Promoting healthy soil
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CROSBY - Soil quality and water quality are important to him. He is at home in a farm field or a bass boat. Recently he participated in a seminar here on the Future of Farming. As usual, Dick Roland was promoting a natural approach to agriculture.
"I'm here as a facilitator to encourage the next generation of the future of farming," said Roland shortly after the conclusion of the event.
Roland chatted with several attendees who remained in the room after the seminar was over. They knew about his knowledge of the land and the soils and his belief in nature. He was eager to visit with them.
"Soil is the most complex biological system ever looked at. It blows your mind," remarked Roland. "But it is a very simple system to manage."
Roland has long been a proponent of healthy soil management through natural means, utilizing Mother Nature as much as possible rather than managing soil through artificial methods. He saw problems emerge in western North Dakota during the dry years in the late 1980's.
"It was really a must to change the farming landscape in this area," recalled Roland. "We were in a really desperate situation, financially and also bankrupting the soil. It was almost imperative that we get rid of summer fallow and keep some cover on the land and build back the organic matter."
Changing the approach to farming wasn't easy, but area farmers knew changes had to be made if they wanted to improve production on their land. No till farming took hold. An agriculture innovation group was formed. A green revolution began. Cover crops became more numerous. For Roland it was a very welcome turnaround on the part of area farmers.
Research and on-farm demonstrations held in the 90's identified crops that would reduce fertilizer input, yet increase productivity of the land.
"Can we afford the high input farming that we are looking at now? I don't think so. We know that nitrogen fertilizer out of a bag is only about 40 percent efficient. Where's the other part going? Into the air as nitrous oxide, which is acid rain. We know it is leaching down, creating nitrates in the water. We know it's running and creating huge algae blooms. It's happening world-wide," explained Roland.
Always environmentally conscious, Roland promoted legume crops as a natural method of enhancing soil quality. Through his company, Legume Logic, Roland promoted diversity in crop selection as a way to improve soils lacking in vital nutrients necessary to sustain productive crop growth year after year.
According to Roland, legume crops have played a big part in enhancing the entire soil system. Also, within the last 15 years, corn has been raised in northwestern North Dakota. Roland calls corn "a warm season grass that was needed on the landscape". Canola and flax have added to the area's crop diversity.
"We're really proud to see our western North Dakota folks managing the land to create healthy soils," said Roland. "Hey, it's all related. Healthy soils. Healthy animals. Healthy wildlife and healthy people. That's what we're promoting."
The key to soil management, says Roland, is to know where nutrients come from. Today, he says, innovative farmers and ranchers realize that the whole agricultural eco-system has to be managed as a whole, from bees to grazing.
"The whole system is tied together," said Roland. "We have to change our ways. There's no two ways about it, but the industrialized model is really tough to break. We have huge companies that have huge investments."
While improved farming methods is always on Roland's mind, he recently retired from Legume Logic. He remains involved because he has a passion for a natural approach to farming. Today, whenever possible, he can be found in a fishing boat. At his son's urging, with retirement looming, he took up bass fishing.
"I took him up on it and started hanging around with guys who are competitive bass fishermen from all over the country - Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and locally. It's just a fun deal," said Roland. "I don't fish competitively for the money. I go fishing because there's a lot of good people involved. I learn a lot too."
(Prairie Profile is a weekly feature profiling interesting people in our region. We welcome suggestions from our readers. Call Editor Mike Sasser at 857-1959 or Regional Editor Eloise Ogden at 857-1944. Either can be reached at 1-800-735-3229. You also can send e-mail suggestions to msasser@minotdailynews.com.)