Spotlight Series
Farmer Peer Networks Building Healthy Soils for Cotton
When it comes to understanding the sustainability of U.S. cotton, Soil Health Institute (SHI) conservationist David Lamm always returns to the soil. “When producers use management practices that complement how soils function, particularly to support cotton production, they realize that they do not have to accept degraded soil as the norm,” reflects Lamm. “Soil is supposed to cycle nutrients, retain water and buffer against pollutants. It’s a complex biological ecosystem. We are trying to help producers see the soil as a living ecosystem.”
As a conservationist and Project Manager for SHI, Lamm is on the forefront of scaling adoption of positive soil health practices across the cotton belt. The Soil Health Institute launched its
Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton Project in three states in 2019, participating in Field to Market’s Continuous Improvement Accelerator, with financial support from the Walmart Foundation, VF Foundation, and Wrangler.
Photo by Barrett Self, University of South Carolina
“It’s exciting that the industry is wanting to show their consumers that the cotton they use is being grown in a sustainable way,” says Lamm. “Implementing soil health management systems is a very effective way to meet sustainability standards for the cotton industry.”
Lamm and the project sponsors hope their work will achieve two primary goals to improve the sustainability of U.S. cotton. First, they aim to increase adoption of soil health management systems which can increase profits, improve resilience and provide ecosystem services—by engaging farmer-to-farmer networks where “farmer mentors” and local technical specialists participate along with SHI specialists in providing locally-tailored soil health education programs. Second, the project aims to document and promote the science behind building healthy soils by quantifying, verifying, and expanding knowledge of the impacts of healthy soils on farm-level and industry sustainability.
"Being part of a peer network and having other farmers to bounce ideas off of or ask questions, has been invaluable to me. It gives me such a breadth of ideas to draw from."
Zeb Winslow
5th Generation Farmer
North Carolina
“It’s always a challenge to prove that you’re doing good. The Fieldprint Platform is allowing our soil health specialists to demonstrate the intricacies of the benefits from soil health management systems.”
David Lamm
Project Manager
Soil Health Institute
Participating producers and advisers utilize Field to Market’s Fieldprint® Platform as one way to measure and verify the benefits of their soil health management systems. By documenting farm-level data through the platform, participating farmers learn how changes in the health of their soils provide environmental benefits over time and how to drive improvements in the health of their soil.
“It’s always a challenge to prove that you’re doing good,” explains Lamm. “The Fieldprint Platform is allowing our soil health specialists to demonstrate the intricacies of the benefits from soil health management systems.”
Zeb Winslow, a 5th generation farmer in North Carolina and a soil health farmer mentor with the project, has seen a number of successes by implementing new soil health management practices. “Between the fuel savings by using no-till rather than strip till and the savings from reduced herbicide and pesticide use, we’ve seen a net positive as far as cover crops and what they’ve brought to our farming systems,” Winslow shares. “With cover crops and other practices, we are building our soil to be more resilient.”
Beyond understanding the effects on their own operations, the collective impact of the cross-sector project partners is helping producers see the value of engaging in conservation practices. “By having industry partners in the supply chain like Wrangler, VF Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation put money behind these ideas, we have seen a real increase in farmer interest and involvement,” explains Lamm.
One key component of the project is creating a soil health farmer mentor network to foster peer-to-peer exchange of ideas and solutions to managing soil health practices. By working with local agencies in each state to identify and encourage producer champions, the project equips farmers with peer guidance and technical assistance when making conservation decisions.
“Having a great group of people and a strong peer network is crucial when starting these kinds of practices,” explains Winslow. “Being part of a peer network and having other farmers to bounce ideas off of or ask questions, has been invaluable to me. It gives me such a breadth of ideas to draw from.”
“Peer to peer support with other farmers in their area who are already committed to soil health can really build farmer confidence in implementing soil health management systems, especially with practices that are new and daunting,” adds Lamm.
By providing farmers with programming and mentorship for soil health management systems, the Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton Project is helping producers achieve synergistic, sustainable results across their entire operation. “This is a new endeavor and we are seeing curiosity among producers being awakened,” says Lamm as he reflects on the project’s progress. “Farmers are realizing that they are doing something that has longevity.”
"With cover crops and other practices, we are building our soil to be more resilient."
Zeb Winslow
5th Generation Farmer
North Carolina
