News

Conservation cutting costs

A north central Illinois farmer says conservation practices on his operation are helping the environment and his bottom line.

David Isermann, who’s implemented practices like strip-till and no-till on his LaSalle County farm for over two decades, says soil health and water quality improvements aren’t the only benefits he’s seen.

“It’s saved a lot of fuel.”  He says, “You didn’t have to have quite as big tractors, and as much equipment.  It saved a lot of time, too, and it also seemed to be the right thing to do.”

He tells Brownfield that incorporating cover crops and precisely applying nitrogen fertilizer have also brought savings.

“And we had a couple of fields that we didn’t have to side dress this year because those nitrate tests came back high enough.”  He says, “So, I think we’re down to about 3/4 of a pound of nitrogen for a bushel.”

Isermann says patience pays off when transitioning to conservation-minded practices.

“A year like this, where you’re really looking at costs,” he says, “I think people are starting to look at what some of these costs are and realize there’s other ways to do things.”

He encourages producers to start small and to work with other farmers and agencies experienced in conservation practices.

AUDIO: David Isermann – Illinois farmer