Big Farmer Raises Old Variety Beans

Big Farmer Raises Old Variety Beans CROPS Miscellaneous Rick Clark has started planting old variety bin-run soybean seed that better fits his fields and way of farming his 7 000 acres He thinks all farmers should at least consider finding varieties of bin-run seed that are adapted to their soils and farm “When I was young I asked my dad why we planted bin-run soybeans every year ” recalls Clark “He said he felt that the soybeans had adapted to the farm’s soils and weather and kept getting better every year ” When he took over the farm Clark went down the road of commercial soybean seed His thinking began to change when he first adopted no-till then cover crops and finally planting into green growing cover crops As he added more diversity to his cropping program he now grows 7 crops he went down the regenerative ag road and found he was using fewer inputs His fuel fertilizer and crop protection product costs fell dramatically Eventually he eliminated most off-farm inputs aside from manure received from a local dairy farm Doing so allowed him to gain premiums by certifying his acres as organic “In 2020 we saved $2 million dollars in off-farm inputs ” says Clark “We can make money with 150-bushel corn and 40-bushel soybeans ” Developing a line of soybeans adapted to his farm was his next step in input independence “Geneticists today breed for yield with maximum commercial inputs ” says Clark “Our system is built around soil plant and human health We feel older varieties are a better fit for what we do ” With the help of Hunt Wiley a long-time soybean breeder Clark defined needed traits “We looked for varieties that had good vigor and a health package that would help them get up and go ” says Clark “We picked 10 varieties and grew them out We then culled them to 5 that we are growing out in carefully managed field plots this year They were hand-planted and weeded nothing like our normal fields ” Clark began by looking at varieties that were off patent One source for old seeds is the National Lab for Genetic Resource Preservation a USDA seed bank located in Fort Collins Colo Others include state departments of agriculture “We started with coffee cans of seed and multiplied them with each planting ” says Clark “Next spring we will have each of the 5 varieties ready to plant in our fields in our no-till cover crop system ” Clark has already identified a favorite However it will have to prove itself in the field Once one of them does the process will just be starting “I think it will be important for us to stay with the same genetics and raise them out As they evolve they will be more prolific in our system ” he says It is an approach he plans to adapt to off-patent corn genetics and eventually to each of the diverse crops he now raises Clark also operates Farm Green Consulting helping other farmers practice organic regenerative agriculture Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Clark Land and Cattle Co 563 South Hwy 41 Williamsport Ind 47993 ph 765 585-7232; Rick@farmgreen land; www farmgreen land

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