Farmers Needed for Climate Change Impact on Michigan Field Crops Farms

By Monica Jean

A newly funded Agricultural Climate Resiliency project entitled, “Ensuring the success of Michigan farms in the face climate change,” funded through a partnership that includes Michigan State University, Michigan State University Extension, the Michigan Plant Coalition, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is looking to partner with select row-crop farmers across Michigan.

Our project seeks to understand how climate change and extreme weather events impact crop yields, soil health and the economic well-being of farmers across Michigan, while facilitating opportunities for Michigan farms to contribute to climate change solutions.

Options for levels of farmer participation

• Any farmer interested in participating in a soil health assessment. Two fields of your choice will be sampled by a team of researchers in fall 2024. (~ 80 participant limit).
• Conventional farmers who are interested in establishing regenerative practices such as cover cropping or buffer strips, but would like guidance through the process over the three-year study period (~five participant limit)
  • This does not require shifting whole style of farming, just implementing new methods on select field(s)
  • Participants will receive consultation from farm collaborators and researchers to apply practices in a way that makes the most sense for their farm and business
• Farmers currently using regenerative practices who would like to partner with researchers on this project for three years (~20 participant limit)

Farmer partners who select option B or C

• Contribute to the experimental design of the study by helping to select study fields
• Engage in annual project meetings
• Allow researchers to soil and greenhouse gas sample on two fields annually
  • Soil sampling three times/year, greenhouse gas sampling ~five-six times/year
  • Farmers will receive a comprehensive soil test each year for three years
• Communicate with MSU Extension educators about field operations to optimize sampling times
• Share yield history data and cost of production information
  • All data will be confidential and anonymized
• Complete management surveys and participate in a one-hour interview annually for a three-year period. 
• Estimated time obligation per year is ~five hours

Farmer compensation

Farmer participants in groups A, B & C will receive a free comprehensive soil health test report. Farmer participants in groups B & C will receive annual $200 honorarium for each field enrolled in the study and a carbon intensity report for their two selected fields. Farmers in groups B & C will have the opportunity to network with other farmers, members from various commodity groups in Michigan, and researchers.

What indicators will the soil health test report include

A routine nutrient test report, pH, texture, soil respiration (similar to the Solvita test), permanganate oxidizable carbon (active carbon), autoclaved-citrate extractable protein (organically bound pool of nitrogen) and enzymatic activity (indicative of microbial activity and nutrient cycling).