University of Idaho Extension researchers in Aberdeen and Kimberly are concluding the first year of trials aimed at quantifying the environmental benefits of sustainable farming and ranching practices under Idaho’s unique conditions. These trials are a crucial component of the university’s large-scale Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership (IAMP).
Financial Incentives for Idaho Farmers and Ranchers
As part of IAMP, Idaho farmers can earn annual incentives ranging from $38 to $74 per acre, while ranchers receive $1 per head per day for adopting designated climate-smart practices. The first enrollment period for producers was recently held, with a second period planned for later this fall.
IAMP is supported by a five-year, $55 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with $31 million earmarked for participating Idaho agricultural producers. The goal is to encourage the adoption of climate-smart farming practices and to prevent the emission of up to 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Detailed Trials Across Idaho
In Aberdeen, Xi Liang, a UI Extension cropping systems agronomist (cover image), led trials involving potatoes and plans to follow with sugar beets, wheat, and barley in subsequent years.
Meanwhile, Linda Schott, an assistant professor and Extension specialist in nutrient waste management, is conducting complementary trials in Kimberly, starting with barley this season.
In Moscow, additional trials focus on chickpeas, wheat, and barley in northern Idaho’s non-irrigated rotations. Furthermore, trials at the U of I’s Nancy M. Cummings Research, Extension, and Education Center in Salmon are generating data relevant to cattle grazing on cover crops.
Liang and Schott planted 24 plots each, replicating six treatments four times, with one control group using routine farming practices. The plots, measuring 24 feet wide and 80 feet long, were equipped with chambers to capture greenhouse gases. Soil and leaf stalk samples were collected to assess nitrogen levels and soil fertility.
Experimental treatments included cover cropping, interseeding legumes, compost application, reduced nitrogen, and reduced tillage. “All of these practices are related to increased soil carbon and decreased greenhouse gas emissions,” Liang explained.
Cover Cropping and Interseeding Innovations
Liang planted a cover crop blend with peas, clover, and brassica species, measuring plant biomass starting in April before terminating the cover crops at planting. Schott also recently planted her first cover crop for the trials.
Peas were interseeded between rows in certain plots, and one practice involved replacing 15% of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with compost. Another practice reduced total nitrogen fertilizer by 15%, aiming to decrease groundwater nitrogen leaching without affecting yield and quality.
In Liang’s reduced-tillage treatment, the soil remained undisturbed except for potato harvesting, while Schott eliminated fall tillage after barley. Schott noted that compost could produce high yields and good quality similar to commercial fertilizer, but emphasized the importance of gathering local data to validate this.
Building Lasting Relationships with Producers
Schott is optimistic that IAMP will forge enduring relationships between researchers and Idaho producers. “Producers are eager for more local information at scale,” she said. She hopes that the project will encourage producers to continue using climate-smart practices beyond the trial period.
The IAMP project is funded by a five-year, $55 million grant through the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program (award No. NR233A750005G038). Of the total project funding of $55,096,327, 99.83% comes from federal sources.
Source: University of Idaho, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Cover image: Xi Liang, UI Extension cropping systems agronomist
Contacts:
John O’Connell (article author)
Assistant Director of Communications, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
joconnell@uidaho.ed
Xi Liang
Extension Cropping Systems Agronomist
208-844-6319
xliang@uidaho.edu
Linda Schott
Extension Specialist, Nutrient and Waste Management
208-736-3629
lschott@uidaho.edu
Discover more from Potato News Today
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
