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Collaboration

KSHN

The Kansas Soil Health Network comprises multiple on-farm research sites that include the adoption of soil health-improving practices. The Kansas Corn Commission and a USDA NIFA Sustainable Systems grant support the Kansas Soil Health Network. The Kansas Corn Commission has provided over $350,000 over the last 6 years. The Kansas Corn Commission has provided funding for two more sites in western Kansas for 2023-2024. The Kansas SHN identified, tested, and measured farm management practices that improve soil health and benefit farmers. The ultimate goal is to measure and communicate the economic and environmental benefits of different soil management strategies and provide regionally specific, data-driven recommendations that farmers could use to improve their farms' productivity and sustainability. The Soil Health Network will provide data for climate-smart practices to support carbon and ecosystem service markets. In addition, this data could be eventually used to source corn as being produced under soil health practices. This network will provide a platform for outreach to the citizens of KS. In the last five years, this network has reached over 700 participants at field days at these on-farm research trials.

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KSHN Farms

The KS Soil Health Network farms serve as showcases for other farmers to investigate innovative soil management practices and discuss costs and benefits. The aim is to enroll transitioning farmers interested in soil health, cover crops, conservation tillage, or advanced nutrient management, but they do not have to be experts. The farmers must commit to collecting high-quality precision field and economic practice data and sharing the research results on their farms with others to increase the adoption of practices through field days, media interactions, and online forums. Kansas Soil Health Network also offers the opportunity to be at the forefront of agricultural evolution while making their farm more profitable. The Kansas Soil Health Network will serve as the K-State 105 effort to create economic opportunities across all of Kansas. 

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Nature Conservancy of Kansas

In addition to the Kansas Soil Health Network, The Nature Conservancy of Kansas has acquired a farm in Dickinson County, KS, to serve as a Demonstration and Research Farm for regenerative agriculture. This 900-acre farm is divided between cultivated fields and native pastures. Chuck Rice serves on the Trustees Board and is Chair of the Advisory Committee for this farm. K-State will work closely with TNC on collaborative efforts. In addition, K-State acquired the Lonsinger Farm near Alton, KS in Osborne County. This property will be established for research on sustainability. It also has a mix of cultivated fields and native pastures, and it could provide a central KS location to extend regenerative agriculture in the future.  

Regenerative Agriculture and Market Opportunities

Even though studies claim that better farming practices, also called “regenerative agriculture,” could result in more nutrient-dense food, this interaction between soil health – crop health – grain quality (human health) – ecosystem health still needs to focus on more testing. Studies have found higher levels of phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals relevant to human health in fields conducted under regenerative practices when compared with fields conducted under conventional farming practices. No-till practices have been widely adopted across Kansas, the use of cover crops is still limited. Along with the environmental benefit of using no-till with cover crops, markets are being more selective and paying farmers higher prices for products with better nutritional content, which gives farmers and ranchers greater profitability. These market niches would be polling farmers to adopt farming practices that are more sustainable for the environment combined with better crop revenues, creating a harmonic operation with environmental resilience and economic value. 

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