Wind-Proofing the Farm: Protecting Crops, Soil, and Profits with Conservation

SWOF Farmer Spotlight: Jeremy Chandler, Minnesota

Located in the Red River Valley in northwest Minnesota, the Chandler family has been farming for three generations. With over 5,000 acres under cultivation, their operation produces corn, soybeans, wheat, and sugar beets—staples of the region. For this month’s Farmer Spotlight, we visited Jeremy Chandler to learn how they’re combating wind erosion and safeguarding their bottom line by implementing a wheat cover crop and reduced tillage with the help of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF).

Overcoming Wind Erosion

The Red River Valley, known for its ancient lakebed soils, offers exceptional fertility but also comes with its challenges. Jeremy knows this all too well: "This area is very flat and very fertile, and we get a lot of rain. But that causes problems because it’s also very windy here. We’re pretty far north and our season is short. Not much grows after harvest. If you get a 40-mile-an-hour wind in the spring, the skies turn black because there’s so much dirt in the air."

To combat wind erosion, Jeremy was looking into conservation practices such as cover cropping and reduced tillage, and that’s when a neighboring farmer recommended SWOF. Jeremy was intrigued by the potential benefits, especially for their sugar beet crop. "Sugar beets are weak plants for the first few weeks," he explains. "Their leaves can spin like little helicopters in the wind and break right off. Once that happens, you’re done."

The solution? Using wheat as a cover crop. “Once the wheat comes up, the soil and the young crop won’t blow anymore. We let the wheat get to about six to eight inches tall before we terminate it, just as the sugar beets are strong enough to stand on their own. The wheat residue stays on the ground for a couple more weeks, protecting the young beets from wind damage. Once a beet gets growing, they’re tough. It’s just those first few weeks you have to be careful," Jeremy says.

Jeremy Chandler and his brother survey one of the sugar beet fields in Polk County, Minnesota.

More Advantages from Cover Crops

Beyond wind protection, the wheat cover crop offers other advantages. It helps with compaction issues, as the wheat roots break up the soil and create better conditions for the beet seedlings to emerge. "When the wheat germinates, it helps break the crust a little, and just that little bit helps push up those young beets," Jeremy shares.

“I’ve even noticed less water erosion in our fields. We don’t have as much of that here, but if you get a big rain, it can be a threat. Just like when they fight harsh winds, young beets take a while to hold the ground against runoff, too. It can take up to 6 weeks I’d say, and since wheat grows fast, we can do it within seven days by using the wheat as a cover crop!”

Added Benefits to the Bottom Line

Jeremy has also observed benefits from reduced tillage. "We were conventional tillage before, and now we utilize vertical tillage. And when we reduced our tillage with our soybeans, our yields improved quite a bit. Late in the summer when it gets dry, which around here is usually in August, since we didn’t till as much, there’s deep soil moisture. That’s been beneficial for us…Corn is usually after beets, and beets really suck moisture, so the reduced tillage helps there too. But corn does need a good rain, a good timely rain and then you can get a very good crop.”

Fuel and labor savings are another major benefit of these practices. "We don’t have to work the fields as much, and it’s getting less every year. We didn’t do fertilizer in the fall and so there too, you are saving on the input expense itself, but also on the fuel and labor. These changes have been beneficial in multiple ways that affect our bottom line.”

The family surveys their sugar beet crop as harvest nears.

Why the SWOF Partnership Works

Flexibility has been key to Jeremy’s ability to adopt these practices. “SWOF’s one-year contract made it a lot easier because step by step, you can grow with the company. You can learn as you go and understand it more slowly, utilize the changes you’re seeing in your fields and make adjustments. You can’t do that with a ten-year contract.”

“And it’s been great working with SWOF. There were a couple times I couldn’t see what I needed, and I just called you right up and it got fixed. It wasn’t a problem at all. And this last spring was very wet, and I had to move things around a little bit. SWOF was very accommodating for that.”

For Jeremy, farming is more than a livelihood—it’s a way of life. "I’m most proud of our farm’s survivability through the years. It’s been here a long time, and I’ve never done anything else. I like the freedom of it, and I’d get really bored doing anything else. Every day is different—one minute you’re in a tractor, the next you’re fixing something, and then you’re harvesting. And so, it’s good. My job is many jobs."

Want to begin or expand a conservation practice, such as reduced tillage, implementing a cover crop, or adding a crop rotation? By enrolling in the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, you’ll receive agronomic support and earn financial incentives for your on-farm conservation efforts. Contact our team today at contactus@theoutcomesfund.com or request a free estimate and discover why so many choose to stick with SWOF.

Thriving sugar beets ready for harvest in this Chandler Family field enrolled with SWOF.