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.

In this episode we are again joined by Jake Scherer, retired dairy producer and current crop producer. We talk about the in's and out's of managing white mold in soybeans, including the use of fungicides, changing planting populations, and prioritizing good agronomic practices. We touch on the challenges of weed control and Jake's relatively new experience with nematodes.

In episode 8 we talk with retired dairy producer and current crop producer Jake Scherer. Jake talks about dairy producing with his family, working with the farm business management program, and how he leaned on advisors to help him. Jake talks about how he got out of dairy production and he just might have a few good stories about bears.

In this episode we have a follow-up conversation going over our talk with Joe Borgerding. We talk about good practices, bad practices and sticking with things when they don't work right away. We also point out that many practices that are agronomically sound can be applied across my types of agriculture production systems.

In this episode we are again joined by Joe Borgerding, dairy and crops farmer in the Belgrade, MN. We ask Joe how he manages weeds on his operation and get one of the most interesting answers we have ever heard. Join us for a chat about cover crops, soil health, soil biology, and more.

In this episode we talk about family, transitions within farm operations, and regenerative farming with Joe Borgerding. Joe raises dairy and crops in the Belgrade, MN area with a number of his family members. His farm has had to deal with many changes over the years and Joe's approach to continually learning and addressing these challenges has and continues to propel his operation forward.

Today we are joined by University of Minnesota Extension Educator Jodi DeJong Hughes for a follow-up conversation on conservation, tillage and soil health. We take a deeper dive into some of the concepts and ideas that were brought up in our previous conversation with Brad Cruse and Jodi gives us an education on tillage implements, soil science, and the benefits of cover crops.

We are again joined by retired producer Brad Cruse, this time focusing on his approach to conservation in his operation. We cover the reasons why he decided to initially implement conservation practices, which include both environmental and economical considerations. Using new practices in production agriculture, whether they are conservation focused or not, is always learning process and Brad speaks about this learning process and the time it took for him to get his systems to work well.

In this episode we had the chance to talk with retired producer Brad Cruse. Brad is from Northeast Iowa and primarily grew corn and soybeans. Brad also happens to be the father of co-host Michael Cruse who got an education on how his dad got started farming, how his operation changed overtime, and some of the challenges he faced.

A quick introduction to co-hosts Mike and Nathan. Be ready to learn about where we come from, our experiences before we started working for Extension, and our current positions with UMN Extension. We also talk about our hopes and goals for the Field Guide Podcast.