Managing for Profit

Soil Health Partnership member benefits through higher yield

A greater amount of attention is being paid to maintaining and improving the health of soil.  Several Midwest farmers, including John Maxwell, who farms in Eastern Iowa, have joined the National Corn Growers Association’s Soil Health Partnership (SHP).  Maintenance of soil health is not new to Maxwell.

“We have been doing cover crops for feed since the 1970s,” Maxwell told Brownfield Ag News, “so we bring a fair amount of knowledge [about] what you should do and what you shouldn’t do through the years.”

The primary benefit that Maxwell gets from incorporating soil health practices is yield, and says the results of sustainable farming practices are easily visible when walking through fields.  For instance, erosion, he says, is virtually non-existent.

Maxwell will host a Soil Health Partnership Field Day at his Donahue, Iowa Cinnamon Ridge Dairy, July 12, which will include a tour of his robotic milking.  Information about his and other SHP field days is available here.

Learn more about how to grow your farm returns through soil health here.

AUDIO: John Maxwell (3 min. MP3)

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!