KLONDIKE FARMS- A FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental stewardship is an important facet of Klondike Farms' operations. While striving to do what's possible to maximize production, Klondike Farms believes that good yields can be reached without deteriorating the environment around us.
Some things that Klondike Farms does in an effort to reduce the impact on the local environment include:
No till and minimum tillage
90% of the acres covered are no tilled or strip tilled. This greatly reduces the chance of soil erosion by leaving residue undisturbed on the soil surface. This increases waters ability to enter the soil profile and reduces its ability to flow across the soils surface undeterred. Strip tilling also offers benefits by placing the nutrients into the soil profile where they are less apt to wash away as they are not on the soil surface where run-off may occur.
Side Dressing
Klondike farms commonly splits nitrogen applications in an effort to feed the corn plants when the corn plant is looking for the fertilizer. This deters run off and leaching because it limits the amount of time that the fertilizer is exposed in the soil profile before taken up by the plant.
Strip Tilling
Strip Tilling is tilling a small band of soil while deep placing potash, phosphorus and where appropriate nitrogen fertilizer. That band is then planted into. This leaves the remainder of the soil undisturbed, reducing the possibility of nutrient run off and soil erosion.
Grid Sampling
Grid sampling is site-specific soil sampling on small grids to determine where nutrients are needed and where they may already be plentiful.
Variable rate application
This is the process of varying the rate at which fertilizers are applied in conjunction with grid samplers. By utilizing this technology we can place fertilizer where it needs to be. Lessening the chance of over applying and leaching or runoff.
Developing a Nutrient Management Plan
This plan established by local agronomy adviser incorporates our grid samples to formulate the fertilizing plan for each acre. This plan also takes into consideration fertilizer removal by previous and upcoming crops in an effort to only apply fertilizer in amounts that have been depleted or plan to be removed by the current crop.
Buffer Strips
Klondike farms has installed many 120 foot wide natural grass and vegetable buffer strips along open drainage ditches and waterways. These strips help to filter any nutrients that may have washed off of the field and are headed for our watersheds. These strips also provide excellent cover for many types of animals and wildlife.
Some other things that Klondike farms include in their farming practices are:
- Installing grass water-ways where needed
- Tiling poorly drained soils
- Deer and other wildlife plots
- Tree plantings for wildlife
