JULY 1997
Vol.6, NO. 3

PESTICIDE REDUCTION OPTIONS

SPREADING THE SUSTAINABLE STORY

SFA transfers reduced-chemical methods farmer to farmer

By Andrea Frazeur

Madison, Minn. -- Carmen Fernholz stands with one foot on his cultivator, the other firmly planted on his rich organic soil.

Young and old, men and women surround him as he talks. They question; some take notes. They want to know how he successfully grows crops and gets rid of weeds without using synthetic chemicals.

"Invariably, my soybean fields are spotless," Fernholz says. "I'm trying to get the same success with corn."

The field day talk is one of hundreds Fernholz has given over the years about his farm operation. This summer he continues to share his knowledge through a PRO grant.

Farmers share skills

Fernholz is one of four farmers experienced in reduced-chemical practices who are holding on-farm field days and winter workshops under the PRO grant.

"Farmers are the experts. They know agriculture better than anybody else, and they can teach other farmers," says Tim King, Minnesota Sustainable Farming Association manager. The SFA requested PRO funds to carry out the field days, conduct winter workshops and evaluate how successful they are at encouraging other farmers to adopt practices that reduce chemical use.

Other farmers holding workshops include Dale Katterhagen of Browerville and SFA members Jaime DeRosier of Red Lake Falls, and Jean Peterson and Al Sterner of Delano.

DeRosier farms 800 acres; 410 are certified organic. He has demonstrated that planting smother crops of hairy vetch, a legume, in small grains and sunflowers can provide a good ground cover while reducing herbicide costs more than $30/acre.

Peterson and Sterner raise 50 acres of onions, pumpkins, asparagus, green beans, tomatoes and sweet corn. They have found that using a process called flaming has reduced their pesticide and hand-weeding costs. (See story on flaming weeds below.)

Katterhagen, who considers himself a conservative conventional farmer, is not a member of SFA but does practice good soil stewardship. His soil-saving farm practices include the use of wind breaks, contour strips, grass waterways and minimum tillage.

New conventional wisdom?

Katterhagen milks about 50 cows, raises steers, and farms 355 acres in Todd County, one of the state's premier dairy counties. He also serves on boards of the Long Prairie River Stewardship Project and the county's Soil and Water Conservation District.

Katterhagen reduces herbicide use by identifying his weeds, using products targeted to specific weed problems, carefully calibrating his spraying equipment, and treating weeds while they're small.

"To successfully reduce rates, you've got to understand your chemicals," he says, "And you've got to know the right people to ask, and the right questions.

"Economics drives this farm operation. We figure out a way to chisel any dime out of here any way we can, but we intend to leave the soil better off than when we came."

Katterhagen has adopted practices that allow him to use reduced rates of Roundup. With guidance from Del Glanzer, an Alexandria crop consultant, Katterhagen combines spray-grade ammonium sulfate, an inexpensive nitrogen source, with Roundup. Weeds hungry for fertilizer take in the Roundup as well and easily succumb to the herbicide.

Roundup works well on grasses, and Katterhagen uses it to kill off three- to five-year-old alfalfa stands before plowing to plant corn. He generally plows down about 50 alfalfa acres annually, like many other dairy operations in the area. Katterhagen estimates he saves about $8 an acre using his reduced-Roundup method, for a total annual savings of $400.

"Dale is a smart individual who has developed this system to reduce Roundup rates," King says. "Now he wants to do the traditional thing, which is share with other farmers."

They want to learn

The Minnesota SFA was founded in 1988 by farmers who wanted an information-sharing network on sustainable farming practices.

Sustainability covers a large gamut of farming practices but includes some basic principles, says King, who runs a small commercial vegetable operation.

Not only should a farm be economically and environmentally sustainable, it must also sustain the spirit of the family who lives and works there, King emphasizes. In addition, it should improve the health of the agricultural community at large. When farms are successful and sustainable, banks and hardware stores stay open in small towns.

"Quality of life, that's the one thing you should think of first," King says. "Is your family life healthy? Is your personal life healthy, or are you working 18 hours a day at three jobs to keep the farm?

"I think most farmers are deeply interested in sustainability."