The Field Guide Podcast

We continue our conversation with Tim Little focusing on his soil health practices. We talk about the changes in soil health that he has experienced since changing his tillage practices. We cover his goals for Integrated Pest Management practices and how he manages the risks associated with cover cropping. He finishes with some advice for anyone looking to get into cover cropping.

We talk with Tim Little about the history of his farm and what drove his adoption of conservation practices. Join us as we go into detail on why he adopted conservation practices. We also get into which of his practices have changed over time and what level of success he has attained with these practices. 

We finish our conversation with Dan and Erin Honken of Honken Farms. Join us as we dive deeper into a discussion on forages and cover crop use, manure management, and solar panels. We learn more about covers as forages and how they manage sweet corn silage during the winter. We also get into flower production and how that relates to their manure management. Finally, we discuss their solar panels and 36-foot houseboat.

We join Dan and Erin Honken on their farm to discuss their farm history and practices. We dive into their approach to their soil health practices and forage management. We also get into different cover cropping practices and how they utilize these covers on-farm. We end our discussion with their experience growing Kernza and what they've learned about this emerging crop. 

In this episode: Shane Bugeja is introduced as the first guest host of the podcast. We discuss his Extension projects in Blue Earth and Le Sueur counties. We will also cover some of his favorite topics related to Entomology, trees, soil health, and the importance of carbon in soils. We also get into Integrated Pest Management and some of the pest issues of concern from the 2021 growing season.

We return to Jim, Mark, and Matt Purfeerst’s farm to take a deeper dive into their farming practices. Learn more about Vertical and No-tillage, tile drains, and cover cropping. We also talk a little about different cover crops species, which includes the use of African cabbage, and how they utilize the different covers as alternative forages. We end with a rigorous discussion on the return on investment of soil health practices and a new take on the definition of soil health. 

We join Jim Purfeerst and his two sons on their farm to discuss the history of their farm and farming practices. Dive into the history of their farm and their progression into different tillage and cover crop practices. We also touch on many of the challenges and reasons behind changing their practices to improve soil health.

In this episode, we speak with Mike Cruise about his future plans and new position with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. We then welcome Claire LaCanne as the new host for the podcast. Claire covers her research experiences with insects and tillage systems. She also covers her definition of sustainable agriculture and what she hopes to bring to the podcast.

In this episode we go back to Joe Borgerding's farm to look at a unique approach to strip-till and cover crops. Joe talks about his experimenting with a cereal rye cover crop, fall strip tillage, and a rather unique weed whipping apparatus. We touch on the benefits of using this type of system, including soil moisture retention and warmer soil temperatures in the planting zone. This system is showing significant benefits in the drought conditions we are currently facing in 2021.

In this episode we have a follow-up conversation going over our talk with Jake Scherer. We cover team building and how important it is to prepare and plan for those inevitable changes that come in farming. We discuss a few different approaches to integrated weed and pest management and don't worry, we talk about bears again.