About

Location: Western Minnesota
Commodities & Livestock: Cow/Calf, Row Crops, Specialty Seed Production

Assess: Goals & Challenges

 

Short-Term Goals

• Increase forage production to grow the size of his cattle herd
• Improve soil health – especially in saline affected areas and marginal crop ground.

Long-Term Goals

• Transition to more perennial systems
• Preserve family land for the next generation

Act: Finding the Right Program

AgSpire’s technical advisors visited Mitch’s farm to learn about his goals and the land’s challenges. Together, they created a plan that built regenerative practices into Mitch’s current operation, utilizing the Grass is Greener program to help cost-share the new practices. 

“I think one of the huge benefits of working with an advisor such as AgSpire is [that] they’re not going to can you into one specific, one size fits all program. They’ll come out to your farm or ranch. They’ll look at what you have going on. They’ll bounce ideas off of you. But at the end of the day, you’re also the one that’s going to be able to make those decisions.” 

Customized Solutions 

Under the Grass is Greener program, Mitch planted cover crops on 40 acres to improve soil health and provide a forage for his cows over the winter. After the success of the first year, Mitch is planting

The program also allowed Mitch to rotate his pastures and develop a resting plan for his operation. For example, he was able to rest his home pasture for 60 days during the main growing season allowing his pasture to rest for the first time in years. After resting his pasture, Mitch noticed there was an increase in native species and natural forage production on ground that had been traditionally dormant.  

Achieve: On-the-Ground Results

Mitch’s farm sits on the rolling hills of the MN plains, with a picturesque creek running through the middle of the farm. When visiting his farm, Sr. Conservation Agronomist Derek Ver Helst performed several soil tests, revealing that traditional row cropping systems and conventional tillage were contributing to erosion on Mitch’s land. When rains came, topsoil and nutrients were flowing down the hills, often into the nearby creek. By utilizing cover crops and conservation tillage, Mitch was able to reduce this erosion – better keeping nutrients in place and available for the next planting.  

The Grass is Greener Program has helped Mitch grow his cattle herd and allowing grazing for more months of the year. By using cover crops and crop rotations, his operation has seen an increase in biodiversity, improvements in water infiltration and nutrients in the soil, allowing his operation to be more resilient than ever.

Mitch also saw benefits to his business monetarily, with lower input costs and increased cash flow. The premiums associated with the Grass is Greener Program has been an added bonus for the environmental benefits of his operation.

“I think when you look at the resiliency and the long-term benefits, for the land, I think that’s really important for the next generation. I was blessed that this was taken really well care of. And now I’m able to raise my family and kids and have them share the experiences that I got when I was a kid.”