Over the past week, we have been talking about the 4R Plus program and conservation farming with Holland, Iowa farmer Dale Launstein. We have talked about what it takes to get started, how cover crops have helped during the weather challenges in 2021, and what long-term benefits these practices have brought to his operation.
Today, we will wrap things up with what Dale sees as the future of cover crops, and conservation farming as a whole.
Right now, cover crops and conservation farming practices are optional. You don?t have to participate if you do not want to. However, as years go by, more farmers are looking at their options. Many of them are wanting to get ?ahead of the game.? This means they want to have this figured out before any possible government mandates. Dale Launstein is one of those people.
If you do not think that a government mandate to use cover crops or another climate-smart practice is coming, you may be na?ve. Launstein says to just look at what happened in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. He adds that by getting ahead of the game, you may have more freedom in any future mandates.
Launstein says that he really wants producers to think about the impact they are having on others around them and the environment in other parts of the country. He says that we all need to be doing what we can to reduce our negative impact on others, or we will be forced to make changes in the future. He says that we are going to have to feed more people while protecting the valuable resources we use to produce that food.
Launstein also added that many civilizations that have fallen, have done so because of food insecurity. Whether that was production issues or environmental results of agricultural practices. He says he doesn?t want to see that happen in the future.
To learn more about 4R Plus and its programs, visit their website. Also, talk with you agronomists, crop advisors, and government offices at all levels. They can help you get in the right direction. Launstein also adds that farmers who are already implementing these practices are a wealth of information.
You can see the previous segments in the series.
