Last month, the I-Team told you about some Ozaukee County farmers who have been using new farming methods to improve soil and water retention. Now, after weeks of little to no rain, we're checking back with them to see how these methods are holding up against Mother Nature's challenges.
Ozaukee County farmers use state funding to spearhead soil, water conservation in SE Wisconsin.
It's prime farming season in Southeast Wisconsin, but the weather has had other plans.
"It caused planting issues. It's caused growth issues in the fields," Brian Vorpagel said.
Vorpagel's a board member of the Ozaukee County Clean Farm Families, a local group of farmers working together to improve soil health and water quality.
Over the last decade, farmers in Ozaukee County, including Paulus, have implemented no-till practices at their farms. Meaning, they don't turn over the soil, they plant cover crop instead. Those crops are used to improve soil quality and retain water instead of being harvested.
It's a method Paulus said could help save crops through this dry spell.
"Some of this no-till has got more moisture in the sub-soil right now, and if we don't get into a rain, it might be the savior of it," Paulus explained.
Tuesday, farmers took a look at both tilled and no-tilled land and saw first-hand how soil can change for the better without tilling.
Source: tmj4.com
Photo Credit: GettyImages-Dmytro Diedov
Categories: Wisconsin, Crops