INTEGRATING LIVESTOCK BACK ON THE LAND

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Episode 1 https://soilhealthlabs.com/podcast/integrating-livestock-annuals/

Episode 2 https://soilhealthlabs.com/podcast/integrating-livestock-perennials/

Dr. Cody Zilverberg is not your ordinary rangeland scientist who grew up on the ranch knowing this was exactly what he wanted to do. Cody’s path was somewhat more circuitous – he grew up in Central South Dakota on a registered beef cattle ranch that his parents, brother, and sister-in-law still operate. Cody studied computer science at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN and had no intention of returning to agriculture. It was in Guatemala, where Cody experienced hand-planting corn that he came to rethink agriculture. Cody returned to study Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M then went to Texas Tech where he received his PhD in studying crop livestock systems. Cody’s PhD and postdoctoral work put him in a unique position to help Dakota Lakes Research Farm’s quest to find ways to integrate (or re-integrate) livestock back into cropping systems.

In this podcast, Cody walks us through some of the methods that Dakota Lakes has been looking at in terms of livestock integration as a tool to make more money on and to improve the land while being mindful of the fact that in South Dakota weather, especially rainfall is so often a limiting factor. Subjects we discuss include swath grazing, bale grazing, grazing of cover crops, grazing in snow conditions, nutrient recycling and soil biology amongst other things.

In our next podcast, we’ll continue to chat with Cody about using perennials in cropping systems and reestablishing native grass systems.

Apart from links to Dakota Lakes, we include a link to Cody’s Research Gate page which gives one an idea of his background and interests.

Cody Zilverberg Research Gate page – https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cody-Zilverberg

Livestock Integration at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eyq93SqnNc

Dakota Lakes Research Farm – https://www.dakotalakes.com/

Dakota Lakes Virtual Field Day – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc66Z_FEyOM&list=PLTZDoxH1GkisubbRzKxg2XA_PIzzPE8PM&index=1

Ample Wildlife

Just like people, wildlife needs food, shelter, and water not just to survive but to thrive. The farming practices we follow at Dakota Lakes nurture a robust ecosystem that provide for the needs not only of the deer and pheasants that are popular with local hunters and nature enthusiasts but also a diverse range of species that ideally keeps pests at bay naturally without the need for intensive pesticide intervention.

Healthy Food

Much of the nutrient acquisition in plants is mediated by microbes, so soils that are home to a rich diversity of microbial life are better equipped to provide plants with their required nutrition effectively and efficiently. Recent studies have shown foods, including meat, grown under regenerative farming practices contain higher levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals than those grown under conventional farming practices. While the science behind these studies is complex and sample sizes are small and highly variable, preliminary results suggest that regenerative practices can enhance the nutritional profile of many of the foods we eat.

Clean Water

Carbon is one of the best water filters known to man, and regenerative farming practices like no-till, cover crops, and livestock integration help to maintain or even increase soil carbon levels. Plants serve as natural “carbon pumps,” bringing carbon in from the atmosphere by way of photosynthesis and feeding it to soil microbes in the form of exudates. In addition, plants take up and hold onto nutrients that are mineralized in the soil, so keeping living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible goes a long way to preventing nutrient runoff into local waterways.

Living Soils

By following diverse cropping rotations, keeping a living root in the ground as much as possible, integrating livestock, maintaining good soil armor, and keeping soil disturbance to a minimum, we are nurturing the soil microbiome and providing favorable conditions for the bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, insects, earthworms, and other living creatures that call the soil their home. Just a teaspoon of healthy soil can contain billions of microbes and our goal is to promote a natural, balanced environment that allows them to thrive.