Episode 24 - 15: Growing Fertilizer and Farm Profitability with Robert Waring of Brandon Farms Part I
Jul 16, 2024 ·
17m 29s
Download and listen anywhere
Download your favorite episodes and enjoy them, wherever you are! Sign up or log in now to access offline listening.
Description
The economics of farming are always tenuous and subject to many market and climatic forces. Robert "Bob" Waring of Brandon Farms of Dunnsville, Virginia describes himself as a return-on-investment (ROI)...
show more
The economics of farming are always tenuous and subject to many market and climatic forces. Robert "Bob" Waring of Brandon Farms of Dunnsville, Virginia describes himself as a return-on-investment (ROI) kind of guy. With the tenuous, volatile nature of farming, Bob is constantly evaluating Brandon Farms' cropping system as a whole and looking for sound input reduction strategies. Over the past fifteen years, Bob has focused on growing his fertilizer (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and farm profitability through timely cover crop mixtures and management. Hairy vetch and black oats have worked well in his corn and soybean rotations and helped Brandon Farms dramatically reduce fertilizer and pesticide costs. If you are new to cover cropping, Bob recommends finding a legume like clover, cowpeas, or Austrian winter pea that fits in your system as a starting point.
American Farmland Trust's Soil Health Case Study of Brandon Farms is accessible at https://farmlandinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/brandon-farms-soil-health-case-study.pdf
If you have questions about the economic and climate resilience of your cropping and farming systems, please visit your local Virginia Cooperative Extension unit, a USDA Service Center, or a Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District office near you.
To learn about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and join the Coalition's quarterly meetings, please visit https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/. To access the recent 4 The Soil blog posts that Jeff Ishee referenced, please visit https://www.4thesoil.org/. As always, we would love to hear your experience and perspective on ways you have invested in soil health and what financial and ecological returns you have experienced.
show less
American Farmland Trust's Soil Health Case Study of Brandon Farms is accessible at https://farmlandinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/brandon-farms-soil-health-case-study.pdf
If you have questions about the economic and climate resilience of your cropping and farming systems, please visit your local Virginia Cooperative Extension unit, a USDA Service Center, or a Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District office near you.
To learn about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and join the Coalition's quarterly meetings, please visit https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/. To access the recent 4 The Soil blog posts that Jeff Ishee referenced, please visit https://www.4thesoil.org/. As always, we would love to hear your experience and perspective on ways you have invested in soil health and what financial and ecological returns you have experienced.
Information
Copyright 2024 - Spreaker Inc. an iHeartMedia Company
