Rooted in Healthy Soil: Conservation Practices Deliver Economic Rewards

Stewardship practices can increase yield potential while improving soil health

GREENSBORO, N.C., May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirty years ago, an Iowa farmer was forced by circumstance to seek an alternative way to till his fields. That decision made out of necessity delivered unexpected economic, soil health and yield rewards for Wayne Fredricks. As a result, Fredericks is a passionate proponent of no-till agriculture.

When an early freeze in 1991 hindered his ability to plow his fields, Wayne turned to no-till by circumstance, leading to a complete shift on his operation. "Our soybeans grew well that summer; the weed control was good; and the yields were good," he said. "I became an adopter of no-till soybeans overnight."

A colleague at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service approached Fredericks with their hypothesis that conservation practices could improve productivity and asked if he would be willing to share his data. He saw this as an opportunity to get expert eyes on his data and accepted. "Looking back at the 18-year study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service of my farm's data, the biggest revolution was an improvement in water-use efficiency," he says. "Because my soil health was improving, I was raising more bushels per inch of water as the years progressed. This improvement far exceeded the change in normal trend-line yields, and the key was focusing on organic matter."

In addition to the benefits Fredericks saw, reducing tillage may improve aggregate soil stability. With a more stable soil profile, soils have higher water-holding capacities and increased soil biodiversity within fungal and microbial populations. This means soils need less water, and the water used is less likely to run off or cause erosion. Stabilized soil reduces equipment use and fuel costs, as well, in addition to reducing the need for labor.

"I consider soil organic matter to be the most significant soil health indicator because it plays a primary role in numerous soil functions such as soil structure, water use, nutrient cycling and availability, agrichemical fate and transport, and biological activity and biodiversity," says Doug Wolf, environmental safety technical expert at Syngenta. "Soil health integrates physical, chemical and biological factors that impact productivity, environmental quality and profit potential."

Starting from the ground up, experts and growers alike are seeing the benefits healthy soil has on conservation, yield potential and earning potential. How can farmers make a positive impact on the soil health in their fields? Fredericks says reducing conventional tillage methods, planting cover crops, and maintaining soil organic matter help the land go the distance.

Prioritizing soil health through methods like reduced tillage or no-till agriculture and cover crops may make a profound impact on the environment – and a farmer's operational bottom line. For more information on enhancing soil health, visit Syngenta-us.com/thrive. Join the conversation online – connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social.

About Syngenta
Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds are part of Syngenta Group, one of the world's leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources.

The content of this release is for information purposes only. This release is not, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or other property interests.

To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta, www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/syngenta. 

Web Resources:
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Syngenta Newsroom
Syngenta U.S.
Thrive

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

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SOURCE Syngenta

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