opinion

It’s up to each of us to be better stewards of Iowa's precious topsoil

The rich, dark soil of our central Iowa farm has sustained six generations of the Kimberley family, dating to the 1860s. My kindergarten son Austin could be the seventh generation.

His future in farming, however, depends on our ability to keep it a viable business — and to protect the natural resources that make it thrive. The most important resource is the soil.

Dec. 5 marked World Soil Day, established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to celebrate one of our most vital resources. Soil is essential for filtering pollutants from our water, storing carbon, and providing the foundation for an estimated 95 percent of the world’s food supply.

The U.S. is losing 2 billion tons of precious topsoil every year — but it takes roughly 2,000 years to generate a mere four inches of topsoil. This precious natural resource is becoming a national priority, an Iowa priority, a priority on the Kimberley farm, and on many of our neighbors’ farms.

The process and practices that restore soil health are gaining momentum; namely the use of minimal-till or no-till, advanced nutrient management, and the growing of cover crops. Many farmers, including myself, are adopting these techniques that will rejuvenate the soil. This year we seeded a mixture of cereal rye, radish, and clover in August, the first time we’ve tried cover crops. We want a living cover in our soil over a longer period of the year to add more organic matter to the soil over time, improve the biological and microbial activity in the thriving ecosystem beneath our feet, control erosion, break up compaction and sequester nitrogen. Another pivotal benefit of cover crops is that they hold more of the nutrients in the soil, where we want them.

Reducing or eliminating the practice of disturbing the soil between growing seasons, or tillage, is one proven method of restoring soil health that is continuing to grow in popularity, and something we also practice on our farm. Nutrient application using advanced soil testing and application technology helps reduce fertilizer loss to air and water.

To improve the adoption of these practices, the benefit to farmers has to be demonstrated, both environmentally and economically. That’s one reason I enrolled in the Soil Health Partnership, an organization leading this effort of collecting long-term data on more than 100 working farms in 12 states. The SHP is collecting scientifically credible data on these farms to demonstrate the fiscal and sustainable benefits to adopting one of more of these practices.

This week, soil health is getting a much-needed boost as a national priority with one of the largest single public-private investments in the advancement of soil health. The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a nonprofit established through bipartisan support in the 2014 Farm Bill, has awarded a $9.4 million grant to The Nature Conservancy, the Soil Health Institute and the Soil Health Partnership to help accelerate the acceptance and adoption of practices that improve soil health. The grant is being matched by corporations and donors for a total investment of more than $20 million.

This level of investment in the collaborative efforts of these groups shows that soil is fast becoming recognized as a significant environmental, economic and societal resource. Conservation and economic development need not be in conflict.

Generations of Iowans have understood the importance of soil to our livelihood, but have perhaps taken it for granted. It’s up to each of us to be better stewards of this finite resource.

Grant Kimberley farms on his family farm in central Iowa. He also serves in agriculture industry roles, as director of market development for the Iowa Soybean Association and executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board.