Here is a video of a corn field in Southern Wisconsin where Adam Lasch planted his interseeding at the same time as the corn was emerging.
Early interseeding cover crops into silage corn
State: Wisconsin
Biological Capital and Its Value to A Farm
Wisconsin farmer Adam Lasch explains biological capital and why he is focused on building it on his farm through practices such as cover crops and no-till. Adam and his wife Betsy have a pasture-based livestock operation in southeast Wisconsin.
The Promise of Perennials
Research at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, over the past couple of decades has advanced the concept of perennial grain crops to the point of commercially available kernza. Mitchell and Zach talk to a Minnesota organic farmer, Luke Peterson, who’s been growing kernza in his fields and cultivating interest in it among other farmers, […]
Drain Tile: Friend or Foe?
We explore the benefits and downsides of drain tile with Rodney Rulon, an Indiana farmer, and Matt Helmers, the director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center at Iowa State University. Drain tiles dry out and warm up fields, boost productivity, and extend growing seasons, which can make them important economically. But they can also have […]
Show Me the Money! New Ideas in Ag Finance
In this episode of Field Work, hosts Mitchell Hora and Zach Johnson talk money with the founders of two startups. Sami Tellatin says FarmRaise will be a one-stop shop to help farmers apply for grants and loans. And FarmRaise will do all the paperwork! Robyn O’Brien helps lead rePlant Capital, a new venture capital fund […]
Getting Edgy
Edge-of-field practices like bioreactors, buffers and wetlands filter a farm’s runoff before it reaches nearby waterways. Mitchell Hora and Zach Johnson bring on Professor Amy Kaleita from the Iowa State University Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering to explain how edge of field practices work and who might be able to install them on their […]
Rick Clark’s 7,000 Acre Investment in Regenerative Ag
Farmers often get the advice that they should “start small” when it comes to conservation practices. But Indiana farmer Rick Clark of Clark Land and Cattle is proof that you can do regenerative ag at scale. He raises no-till soybeans, no-till corn, and has had great success planting cover crops on his 7,000 acre farm. […]
Landowners, Lenders and More: How to Get Stakeholders on Board with Change
Sometimes the hurdles to sustainable practices come from people right in a farmer’s network: family, landowners, neighbors, seed dealers, and lenders. Bryan and Lauren Biegler, farmers in Minnesota, join Zach and Mitchell to discuss how they fought back the image of being “hippie farmers” as they started strip tilling and planting cover crops. Mollie Aronowitz, […]
Consumers Want Sustainably Grown Food, But Who Pays?
Consumers are demanding more sustainably grown food. So are big food companies. But how willing are they to offset the costs — and the risks — that farmers bear as they change up their practices? Zach and Mitchell talk with Jerry Lynch, the chief sustainability officer at General Mills, about supply chain incentives for growers.
Banking on Innovation
Marc Schober is director of specialized agriculture solutions for Bremer Bank, the nation’s 9th largest farm lender. Zach and Mitchell ask him about how he decides which #fintech and #agtech solutions are worth recommending to the bank and to farmers. Schober tells Field Work he is bullish on finding ways to incentivize transitions to regenerative […]