shared ideas spread the way we think? Jean Haley is responsible for answering that question for soil health at North Dakota State. She is joined by soil health extension specialist Dr. Abbey Wick to discuss the plans and impact of providing information on soil health. While profit driven businesses can measure income as a metric for success, projects with education goals require a different approach for evaluation. “What does success me...
Farmers Supporting Each Other to Build Healthier Soils
March 23, 2020 12:00 - 26 minutes - 37 MBTyler Zimmerman and Chris Walberg share their journey towards soil health building practices on their farms. Tyler began learning about no-till practices and their benefits about 5 years ago. Over that time he has found support and many resources as he continues learning and executing soil health practices. “When you turn the soil up, there’s roots and worms and biology just going on in there that when you walk to the field next to you that has been conventionally tilled and you don’t find ...
Worms, Water, and Soil Health Research in Action
March 16, 2020 12:00 - 27 minutes - 37.3 MBToday we focus on how agricultural research experiments actually happens in practice. Nate Derby and Rod Utter are both Research Specialists with North Dakota State University. Nate shares his experience with researching soil physics and the movement of water through the field. Rod Utter discusses his expertise from years of researching the life cycle and origin of earthworms. Both guests have done work with the SHARE (Soil Health and Agriculture Research Extension) Farm. While they mostly...
Soil Science 101 with Dr. Jay Goos
March 09, 2020 12:00 - 27 minutes - 38.2 MBDr. Jay Goos joins us from the department of soil science at North Dakota State University to share his approach to introducing soil science to his students and his experiences over the last four decades in the field. The overall curriculum of his course focuses on teaching the “main properties of soil” including acidity and alkalinity, concepts of wilting point, field capacity and “how the layers of the soil influences productivity.” He hopes that his students leave with an understanding of...
Soil Health Collaboration Between Ag Retail and Extension
March 02, 2020 13:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBIn this episode we focus on the unlikely collaboration between extension and ag retail. Tim Becker joins us as a former county extension agent and long time farmer of Eddy County along with Jason Vollmer, a farmer and local agronomist for Allied Agronomy. Both have found real interest in coming together to promote soil health. Their partnership started as organically as could be imagined “over a cup of coffee.” A group of farmers would meet to discuss techniques and ask questions. These mee...
[Bonus Episode] Decades of Building Soil Health with Joe Breker
October 31, 2019 14:47 - 31 minutes - 42.2 MBJoe Breker has been farming for over 40 years pioneering soil health building practices in southeast North Dakota. With his skills and knowledge, Joe managed to successfully operate his farm during the dry ‘80s and wet ‘90s, as well as each decade’s poor farm economy. Joe joins me today to describe how his conservative farming practices have improved their farm’s soil health. He shares how his father was a sustainable farmer and what he did to build on what his father started. He also descr...
SHARE Farm Reflections and Insights
October 24, 2019 18:21 - 26 minutes - 30.5 MBIn this episode we explore the SHARE (Soil Health and Agriculture Research Extension) Farm Project. It is a field scale location used to display practices that the research is indicating to advance soil health. The program showcases rotations and practices that can be used in the local area to advance soil health. The North Dakota Corn Council and other commodity groups have funded the SHARE farm to take advantage of an opportunity to further promote soil health in North Dakota. The North D...
Managing Salts with Allie Slykerman
October 17, 2019 14:34 - 31 minutes - 33.2 MBToday we hear from Allie Slykerman. Allie works as an independent crop consultant at Centrol Ag Consulting. One of the most significant issues faced by North Dakota farmers is salinity management. The primary crop struggles to grow in these areas resulting in opportunist weeds gaining a foothold in the field. Possible management practices include using salt tolerant plants for cover and assisting the soil in moving the water through the soil profile via tile. Depending on the location and sa...
Integrating Cattle and Cover Crops with Luke Ressler
October 10, 2019 14:42 - 31 minutes - 38.3 MBWhat can integrating livestock do for soil health? Luke Ressler joins us from Hillsboro, North Dakota where he farms with his father-in-law, Randy Lemm, and his wife Elli. Luke was raised on a farm in Cooperstown and worked for the NDSU Extension and Dr. Abbey Wick after completing his studies at NDSU. Luke was able to participate and host some of the Cafe Talks Abbey organized while working there. Luke shares the rotational grazing pattern he is using for his cattle. The biggest obstacle ...
Soil Physics and Soil Biology with Dr. Aaron Daigh
October 03, 2019 14:14 - 30 minutes - 33.2 MBExplore the scientific principles forming the foundation of soil health. Dr. Aaron Daigh of North Dakota State University joins us to discuss the impact of movement and distribution of water, heat, and nutrients in the soil. Dr Daigh draws an analogy between pores in the soil and plumbing in a building. Through the natural processes of freezing, wetting, drying, and thawing pores are developed in the soil. These pores are crucial to nutrient and water retention. He shares the effect that till...
Building Soil Health on Your Toughest Field with Doug Toussaint
September 26, 2019 13:56 - 29 minutes - 35.8 MBDoug Toussaint from Wahpeton, North Dakota discusses his shift toward soil health building practices. Doug shares what inspired him to make these changes and the decision to start with his most difficult field. Doug was able to slowly integrate these new techniques including inter-seeding and reduced tillage by using equipment that he already had on hand. He has noticed a significant difference in his fields with “how different they worked (and) how much easier they were to plant.” Doug sha...
Salinity & Sodicity Issues with Naeem Kalwar of NDSU Extension
September 19, 2019 14:59 - 29 minutes - 30.9 MBNaeem Kalwar is an extension Soil Health Specialist in the Langdon Research Extension Center. His expertise is shared today in facing sodicity and salinity issues in your soils. The term salinity refers to the potential for high salt levels in the soil which can decrease water absorption at the root-level resulting in drought stressed crops. Fortunately salinity does not affect soil structure allowing for the smooth movement of water and air through the soil despite the increased salt conte...
Improving Soil Health Over Generations with Lee Trautman
September 12, 2019 14:52 - 29 minutes - 38.1 MBLee Trautman joins us today. Lee farms corn and soybeans in Jamestown, North Dakota with his brother and father. Trautman Farms has been no till for over 20 years giving Lee a unique farming experience of very limited tillage. The EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) introduced the idea of cover crops to Trautman Farms. The cover crops they initially chose were based on what seed they had available. Now Lee employs rye and has found that it “fits the bill” for their operation and...
Cover Crops with Dr. Marisol Berti
September 05, 2019 13:26 - 29 minutes - 32.5 MBDr. Marisol Berti spearheads research in the use of cover crops as a professor in the Plant Sciences Department at North Dakota State University. Her most recent projects are focused on cover crops and their uses with crops outside of the more traditional corn and soybean rotations. Among her many successes in this field, her team has also developed a specific planter to better plant a cover crop and beat the oncoming winter. Dr. Berti shares that the hallmark of using cover crops is the ben...
Taking Off with Soil Health with Matt Nelson
August 29, 2019 16:02 - 30 minutes - 38.6 MBMatt Nelson shares his experiences from his farm in Lakota, North Dakota where they produce small grains, wheat, barley, canola, soybeans, corn and edible beans. While Matt grew up on the farm, he spent the first 15-16 years of his career as a commercial pilot which has influenced his approach to farming. Matt shares the challenges and benefits that come with adopting reduced tillage practices. Another obstacle Matt faces are saline soils that have become more apparent with frequent rainfal...
Lessons from 20 Years of Crop Consulting with Dr. Lee Briese
August 22, 2019 12:28 - 29 minutes - 32.1 MBDr. Lee Briese is a Crop Consultant with Centrol Crop Consulting. He does not sell any products but rather solely focuses on helping farmers make the best decisions for their crops and soils. Dr. Briese checks every field weekly which creates a comprehensive understanding of the individual farmer’s goals, their assets and their obstacles to reaching those goals. He estimates he has covered over a million acres with his crop consulting resulting in a wealth of knowledge and experience. “Ther...
Challenges of Building Soil Health in Cool and Wet Climates with Sam Landman
August 15, 2019 14:27 - 28 minutes - 39.4 MBSam Landman is a fifth generation farmer who manages not only his family farm but also a SHARE (Soil Health and Agriculture Research Extension) Farm. He discusses how his techniques have evolved and how that has impacted his crop rotations and equipment choices. Challenging effective practices for better sustainability and soil health is an uphill battle but Sam is already seeing the benefits. “I think the long-term benefits will be there for sure. But you know we’re always up against shor...
Precision Ag for Healthier Soils with Anthony Thilmony and Dr. Dave Franzen
August 08, 2019 12:00 - 30 minutes - 39.1 MBThis is the second installment of a two part interview with Dr. Dave Franzen, a soil scientist at North Dakota State University, and Anthony Thilmony, a fourth generation farmer in the Valley City, North Dakota area. In this segment we will be focusing on the precision of soil health. We explore how to identify your individual soil needs and how to effectively and efficiently meet those demands. “The Zone Sampling Concept is the number one site specific nutrient management strategy in the s...
Soil Fertility with Dr. Dave Franzen and Anthony Thilmony
August 01, 2019 14:03 - 31 minutes - 41.3 MBJoin us for the first installment of a two-part interview with Dr. Dave Franzen, a Soil Scientist at North Dakota State University in Extension, and Anthony Thilmony, a fourth generation farmer in the Valley City, North Dakota area. These two have collaborated for many years through discussion and trials. Today we explore soil fertility and the effect of a no-till strategy. We learn about some of the benefits including a decreased nitrogen need and increased microorganism activity to name tw...
Soil Health Systems on the Farm
August 01, 2019 14:01 - 25 minutes - 32.7 MBRide along with fourth generation farmer Tony Wagner in Jamestown, South Dakota. Farming has been a lifelong passion for Tony. He took on his first field in the eighth grade and after pursuing college returned to the area to help manage his family’s operation. He has experimented with different cover crops for different fields in order to better the soil he has access to. He joins us today to share his excitement for implementing new techniques and the drastic effect it has had on the qualit...
Setting the Stage for Soil Health in North Dakota
July 29, 2019 20:43 - 33 minutes - 36.5 MBDr. Abbey Wick is an Extension Soil Health Specialist at North Dakota State University. She joins us to share what her role is in promoting soil health in North Dakota. Dr. Wick works primarily with farmers but also coordinates county extension agents and other educators to share what new research indicates with regards to enriching the health of the soil. She encourages networking between all factions of agriculture to best help the farmer in their pursuit of a high quality yield. Her Cafe ...