Talked to a rancher friend about why he stopped burning his fields

I was out near Lubbock last month helping a buddy fix his fence, and he told me he stopped burning his wheat stubble because it was killing the soil microbes. He said after 2 years of no burns, his water retention went up way more than he expected. Made me think about how small changes on one farm can add up if enough people did it. Anyone else had a conversation like that with someone who surprised you?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elizabeth7d ago

My buddy out in Kansas told me last year he stopped tilling his corn fields before planting. He said the soil just felt different after a few seasons, like it had more life in it. Crazy how something so simple can totally shift how you see the ground under your feet.

perry.lee7d ago

Bet it's that whole no till thing catching on. He's basically letting the worms and bugs do all the hard work for him instead of tearing everything up with a plow. Gotta respect nature doing its thing better than any machine ever could.