News
Increasing number of dust storms causing concern
A central Illinois farmer says he’s concerned about the growing number of dust storms plaguing the Midwest.
Jim Reed, who grows corn and soybeans in Piatt County, tells Brownfield…
“There have been so many dust storms this spring, the worst I’ve ever seen since back when I was young and we plowed everything. And that should have everybody concerned.”
He says the storms impact public safety and a farmer’s bottom line through lost nutrients.
“It seems to correlate to the adoption of high-speed discs.” He says, “Some of the guys that hit it in the fall, and didn’t hit it again in the spring, really didn’t notice much dust coming off of those fields.”
However, Reed says rising fuel costs are leading to some operational changes in his area, which could play a role in reducing future dust storms.
“We had a neighbor we’d never seen no-till corn before, went into his soybean stubble and no-tilled the corn into it.” He says, “But once they try it and they like those savings, they may stick with it.”
Reed says he expanded use of cover crops on his operation this year, in part as another way to lessen the impact of wind erosion on his fields.
AUDIO: Jim Reed – Illinois farmer
This is a total cause for concern. I’ve been calling it the Global InDustrial Bowl. The soil cohesion is so poor this year that we are basically reliving a modern Dust Bowl, but worse because now the toxins and residue from industrialization are flying up into the air. It’s really dangerous. Please stay safe.