By Rebecca JonesPosted August 22, 2022
How conservation agriculture helps farmers’ bottom lines now and in the future
Thanks to historic levels of cost-share funding in the latest Virginia budget, a farmer can receive up to $300,000 this year for implementing practices that protect water quality.
But that’s just the beginning.
The Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program (VACS) boosts the farmer’s bottom line far beyond direct payments.
“Conservation practices help farmers work smarter, not harder, saving them money by reducing inputs such as fertilizer, and preserving soil,” said Darryl Glover, deputy director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s divisions of Soil and Water Conservation, and Dam Safety and Floodplain Management.
“These practices improve the quality of farmland over time. For example, soil is the heart of the crop producer’s livelihood, so keeping it in place to be conserved and enriched just makes sense. And protecting livestock from possible injury from accessing streams and rivers also improves herd health by providing cleaner sources of water. Cost-share pays you now — but the farm will benefit for years to come.”
DCR administers the state cost-share program in partnership with Virginia’s 47 soil and water conservation districts. Interested farmers should reach out to their local soil and water conservation district to find out what practices might be most beneficial for them and apply for funding. The districts and DCR also provide technical assistance to producers as they implement conservation farming practices.
Qualifying farmers can receive cost-share funds for more than 70 best management practices. Here is a look at a few of them and how they also pay bottom-line-boosting dividends.
Nutrient Management Planning
Fertilizer is expensive. When too much fertilizer — or a less-effective type — is applied to crops, nutrients not absorbed by plants flow into waterways. That’s money down the drain. Nutrient management plans ensure that crops across the entire acreage get only the nutrients plants will actually use. Each plan is tailored to each farm’s specific needs and can be updated as the farm’s needs change. Implementation will decrease fertilizer usage and costs, improve crop quality and deliver an optimum economic yield.
Continuous Cover
Not only do cover crops reduce soil erosion, but they also pack a powerful punch in terms of improving soil health on the farm. Cover crops increase the soil’s ability to hold moisture while decreasing weeds, pests and compaction. They also scavenge and store nutrients from previous crops, and release those nutrients to the next harvestable commodity, which can benefit the farmer's yield right away.
No-Till Farming
For years, the farmer and plow has been the conventional image of farming. Not only is that picture outdated, it’s destructive to the farmer’s most valuable commodity: land. Tillage dries out the soil and further degrades it by dispersing the carbon plants need, decreasing a field’s fertility. No-till farming quickly reduces fuel and water costs and decreases the number of passes through the field. It can also significantly increase crop yields, especially in low-moisture areas.
Livestock Exclusion
Restricting livestock access to streams and providing an alternative watering system can significantly improve herd health. These practices reduce rates of highly contagious foot rot and decrease opportunities for injury and accidental death. In addition, fenced beef cattle tend to have greater weight gain, while dairy cows increase the quality and quantity of milk produced and have fewer incidents of mastitis. Using alternative sources of water, such as wells or springs supplying watering troughs on pastures, also promotes better management of available forage.
Conservation Buffer
Planting trees or grass strips between farmland and streams is a win for the farmer, the land and the livestock. By removing poor land from cultivation, producers can reduce soil loss from wind and water erosion — and receive a long-term soil rental income to boot. This practice often allows a farmer to square off oddly shaped fields that cost extra time because they are hard to work efficiently. When used with stream exclusion practices, a conservation buffer can also lead to better herd health and weight gain.
Virginia’s farmers can benefit from these and many other best management practices that come with new efficiencies and cost savings in addition to cost-share payments. Learn more about them in the updated Virginia Agricultural Cost Share Manual.
Producers can peruse the manual on their own or, better yet, reach out to their local Soil and Water Conservation District to find the most productive and profitable mix of practices for their specific operation.
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Soil and Water Conservation
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