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OP-ED: ILLINOIS DUST STORM UNDERSCORES THE URGENCY FOR A NEW APPROACH TO FARMING
May 30, 2023
by Kaiyu Guan and Matthew Wallenstein as their article appeared in Agri-Pulse
The recent blinding dust storm that caused fatal highway crashes in central Illinois where Interstate 55 passes through flat farmland was a result of an unusually dry April.
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| Kaiyu Guan and Matthew Wallenstein |
Windy weather arrived during the period when many farm fields were being plowed in preparation for spring planting -- as farmers have done for years or even generations. But these dry, bare fields left the soil unprotected, ready to be swept up by the wind.
Soil is a finite resource -- the foundation of our food supply and habitat for about a quarter of the world's biodiversity. Soil is one of the earth's greatest carbon-capturing systems. When it blows away with the wind, it's always a tragic loss -- even when it doesn't cause fatal car crashes.
Many people were quick to blame the plowing of farm fields as the main cause of this calamity. But the reality is far more complicated.
In the short-term, plowing -- or tilling, to use the agricultural term -- is an effective strategy to prepare for planting, suppress weeds, and incorporate fertilizer deeper into the soil where plant roots can access it. For farmers, it's long been a rational choice to maximize their productivity and profitability.
But these days, weather patterns are changing so rapidly due to climate change that it's nearly impossible for farmers to adapt quickly enough. Long-standing practices that enabled plentiful and profitable food production appear to be no longer sustainable. We now know that, over the long term, extensive tilling can result in slow but steady soil loss, leading to lower productivity and profitability. And yet, while conventional tilling may no longer be the best approach for many growers, transitioning to new practices is fraught with challenges -- including the need to invest in new equipment and relearn a craft they've perfected over many years.
The Illinois dust storm should serve as a wake-up call for society and especially the government. What can we do to support our farming community through this transition and avoid this from happening again?
To read the entire article click here.
Matthew Wallenstein is Chief Soil Scientist at Syngenta Group and Professor Emeritus at Colorado State University. Kaiyu Guan is the Director and Blue Waters Professor of the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
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