And he’s seen better financial returns as a result, he said, even if it comes at the cost of huge corn yields.
Politicians and ag leaders claim that Iowa farmers are making progress in addressing water pollution, but too much evidence shows it’s shamefully inadequate.
A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, backed by research from Iowa State University, suggests that shifting away from a two-crop system can help soil and water and farmers’ profitability.
The ISU research compared the typical two-year, corn-soybean rotation to three- and four-year rotations that included oats, red clover, alfalfa or other crops.
The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis looked at adopting the diverse rotations without tillage in the 25 Iowa counties with the most erodible soils.
Plenty of barriers stand in the way, however, including financial and technical constraints and crop insurance restrictions.
The next farm bill can include more incentives for farmers to try diverse cropping — such as additional funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Farm Service Agency loans.
The proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture budget threatens programs to help beginning farmers — who may be more willing to try new ways of farming — and to provide incentives to transition to new farming methods.
I just want us to stop subsidizing the wrong things,” Watkins said.
What he does on highly erodible land in southwest Iowa may not work for tile-drained fields in flat, north-central Iowa.