Information
At Richards Rolling Acres Limited, we understand that healthy soil is the foundation of successful farming. We're a 4th Generation Farm that strives to improve and maintain soil health in a profitable way. Learn more about our approach to soil health and its importance to our operations.
The Importance of Soil Health
Maintaining soil health is a goal we strive for in our operation. Healthy soil should be more productive, more resilient, and more stable. These attributes help us keep nutrients where they are needed and promote better utilization of the nutrients in the soil, which benefits our crops and the environment.
Sustainable Farming Practices
At Richards Rolling Acres, we employ sustainable farming practices to improve soil health. These include strip tillage and no tillage production systems. Corn and sugar beets are grown on strips that mimic a 'flower pot' environment, where fertility is placed in the ground, giving an early boost to plant growth and health. Winter wheat and soybeans are planted without any tillage, within a typical rotation of sugarbeets -> corn -> soybeans -> wheat.
Cover Crops and Nutrient Management
We also utilize cover crops to keep the soil covered and maintain living roots in the soil for as many days of the year as possible. Our cover crops include underseeding wheat with clover and seeding blends into corn at the 8-10 leaf stage. These practices aim to keep valuable nutrients where the crops can use them and prevent them from entering the water bodies surrounding Southwestern Ontario. The goal is to cycle these nutrients to increase availability to the rotational crops.
Addressing the Challenges
Maintaining soil health isn't without its challenges. Having the right tools and planning the time to execute our soil health goals have been challenges in the past. As we mature in this journey, we improve, but weather can sometimes alter our well-intentioned plans. We are always learning and adapting to overcome these obstacles and ensure the long-term health of our soil.
