Assistance available

Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District hosts annual cover crop field days in order to promote their use, provide information and answer questions.
Conservationists explain that the practice — planting crops in the fall to grow during winter months when cash crops aren’t in the ground — has a variety of benefits. Among those are replenishing nutrients in the soil, preventing erosion and improving aeration.
There are costs involved. But if farmers are interested in trying cover crops, or a variety of other conservation initiatives, programs are available to help.
That’s where Jayson Mas comes in.
Mas, who is nearing the end of his third year as Jay County’s United States Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service district conservationist, works with local farmers in an effort to secure government contracts for those who are using, or would like to use, environmental best practices.
The most popular of those in Mas’ time in Jay County has been planting cover crops through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
“It’s catching on pretty good,” said Mas, who grew up in Puerto Rico, graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and worked in South Carolina before coming to Jay County in 2013. “It’s because of this boom lately that you’ve been hearing about soil health, soil improvement and making people more conscious about how you treat the soil in the ground. That’s what’s there. That’s what’s giving you the crops.”
In order to be eligible for the EQIP program, farms must be registered with the Farm Service Agency and have their information up to date.
Producers must control or own eligible land and be in compliance with highly erodible land and wetland conservation requirements.
Those who are interested, or even think they might be and want to know more, can visit Mas at the local USDA Service Center, 1331 W. Indiana 67, Portland.
He will talk to them about their farm, production and management and discuss what the goals and outcomes of any new practices might be. If farmers want to proceed, he can visit their operations, evaluate them and help figure out what government programs might fit.
Through his first two years, he secured 22 contracts — they typically run for three years — that have put a total of 8,100 Jay County acres of farmland into conservation. Those contracts amount to $700,000 for local producers.
He’s got another 19 applications for EQIP this year — the deadline was Jan. 22 — which will be scored based on criteria set at the national, state and local levels. Once funding is allocated for each county in late May or early June, contracts will be awarded to applicants based on those scores.
To this point, Mas said he hasn’t had to turn anyone away.
“Jayson’s been excellent,” said Kurt Theurer, who farms in Madison Township in southeastern Jay County. “Really before Jayson came there was hardly any NRCS programs being implemented in the county. …
“He’s really done a good job and he’s been good to work with.”
Theurer, a member of the soil and water conservation district board, has worked with Mas to earn funding through a variety of programs, including EQIP for implementation of cover crops.
He had already started implementing the practice prior to receiving government funding, but on a small scale. He started by planting oats in a 65-acre wheat field and was happy with the results.
“Next spring when we went into work that, that ground just worked down so much nicer,” said Theurer. “It was a real nice, fine dirt.”
Since then, and with help from Mas, he’s increased his cover crop acreage to 400.
So far, the EQIP contract has paid for all of the three- and five-way mix cover crops — combinations of annual rye, radishes, oats, turnips, rapeseed and cereal rye — he’s used. But he’s looking to expand the variety of cover crops by going to eight- and 10-way blends.
The grant funding accounts for a set amount of dollars per acre, so if the cost of a more expensive cover crops blend is higher, Theurer would have to pick up the difference.
“It’s loosened up my soil,” said Theurer, who also funded about 80 percent of a composter for his hog confined feeding operation and is involved in waterway conservation through NRCS programs. “I’m noticing a lot more earthworms around again. Night crawlers are back. Also, my erosion is not as severe as what it was before.”
Jordan Wall, who farms 1,300 acres in southwestern Jay County and Randolph County with his grandfather, and Barry Miller, who grows corn and soybeans at his property along county road 300 North have had similar experiences with help from Mas in implementing the use of cover crops.
Both had used cover crops on a small scale before getting help from EQIP, but have greatly expanded since.
Wall, who connected with Mas at one of the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District’s cover crop field days, has about half of his land planted in mixes that include cereal rye, clover and rapeseed. He said he’d like to expand that to all of the 1,300 acres within the next few years.
He also has waterway filter strips — permanent vegetation that helps prevent erosion and filter nutrients and pesticides from runoff by slowing it down.
“I just see there’s a lot of long-term benefits as far as soil health and environmental sustainability,” he said. “I think we can really make improvements, not so much short-term improvements, but long-term improvements in our soil health and reducing the amount of fertilizer we have to use … and some of the pesticides.”
Miller has about 60 acres in cereal rye and tillage radish with help from EQIP in addition to another 60 acres he’s funding on his own. He also points to soil and waterway health as a key benefit, noting that he feels the need to do what he can to prevent algae blooms in places like Grand Lake St. Marys and Lake Erie and hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.
“We as farmers need to be good stewards and try to help eliminate some of these things,” said Miller, adding that it’s important to save and improve the soil for future generations. “The whole problem is not farmers, cities are causing problems too, but we have nutrients run off.”
Mas said the reaction to cover crops locally has been about 50/50. Some farmers have jumped in with both feet while others are reluctant to try something different than what has been working for them over the years.
To anyone considering the use of cover crops, Mas recommends a gradual transition.
“My advice to them is don’t just change completely from one day to the other,” he said. “Try a little bit, especially specifically with this practice of cover crops. Don’t just turn all your cropland into cover crops. Try a little bit in some acres and see how it works. That way you can compare.”
Using sample sites also gives farmers the opportunity to learn by trial and error what cover crops might be best to plant, when to plant them and how early in the year to mow them down.
Though cover crops through EQIP have been the most popular, they aren’t the only option Mas can help with.
Other offerings include Conservation Stewardship Program and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
The stewardship program provides benefits to those who take steps to improve the condition of soil, water, air, habitat or energy on five-year contracts. An example of such a program is conserving water with efficient irrigation systems.
The conservation easement program offers funding for those who protect, restore and enhance wetlands on private property. Farmers can receive 30-year contracts for easements for land that can be successfully and cost-effectively returned to wetland status, and applications are prioritized based on the potential for protecting and enhancing the habitat for wildlife.
Mas is available to help whoever is interested, whether they know they’re ready to apply for a program or simply want to learn more about what is offered.
“I’m just happy to work with the landowners here,” he said. “So far, it’s been a good experience. There’s been a lot of interest.”