Tackling Soil Erosion with Strip-Tillage and Cover Crops

SWOF Farmer Spotlight: Jacob Faugstad, Minnesota

For this month’s Farmer Spotlight, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF) is proud to feature Jacob Faugstad, who farms near Fisher, Minnesota, alongside his uncle and cousin. Together, they manage about 2,700 acres, primarily growing corn and black beans. Like many in Polk County, they’ve faced challenges with soil erosion and have been exploring practical, cost-effective ways to address it. This past fall, we visited Jacob on his farm to hear how SWOF has helped them successfully scale their use of strip-till and cover crops to preserve and improve their soil.

“It’s so flat around here and we get a lot of wind, so dirt blowing has always been an issue,” he explains. “Every year is a little different—you can have some powerful winds come through or you get a crazy rain that washes things away. Soil erosion is a problem with either one, and that part seems to be pretty consistent. Obviously, you’ll do anything to try and stop that, but you also need to do it in the most economical way you can,” he says. That’s where conservation practices—and working with SWOF—came into play.

A Strip-Till Solution
A few years ago, Jacob and his family tested out strip-tillage. “We demoed a strip-tiller and left some wheat stubble on a couple of sugar beet fields. On the other fields, we had a cover crop, but they were conventionally tilled. Then we got a crazy windstorm. Even though the cover crop helped, those fields still took off blowing. But the strip-tilled fields with standing wheat stubble held up pretty well. That got us excited about it.”

What started as a small experiment quickly grew. “I think I tried strip-tillage on just 10 acres at first, then maybe 50, and now SWOF has helped us expand it across our acres.”

Jacob also noticed improvements in soil health after expanding his use of cover crops. “There are more aggregates in the soil, and we’ve seen better water infiltration,” he says. “I remember after we tried strip-tilling on a few fields, we got like a six-inch rain—just fast, in a couple hours that spring. The neighbor right next to us had conventionally tilled, and their water was just rushing off, washing things away. Our strip-tilled fields were right next to theirs, but there was hardly any water standing. And the little water that was coming off was clear. I couldn’t believe the difference.”

Last year’s crop residue works to protect and enrich the soil beneath these healthy black beans in this SWOF-enrolled field.

Financial and Operational Benefits
Beyond soil health, these conservation practices have also had financial and operational advantages for the farm. “At first, we rented a strip-tiller, then we bought one,” he explains. “Obviously, that purchase is expensive, but now that we’re in the groove, it seems like we’re spending less per acre. And it’s definitely less time in the field.”

Learning to apply fertilizer more precisely was another benefit. “We had never put down our own fertilizer, so that was a bit of a learning curve for us,” he admits. “But now we can adjust rates and be a lot more precise. We’re putting it in a band and have been able to cut back a little bit without noticing any difference in our yields.”

Why SWOF Was the Right Fit
Before signing up for SWOF, Jacob was hesitant about incentive programs. “We’d been contacted by other companies or programs like this, but I didn’t know anyone else that had done it, and their contracts were longer. It just wasn’t as interesting to me,” he says.

That changed when a friend recommended SWOF. “A friend of mine mentioned that he’d signed up for the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund and encouraged me to look into it. Joe [SWOF Field Program Lead] stopped out to the farm, talked to us, and we tried it on a few fields. And now working with Katie [local SWOF Field Program Rep.], it’s been a really good fit for us, and I would recommend it. They’re very accommodating and easy to work with.”

One of the key benefits for Jacob is the program’s flexibility. “I really like the one-year contract. It’s simple, plus we’re always adapting, and so having that flexibility incentivizes you to stick with it.”

Jacob and Katie Nelson, SWOF Field Program Rep, survey his thriving strip-till black beans.

Thinking About the Future
For Jacob, farming has always been more than just a job. “I’ve always loved farming,” he says. “I would help my uncle in the summers. And then even after I went to college, I started helping on the farm more and more, and they just couldn’t get rid of me, I guess. I love being outside and the variability – every year is different. It’s really fun to watch things grow. I don’t know why I love it, but I just do.”

That deep connection to the land is what drives him to think beyond the present and consider the long-term future of his farm. “I remember hearing about a study they did on topsoil erosion in North Dakota – in the 1960s they took soil samples and then did it again 50 years later, and about half of the topsoil was gone!” he says. “And when you think about things like that, you know, I have a couple of kids, and I could see them wanting to farm someday.”

Reflecting on soil health and legacy, Jacob makes a compelling comparison: “Just like being a parent, you may not always stop to take notice of all the subtle ways your kids are growing and changing each day, but when you look back at pictures, it feels like they grew in the blink of an eye. That soil erosion study got me thinking about them and the legacy of this land. Some years are better than others for erosion, or each year it might not feel like that much, but we certainly can’t keep going at that rate! If I want something here for them years from now, we need to change things up a bit, be open to trying some things. These practice changes are helping me do that.”

Want to begin or expand a conservation practice like reduced tillage, cover crops, or crop rotation? The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund provides financial incentives and agronomic support to help you maximize the benefits of conservation. Our knowledgeable field staff is available across our program’s geography to offer localized, quality service. Contact our team today to see why so many farmers choose to stick with SWOF.