If you don’t care about the long-term results, then sure one size fits all…It seems like we have to learn the same lessons over and over. In 1986, I was a new District Conservationist in the Carroll Field Office in West Central Iowa. NRCS was just rolling out the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). In those first years, we conservation planners wrote one CRP plan after another, for pure stands of smooth bromegrass on CRP. It only took a few years before the wildlife biologist realized that a solid seeding of smooth bromegrass was almost …
Voluntary Conservation Solutions
On May 17, I had the privilege of testifying, in Washington D.C., to the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry. Members heard from two panels of witnesses. The first panel examined the impact and cost of regulations on producers. The second panel focused on voluntary conservation solutions to natural resource concerns.As a member of the solutions panel, I was invited to talk about our innovative approach to increase technical assistance accessibility through the private sector (see video below). I was also …
Cookie Cutter Conservation
Cookie cutter conservation only works in research journals…Recently, my wife, Peggy shared a TIME® Magazine interview with me from the “Lab Girl.” In the interview, the Lab Girl said, “There are things that all scientists know are the reality in science, and the longer I am in this business it was driving me absolutely crazy not to say something. It’s not enough for me to be frustrated. It’s time to talk about it. I have learned that nothing gets readers so fired up as saying something everyone knows is true.” Well I agree, so here it …
Top 5 Reasons Why Ag Retailers Need to Lead the Way…
Smack dab in the middle of Iowa, you will find Casey’s General Store headquarters. For those of you who have stopped at a Casey’s General Store, you realize this is one of the great businesses in the Midwest. Whether you are looking for gas, a slice of pizza, clean restrooms, or just a great cup of coffee, Casey’s is your place. After starting with one location, Casey’s General Store now has over 1,900 stores across a 14 state area. So why is Casey’s so successful? It is because Casey’s has everything a traveler needs, whether it is for a …
Revisiting a Basic Standard of Care
A while back, I posted Be the Expert and asked for your feedback on the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) argument for a basic standard of care in regards to soil and water conservation. To meet the basic standard of care, EWG argued that every farmer should be required to adopt a set of 4 mandatory conservation practices:grassed waterwaysfilter strips along all water bodiescontrolled access of livestock to all water bodiesno application of manure to frozen, snow-covered, or saturated groundWhen I published that blog post, I promised at some …
Are Sustainability Programs a Bait and Switch?
Don’t let your sustainability program become a bait and switch.I know that ag retailers start building their sustainability program with their customers (farmers) in mind. But make sure you know what problem your customer is trying to solve before offering a solution. Sometimes what starts with good intentions doesn’t always turn out as planned. As a trusted advisor, make sure you do your research before investing in a sustainability program. Don’t put yourself in a corner by unknowingly articulating recommendations to solve Situation A, …