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- Uttamenergy LimitedWhat challenges or obstacles do you anticipate in implementing and maintaining reduced commercial fertilizer treatments in real-world farming scenarios?Jan 19, 20241
- abcimprentaGOODSep 21, 20220
- Denny LuanBackerWoohoo, congrats on reaching the goal!Nov 13, 20140
- Buz KlootResearcherThanks Denny. I think the way of raising the funds and the actual subject matter are so exciting. No-one in my department, including myself, thought we stood a chance, but we may see a few more of these come up from USC's Arnold School of Public Health.Nov 14, 20140
- Chiapei HuangBackerGreat! Can't wait to hear the updates!Nov 10, 20140
- Robin Welch LundyBackerIt helped that we found out about it!Nov 10, 20141
- Buz KlootResearcherHa, ha. Thanks Robin!Nov 10, 20140
- Buz KlootResearcherWow. 100% raised in 27 days - who woulda thunk it? Thank you so much all of you, we will keep you posted as we go along. Carl plans to plant the wheat in the very near future. BuzNov 10, 20140
- Robbie McClamBackerGood Luck Amigos!Nov 10, 20141
- Buz KlootResearcherSi, bueno!Nov 10, 20140
- maria simonsBackerTest paymentNov 07, 20141
- Robin Welch LundyBackerGo for it, Buz!Nov 06, 20141
- Stewart LundyBackerGood luck.Nov 06, 20142
- Patrick CurwenBackeryay!Nov 06, 20141
- Buz KlootResearcherOK, this has been a journey for Carl and me. 28 backers, 91% funded, 7 days left. The amazing thing is that 15 of the 28 backers are folks that I have never met. Not sure that I believed we could have raised the funds to do the research, yet here we are!Nov 06, 20140
- Woods End LabsBackerGreat campaign Buz!Nov 06, 20141
- Cynthia CaseyBackerI don't have time to visit my favorite "certified naturally grown" vegetable grower, W. Rogowski Farm, so the money I'd spend on a rental car to go there is headed for this project instead. Very grateful for all the virtual farm visits Buz and partners have provided already! Your careful experiment inspires me to tighten my casual one: I picked up bags of trash and over 34 recyclable bottles from a street tree pit and trimmed all the weeds to stubble (2-3 inches instead of 2-3 feet). Then covered the whole soil and stubble area with 3 layers: discarded Halloween straw, sheets of cardboard, and a top layer of mulch from Christmas trees shredded at last winter's mulch fest. Will these layers turn to soil over the next 7 months of rain and hopefully snow? All tips welcome!Nov 04, 20141
- Gerard TroisiBackerWe're with you in spirit in central pa, do it all to time and increase yields. Perhaps your work can supply much needed evidence to sway the sceptic all scientist types:)Nov 03, 20141
- Steven HarrelsonBackerSouthern States is proud to be a partner in this experiment as we all look to expand our understanding of soil biology and its synergistic effects with growing crops. We also strive to be at the forefront of grower efficiency to make sure that our producers continue to be successful in their farming ventures.Oct 30, 20141
- Dara ParkBackerI can't wait for the results! Regardless, I am sure Carl's farm is going to have some of the healthiest soils in South Carolina!Oct 30, 20141
- Cynthia CaseyBackerGreat question! And what kind of fertilizer? Go cover crops, go science!Oct 27, 20141
- Buz KlootResearcherGood question Cynthia, and thanks for your pledge! The treatments are as follows: 1. Control , or check where no commercial fertilizers are placed 2. 33 kg/ha (30 lb/ac) N lb/ac will be applied in the form of 28%S nitrogen at planting (93 liters/ha or 10 gal / ac) 3. 33 kg/ac N (30 lb/ac) N lb/ac and 31 kg/ha (28 lb/ac) phosphorus applied at planting using 65.4 liters/ha (7 gal/ac) of 11-37-0 4. 33 kg/ac N (30 lb/ac) N lb/ac at planting plus the full agronomic rate of fertilizer based on pre-plant soil test results.Oct 28, 20141
- amy overstreetBackerI salute you Carl and Buz for all that you are doing and will do to illustrate the benefits of conservation. Long live the soil!Oct 25, 20142
- Buz KlootResearcherAnd I salute you for walking the walk an talking the talk! A person's sincerity is typically gauged by their pocketbook and you, Madam, are a wonderful asset to the resource!Oct 25, 20140
- Lisa C WickliffeBackerIt is fantastic to see researchers putting the farmer first and build collaborative efforts to benefit all.Oct 17, 20142
- Buz KlootResearcherThanks Lisa. Exciting times!Oct 17, 20140
- Dillon Soil and Water Conservation DistrictBackerDillon County is doing exciting things in this arena of how to make our soils healthier and how having them will reduce the use of chemicals in the field. The Soil and Water Conservation District is here to support through any way possible. This is why we as the board of commissioners support this project with our monetary contribution.Oct 16, 20141
- Buz KlootResearcherThank you!Oct 16, 20140
- Cindy WuBackerWhere do I apply for the position of Buz's sidekick?Oct 15, 20141
- Buz KlootResearcherAny time, Cindy! The pay's not that great, but the fringe benefits are out of this world!Oct 16, 20140
- Denny LuanBackerI'm fascinated by this project! This will be really cool to see the process and progress, and would be awesome if folks could replicate it on their own!Oct 15, 20140
- Buz KlootResearcherDenny, as a matter of fact, this experiment came out of the fact that many of the farmers I work with have cut back 50% or more on commercial fertilizer. See this one minute video of Jason Carter's harvest - he saved about 125 lb/ac of N fertilizer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACd1sqjbHXg ) We have been accused of being too anecdotal in our claims and this experiment (hopefully one of many) will help put some of the skepticism (much being influenced by fertilizer salespeople) to rest, or at least reduce some of this skepticism.Oct 15, 20140
- Denny LuanBackerThat's really interesting, can I ask why there's pressure for farmers to cut back? Is it just efficiency? Cost? I think even just collecting all of the anecdotal reports would be useful for showing others that this is a much needed study. It might be worth posting a lab note or having a section on the project page at the bottom explaining what the implications of various expected results. Especially interested in how this impacts fertilizer producers. Great video too.Oct 15, 20141
- Buz KlootResearcherDenny, this is no small question. I have a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) that I am running with 5 farmers at the moment. The idea is that we are (1) building soil with cover crops and (2) measuring the nutrient benefits/credits through the Haney-Brinton CO2 burst respiration test and (3) got the farmers to split their fields into standard and low nitrogen applications (on average, we saw about 40lb/ac of mineralizable N in the soils) . We don't have the harvest data yet, but it look like there were small only small differences in yields of cotton (1 field), corn (2 fields) and grain sorghum (1 field) - my expectation that if the reduction in nitrogen inputs more than paid for any loss in yield. On the implications toward fertilizer producers, I believe in this last year the National Ag Statistics Service said that farmers planted 10 million acres of cover crops (land which would have otherwise been fallow). The potential in my mind is that by doing so, farmers may save up to $150 an acre on fertilizers, let alone savings on chemicals as their soils build up (this can be in a short space of time). What many farmers lack are the tools to evaluate what the value (in "fertility") of the increased organic activity in their soils is to them, b/c most ag services do not provide this information. What we are doing is making use of the services that are available to figure out how much is in the organic/biologic component soil, and then also evaluate how much we have in the cover crop. These sources are typically ignored in most production but once the farmer is aware of them, he can pull the trigger on going with much less fertilizer. So going back to the fertilizer companies, I think this movement represents a potential shift in the transfer of wealth from the farmer to the corporation, where the farmer will benefit. The big growth industry right now will be the cover crop seed folks and riding. The motivation for the farmer should be profit (often times yield is more important than profit. With corn and other commodity prices dropping in 2014, however, farmers may be paying more attention to this. Hope I am making sense. I will be occupied today, but will take your advice and get some lab notes up!Oct 16, 20141
- Denny LuanBackerThis absolutely makes sense, thanks for the detailed answer. At the very least, it seems like folks in the industry who are doing cover crops should get involved with this project!Oct 16, 20140
- Buz KlootResearcherWe have had a lot of input from the cover cropping folks, Center Seeds out of Ohio and Cover Crop Solutions (PA) seem to be very active. Fall is a very busy time for these guys as well as this is the time they will be selling the most seed.Oct 16, 20140
- And1BackerReally interested in seeing the results for this. My family grows vegetables in our backyard every summer, and we're always trying to be conscious of how much commercial fertilizer we need (if any!) to achieve a good yield, preserve a healthy soil ecosystem, and also not harm a stream that flows through our backyard (via fertilizer runoff). I also used to work at a garden nursery for all my summer jobs in high school - so I understand how ingrained certain perceptions are about the use of synthetic fertilizers to chase yield.Oct 15, 20141
- Buz KlootResearcherToo cool, Andrew. I have a garden in an abandoned lot two doors down from my house. Four years ago the soils were hard-packed and over the time with cover cropping on one side and composting on the other I have been able to grow a lot of produce with zero chemicals. Once again, so thrilled with your donation!Oct 15, 20140
- Buz KlootResearcherThanks Oscar! Note I changed the video and got rid of the bland illustration. We can see this is a video, but pity its my face..Oct 15, 20140
- Denny LuanBackerI actually thought this was one of the best videos we've had on Experiment! Really clear and to the point!Oct 15, 20140
- Buz KlootResearchermany thanks Denny, the actual narration was done on Saturday morning with my iPhone. I must admit to having a little experience in film-making. I am currently doing a series called "The Science of Soil Health" (the playlist of 15 videos is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHOF6NfLm7M&list=PL4J8PxoprpGa3wFYSXFu-BW_mMatleIt0 ) I plan to add another 5. I also produced the short documentary "Under Cover Farmers" (easily searchable on you tube) which provides some of the basic and practical underpinning to soil health and how this played out in the lives of three farmers in North Carolina.Oct 16, 20140
- Oscar JasklowskiBackerThis is a fantastic project, Buzz! I really like the partnership with CarlOct 15, 20140
- Marc WrightBackerGREAT idea! Good luck!Oct 14, 20140
- Buz KlootResearcherMany thanks, Mark!Oct 15, 20140
- Buz KlootResearcherI figured that if I believe in the project and in the way we are going to do this, I'd better also have some skin in the game!Oct 14, 20142