Georgia farmers learn about soil health, keeping farming practices sustainable at annual Field Day

LEARY – It’s easy for most Georgians to point out familiar agricultural landscapes: snowy tufts of cotton, tunnels of old-growth pecan trees and neatly spaced, bright green rows of peanuts.

But then, what’s that? A seemingly expansive field of … grass?

What might look like a grassy field of clover is actually a thoughtfully placed cover crop, meant to protect the soil beneath during the in-between season for row crops. 

It’s a practice those at the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District, a southwest Georgia natural resource conservation organization, is hoping to make more accessible to farmers in the region. The group hosted the third annual Re:Generations and Soil Health Field Day Wednesday. Taylor Sinquefield, the group’s soil health coordinator, said field days serve as an educational resource for farmers and agriculture professionals to learn how to manage soil for long-term sustainability. 

“More farmers and even the general public would benefit from knowing what all goes on and goes into the production of our crops and the things that farmers do to take care of natural resources while also maximizing productivity on their farm,” Sinquefield said. 

About 45 farmers, conservationists and land owners attended the field day, which was geared toward soil health practices for peanut farmers. The group heard presentations on cover crop seed selection and the agronomic advantages of cover crops. They mulled over findings from a Terrell County cover crop trial and saw demonstrations from a rainfall simulator , displaying runoff and soil health. 

Sinquefield said cover cropping can be traced back to ancient practices but fell out of popularity in the last century or so. 

Now, he said, the USDA and research extensions like those through the University of Georgia are placing an emphasis on the practice to solve a looming problem.

“That problem is that it’s been said that in 50 years, if we continue farming the same way we’ve been farming, we’re not going to have any topsoil left,” Sinquefield said. “So, we’re really trying to promote better farming practices to help preserve farming for the future, help preserve our soils and the way of life that we have.”

Scott Tubbs, the cropping systems agronomist for UGA, said farmers are more concerned with conservation than any other group.

“Their long-term ability to farm rides on them being good stewards of their resources,” he said. 

Soil is the primary substrate that farmers are growing their crops in, so taking care of it is paramount. Through the use of cover crops, farmers are setting up their fields to provide the best output when it comes time to plant cash crops.

Cover crops come in all different forms, including ryegrass, crimson clover, alfalfa and oats. They aren’t harvested for profit but instead are used to hold soils in place and recycle nutrients. 

Without a cover crop’s roots holding the nutrients in place, they’d leach down into the water table. On top, soil would erode.

“We want the nutrients to stay in the soil where the crops can grab it,” Tubbs said. “A cover crop will go down and grab some of those nutrients, bring them back to the surface and then recycle those nutrients back into the next crop.” 

Cover crops also provide shade, keeping the soil cool and conserving moisture. For peanuts specifically, the pollen used to create the peanut pods burns up and becomes sterile when temperatures reach a sustained level above-95 degrees. The plant produces nothing. 

“The cover crop is designed to help the cash crop,” Tubbs said. “You’re making the money on the crop that succeeds from you being a good steward of the soil and the environment.” 

Environmental sustainability is an obvious benefit, but Tubbs said economic sustainability is just as important. Cover crops reduce input costs for farmers, leading to less fertilizer and irrigation usage.

Wednesday’s discussion included how cattle farmers can use cover crops for grazing. 

This sparked the interest of 35-year-old Britannica Peterson, who began cattle farming about three years ago. Peterson, an Albany native, was working in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Seeing a lot of death and things of that nature pushed me to do something I had always wanted to do,” she said. “I always wanted to have my own farm and learn more about farming.”

Peterson started renting land and bought six Black Angus cattle and two bulls. She received mentorship through the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, which provides advocacy and development aid to black farmers. 

“As a beginner farmer, it’s rough,” she said. “There are not a lot of resources directly available to you.” 

She said having a mentor and networking with other farmers leads to learning opportunities. She said that’s why she likes attending events like Wednesday’s Field Day, which she sought out because she was interested in growing commodity crops like peanuts and soybeans.

She said the event opened her eyes to the importance of soil health and how she, as a cattle farmer, can implement the practices, too. 

Tubbs said thinking about soil health is thinking about the long-term profitability of a farming operation. Soil mismanagement can lead to sterile, unproductive fields. 

To understand what soil mismanagement can lead to, Field Day attendees were encouraged to look no further than southwest Georgia’s Providence Canyon. Dubbed one of Georgia’s “Seven Wonders,” the deep gullies were sculpted by rainwater runoff. Historical accounts say that the canyon began forming in the 1800s from soil management malpractice. No efforts were taken to avoid soil erosion, forming the dusty, cliff landscape on display today. 

Still, cover cropping can seem daunting to farmers who haven’t practiced it before. 

Sinquefield said there can be a learning curve when it comes to adopting soil health practices and leaving behind practices farmers have become accustomed to. It can also seem like an expensive process that doesn’t reap immediate economic benefit. 

Still, Sinquefield said he hopes producers see how important it is to be concerned about managing natural resources. 

“The challenges that farmers face today, providing for the present, are like none we’ve ever seen,” Dominic Lariccia, representing Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, said Wednesday. 

Sustainable practices like adopting regenerative soil practices, Lariccia said, are the key to preparing for the next 150 years. 

Beyond farmers, agriculture professionals want to get the message across to consumers, who in recent years have had an increased curiosity about where their food comes from and whether it is sustainably produced. Lariccia said the state’s agriculture department receives record requests on these topics every day.

“They don’t hear what you guys are doing every single day to look to the future,” he said. “Sustainable is not just a catch slope. It’s essential to making sure that we’re producing the food, power and shelter that this country and the world is going to need in the future.”