By Laurie Bennett, NAICC President
Agricultural professionals, conservation leaders and federal officials met in September for the annual Endangered Species Act (ESA) Farm Tour, sponsored by the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants, the Weed Science Society of America and NAICC’s Foundation for Environmental Agricultural Education.
Based in Sioux Falls, S.D., with stops in Minnesota, the tour gathered growers, weed scientists, contract researchers, crop consultants, conservationists and representatives from EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service and USDA’s Office of Pest Management Policy. It focused on how agriculture can continue to meet production needs while supporting ecological responsibility. Attendees discussed real-world ESA mitigation practices and hear about measures protecting listed species and the environment.
Tour Topics
A stop at Split Rock Creek State Park highlighted the Topeka Shiner habitat area and pesticide use limitation areas (PULAs), giving a field-based look at how conservation considerations intersect with agricultural management. University of Minnesota representatives discussed topics like cover crops, soil health and management practices farmers are adopting related to conservation and soil health.
Next for attendees: the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative in Renville, Minn., to view sugar beet or edible-bean harvest activities on the route. They were set to tour the beet processing plant, learning about sugar beet processing and erosion mitigation strategies for low-residue crops.
Day 2 featured Hiebert Farms with rotational grazing and cover crops. The Natural Resources Conservation Service local office highlights area conservation programs’ connection to ESA-related goals.
A visit to the Huron/Brookings area focused on aerial application equipment, showcased recent aircraft technologies, including GPS systems and boom section controls, to demonstrate the precision possible in aerial applications. Discussions covered drift retardants, deposition agents and other tech that keeps products in place.
At the Raven Precision Agriculture Center, South Dakota State University staff discussed precision ag research.
Together, the stops provided a firsthand look at the tools, practices and partnerships shaping ESA implementation in production agriculture.
The National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC) is the national society of agriculture professionals who provide research and advisory services to clients for a fee. For more, visit NAICC.org.
