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“Ah ha” cover crop moment for Indiana farmer

A farmer in west-central Indiana can trace back to the moment he decided to start using cover crops.

Rick Clark of Williamsport tells Brownfield he’s not sure of the year, but he remembers a field that had been tilled in preparation for spring planting.

“And it looked pristine. I mean there wasn’t a piece of dirt out of place. It was beautiful, black soil. And it had all been tilled with a field cultivator multiple times, getting it ready to go.”

He says a rain event of about an inch changed the course of his farm.

“I could not believe how much dirt had moved on the surface (from) erosion. And it was heading toward the ditch and going to leave the farm, then go to the creek or stream. Then head for the river, and so on and so on.”

Clark says that’s when he knew it was time for a different path.

Clark Land and Cattle now uses cover crops on all its acres, is 100 percent no-till, and is transitioning to be 100 percent organic.

Clark will be leading a soil health workshop in southeast Minnesota February 28th hosted by the Land Stewardship Project.

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