By Jim Steadman, Editor, Cotton Grower Magazine
Through any number of sustainability and regenerative programs, U.S. cotton growers are working to incorporate more soil health benefits into their operations. Progress is being made, but there’s still work to be done.
U.S. cotton growers have long prided themselves as top notch stewards of their land. In many instances, it is multi-generational land, passed down from great ancestors to today’s modern cotton producers.
Crop inputs, protective traits, enhanced seed breeding, and technological advances in farming equipment allow today’s growers to cover and protect more acres quicker and more efficiently, as well as harvest in a timelier and less labor-intensive manner.
But through it all, one thing remains constant – the soil. An increased emphasis on transparency, sustainability, and regenerative programs is helping to improve soil health across the Cotton Belt – state by state, farm by farm. Yet, significant opportunity to expand adoption of climate-friendly soil health practices in cotton production remains. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture, only 8% of cotton cropland is managed using cover cropping and 21% is managed using no tillage.
Clearly, there’s still work to be done.
One of the most active research and education programs for soil health in cotton is the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund initiative of the Soil Health Institute (SHI) – a nonprofit organization with a mission to safeguard and enhance the vitality and the productivity of soil.
Dianna Bagnall, Research Soil Scientist, Soil Health Institute Photo: Soil Health Institute
Dianna Bagnall, Research Soil Scientist for SHI specializing in soil physical health and the socio-economic dynamics of soil management, says it sounds simple but is certainly not easy.
“We do have many projects including the North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements which looked at about 30 different ways to measure soil health on 124 different sites across North America,” she says. “We’re excited to finally be able to recommend three measurements that are really affordable for less than $50 to test your soil health. That’s a big project for us.
“Economics is really important, of course,” she adds. “But when we start having a conversation about what it would look like to move to more regenerative practices, the first question that came up is, “What is the economics of Soil Health? Is it going to make sense for my bottom line?” So certainly, that's the first piece of information we start looking at when we go into an area.
“In some past work on corn and soy systems in the Midwest, we did 100 different interviews with farmers. And the way that we proceeded with those was to try and find folks who had been adopting soil health management systems – things like including cover crops and reducing their tillage for long periods of time – to help us see what the benefits are on their farm. We really saw economic benefits and then started to repeat that work in cotton production systems.”
Use of a cover crop enhances soil structure, captures moisture, and helps young cotton plants get off to a fast start. Photo: Jim Steadman
SHI’s recent cotton survey focused on five farmers who were experienced in managing soil health in their cotton production systems. What they found from those growers was the potential for increased net farm income per acre and yield benefits – and set the foundation for more economic work through our U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund initiative.
“We found that there was about $100 difference per acre in net farm income when those soil health management systems are used long term, with about half of that – roughly $50 per acre of production – coming from cost savings. By not putting out the inputs that we used to, we were able to save some funds, reduce the wear and tear on equipment, and reduce fuel costs.”
The next logical step in the program is to work to establish regionally appropriate goals or targets for soil health in cotton production. That’s important, because one program is not going to fit every farming operation across the 13-state Cotton Belt.
“This is a process of establishing what we call soil health targets, and we set targets for both carbon and for the other soil health indicators,” explains Bagnall. “So, we're looking at aggregate stability and the potentially mineralized carbon that's a measure related to the soil biology. We’ve taken measurements this past year in some pretty tough field conditions.
“For example, we were sampling in Texas and Arkansas to be able to set those regional goals. I’m from Texas, and we all know that we're not going to have the same soil health or the same carbon target for the Rolling Plains as we are for the Blacklands where we have 60% clay.”
That sampling program has now expanded into Georgia and Mississippi as SHI continues to set those regionally appropriate targets.
But, like in the Midwest, the educational work of SHI is built around identifying farmer mentors – people who have made soil health work in their region and on their farm – and getting that information in front of as many cotton growers as possible through meetings, field days, webinars, videos, and other materials
[all catalogued, free of charge, on the SHI website under Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton].
Photo: Jim Steadman
“We like to work with other different partners,” notes Bagnall. “The first thing we do is try to do is work with the Extension personnel in the area. This is really a holistic thing, and we find that working with a local technical specialist is always key, so we try to make sure we’re supporting them. That also helps amplify the voices.
“COVID was tough for us, because we didn't get on as many farms as we wanted to. But it gave us an opportunity to get a lot of great video interviews with farmers who had been working in this space and get that out on the Internet. Hopefully it’s a resource for folks to just hear some inspiring stories in different regions about what works on the ground.”
Funding Established to Support Soil Health Programs In October 2021, SHI announced the launch of the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF) – a unique, farmer-facing, science-based initiative to support long-term, sustainable cotton production in the U.S., with the goal of eliminating one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from the atmosphere by 2026.
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation provided a $5 million grant for seed money, along with subsequent support by the VF Foundation and Levi Strauss. The Walmart Foundation added a $2 million contribution to the program in August 2022. Participating USRCF partners include Cotton Incorporated, National Cotton Council, and Field to Market.
“There are a lot of components to this program,” says Bagnall. “One is setting those local soil health and soil carbon targets and establishing the local economics. We want to have at least 8 to 10 farmers from each area, so we’ll know how those economics work in their region. There will be an educational component centered around these farmer mentors, with some funds available to compensate them for their time when answering questions and working with other growers to adopt soil health management practices.
“In the different regions where we’re working, we will also be able to provide some funding to help growers try cover crops on some of their acreage to help expand use of that valuable practice.”
The USRCF initially started in Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia and will expand into Alabama, North Carolina, Missouri, California, and Oklahoma, as these nine states represent 85% of U.S. cotton production. SHI will work closely with cotton farmers to help them measure and monitor the environmental, societal, and economic benefits of soil health management systems on their operations.
Cotton Companion podcast “How Soil Health Programs Benefit Cotton Growers”: Dianna Bagnall of the Soil Health Institute joined Cotton Grower® Magazine’s Cotton Companion podcast to discuss the role of the Institute and its specific programs geared toward cotton.
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