SWOF Farmer & Referral Partner Spotlight: Travis Milne

The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF) would like to highlight the work of Travis Milne, a 5th generation farmer from Oregon, Missouri. Travis’s family grows almost all corn and soybeans on their operation, but they have a little bit of wheat as well. He also co-owns a local, family-run seed business, Milne-Dinsdale Seed.

As one of our enrolled farmers and referral partners, Travis has experienced the positive effects of prioritizing soil health and conservation practices firsthand. This approach has led to increased profitability on his own land and that of his customers. Read on to learn how SWOF's simple, farmer-centered approach appealed to this dedicated steward of the land in this month’s farmer spotlight.

Can you tell me how you got started with SWOF?

I used to work with Joe Winchell [SWOF field program lead]. When he first called me up, I said, I really don't want to hear about another carbon program because I heard about 100 of them. I was reluctant, but I hadn’t seen him in a while, so I let him come talk to me. Everything he said sounded great, but my first question was, where's the catch? Honestly, it just sounded almost too good to be true.

And he said, well, there is no catch. That's why I like working for these guys. They're farmer-minded and are keeping it simple.

We ended up signing up quite a bit of acres and we had a great experience the first year. So, we enrolled almost all our acres the next year.

It's just been a really nice and clean experience. I like the short term, so you don't have to worry about anything long term. And you guys [SWOF] do what you say you’re going to do.

“Over the years, our soil health and organic matter are slowly creeping up. We are using less and less commercial fertilizers while getting more and more yields. So, I can tell you that what we are doing is working because I'm able to raise more yield with less input.”

- Travis Milne, participating SWOF farmer and referral partner with Milne-Dinsdale Seed, LLC

What do you think sets SWOF apart from other programs, especially since you had all but written off other programs?

I think the most important thing for me honestly, was the simplicity. There's no confusion, no smoke and mirrors. It's a very straightforward program. The payments, I think, are quite lucrative compared to what I have heard from other companies, and growers know what they’re going to be paid up front! And not only do you know what you're going to get paid, but they pay you half of it upfront after you sign the contract! So that helps us with the implementation costs, the cover crop seed, for instance.

And as soon as SWOF verifies that we did what we said we were going to do, they cut the check for the other half. It's just very, very simple in what seems to be a very, very complicated space.

From a business perspective, how has working with SWOF helped enhance your relationships with your customers?

Given the nature of my business, I always have growers asking me for advice. We started encouraging guys to sign on with SWOF and just kind of naturally fit into what SWOF considers a referral partner.

From our perspective, it's our job to make our growers more profitable. And I say that because there are some dealers out there, well it's their job to sell product. A few years ago, we changed our mindset on that. We pivoted our business in a different direction and decided that we wanted to bring more value to our growers than the average supplier. And once the customers realize that you're in it for them, and trying to make them more profitable, you start to build a relationship with them. It's very important to not only them, but us as well. It's more about building that relationship until you become a trusted advisor for them. That's ultimately our goal and we want to do the very best that we can for them. Whenever you've got that mindset, it makes a huge difference. So, we share that mindset with SWOF.

I also just like how it gives growers the opportunity. $30-40 an acre, that can make a big difference in a commodities market where margins are getting slimmer and slimmer all the time. SWOF gives you the ability to experiment, to try cover crops if you’re new to it. Or maybe you’re not new to it, but it helps you pay for an air seeder or drill so that you can do an even better job of planting cover crops.

Everyone has their own individual goals, but in the end, we just want to make growers more profitable, more efficient with the nutrients in their soil. And I think the mineralization process is one of the best ways to do that.

Soil health is a marathon and not a sprint, but you've been in our program as an enrolled farmer for a few years now. How have these conservation practices affected the health and productivity of your acres?

Well, some of this stuff we've been doing for a long time. We've been no-till for 30 or 40 years. I've never even really known what it is to till, especially on our hill ground. We used to conventionally till some of our bottom ground when I was young, but we even no-till our bottom ground now.

I’m not someone that could tell you my carbon numbers off the cuff, but I can tell you that over the years, our soil health and organic matter are slowly creeping up. We are using less and less commercial fertilizers while getting more and more yields. So, I can tell you that what we are doing is working because I'm able to raise more yield with less input.

And ultimately, it’s our job to be stewards of the land, and we know this is better for the land to do it this way. It might not be the easiest way, but if it was easy, everyone would do it. I want to leave behind the very best ground that I can for our kids.

Travis, his wife Jennifer, and their young family.

As a fifth-generation farmer do you see this work as an investment in that legacy?

Yes, absolutely. It’s very important. We've been here for a long time. My dad's been running the farm for the last 50 to 60 years. My brother and I are fifth-generation farmers, and we both have kids that we hope will be the sixth one of these days. We want to take what our father has given us, put our spin on it and see if we can make it better and build it, grow it. And let the next generation do the same. It’s very important to try and leave things better than they were before.

If you’ve been thinking about beginning or expanding a conservation practice, such as reduced tillage, implementing a cover crop, or adding a crop rotation, enrollment in the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund is open for 2024. By enrolling your acres in our program, you’ll receive agronomic support and earn financial incentives for the environmental outcomes generated from your on-farm conservation efforts. Get started today by signing up for a free estimate! You can also learn more about SWOF’s Referral Program here.

And if you’re in the Oregon or Mayville, Missouri area, we encourage you to give Travis and his partners at Milne-Dinsdale Seed, LLC a call.