Rodney runs a cow/calf and wheat operation outside of Wakita, OK and he collaborates in the USDA-ARS Areawide Pest Management for Wheat Project. He and his wife, Pat, farm about 10,000 acres in Oklahoma and Kansas. Rodney has worked closely with both Oklahoma and Kansas Extension educators. He said he also has a good working relationship with Scott Price, Grant County extension agent.

 

Managing and Learning

Rodney Hern runs a cow/calf and wheat operation outside of Wakita, OK. He and his wife, Pat, farm about 10,000 acres in Oklahoma and Kansas. Rodney began as an ag educator after he graduated from Oklahoma State University. He received his degree in agricultural education in 1973 and taught in Texoma, in the Oklahoma Panhandle region. Although his sons, Dan and Shawn, have helped with the operation, one is working full time in Oklahoma City, and the other is pursuing his master’s degree Oklahoma State. Without their help, he said it gets hectic, especially in the fall when they are planting, harvesting and weaning calves. He said he’s thought of hiring a part-time hand, perhaps full time, but right now, Rodney and Pat have everything under control. Learning from Cooperative Extension helps make his operation more efficient. Rodney has worked closely with both Oklahoma and Kansas Extension educators. He said he also has a good working relationship with Scott Price, Grant County extension agent. Both taught agriculture about the same time. He also attends field days, such as the field days for canola. He suggests farmers attend the meetings that demonstrate the differences in no-till and conventional farming, especially when they can see the difference in soil. He said demonstrations on water infiltration and sediment retention meetings are also good. Rodney is a major advocate for no-till practices.

Ongoing Management for No-Till Success

The main ingredients of his operation are wheat, soybeans, and milo. He has also planted some canola. He’s been no-till for about 12 years. He was first introduced to no-till when he taught school in Texoma. “I saw what it could do out there,” he said. “We started a farm program that enabled us to do some diverse things.” Probably the biggest challenge to no-till is the mindset. “If you’ve grown up clean till or conventional farming one of the biggest obstacles is to redo your thinking,” he said. “That’s one reason for crop rotation. If you continually run wheat no-till, you run into some problems.” To run his operation, it’s an ongoing management. He describes wheat as the backbone of his no-till system. In this system, building organic matter in the soil is important. Good residue cover on the ground will help prevent most of the water erosion and all of the wind erosion. Another reason for running no-till is to conserve the moisture. Each time the ground is worked, especially with the wind, moisture is lost.

Rotating to Battle Weeds & Preventive Insect Management

In addition to managing moisture, he must also control weeds. He said about the only way to get rid of the rye is rotation. Running continuous milo, you have problems with Johnson grass, so you rotate beans to clean up the Johnson grass. You learn what crops to rotate to take care of any weed problems that you may have. He uses different herbicides with his crops. His biggest headache right now is Johnson and Crab grass. After running no-till for a few years, kochia begins to disappear and pigweed isn’t a problem. On soybeans, he uses round-up because he said it’s one of the safest chemicals. On his wheat, he uses only fertilizer after he follows beans. Another reason for going to no-till was equipment and labor. Before switching to no-till, he had acquired more land. He said he couldn’t justify buying another set of equipment to farm the acreage. He chose to sell his conventional farm equipment and equip his operation for no-till – buying one tractor and one spray rig. He said this makes his operation more efficient. No-till is efficient as far as timing, and it’s economical because he can buy chemicals in bulk, either from a co-op or somebody else, where he gets the best price. He also added a facility to store fertilizer. Again, he can buy bulk and save money per ton. To reduce insect pressure, he plants Gaucho-treated seed, which protects it for 35 to 40 days. Often in milo or wheat, one or two bugs on a smaller plant can do as much damage as many bugs on more mature plants. “It’s all a systematic treatment they put on the seed before you plant it,” he said.

Conserving Nutrients, Soil and Water

One of the biggest issues with conventional farming is the sediment. When sediment moves, it finds its way to rivers and lakes and causes pollution problems. No-till is the direction to take in order to be good stewards of the soil. As fuel and fertilizer costs begin to rise, it will push growers to consider no-till practices. For Rodney, the best way to handle sediment is 100 percent no-till in watersheds. He participates in the CSP, or conservation security program. The EPA looks at practices that growers are using. The program offers incentives to growers to engage in no-till practices to keep the sediment and nutrients where they are. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Rural Water District, so he said he’s acutely aware of contaminants and water quality. He is also on the Conservation Board. He and Pat help with the local school whenever help is needed. He once sat on the school board and the co-op board. And of course, there are family events and other activities.

Diversity Helps Success

One of the things that he likes most about his operation is the diversity. In his operation, he has a combination of calves, summer crops, and wheat. “It’s what works and what fits,” he said. “Seeing the benefit of feeding the soil.”

Conserving, Preserving and Protecting

Watersheds are areas that drain into a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, wetland or ocean. Individual actions can affect watersheds directly. The U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, NRCS, is a federal agency that works with people in a number of states to improve and protect soil, water and other natural resources. Producers, like the Herns, work with the NRCS to improve water quality, prevent erosion and promote sustainable agriculture. To find more information about watersheds, go to http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/watershed/ To find out more about winter canola, visit http://www.canola.okstate.edu/