The Field Guide Podcast

In this episode, we discuss what the future of soil health practices with Tim Little on his farm near Dundas, Minnesota.

In this episode, we finish our conversation with Dan and Erin Honken of Honken Farms. We talk about cover crop management and use, different forage options, and cost-share programs to help with farm improvements.

In this episode, we introduce a new guest host of the podcast, Shane Bugeja.

In this episode: We are joined by Jim Purfeerst and his two sons, Mark and Matt. We cover the history, tillage practices, and Integrated Pest Management practices that constitute their operation.

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 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 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 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.

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.

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.