Hank McGowan is committed to restoring the soil on his farm in McCool Junction. The third-generation farmer started dabbling in cover crops to prevent erosion on his roughest ground and provide additional forage for his cattle years ago. Since then, he has increased his soil health practices each year to encompass all of his acres. Sometimes his management experiments fail to deliver the results he hoped for, but he’s learning something new every season and building his soil along the way.
Not only is he improving the soil on his own property, but he shares the soil health message with others. He was a presenter at several events in recent years, partnering with a number of agencies and organizations from the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District to The Nature Conservancy to promote the use of soil health best management practices like no-till and cover crops. From small scale farmer field days to large scale regenerative ag conferences, McGowan is happy to share what he’s learned with other producers who are considering adding practices.
Thanks to these efforts, McGowan will be recognized with the Outstanding Soil Conservation Award from Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts at their annual conference in September. He was nominated by the Upper Big Blue NRD.
More than just increasing his farm’s profitability, McGowan is concerned with the health of the web of life in the soil, from the beneficial bacteria to fungi to microorganisms, all of which have a role to play in the health of plants. When you’re taking a system-wide approach, change is slow, he admits. But if you hang on, you will see the results. For those just getting started with new soil health practices, McGowan tells them not to implement a new strategy on every acre to begin with, but to take their time and add more practices and more acres with each growing season.
“These things will test your faith,” said McGowan of cover crops and no-till practices, especially when your fields don’t look as ‘clean’ as the neighbor’s. However, implementing conservation practices has paid off and he is seeing the dividends on his acres. “It’s been working better than I expected it to. I was told it would take five years before I saw improvement, but it’s not true. I saw some benefits immediately.”
McGowan promotes cover crops as a buffer against extreme weather variability (in recent years he has experienced hail, drought, and tornadoes). He tells anyone who will listen that cover crops have improved his soil’s infiltration rate, reduced erosion, suppressed weeds, and increased his overall profitability. McGowan has been adding new management practices and transforming his acres a bit at a time for the past few years. His current goal is to move the needle even further to reduce his synthetic nitrogen application.
McGowan is a big believer in adding carbon to the system. He contends that if farmers improve their soil carbon, they can reduce the amount of fertilizer they need and thereby improve their bottom line while protecting groundwater from contamination. Additionally, more carbon in the system means more nutrient uptake by the crops, which in turn increases the BRIX level of the plant, making them more resistant to pests. McGowan recommends adding humic acid as it increases the bioavailability of nutrients naturally occurring in the soil, thus reducing the need for inputs over time.
McGowan tells other producers that drilling in a cover crop in the fall does make harvest time more of a hassle, but stresses that it is manageable. The extra work in the fall leads to a simpler spring planting season, with less inputs needed, translating into greater profitability. While weed suppression wasn’t his primary goal in planting cover crops, McGowan was surprised to see how effective the practice has been at combating mare’s tail and water hemp. Adding rye to lock up residual nitrogen in the soil while also feeding his cattle has been an added benefit to cover crops. McGowan recommended that farmers that want to implement regenerative practices take their worst field and add cover crops there first, as it is where they would have the least to lose and would potentially see improvements fastest.
With some of these practices, the financial return is readily apparent. “With the price of farm ground being what it is, topsoil is expensive. Try to keep it. That’s what we’re doing,” said McGowan, discussing erosion prevention measures achieved through soil health practices including cover crops.
Interested in adding cover crops or other practices? The Upper Big Blue NRD has increased cost-share funding for cover crops, land treatment, and buffer strips in qualifying areas of the district. See https://www.upperbigblue.org/wqmp for details.
