As conservation farming practices continue to grow in popularity, many are looking to states like South Dakota to keep farmland healthy and workable for the future.
Mike Blaalid is a conservation farmer born and raised in the Mitchell area. He took over his farm and ranch about five years ago.
“It was a full-till farm and set stocking rate with the cattle," Blaalid said.
He said as he began exploring how to get the best use of his land, he tried out no-till, diverse cover crop mixes and rotating cattle in hopes to increase grass production.
“And just really doing everything we could to keep conservation in mind with all the practices we’ve chosen to do,” Blaalid said.
He said to get started he reached out to Davison County’s National Resources Conservation Service Office.
“And with their help and the programs they have, they helped fund a lot of the things I did to get started. It’s kind of that seed money, like if you wanna integrate livestock into your cropland and rotationally graze and do cover cropping," Blaalid said. "They helped me out and got me a good start. Then I kind of saw ‘the light.’ So, I said, well I can do this, I can be profitable and still do it conservation minded.”
However, not everybody is in favor of conservation farming. It’s more costly, can be more physically demanding on producers and isn’t always easy to implement.
Blaalid said he understands firsthand the anxiety in trying a new farming practice.
“It can be scary, but once you’re in it and you see the results and how healthy your soils and landscapes can be, that tells the true story," Blaalid said. "You just gotta be able to get through those first few years and just be willing to open up your eyes and just look at it because it does, it changes. There’s more wildlife, more birds, more bugs, it’s louder, there’s a lot you know, it just changes everything.”
According to Protect Ag Conservation, the USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program has preserved 7 million acres of ag land in the state. They say that’s the highest mark in the nation.
