October 25, 2024 • 11 mins
Farmer Linus Rothermich talks with host Makayla Voris about how he started incorporating cover crops on his farm; why some farmers are be hesitant to adopt cover crops; and his own motivation for planting cover crops.
This podcast is part of the MU Extension Podcast Network.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Regenerative Reflections, a podcast produced in partnership with MU
(00:13):
Extension. I'm Makayla Voris, your host from the University of Missouri's Center
for Regenerative Agriculture. Our mission is to provide farmers with the research,
resources, and connections to implement practices that improve soil health, crop
yield, and livestock systems. Today I chatted with Linus Rothermich, a farmer
involved with our Cover Crop Incentive Payment Program. We have four programs
(00:37):
specifically for cover crops as part of the Missouri Climate Resilient Crops and
Livestock Project, or CIRCLE for short. The CIRCLE project seeks to empower
farmers and producers to add or maintain regenerative practices on their
operations. Linus has worked with cover crops for a long time and it was amazing
to hear his thoughts on how to implement them on the farm. Let's hear from him now.
(00:57):
Linus, thank you so much for being on the podcast today. It's great to have you.
It's good to be here. I wanted to start off by asking you, you know, what
practices, regenerative agricultural practices, do you do on your farm? Well
I'm doing no-till, doing cover crops, I'm doing fertilizer banding, nitrogen
(01:22):
side dressing on corn, crop rotation, just the stuff that just kind of part of me
being a good steward in improving my soil. So what are some of the benefits
that you see of having multiple practices, cover crops, no-till, that sort
of thing in operation on your farm? Well, I just mentioned before, soil erosion,
(01:44):
we're sitting here on farms that have been farmed for quite a while. I have
areas that have no topsoil left on them. I want to maintain what I have for the
next future generations. So I want to get my soil erosion down close to zero that
I can and still be able to raise good crops and make it a profitability for me
(02:04):
to do it. So probably that's part of my reason for doing it. You know, part of the
regenerative thing is coming along and yes, we're probably regenerating, but that
that wasn't part of my mission when I started. You've been doing cover crops
for a long time, correct? 2013, I started planting the whole farm to cover
crops. I was kind of playing with it a couple of previous years before that. So
(02:27):
so I'm in it year number 11. You got to get to about year 8 or 9 before you
really start seeing the benefits of continuous cover crops. So while we were
walking around your farm in Avas, Missouri, we were kind of talking about
you know why maybe farmers are a little bit hesitant about adopting cover crops
(02:49):
and you just said that it takes a while to maybe see those benefits for cover
crop. What else do you think keeps farmers from maybe taking that leap or
trying it but then not trying it again the next year? Well if they've had a
failure or they just had bad advice on what they did or they did something
wrong, I mean I've had some mistakes. I haven't had total failures. I've had some
(03:10):
stuff where I've worked had to work pretty hard to solve the problems I had
and then raised a pretty decent crop. But I've also seen people that didn't do
that and come up with a failure. And then the main, and it could be the old
question, it's like we ain't never done that. It's not what we've done for the
last 50-60 years or whatever. Even though everything is changing around
(03:32):
them, I can't understand it. But I also understand if they're getting old
and setting their ways, they're not gonna change. You're involved with the Center
for Generative Agriculture in Columbia, Missouri and last I checked you're part
of the Missouri Circle Project. Can you tell me a little bit about how you came
into contact with the center? Rob Myers, which I've worked with Rob for, known Rob
(03:56):
for a long time and he sent me an email with that to get signed up for it. You
know I've even seen, one of the things I mentioned from the last question, I've
even seen farmers I thought just no way they do cover crops and they're out
here doing it because they took some of those early incentives and went and done
it and saw the benefit and they're still doing it. Are there any cohorts, incentive
(04:17):
payment programs or educational resources that have benefited you in the
past or even right now? I am doing the CRCO program now. The state has a program
and I have never taken that money at it because when it first came out they had
farmers jumping on all that but they had a limit on that. You also kind of got to
watch the incentives on some of these programs because you can't take
(04:37):
advantage of both of them at the same time. So my incentive is saving soil. My
topsoil is valuable to me. That's my incentive, saving my topsoil and if I got
a good topsoil I'm going to raise some decent crops.
I'm Kelly Wilson, Associate Director for the Center for Regenerative Ag. I am jumping in on your
(05:01):
podcast listening to share the news that we are opening our second year
application period for regenerative grazing, climate smart fieldscapes and
silvopasture programs on November 1st. I'm joined by our regenerative grazing
and silvopasture program leads, Erin Kiley. Erin, can you tell us about these
programs? Thanks Kelly. The regenerative grazing program is about encouraging
Missouri livestock producers to implement adaptive grazing and really
(05:25):
focus on the outcomes. So a focus on soil health, increasing biodiversity and
carbon sequestration. Think of it like prescribed grazing but next level.
Farmers will develop a grazing plan and monitor across the grazing season. Using
these plans can be super helpful for producers to understand pasture
composition, recovery periods, key production dates and this year it's
(05:48):
especially relevant using a grazing chart can help farmers understand drought
and plan for destocking dates well ahead of the market. The program pays $50 per
acre for a one-year contract and our farmers will also have access to grazing
webinars, field days and cost share on really robust soil testing through SHAC
so they can monitor and improve their soil health. Thanks Erin. The climate
(06:12):
smart fieldscape program is tailored for small and underserved producers in
Missouri. Farmers accepted into this program will work with technical
assistance providers to develop an operational plan that includes using
three or more climate smart practices over the course of three years. We're
offering a flat payment of $10,000 over the course of that three-year contract.
In this program participants will also benefit from being part of a virtual
(06:34):
cohort where you'll meet with fellow farmers and technical assistance
providers every few months on a virtual meeting. You'll also be a partner in
education. We'll also see you do some type of demonstration activity like this
podcast over the course of those three years. The last program that we wanted to
just briefly mention is the silvopasture program. Here we are paying $250 per acre
for producers to plant trees in pastures where livestock will graze. If you have
(06:58):
questions on this program you can also reach out to Erin. So if you are a
Missouri producer interested in either general grazing, the climate smart
fieldscape program or silvopasture head over to our website at CRA.missouri.edu
to learn more.
So just then you were talking about kind of your own motivation to do cover crops
(07:24):
and things like that. You said that soil health is really important to you. Can
you tell me a little bit more about that? Well when I first started it was all
about soil erosion and we've started looking at as we've learned here we've
got a lot to learn about what's going on underneath the soil underneath our feet.
It's really a complex group of living organisms down there that we still got
(07:45):
a lot to learn. So but you know one of the things especially when I'm doing
cover crops especially when I see radishes or I grow winter hairy vetch is
one of my main cover crops. I do a lot of winter hairy vetch. I love winter hairy
vetch but the thing I see is this earthworm stimulation from the winter
(08:06):
hairy vetch. It's almost like tillage through the soil because there's so many
worms working in that soil underneath that vetch. It's a high protein. They're
just happy. They've got a lot of good forage for them to eat and and they're
really stirring things up underneath the winter hairy vetch as it's growing. Do
you think that that's helped you with your no-till practice as well? Oh I think
(08:28):
it has. Just to give an example I bought a different planter here three years ago
and I got it. I was gonna put my usual press wheels on that I had on my other
planter. Well I couldn't get those. I was gonna try some other ones. I couldn't get
those and all I had left so I had the rubber original rubber press wheels on
that planter and it's like okay so we ran those. Well I really didn't need any
(08:54):
of the other ones because my soil is improved enough for just the old
standard rubber press wheels that came on a John Deere planter are working
excellent because it's closing the track. I don't need a spike closing wheel. I
don't need a crumbling closing wheel. It's closing the trench and that is one
(09:14):
thing I am seeing. I am seeing improvement. It's taken eight or nine
years to get there but seeing improvement and we're gaining on that
now some more. So to kind of wrap this up Linus what would you say to a farmer
who is maybe on the fence about adopting cover crops or no-till or maybe is just
unfamiliar with it and doesn't know where to start? One of the big education
(09:35):
things that I always recommend people to go to is the National No-Till Conference.
A lot of people go to that and and come home with a lot of information. Big thing
is just go ask your neighbor if they've been doing it. They'll be probably more
than happy to help you show you unless you guys don't get along. I've seen that
but biggest you know it's it's having attitude it's like when we need to do
(09:59):
something different we need to make a change. You know I'm like I mentioned
before some of these guys I didn't think they would change and that little bit
incentive they got to see how much improvement it was and then they've
changed. So it does help. Little changes help. A big thank you to Linus for
letting me come out to his farm and chat. Again I'm Makayla Voris your host from
(10:21):
the University of Missouri's Center for Regenerative Agriculture. This podcast
was produced in partnership with MU Extension. If you have questions, comments,
or any thoughts on this podcast let us know by visiting our website at
CRA.missouri.edu and go to the podcast page. You can also find us on social
media at MU Regen Ag and don't forget to drop us a rating wherever you're
(10:43):
listening. The music you're hearing is called Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw
and we snagged it from the Free Music Archive. Watch out for another
Regenerative Reflection and we'll see you next time.
you
you
you
you
(11:03):
you
you
Welcome to Regenerative Reflections, a podcast produced in partnership with MU
(00:13):
Extension. I'm Makayla Voris, your host from the University of Missouri's Center
for Regenerative Agriculture. Our mission is to provide farmers with the research,
resources, and connections to implement practices that improve soil health, crop
yield, and livestock systems. Today I chatted with Linus Rothermich, a farmer
involved with our Cover Crop Incentive Payment Program. We have four programs
(00:37):
specifically for cover crops as part of the Missouri Climate Resilient Crops and
Livestock Project, or CIRCLE for short. The CIRCLE project seeks to empower
farmers and producers to add or maintain regenerative practices on their
operations. Linus has worked with cover crops for a long time and it was amazing
to hear his thoughts on how to implement them on the farm. Let's hear from him now.
(00:57):
Linus, thank you so much for being on the podcast today. It's great to have you.
It's good to be here. I wanted to start off by asking you, you know, what
practices, regenerative agricultural practices, do you do on your farm? Well
I'm doing no-till, doing cover crops, I'm doing fertilizer banding, nitrogen
(01:22):
side dressing on corn, crop rotation, just the stuff that just kind of part of me
being a good steward in improving my soil. So what are some of the benefits
that you see of having multiple practices, cover crops, no-till, that sort
of thing in operation on your farm? Well, I just mentioned before, soil erosion,
(01:44):
we're sitting here on farms that have been farmed for quite a while. I have
areas that have no topsoil left on them. I want to maintain what I have for the
next future generations. So I want to get my soil erosion down close to zero that
I can and still be able to raise good crops and make it a profitability for me
(02:04):
to do it. So probably that's part of my reason for doing it. You know, part of the
regenerative thing is coming along and yes, we're probably regenerating, but that
that wasn't part of my mission when I started. You've been doing cover crops
for a long time, correct? 2013, I started planting the whole farm to cover
crops. I was kind of playing with it a couple of previous years before that. So
(02:27):
so I'm in it year number 11. You got to get to about year 8 or 9 before you
really start seeing the benefits of continuous cover crops. So while we were
walking around your farm in Avas, Missouri, we were kind of talking about
you know why maybe farmers are a little bit hesitant about adopting cover crops
(02:49):
and you just said that it takes a while to maybe see those benefits for cover
crop. What else do you think keeps farmers from maybe taking that leap or
trying it but then not trying it again the next year? Well if they've had a
failure or they just had bad advice on what they did or they did something
wrong, I mean I've had some mistakes. I haven't had total failures. I've had some
(03:10):
stuff where I've worked had to work pretty hard to solve the problems I had
and then raised a pretty decent crop. But I've also seen people that didn't do
that and come up with a failure. And then the main, and it could be the old
question, it's like we ain't never done that. It's not what we've done for the
last 50-60 years or whatever. Even though everything is changing around
(03:32):
them, I can't understand it. But I also understand if they're getting old
and setting their ways, they're not gonna change. You're involved with the Center
for Generative Agriculture in Columbia, Missouri and last I checked you're part
of the Missouri Circle Project. Can you tell me a little bit about how you came
into contact with the center? Rob Myers, which I've worked with Rob for, known Rob
(03:56):
for a long time and he sent me an email with that to get signed up for it. You
know I've even seen, one of the things I mentioned from the last question, I've
even seen farmers I thought just no way they do cover crops and they're out
here doing it because they took some of those early incentives and went and done
it and saw the benefit and they're still doing it. Are there any cohorts, incentive
(04:17):
payment programs or educational resources that have benefited you in the
past or even right now? I am doing the CRCO program now. The state has a program
and I have never taken that money at it because when it first came out they had
farmers jumping on all that but they had a limit on that. You also kind of got to
watch the incentives on some of these programs because you can't take
(04:37):
advantage of both of them at the same time. So my incentive is saving soil. My
topsoil is valuable to me. That's my incentive, saving my topsoil and if I got
a good topsoil I'm going to raise some decent crops.
I'm Kelly Wilson, Associate Director for the Center for Regenerative Ag. I am jumping in on your
(05:01):
podcast listening to share the news that we are opening our second year
application period for regenerative grazing, climate smart fieldscapes and
silvopasture programs on November 1st. I'm joined by our regenerative grazing
and silvopasture program leads, Erin Kiley. Erin, can you tell us about these
programs? Thanks Kelly. The regenerative grazing program is about encouraging
Missouri livestock producers to implement adaptive grazing and really
(05:25):
focus on the outcomes. So a focus on soil health, increasing biodiversity and
carbon sequestration. Think of it like prescribed grazing but next level.
Farmers will develop a grazing plan and monitor across the grazing season. Using
these plans can be super helpful for producers to understand pasture
composition, recovery periods, key production dates and this year it's
(05:48):
especially relevant using a grazing chart can help farmers understand drought
and plan for destocking dates well ahead of the market. The program pays $50 per
acre for a one-year contract and our farmers will also have access to grazing
webinars, field days and cost share on really robust soil testing through SHAC
so they can monitor and improve their soil health. Thanks Erin. The climate
(06:12):
smart fieldscape program is tailored for small and underserved producers in
Missouri. Farmers accepted into this program will work with technical
assistance providers to develop an operational plan that includes using
three or more climate smart practices over the course of three years. We're
offering a flat payment of $10,000 over the course of that three-year contract.
In this program participants will also benefit from being part of a virtual
(06:34):
cohort where you'll meet with fellow farmers and technical assistance
providers every few months on a virtual meeting. You'll also be a partner in
education. We'll also see you do some type of demonstration activity like this
podcast over the course of those three years. The last program that we wanted to
just briefly mention is the silvopasture program. Here we are paying $250 per acre
for producers to plant trees in pastures where livestock will graze. If you have
(06:58):
questions on this program you can also reach out to Erin. So if you are a
Missouri producer interested in either general grazing, the climate smart
fieldscape program or silvopasture head over to our website at CRA.missouri.edu
to learn more.
So just then you were talking about kind of your own motivation to do cover crops
(07:24):
and things like that. You said that soil health is really important to you. Can
you tell me a little bit more about that? Well when I first started it was all
about soil erosion and we've started looking at as we've learned here we've
got a lot to learn about what's going on underneath the soil underneath our feet.
It's really a complex group of living organisms down there that we still got
(07:45):
a lot to learn. So but you know one of the things especially when I'm doing
cover crops especially when I see radishes or I grow winter hairy vetch is
one of my main cover crops. I do a lot of winter hairy vetch. I love winter hairy
vetch but the thing I see is this earthworm stimulation from the winter
(08:06):
hairy vetch. It's almost like tillage through the soil because there's so many
worms working in that soil underneath that vetch. It's a high protein. They're
just happy. They've got a lot of good forage for them to eat and and they're
really stirring things up underneath the winter hairy vetch as it's growing. Do
you think that that's helped you with your no-till practice as well? Oh I think
(08:28):
it has. Just to give an example I bought a different planter here three years ago
and I got it. I was gonna put my usual press wheels on that I had on my other
planter. Well I couldn't get those. I was gonna try some other ones. I couldn't get
those and all I had left so I had the rubber original rubber press wheels on
that planter and it's like okay so we ran those. Well I really didn't need any
(08:54):
of the other ones because my soil is improved enough for just the old
standard rubber press wheels that came on a John Deere planter are working
excellent because it's closing the track. I don't need a spike closing wheel. I
don't need a crumbling closing wheel. It's closing the trench and that is one
(09:14):
thing I am seeing. I am seeing improvement. It's taken eight or nine
years to get there but seeing improvement and we're gaining on that
now some more. So to kind of wrap this up Linus what would you say to a farmer
who is maybe on the fence about adopting cover crops or no-till or maybe is just
unfamiliar with it and doesn't know where to start? One of the big education
(09:35):
things that I always recommend people to go to is the National No-Till Conference.
A lot of people go to that and and come home with a lot of information. Big thing
is just go ask your neighbor if they've been doing it. They'll be probably more
than happy to help you show you unless you guys don't get along. I've seen that
but biggest you know it's it's having attitude it's like when we need to do
(09:59):
something different we need to make a change. You know I'm like I mentioned
before some of these guys I didn't think they would change and that little bit
incentive they got to see how much improvement it was and then they've
changed. So it does help. Little changes help. A big thank you to Linus for
letting me come out to his farm and chat. Again I'm Makayla Voris your host from
(10:21):
the University of Missouri's Center for Regenerative Agriculture. This podcast
was produced in partnership with MU Extension. If you have questions, comments,
or any thoughts on this podcast let us know by visiting our website at
CRA.missouri.edu and go to the podcast page. You can also find us on social
media at MU Regen Ag and don't forget to drop us a rating wherever you're
(10:43):
listening. The music you're hearing is called Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw
and we snagged it from the Free Music Archive. Watch out for another
Regenerative Reflection and we'll see you next time.
you
you
you
you
(11:03):
you
you
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com