By Rachel Curry and Nicole Haverback et.al
Farmers often learn best from one another, and the Farmer-Led Advances in Soil Health (FLASH) program helps make those connections possible. In episode 77, Morgan Cauble from American Farmland Trust (AFT), Malina Przygoda from the Coles County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Bobby Orman, a Coles County farmer, discuss the FLASH program and its Batch and Grow cover crop initiative.
What is FLASH?
FLASH is designed to create farmer-to-farmer networks within priority watersheds in Illinois. In the program, farmers identify local challenges, share their experiences, and collectively decide on the conservation practices that will best address issues in their watershed.
Currently, there are five active groups across Illinois, located in:
Farmers interested in participating in the program should contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District.
What is the batch and grow program?
The batch and grow program is a cover crop program available exclusively to FLASH participants. Cover crops are an in-field agricultural conservation practice that offers a range of benefits, including enhanced soil health and reduced nutrient loss.
The program is simple: Farmer leaders select mixes suited to the region, and AFT provides the seed and application at no cost to the participating farmers. The program is designed to reduce barriers during the early years of adopting the practice by offering technical support from farmer peers, a soil health specialist, and an agronomist, along with the free seed and application. To date, approximately 8,000 acres have been enrolled in the program.
A farmer’s perspective
Bobby Orman farms in western Coles County within the Lake Mattoon, Embarras River, and Kaskaskia River Watersheds. Orman was encouraged by the local NRCS and SWCD to join the local FLASH group because of the conservation practices he had already adopted. He acknowledged that wind and water erosion were obvious problems, and using cover crops would help address the issues. By joining FLASH, Orman notes that one of the benefits of participating in the program is the opportunity to establish strong networking connections with other farmers, agencies, researchers, and administrators.
FLASH connects farmers to:
- Other farmers implementing similar practices
- Local conservation professionals
- Researchers, agency staff, and program administrators
- Neighboring farmers facing the same resource concerns
This network allows for shared learning opportunities and problem-solving across the state. If a farmer is interested in participating in the program, Orman suggests gathering a few neighbors to identify a shared issue, which can be the foundation of a new group.
Source : illinois.edu