Preserving for the Future While Increasing Productivity and Profitability
When Steve Stevens, a farmer from Tillar, Arkansas, tells his story, he shares what inspires everything he does: preserving his farm for his grandchildren. Steve isn’t only discussing the multiple practices and technologies he uses to deliver sustainable outcomes for his 4,800-acre family farm, which produces corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton. He’s sharing his efforts to protect water, air, soil, habitat and a way of life for generations to come.
For the last four years, Steve has used the Fieldprint® Calculator to visualize the sustainability impact of his farming practices, demonstrate improvement over time and compare practices and impacts.
Working with Dr. Bill Robertson, a University of Arkansas System cotton extension agronomist, Steve has been digging deeper into this analysis for the last two years. Together, Steve and Dr. Robertson use the sustainability measurement platform to validate certain management decisions and to build confidence in knowing whether a new practice or modifying current practices will help drive environmental benefits but also produce positive results for Steve’s bottom line.
For instance, Steve utilized the Fieldprint Calculator to compare the benefits of no-till and cereal rye cover crop versus conventional tillage. Together with Dr. Robertson, Steve tracked of all of his inputs, including the fields’ respective yields, the amount of water pumped for each field, the amount of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, and sediment data. When they compared the outcomes of the suite of practices utilized for each field, Steve could then determine which practice is better.
Steve Stevens
3rd Generation Farmer
Tillar, Arkansas
Steve is now in his fourth year of using cereal rye cover crop, which has helped improve water infiltration rates, an important indicator of soil health, and irrigation water use efficiency. As a result, his yields have increased. Steve produced cotton nine cents per pound cheaper on his no-till fields with cover crops than with conventional tillage. This enabled him to balance out the initial increase in production costs due to the purchase of cover crop seed because of the increased yield.
“Nearly everything that he’s done over the course of time to improve his bottom line has shrunk his footprint,” said Dr. Robertson. “The Fieldprint Calculator helps improve his confidence and trust that these things that he’s doing are steps in the right direction.”
When asked about the reason behind his commitment to stewardship and conservation, Steve shares a common motivation for many producers: the next generation. He is working to ensure the farm is sustained for his grandkids by continuing to improve the profitability of his operations and the health of his soil. If these efforts and his involvement in a number of conservation and sustainability programs helps other farmers discover what’s possible and what works, all the better, in Steve’s opinion.
“Nearly everything Steve’s done over the course of time to improve his bottom line has shrunk his footprint. The Fieldprint® Calculator helps improve his confidence and trust that these things that he’s doing are steps in the right direction.”
Dr. Bill Robertson
Cotton Extension Agronimist
University of Arkansas System
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