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Conservation is My Passion

March 11, 2010

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Read about the Brewington farmers who were recently recognized with the Conservation Farmer of the Year Award.

By Raegan Johnson , Produce More Conserve More Staff

In the fight to protect the environment, some have accused farmers of being on the wrong side—a part of the problem, not the solution. But Bob Brewington said this criticism couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Brewington is one of five Indiana farmers recognized with the Conservation Farmer of the Year Award by the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Four out of the five award recipients, including Brewington, are Monsanto customers.

“I’ve always been extremely interested in soil conservation,” Brewington, 71, said. “We experienced unsustainable soil loss with conventional tillage before switching to no-till more than 25 years ago,” he said. “Safer and more effective herbicides, progressive plant breeding and improved planting equipment have made current no-till practices possible. This gives us excellent crop yields while also reducing input costs and protecting the environment by keeping topsoil in place for future generations.”

Brewington, who raises cattle and grows corn, soybeans, and hay in southeastern Indiana, said herbicides like Roundup have been critical to the success of his farming operation.

“As far as being a chemical, it’s [Roundup] benign to the environment and still does a good job controlling weeds,” he said. “The responsible use of chemicals in reducing tillage—by reducing the amount of soil particles washed away—may be our salvation in the stewardship of our land, as topsoil is the major pollutant in our lakes and streams.”

Brewington, who has a bachelor’s degree in animal science, has a passion for conservation that extends beyond his own farm. For seven years, he was an active member of the Ripley County Soil and Water Conservation Committee.

In partnership with the Ripley County Soil and Water Conservation Committee, he has set up plots to demonstrate benefits of using cover crops, such as holding nutrients in the soil, and benefits of untilled soil including an increase in night crawlers and other fishing worms.

“The channels formed by the decaying roots and the earthworm activity turn the soil into a natural-living sponge,” Brewington said. “It increases the soil’s capacity to hold water, nutrients, residual herbicides and provides root channels for corn and soybeans.”

Brewington has also established conservation areas on his farm in an effort to reestablish area wildlife, such as quail. In addition, he practices timber stand improvement on his 62 acres of woodland.

He said he doesn’t understand why some are so critical of farming when he and other farmers are doing more to help the environment than harm it.

“The chemicals we use can be toxic, but if they’re used according to the directions, they are less toxic than a lot of the household chemicals that people use around the house to kill insects, unclog drains or maintain their lawns,” he said.

As agriculture continues to face the challenges of unpredictable weather, the need to produce more and use fewer resources to produce more with, Brewington said he needs all the help he can get.

He relies heavily on technical help from his local co-op and his Stewart Seeds (a Monsanto subsidiary) salesman.

“Chris [his seed salesman] and the co-op explain corn and soybean herbicide tolerances,” he said. “They help us scout fields to determine what herbicides and insecticides we should be using at what plant growth stage, in what combinations, and at what level to reduce carry over or run-off. It helps us accomplish our goals without compromising the environment.”

Looking at his efforts, Brewington may seem like an obvious choice for a Conservation Farmer of the Year Award—well, to everyone except Brewington.

“I was thinking…was no one else available to be nominated?” he said and chuckled. “This recognition just means the things I believe in, like conservation, are valid. You work at doing things that you think are right, but receiving an award like this shows that other people think the things you are doing in your farming operation are correct. It’s validation.”

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