Not Just Out-Standing in His Field but Improving Them

Michael & Mary Hewitt are the embodiment of farmer led cooperation, learning, and implementation of logical conservation practices.  They operate a large grain operation on the banks of Plum Creek raising corn, soybeans, edible food grade beans, and wheat just outside of Walnut Grove. 

The Beginning

Mike grew up farming with his father raising crops and hogs and transitioned to farming full time in 1989.  Mike has always been interested in trying new methods and built his own strip-till unit before the equipment was even available.  Integrating strip till was just the beginning of trying different management options over the years and Mike found it helpful to talk with others to learn, share, and fine tune practices.  Mike helped form a farmer group that is now world-wide that focuses on farmers communicating with one another to ask questions, discuss options, share experiences, and trouble shoot.  This group has been extremely helpful to provide a network of information available to farmers in a comfortable, no pressure scenario.  Many years back, Mike and his father were helping a neighbor plant soybeans in a wet spring when tillage was not an option.  The neighbor regularly used tillage in his operation and was discouraged to pass on tillage and just no-till the beans.  Mike, his father, and the neighbor were pleasantly surprised how well the no-till beans yielded, with less inputs and labor.  Because of that experience, the Hewitt’s have stuck with no-till in their operation as well as strip-till and cover crops. 

Benefits are Realized

Enjoying trying new things and learning have paved the way for Mike and Mary to break out of the norm and determine what works best on their land and management.  Mike observed the reduction in wind erosion using no-till and strip till.  Wind erosion is the major contributor to erosion in southwestern Minnesota where sustained winds of 20 – 35 mph and gusts up to 50 mph aren’t out of the ordinary.  He also noticed that the ground held up equipment better than in fields that were tilled or ripped and rutting was becoming an issue of the past.  As Mike incorporated cover crops into his operation, the benefits intensified, keeping the soil in place from wind and water, improved trafficability, better water infiltration, less pest issues, and less disease.  Planting soybeans green into living cereal rye has also provided the benefit of reducing weed pressure which has been very helpful with the increase in water hemp and giant ragweed herbicide resistance.  Reducing tillage and using cover crops has provided a noticeable reduction in erosion for Mike, especially over the winter months where bare soil conditions and wind give rise to snirt (dirty snow) that strip fields of their organic matter and nutrients, requiring more inputs to replace what was lost.  Instead of losing his nutrients and organic matter, Mike protects it and builds at the same time to continually improve his biggest asset.  Growing small grains has also provided a two-fold opportunity to improve his ground by less disturbance and more soil coverage.  While the small grains are in the field, they are also providing an ideal planting and growing window for cover crops after the harvest.  Toward the end of 2016, after hearing about the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, Mike was one of the first producers in our office to sit down with us and see what the program had to offer.  Due to his extensive history with no-till, strip till and cover crop use he had no problem certifying in the program without the need to change any practices he was currently utilizing.  In 2017 he became certified and since then he has used the programs funding opportunities to complete 4 water & sediment control basins in the fall of 2020.  Due to multiple large rain events that occurred in the Walnut Grove area over the 2018-2019 growing seasons, Mike had been monitoring gully erosion occurring in one of his fields and wanted to stop this before it became a major problem.  In fall of 2020, with the help of district staff, Mike was able to fund and install 3 farmable water & sediment control basins and 1 non-farmable water & sediment control basin to help eliminate the problem.  This was accomplished with multiple funding sources through EQIP, State Cost Share and Water Quality Certification grants.  He also maintains many grassed waterways throughout his operation that were constructed many years ago. 

Nutrient Management

Mike has adjusted his nutrient management to successfully feed his crops while dialing in the profitability.  Mike doesn’t apply fall nitrogen but instead is fertilizing during the growing season by side dressing depending on the crops and nutrient demand.  Soil testing is completed every 3 years on 2.5 ac grids to assist him in meeting his crop nutrient needs where fertilizers are variable rate applied.  The soil health practices he applies to the land have allowed him to substantially reduce the amount of fertilizer he applies to produce the same amount of crop.  All nitrogen fertilizer products are treated with nitrogen stabilizers and spring applied to help ensure that the product is utilized by the crop and not lost to our surface waters and environment.  Mike also uses high intensity wheat growing practices to apply nitrogen at the 4-6 leaf stage to reduce leaching and provide the crops the right nutrient at the right time.  Mike utilized the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to develop and implement his nutrient management and continues to follow the guidance even after the lifespan of his contract.

Pest Management

Pest management of the Hewitt farm is monitored by his crop consultant because  Mike recognizes that pests and the ways to mitigate these pests is ever changing and is better monitored by professionals in the field that are constantly trained on these changes.  All crops are scouted weekly by the consultant and all mitigation of pests is closely monitored and only considered at threshold populations.  Mike utilized CSP to fully implement a full IPM and continues to follow the guidance even after the lifespan of his contract.  Mike does however make his consultants job a little easier by the everyday practices he utilizes on his cropland.  Mike has noticed a dramatic reduction of pest problems due to his use of cover crops.  Weed pressures have been reduced through the use of rye as a cover crop, which acts as a weed barrier.  Flowering cover crops have helped bring the beneficial insects back to his farm which help to seek out pests and naturally keep populations at bay.  The practices he does every day have led to less spray passes operation wide.  To further this effort Mike is currently working with a producer out of Illinois that uses buckwheat in his soybean rotation to increase the presence of beneficial insects and thus leading to no sprayer passes.  There are a few downsides to working with this practice but overall he likes the results he is seeing in Illinois so we might see it on his operation soon. 

Wildlife

Mike established a shelterbelt many years ago to protect his farmsite from wind, improve air quality, and provide wildlife habitat and continues to maintain to continue the health of the trees and shrubs.  Marginal land has been turned over on Mike’s operation to wildlife using the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), turning his land back into native prairie.  Mike’s strip till, no-till, small grains, and cover crop practices also provide refuge and a food source for wildlife by increasing beneficial insects for consumption, cover and food during the long winter months.

Buffer Practices

All surface waters on the Hewitt operation are buffered with filter strips.  In the past Mike used the CSP program to take care of all the surface waters that needed buffering.  When the Minnesota buffer law came around Mike was already compliant with the rules established by the law and in most cases had wider buffers then required.

Community Involvement

Mike takes an active role in the community helping out and volunteering anywhere it is needed.  In the past Mike has been a member of the Junior Chamber International (Jaycees).  During this time in the Jaycees he was provided civic engagement skills through community service and leadership training.  These skills were evident when he became a member of the Board of Supervisors for the Redwood Soil & Water District.  During his time on the board he was able to use his leadership skills to help operate and improve the Redwood District.  Mike is currently a member of the Water Plan Task Force where his opinions about how to properly allocate water plan dollars is important to us.  Mike has also sat on the Minnesota Pork Producers Association board and his local church board.  Mike is involved in many small farmer and conservation related groups where he is able to share his experiences with soil health with other members and the general public.  He really likes to share his knowledge with Facebook groups like The Poor Dirt Farmer and The Upper Mid-West Strip Tillers that he helped form.  He has learned a lot of new things in these groups as well as shaped others thinking and approaches to farming.  Currently he is working towards becoming a farmer mentor for the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition where he can further voice his knowledge. 

The Hewitts have made strides implementing practical conservation and are leaders in farmer to farmer networking.  Mike is an expert in the field of soil health making the decision to nominate him for Redwood’s Outstanding Conservationist of the Year award an easy one.  Mike has been using soil health practices for the last twenty plus years before it became popular in this area.  As Mike puts it “I’m a sucker for something new”, which has proven to work out great for him.  We appreciate his efforts to constantly research and work with others to improve his operation leaving a minimal negative impact on our environment for future generations to come.  The dedication Mike has for farming and his willingness to share these experiences makes him an excellent nominee for this award.