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6 Edge of Field Best Practices for Agriculture

You put a lot of work into tending to your field to ensure that your yield is as large as possible each season. As most agricultural producers know, however, monitoring the edge of your field is just as important as keeping an eye on the crops. In this post, we will define edge of field monitoring and highlight best practices for managing nutrients and protecting crop yields.

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What Does Edge of Field Mean in Agriculture?

In terms of agriculture, edge of field monitoring means identifying and reducing agricultural sources of excess nutrients. These nutrients can negatively impact the health of nearby rivers, streams, and lakes, meaning it’s important to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to manage it.

Why is Edge of Field Important?

Edge of field management is important for a number of reasons. By taking care of nutrient management and rebuilding soil health across a farm’s fields, producers can boost productivity while providing conservation benefits. Managing sediment loss from fields can dramatically help when it comes to tackling environmental challenges.

6 Best Practices for Edge of Field in Agriculture

It’s always critical for farmers to get the most out of their crops each season, but this doesn’t mean they have to do so at the expense of the environment. There are several tactics agricultural producers can implement to make sure they’re doing their part to keep the local ecosystem healthy and intact.

Prairie Strips

Prairie Strips

Prairie strips are one conservation method that can be implemented to protect soil and water. It involves integrating small amounts of prairie into strategic locations within a field, and it’s one of the most affordable edge of field practices.

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Our Own On-Farm Research Is the Best Source - Managing White Mold in Northeast Nebraska

Video: Our Own On-Farm Research Is the Best Source - Managing White Mold in Northeast Nebraska

If you assumed Nebraska was too hot and dry for white mold to be a problem in soybeans, think again.

This week we're featuring Galen Samuelson, a farmer and dealer from Wakefield, Nebraska, who knows all too well how devastating white mold can be.

"We don't have it consistently every year, but with our temperature and humidity, it can hurt us quite bad," Samuelson says. Looking for alternatives, he explains, "What I like about Heads Up is that it's non-harmful to the beneficial fungal colonies in the soil." Galen has been using Heads Up for several years now, after first hearing about it through a small ad in a regional newspaper. Watch below to hear about his journey.

When asked to write about Samuelson Seed, Galen said the following:

"Samuelson Seed is a 4th-generation, family-based company. It started with my grandfather, and I'm now starting to pass the torch to my son, Caleb."

"In the early 1990s, I started working with a company whose focus was on plant and soil health before those benefits were widely known. I've continued to keep plant and soil health the main focus in our farming operation decisions."