Boots in the Dirt: RIPE On the Ground for No-till On the Plains Bus Tour

Three Days, Three States, No-till, No Problem

We wrapped up July by joining No-till on the Plains for their Dakotas Soil Health Bus Tour, of which RIPE was a sponsor. No-till on the Plains, RIPE’s newest Steering Committee member, organized this trip with ~40 producers from all over the country (and one from the United Kingdom!). The trip included visits to different farms and ranches across the Dakotas and plenty of conservation conversations along the way. Opportunities like this to meet with producers and conservation professionals around the country are highly valuable for us to ensure our mission is as timely, relevant, and impactful as possible.

No-till on the Plains is a 501c3 non-profit educational organization whose mission is to provide education and networking on agricultural production systems that model nature. This bus tour placed an emphasis on soil health and conservation through different regenerative agriculture methods, highlighting the no-till farming technique. This technique spotlights farming without disturbing the soil through tillage. No-till farming decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certain soils, especially in sandy and dry soils on sloping terrain. Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Tillage also reduces crop residue, which helps cushion the force of falling rain. Without crop residue, soil particles become more easily dislodged, being moved or ‘splashed’ away (read more from Iowa State University).

The programming took us from Nebraska to North Dakota to South Dakota and back, and in just 3 days we managed visits to four different farms and ranches across the mid-western plains of the United States, or “the Great Plains.” Scroll on for a quick recap of each operation we visited and the underlying theme(s) of the bus tour.

Agriculture is the dominant land use in the American Midwestern Plains, with more than 80% of the region dedicated to cropland, pastureland, and rangeland (Shafer et al. 2014). This sector generates a total market value of about $92 billion, approximately equally split between crop and livestock production (USDA ERS 2012). Life in the Great Plains has always been stacked against the backdrop of a challenging climate, and increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is starting to have a greater impact on agriculture and communities within the region (read more from USDA). These factors made the Great Plains an ideal locale for such a trip, which allowed those of us in attendance from RIPE to meet with producers from the region and beyond.

Soil health and resilience is paramount in any ecosystem, with any commodity type, but life in the Great Plains presents some unique environmental challenges. Due to its positioning in the land-locked, north-central part of the United States, the Great Plains experiences a highly variable climate, prone to extreme events such as droughts, floods, heat waves, cold waves, blizzards, and severe weather. Changing precipitation patterns, together with higher temperatures, are intensifying wildfires, which can reduce forage in rangelands and forests. What’s more, warmer and generally wetter conditions coupled with elevated atmospheric CO2 can impact seasonal water availability, and plant phenology and physiological responses (U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit). Regenerative agriculture practices, like no-till and reduced tillage, can improve climate resilience in any ecosystem, though is especially cherished in an ecosystem already facing unpredictable, unprecedented weather extremes such as the Great Plains.

We are grateful for the chance to have met with producers and conservation professionals alike across the Dakotas, including a research farm, a ranch and homestead, and more. We saw evidence first hand of the benefits of regenerative agriculture on the cropland and pastureland in the Great Plains, and learned from the operators about economic benefits to their production systems as well. Let’s dig into who these people are, what they are doing for a living, and what they are doing for the local environment.

DAY ONE: Rick Bieber’s Farm | Trail City, SD
Rick Bieber is a no-till farmer from north central South Dakota. He farms in a 16-inch precipitation zone on 5000 acres of cropland and also has 5000 acres of rangeland for a 400 head cow/calf operation. He has been in a continuous no-till system for over two decades with main crops of hard red spring wheat, hard red winter wheat, corn, flax, peas, soybeans, safflower and alfalfa. From Rick, tour attendees learned about the benefits of the no-till system and lessons learned over the years.

Initially driven by the need to reduce costs and survive tough economic times, Rick adopted no-till practices without knowing the long-term benefits it would bring to his soils. What began as a necessity has now become a way of life and a successful, profitable operation. Today, Rick’s son, Benjamin, continues the family tradition of soil care at their South Dakota farm, while Rick travels globally, sharing his insights on the vital connection between soil health and human health worldwide.

DAY TWO: Menoken Farm | Menoken, ND
Menoken Farm is a combination of natural resource education and systems approach conservation. This 150-acre demonstration farm, located just east of Bismarck, ND was established in 2009 and draws people from all over the United States and beyond. The farm is owned and operated by Burleigh County Soil Conservation District, which has offices in Bismarck, ND.

After identifying a number of resource concerns across the Menoken Farm landscape, work focused on providing these basic building blocks to improve soil health: soil armor, minimal soil disturbance, plant diversity, continual live plant/root, and livestock integration. The systems approach management at Menoken Farms enhances erosion protection, sunlight harvest, plant diversity, carbon, pollinators, beneficial insects, wildlife, salinity control, livestock forage and more.

DAY TWO: Black Leg Ranch | McKenzie, ND
This 6th generation ranch homestead is home to rich grasslands, cattle, buffalo and more. Established in 1882 by George Doan of Canada, Black Leg Ranch is very engaged in regenerative agriculture, working to restore our natural resources including wildlife. Their grasslands are managed with planned rotational grazing, allowing for high animal impact, short duration grazing, and long recovery periods. This allows biodiversity to improve as well as water infiltration, and improves ground cover to limit water evaporation. These improvements increase the ability to sequester carbon in the soil, a benefit that can be impactful for the environment and for public health alike.

DAY THREE: Dakota Lakes Research Center | Pierre, SD
The Dakota Lakes Research Farm, located adjacent to the Missouri River, conducts irrigated and dryland research at their 480-acre main station. Additionally, work is done on 360 acres of Opal-Promise soils at the North Unit, and under various conditions at farmer-cooperator sites. The mission of this operation is to identify, research, and demonstrate methods of strengthening and stabilizing the agriculture economy. Per their mission statement, “(we) work with Mother Nature to ensure our land is protected, fertile and produces yields to feed the world for many generations to come.” This practice results in maintaining and encouraging living soils, clean water, healthy foods and ample wildlife.

A recurring theme throughout the field trip was improving soil health, and these different farmers and ranchers and researchers alike taught attendees about what they do to benefit soil, and why. Soil health is the foundation of productive, sustainable agriculture. By keeping soil health top of mind, producers work to reduce erosion, maximize water infiltration and storage, improve nutrient cycling, improve microbial diversity, increase soil carbon storage, save money on inputs, and ultimately improve the resiliency of their working land. Therefore, a healthy soil that is well managed can have major positive impacts on the livelihood of producers, the environment, and public health alike.

This trip was as informative as it was exciting. In addition to visiting various operations and learning about regenerative agriculture in the Midwestern Plains, we got to meet with producers representing a wide variety of backgrounds, learning as much from the attendees as we did from the presenters. Our summer of learning and networking isn’t over yet – stay tuned for our upcoming trip to Arkansas. In the meantime, check out our recent research “Green Fields, Healthy Yields: Regenerative Agriculture and Nutritious Food.”

We want to tell your story too. For details about getting involved with the RIPE Coalition, email us!