Farmers are original soil, water conservationists
The last couple of weeks, Yumans could have been singing ‘smoke gets in your eyes.’ The good news is that not much of it was the burning of agricultural fields; the bad news was that the vegetation along the Colorado River was burning in multiple places. As we go into summer, Yuma County residents need to remember that the desert and brushy river vegetation is tinder dry. It does not take much to start a fire. Because there are also winds accompanying the heat, fires spread rapidly. I’ve noticed fireworks displays set up in stores already. Fireworks users need to know where all the fiery pieces go and make sure it’s free of flammable trees, shrubs or grass.
With wheat harvest in full swing, field preparation for early produce crops is underway. Most fields I’ve observed have had the wheat stubble bales and very little straw is left in the field. If the grower is also adding composted manure, it can be spread over the remaining straw and disced into the field at the same time. Using this method, the straw will have contact with the nitrogen containing manure and after an irrigation, break down rapidly.
After discing, fields have a cloddy or rough surface, reducing the potential for dust leaving the field during a summer storm. Irrigation of fields will also produce a crust that eliminates dust unless there is equipment traffic. Once field preparation for produce is started, there are rarely field dust problems with the use of sprinklers and water trucks.
In south Gila Valley, several fields of Sudan grass have been turned under. The Sudan was 5 to 6 feet tall and green, which means it will quickly break down in the soil, providing much needed organic matter to the upper foot or more of soil and the roots left will provide great drainage and infiltration of water and air. Sudan grass is great for breaking up compacted soils and creating a healthy root zone for the following crops. Using this type of rotation crop will help maintain soil health and reduce soil borne plant disease.
Folks who have come from the Midwest are used to deep, dark colored, rich soils. Those soils have as much as 5 to 6 percent organic matter in them which has kept them productive for hundreds of years. In addition, those areas have winter which helps in maintaining the soil quality. Desert soils, like Yuma County, have less than one-half percent organic matter in them, which is why growers need to constantly be replacing the organic matter used up during our 365-day growing season. Without winter, Yuma County soils really have no time to rest except for a couple months during early summer and depending on planting schedules, may not get that.
Yuma County is blessed to have water, climate and highly productive agricultural soils. Farmers are the original soil and water conservationists as they know that unless they wisely use and maintain the resource base, they will be out of business. Farming is a family business in Yuma County and I salute all the fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers who taught their children to love the land and be good stewards of the land. Happy Father’s Day!
Bobbi Stevenson-McDermott is a soil and water conservationist. She can be reached at rjsm09@msn.com.