Farms.com Home   News

Farmers Needed for Climate Change Impact on Michigan Field Crops Farms

By Monica Jean

A newly funded Agricultural Climate Resiliency project entitled, “Ensuring the success of Michigan farms in the face climate change,” funded through a partnership that includes Michigan State University, Michigan State University Extension, the Michigan Plant Coalition, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is looking to partner with select row-crop farmers across Michigan.

Our project seeks to understand how climate change and extreme weather events impact crop yields, soil health and the economic well-being of farmers across Michigan, while facilitating opportunities for Michigan farms to contribute to climate change solutions.

Options for levels of farmer participation

  • Any farmer interested in participating in a soil health assessment. Two fields of your choice will be sampled by a team of researchers in fall 2024. (~ 80 participant limit).
  • Conventional farmers who are interested in establishing regenerative practices such as cover cropping or buffer strips, but would like guidance through the process over the three-year study period (~five participant limit)
    • This does not require shifting whole style of farming, just implementing new methods on select field(s)
    • Participants will receive consultation from farm collaborators and researchers to apply practices in a way that makes the most sense for their farm and business
  • Farmers currently using regenerative practices who would like to partner with researchers on this project for three years (~20 participant limit)

Farmer partners who select option B or C

  • Contribute to the experimental design of the study by helping to select study fields
  • Engage in annual project meetings
  • Allow researchers to soil and greenhouse gas sample on two fields annually
    • Soil sampling three times/year, greenhouse gas sampling ~five-six times/year
    • Farmers will receive a comprehensive soil test each year for three years
  • Communicate with MSU Extension educators about field operations to optimize sampling times
  • Share yield history data and cost of production information
    • All data will be confidential and anonymized
  • Complete management surveys and participate in a one-hour interview annually for a three-year period. 
  • Estimated time obligation per year is ~five hours

Farmer compensation

Farmer participants in groups A, B & C will receive a free comprehensive soil health test report. Farmer participants in groups B & C will receive annual $200 honorarium for each field enrolled in the study and a carbon intensity report for their two selected fields. Farmers in groups B & C will have the opportunity to network with other farmers, members from various commodity groups in Michigan, and researchers.

What indicators will the soil health test report include

A routine nutrient test report, pH, texture, soil respiration (similar to the Solvita test), permanganate oxidizable carbon (active carbon), autoclaved-citrate extractable protein (organically bound pool of nitrogen) and enzymatic activity (indicative of microbial activity and nutrient cycling).

Source : msu.edu

Trending Video

New Dicamba Restrictions

Video: New Dicamba Restrictions

Soybean producers will be without one tool in their toolbox this growing season Federal Court in Arizona has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must vacate the 2020 registrations for Dicamba products. This week on Crop Talk, we sat down with Libby Walsh from the Nebraska Department of agriculture to learn more.