Indiana Farmers Have the Dirt on Soil Health
In partnership with: Indiana State Department of Agriculture
Healthy soil means healthier crops and people, and Indiana farmers – growing Christmas trees, berries and more – are doing their part for soil conservation.
“I believe in doing what we can to conserve the soil regardless of the type of agriculture,” says Tom Dull, owner of Dull’s Tree Farm and Pumpkin Patch in Thorntown. “It takes years to create topsoil that’s conducive to growing good crops, but only one big rain to lose so much of that progress.”
Amy Surburg, owner of Berry Goods Farm in Morristown, shares a similar philosophy.
“Land stewardship is important because I care about the future of farming and our food,” she says. “I want the next generation to be able to farm on the same land I’ve been using.”
See more: CREP Helps Indiana Farmers Protect the State’s Soil and Waterways
Rooted in Conservation
At Dull’s Tree Farm in Thorntown, Dull says he planted around 11,000 trees this year – nearly 2,000 more than usual.
“We grow 3-year-old transplants for another seven to eight years,” he explains. “Most are Canaan fir, which is by far the most popular.”
Canaan fir are approximately 85% of the farm’s trees, alongside 7% white pine, 5% concolor fir and 3% Scotch pine. Different varieties are suited to varying soil pH levels. For example, the concolor fir grows best in well-drained, higher pH soil.
At Dull’s Tree Farm, public education is as important as soil health. They teach all ages about conservation and sustainability through tours, field trips and day camps with titles like “Digging in the Dirt” and “Water We Learning?”
See more: Hydroponic Farming Takes Root in Indiana
Berry Good Soil
While both farms use cover crops between rows to replenish nutrients and prevent runoff, Berry Goods Farm participated in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and received funding to help build a high tunnel greenhouse.
EQIP provides farmers with financial and technical assistance to conserve natural resources while strengthening operations. In Surburg’s case, that’s building the soil underneath the tunnel while extending the growing season.
Other soil conservation efforts include biodegradable plastic for vegetable beds, certified organic pesticides and pastured chickens in the rotation process. Another USDA grant proved the chickens increased organic matter by 1% and soil fertility by 10% in two years.
“Adding compost in the tunnel increased organic matter by 1% in a year,” she says.
If Surburg’s farming seems scientific, it’s because her background is in chemical engineering, allowing her a unique perspective when it comes to soil health.