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SOIL HEALTH IN PRACTICE - REAL SOLUTIONS FROM REAL FARMERS

The goal is grazing every acre they have and grazing 365
days a year. Miller has largely kicked the hay habit by
keeping something growing all the time. A variety of cover
cropping strategies are used, including spring-planted
mixes of peas, oats, barley, and rapeseed which cattle graze
in early summer and summer planted sorghum based
Photo by Dale Strickler fall planted mixes of rye and hairy vetch are grazed from
mixes grazed through the fall and winter. Like Niswonger,

March to the beginning of June. The aggressive and tough

the most production and best soil building properties –
Above: Niswonger’s pasture that was mob grazed in June but has now rested 75 days nature of rye makes it a favorite choice as it typically gives
while his cows were grazing cover crops. The big bluestem regrowth on this is very even under the toughest of conditions. Native range is ro-
impressive for Western KS and this can provide winter stockpile grazing or be setup tationally grazed between cover crops.
for tremendous production next year.
Below: A neighboring buffalograss pasture with continuous grazing throughout the The economics of this system works. On yearling calves,
summer. No cover, poor water infiltration, poor yield, and extremely low stocking rates. the cost of gain is $0.45 to $0.65 per pound (depending
on what is being grazed) with a typical summer average
of 2.3 ADG and an average 400 pounds of beef per acre.
Miller calves in sync with nature, starting in May and
keeps costs in line and improves his genetics by raising his
own replacement heifers and bulls. Ever the entrepreneur,
Miller has also started a fencing supply company (www.
Photo by Dale Strickler facebook.com/livewiresolar/) and sells a full line of qual-
ity products as well as some pretty cool customized solar
powered energizer solutions.

Niswonger is not alone in his approach to farming the arid
High Plains. Jacob Miller of Culburtson, NE, graduated Photo by Martin Kunz
from University and returned to the family farm in 2013
with big plans. Miller remembers, “I was going to be a
farmer so I went and bought a combine and grew wheat,
and I grew milo, and I grew soybeans. And I didn’t make
a damn dime farming.” It only took two years to discover
what his father already knew – that grain farming wasn’t
going to work—especially amid the current economy. Like
Niswonger, he decided to convert his cash grain produc-
tion acres to cover crops for grazing.

In addition to the economics, soil health has improved
with noticeable increases in soil organic matter, infiltra-
tion rates, and biological activity. This “farming in nature’s
image” method has also led to increased populations of
mycorrhizal fungi, earthworms, wildlife, and birds.
Photo by Jacob Miller Grazing cattle in these arid areas makes a lot more sense

then tillage and fallow and grain production. By mim-
icking nature, Niswonger and Miller have improved their
soils, their bottom lines, and their quality of life.

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