Building Better Soil with Producer Ray McCormick

By Gilbert Randolph, Working Lands for Wildlife Regional Communications Specialist

In Knox County, Indiana, Ray McCormick is using his decades of experience alongside the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and other partners to lead the way for soil health, wildlife-friendly practices, and his farm's bottom line. This work is central to NRCS' Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) initiative, which provides financial and technical assistance to private landowners to implement fundamental conservation practices on working lands.

Ray operates a multigenerational farm, growing corn, soybeans and well-fed beef cattle. He's a lifelong conservationist and hunter and is active in efforts to educate landowners across the nation about how to improve farming practices while maintaining productivity. Knox County is adjacent to a WLFW priority geographic area for bobwhite quail. Ray's property is an outstanding example of how ag operations can utilize NRCS programs to remain productive for farming and support wildlife.

Cover crops are the basis for the excellent soil health throughout Ray's property. Through NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), he plants cover crops including clovers and annual rye grass.

"We do bale up our cover crops and put it in haylage," Ray says. This extra food source plays multiple roles in his operation. Not only is it food for his cattle, but having cover crops on his fields when he isn't growing cash crops keeps living roots in the soil, allows significantly better, long term water infiltration, and maintains organic material in the soil, which reduces input costs. The cover crops also provide value for wildlife, creating insect habitat, nesting cover and providing potential forage outside the growing season.

As part of a field day co-sponsored by Quail Forever and the Knox County Soil and Water Conservation District, NRCS staff took a sample of soil from Ray's fields and put it into their rain simulator to compare it to a soil sample from a nearby conventional ag operation. The conventional sample lost a significant amount of soil in the simulated rainstorm, and the water only infiltrated an inch or two into the soil. The soil also had very poor structure, essentially existing as dust. Ray's soil, in comparison, not only resisted erosion, but it also absorbed the moisture deep into its structure. The darker soil color, indicating the presence of carbon and organic materials, was a sign that Ray's fields are healthy.

When dealing with erosion-prone areas like hilltops, Ray has used NRCS programs to plant warm season native grasses. On one such field top surrounded by soybeans, the grasses provide a source of hay for his cattle and habitat for bobwhite quail and other wildlife.

"We're trying to utilize this very poor soil," Ray said. "Switchgrass does great on these soils while other plants struggle. It's going to dominate the site next year and in the third year, there will not be anything but switchgrass and a lot of bobwhite quail."

Ray understands the economics of his farming practices, too. "You can't afford to grow hay on your most productive acres," he added. "So, we're using this poor soil to grow hay for our cattle operation," Ray said. "Also, if harvesting prairie grasses late in the summer, you have a wide window for nesting opportunities for birds, rabbits and lots of stuff. I love wildlife and it's been one of my goals as a farmer to create as much wildlife habitat as possible, but it's really an economic decision."

Conservation buffers and wetland restoration are another important tool that Ray employs in his operation. Keeping soil, nitrogen and phosphorus out of local waterways is a high priority for Ray and many of the farmers in Knox County. Conservation borders of native grasses and forbs filter water running off ag fields and provide vital wildlife habitat. Maintaining the presence of wildlife with ag production is valuable to farmers for the personal enjoyment of healthy game populations and income opportunities, such as hunting leases. Programs like EQIP can help with the cost of installing these buffers.

Restoring low production river bottoms, where corn and soybeans are often flooded, to wetlands through the NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Wetland Reserve Easement component can create valuable habitat for waterfowl and other species.

More information about EQIP and other conservation programs available to landowners through WLFW can be found on the NRCS website.