Conventional Farming Methods and Their Impact on Soil Health

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Research Goals

The goal of this research is to study the impact of conventional farming techniques such as tillage and crop rotation as well as their effects on fields.
This research will focus on farming methods that maintain production levels but preserve soil health.
The main goal will be implementing these strategies at J&J Dairy and eventually start implementing on a more wide spread level after farmers see the positives to the techniques

SPECIFIC FIELD TO RESEARCH

Arthur Field

Arthur field has been owned by J&J Dairy since the 1960's and has roughly 120 acres. This field has been used the longest out of any of J&J Dairy's fields.
Arthur field is used to grow corn in the spring, summer, and fall. This corn is then used as feed for the cows. During the winter months, winter rye is planted to ensure coverage of the land during the off-season. Winter rye provides nutrients to soil in preparation for next seasons crops.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Connection Between Soil Health & New Age Farming

"Conventional metrics for assessing soil quality have primarily focused on physical and chemical factors that support crop production, yet growing awareness of the importance of soil ecology and the diversity and abundance of soil life is reshaping agronomic thought to embrace enhancing and sustaining soil health as a fundamental agronomic goal" (Montgomery & Bikle, 2021).
Intensive food production systems that utilize conventional farming methods often cause issues with soil health, contamination of the food, and reduced nutrient content and flavor of the food (Suja et al. 2017)

Tillage & Crop Rotation Affect on Soil Health

Tillage is the primary source of weed control on most conventional farms but can often cause bursts of microbial activity that can degrade the soil. (Montgomery & Bikle, 2021)
Legumes are a special interest in crop rotations because of the specialized bacteria (Rhizobium spp.) that come from the roots and convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available nitrogen. (Mohler & Johnson, 2009)
Crop rotations with several different crops can benefit the farmers by reducing the uncertainty of production issues, improve soil fertility, and improve tolerance to drought and other hard conditions. (Shah et al., 2021)

METHODS USED IN RESEARCH

Quantitative

Reviewing other research data to determine the best way to evaluate Arthur Field.
Researching several different methods and their effect on soil health in similar climates in order to determine a mixed method approach to propose at J&J Dairy.

Qualitative

Interviewing farmers and owners at J&J Dairy about the impact of farming methods on their fields.
Researching specific fields at J&J Dairy and doing visits throughout the season, documenting changes that occur.
Using information from the past to see how much damage has been to the fields as result of farming methods.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Ley Farming

This method was given up because it was too timely to execute and is only used by a selective group of farmers.
This method allowed farmers to add nitrogen back into their soil naturally and have higher yields. (Hopwood et al., 2022)
With conventional farms, legume-rich grasslands are a good option to provide enough nutrients. For bigger farms, the use of legume-rich grasslands result in the need for less fertilizers (Geherman et al., 2003).

Integrated Crop-Livestock System (ICLS)

ICLS is a system that manages crop and livestock to ensure that both are providing for one another without compromising soil health. (Wang et al., 2020)
ICLS can be integrated in many different ways to fit a certain farms weather conditions or other needs. (Wang et al., 2020)

Resources

Droogers, P., Nelson, N., Stanhill, G., Stockdale, E. A., Barak, P., Bellon, S., Chhonkar, P. K., Dubois, M., Scialabba, N. E.-H., & Gerhardt, R. A. (2017, March 6). Yield, quality and soil health under organic vs conventional farming in taro. Scientia Horticulturae. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304423817300912?casa_token=1swOy1azLIEAAAAA%3A7vON5BTpTwSJSjDJlGkIWUWdyXk2ouvX25eqv-nZ5iZoHGNpT2grdNVes_Tm16drVimXk7E

Geherman, V., Viiralt , R., & Ellermae, O. (2003, November 11). comparison of leys on conventional and organic farms .

Global meta‐analysis of cover crop response on soil carbon ... - ACSESS. (n.d.). https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/agj2.21340

Google. (n.d.). Soil compaction in crop production. Google Books. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Soil_Compaction_in_Crop_Production/DP3KBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

Hopwood, J. (2023, July 19). Farming practices that support Soil Health. SARE. https://www.sare.org/publications/farming-with-soil-life/farming-practices-that-support-soil-health/

Lin, W., Lin, M., Zhou, H., Wu, H., Li, Z., & Lin, W. (2019, May 28). The effects of chemical and organic fertilizer usage on rhizosphere soil in tea Orchards. PloS one. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6538140/

Mohler, C. L. (2023, September 12). Crop rotation effects on soil fertility and Plant Nutrition. SARE. https://www.sare.org/publications/crop-rotation-on-organic-farms/physical-and-biological-processes-in-crop-production/crop-rotation-effects-on-soil-fertility-and-plant-nutrition/

Montgomery, D. R., & Biklé, A. (2021, October 7). Soil Health and nutrient density: Beyond organic vs. conventional farming. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.699147/full#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20tillage%20and%20chemical%20fertilizers,mineral%20uptake%2C%20and%20phytochemical%20production.

Serebrennikov, D., Thorne, F., Kallas, Z., & McCarthy, S. N. (2020, November 21). Factors influencing adoption of sustainable farming practices in Europe: A systemic review of empirical literature. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/22/9719

Shah, K. K., Modi, B., Pandey, H. P., Subedi, A., Aryal, G., Pandey, M., & Shrestha, J. (2021, July 22). Diversified crop rotation: An approach for sustainable agriculture production. Advances in Agriculture. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/aag/2021/8924087/

Tudi, M., Daniel Ruan, H., Wang, L., Lyu, J., Sadler, R., Connell, D., Chu, C., & Phung, D. T. (2021, January 27). Agriculture Development, pesticide application and its impact on the environment. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7908628/

Uni ScholarWorks at the University of Northern Iowa. Site. (n.d.). https://scholarworks.uni.edu/

Wang, T., & Bly, A. (2020, August 6). Farm practices that improve soil health: Integrated crop-livestock systems. SDSU Extension. https://extension.sdstate.edu/farm-practices-improve-soil-health-integrated-crop-livestock-systems