The Liberator

"We are feeding and raising our animals well so our neighbors can be fed well."

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The Power of Storytelling

I want to take a moment to thank writer, Chris Bennett, for reaching out to me for the interview found at the link below. I am not the first to pursue regenerative agriculture, nor will I be the last.

However, this story may help people understand my journey a bit more. More importantly, I hope it spurs you to share your journey. Because, we can all speak and we all need to. Come together, tell stories, talk to your kids and grandkids. Visit your neighbors. Take a trip somewhere far away. Never stop learning.

Read story by Chris Bennett by clicking here: https://www.drovers.com/article/meet-del-ficke-apostle-regenerative-agriculture

A good day to graze. Photo by Brenda Ficke.

A portion of the following article was featured in the Midwest Messenger and will be included in an upcoming addition of the Western Ag Reporter. Clay Govier is on target in so many ways. He is sharing his story with the goal of helping his neighbors locally and across the country to envision change in a positive direction on their farms and ranches.

The Farm Bill is Destroying Rural America
By Kerry Hoffschneider

Clay Govier studying his corn grown with conservation top-of-mind.

BROKEN BOW, Neb. – Clay Govier stood on his family’s fifth generation farm near Broken Bow, Neb. and said, “You know why rural America is dying? The Farm Bill. It encourages large, monoculture type farming operations. It needs to start encouraging young people returning to the farm with an innovative and conservation mindset and not rewarding the status quo.”

Govier returned to the family farm and ranch five years ago after spending eight years in Washington D.C. in the information technology world. He has returned with a desire to restore the soils on his family’s land and common sense in agriculture.

“Farmers do not realize the level of welfare we are on,” Govier said, standing in the farm shop. “My biggest frustration with the Farm Bill is the way it’s structured. It primarily supports corn, soybeans and wheat. Farmers need to grow food that people actually eat – we do not do that anymore. Corn grown for cattle and ethanol isn’t cutting it. The caloric conversion of feeding corn to cattle is abysmal and it’s not healthy for the cattle either. Once we get some politicians with a backbone, crop subsidies will be tied to conservation practices and a progressive reduction in the amount of subsidies based on farm size.”

Govier grew up near the small, Central Nebraska community of Weissert and went to country school. His formative years were spent working on the family farm that was started when his Great Grandfather homesteaded in the area in the mid-1800’s. Later, his Grandfather Glen, purchased the farm where Govier’s dad Frank, and his siblings grew up.

Govier graduated from Broken Bow High School and attended Doane College, majoring in Information Systems and then moved to Washington D.C. to pursue a career in IT, “Then came 2012 and the corn prices went to seven bucks and I told myself, ‘I can move back to that.’” Govier’s brother, Logan, was already back home farming after serving in the Marines and welcomed the chance to farm with his sibling.

An opportunistic Govier enthusiastically returned to agriculture’s high peak, back to the family farm where they were primarily planting only corn and soybeans. While living off the farm, he had gained a different view and brought back with him some fresh ideas. He was also beginning to seek out more information about soil health.

“The more I learn about conservation agriculture, the more I think it’s the only way to go,” Govier said adamantly. “It all started when we wanted to incorporate more diverse cover crops on the farm. In this area, there is no way to do that if you are in a corn/soybean rotation alone. So, it was a matter of figuring out a different cash crop to facilitate a diverse cover crop. We had neighbors dabbling in yellow field peas and we began to grow them too and have found much success.”

“I also went to the National No-Till conference in Louisville, Kentucky. There I learned something that has stuck in my mind ever since – applying just 150 pounds of nitrogen on a one-acre field is equivalent to the energy it would take a car to drive 300 miles. That is just the nitrogen. That is also just 150 pounds and many farmers are applying far more than that. So, let’s increase that to just 200 pounds of nitrogen. That would be the equivalent to the energy it would take a car to drive 400 miles. Take that times 90 million acres (the average number of acres of corn planted every year in the United States). That is a huge amount of energy being used on nitrogen alone,” Govier said.

“Another reason I wanted to diversify the corn/soybean rotation is when you are just planting warm season crops, you have to plant at the same time and then harvest it all at the same time. That can be stressful. By diversifying your crop rotation, you are spreading out risk and helping with soil health,” he added.

“We are also creating superweeds by continued monocultures in our cropping systems and probably super bugs. Many of the seed traits and insect protection out there are becoming less and less effective. There are more random fungus and disease problems in corn and it is much in part due to the fact the soils are not as healthy as they once were. We are growing less healthy crops that we are then feeding to less healthy animals and as people eating less healthy meat and other foods,” he stressed.

“If you want to get the same nutrition out of an apple that your grandfather ate, you would have to eat three apples to their one apple. The soil is becoming so depleted. That’s difficult for most of us to hear; but, it’s true. The bulk of conventional farmers that grow corn and soybeans feed those crops a diet that is the equivalent to having humans eat fast food every day of their lives,” he said.

“Normally, how do you fertilize corn? You put on phosphorous, potash and a bunch of Nitrogen and maybe some sulfur. That is three or four macronutrients and no micronutrients. You get no micronutrients in synthetic fertilizer. Due to a lack of crop rotation, you are locked into that system of synthetic, petroleum-based, high-salt fertilizers. By diversifying the rotation and adding composted manure, we can start to wake things up again.”

“The livestock coming back to our farms is also the only way we are going to regenerate the soil at a fast pace. The microbial life in the soil must be woken up. We have killed it. Diversification is not just switching from 115-day-corn to 105-day-corn,” he noted.

“I am really glad my dad, brother and even my grandpa were more progressive about the soil-health focus. Dad is open to learning about the truths around the lack of sustainability the corn on corn and corn/soybean rotations have. There is a pretty steep learning curve. I get that. What’s the average age of the farmer now? In the 60s? I know some people don’t want to leap on this steep learning curve right now, but we must,” Govier pointed out.

“Continuing education is one of the biggest deficiencies in United States agriculture. Many farmers are primarily only getting information from their local seed rep, fertilizer rep or the local cooperative. And, there are a certain number of things you have to unlearn from the universities. They are not going to a variety of conferences or talking to anyone. If I figure out something cool on the farm that works, I share it with the farmers I know around here,” he added, passionately.

Govier went on to say that a lot of the conservation practices they do on their farm offer cost-share opportunities from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for things like cover crops and tissue sampling, “We are involved with the EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program). The Farm Bill of the future has to be tied to conservation if we are going to save our soils and precious water resources.”

Govier encourages farmers and ranchers across the nation to begin researching regenerative agriculture and to seek out conferences where these speakers are talking about the changes they have made, “Not long ago in Nebraska we had a car pile up on Interstate 80 that led to loss of life because the farmers had been tilling and the dust caused the driving visibility to be reduced dramatically. We would be in a serious Dust Bowl right now if we did not have center pivot irrigation. At some point, water allocations will come to the entire state of Nebraska and you may not be able to pump all the inches of water you do now per growing season. I hope by then that farmers and ranchers have made the changes they need on their land to best utilize that water. Each tillage pass removes approximately two inches of moisture out of the soil. What is happening in agriculture today is based in greed and ignorance and it’s totally frustrating. The good news is, there’s a better way.”

As the interview closed, Govier handed over a business card and is more than willing to share what he has learned with anyone who will listen. On the back of the business card is printed a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt, “A nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself.”

Contact Clay Govier at: claygovier@gmail.com or call (308) 370-1530

Clay holding field peas.

Sacred Harvest

Deb Echo-Hawk, Keeper of the Seed for the Pawnee Nation.

We thoroughly enjoyed another Pawnee Blue Corn harvest at Ficke Cattle Company. Please follow the Pawnee Seed Preservation Project on Facebook. I admire these incredible people and their desire to build community and health through their sacred seed. We are proud to call the Pawnee family and look forward to celebrating many harvests to come. Your sacred seed has blessed our soil and souls.

Follow the Pawnee Seed Preservation Project at: https://www.facebook.com/pawneeseedpreservation/

Deb Echo-Hawk, your love for your seed is inspiring. Pictured is Deb Echo-Hawk, Keeper of the Seed for the Pawnee Nation and Del in Pawnee, Oklahoma when the seed was delivered by Del and Brenda.

Autumn at Anchor Meadow Farm

Photo by Stacy Ideus Photography.

We have so much to celebrate this year at Anchor Meadow Farm. My husband Matt and I feel so blessed to be able to promote what we are doing as well as market Graze Master Beef and Graze Master Pork.

Matt, the beekeeper and so much more. By Stacy Ideus.

We also have honey and eggs available and want to send out a welcome to everyone to come to our farm for a tour. We would love for you to experience our location during this season of Thanksgiving. We have so much gratitude for being here and want to share the bounty with others.

Please contact me for any of your needs – Graze Master Beef/Pork, Hendl Honey and eggs: Emely Hendl (402) 613-5483.

We also want to thank Stacy Ideus Photography for visiting our location and capturing some moments here. Check out more of her artistry at: https://m.facebook.com/StacyIdeusPhoto/

Follow us at Anchor Meadow Farm at: https://www.facebook.com/Anchor-Meadow-Farm-245014352709769/

Spice up the Season

Graze Master Ground Beef and Graze Master Ground Pork make delicious, warm and hearty sauces during this cozy fall season. Both meat products are great coupled with all-natural Wildtree seasonings, sauces and oils. Check out the brand new Wildtree catalog link below or call Kerry Hoffschneider at (402) 363-8963. Spice up the season with savory Graze Master products and Wildtree offerings.

Peruse and order Wildtree here: https://www.wildtree.com/rep/kerry831413/catalog

For meat orders, please contact:
Del Ficke at (402) 499-0329 or Emely Hendl at (402) 613-5483

Wildtree is delivered straight to your door upon ordering online (or Kerry is happy to order for you).

We can also deliver Graze Master meat products to you. Call Emely Hendl for details.

Thank you Hendls!

Many hands make light work. There are so many family members and friends who have been a big help to us throughout the years. We just wanted to give a shout-out to the Hendl family as we are lucky to have them as neighbors at Ficke Cattle Company. So thank you! There is nothing better than watching neighbors succeed and grow. Visit your neighbor today. Maybe it has been awhile. It is as simple as saying hello.

Matt Hendl and Del heading to do fence.

Emely Hendl, Brenda Ficke and Alyssa Ficke during Pawnee corn harvest.

Proactive Farming
By Nate Belcher

Harvest is here!

It seems like only yesterday that crops were going into the ground and yet here we are getting ready to bring in the bounty. I am always surprised how fast the seasons go. This time of year is a great time to think about how to be more proactive and less reactive in your farming operation. The precious time we take constantly reacting to problems can be a huge detriment on our pocket book and our soil and crop health.

We talk a lot about using cover crops to increase soil quality, nutrient cycling and biology so that we can raise high-yielding crops with fewer inputs. Oftentimes the conversation ends with, “these benefits will pay in two to five years after implementing cover crops.”

Two years will come and go faster than you can blink and within those two years are a large amount of cost savings that can be made. Why not spend two years being proactive in building your soils so they can growth healthy, high-yielding crops with little input as opposed to reacting all the time with quick fixes that are temporary at best? Stop thinking about how to kill that weed, or this bug, or those nematodes. Instead, start thinking about how to prevent those issues to begin with.

Winners and losers of reactive farming:

Winners:
Chemical and fertilizer suppliers, crop consultants, equipment dealers, custom applicators, coops, universities, large ag corporations and the list goes on. You get the picture.

Losers:
The farmer’s pocketbook.

I don’t know about you; but, this is not the type of farm model most people aspire to be a part of yet most of us are farming this way! This way of farming can be completely flipped on its head when farming from a proactive viewpoint.

It is no secret why the “conventional ag industry” wants us to farm from a reactive mindset. It is a huge money maker for them!

Here is the secret to successful farming for the long term. Get uncomfortable with a small piece of ground. Push the boundaries of what is possible in your unique operation and do your own “cutting-edge research” for yourself. The results and knowledge you will gain are invaluable; because, you have your best interest in mind when deciding what works and what does not.

Experiment on a small scale so you can make informed decisions on how to manage the rest of your farm or ranch. It seems like such a simple concept to do your own research; but, often we get all our knowledge and advice from universities with research that is funded by large private corporations as well as input suppliers. Can you say conflict of interest?

I invite you to spend time during harvest this year contemplating how to get uncomfortable on a small percent of your ground by pushing the boundaries of what you think is possible. This will look different for every farmer – just make sure you are stretching yourself out of your comfort zone.

Growth comes from challenging ourselves and realizing what we are capable of. Growth rarely comes from putting ourselves in situations that we are familiar and comfortable with. Monitor and nurture your personal growth as much as you do your crop growth and you will be amazed at what you are capable of.

There’s power in being proactive. Others have power over our lives and farms when we are reactive. Contact Nate at: (402) 580-0015

Thank you for reading! Attley wants everyone to know that cover crops are super exciting! We think so too. See you soon!

No electronic or mechanical reproduction of The Liberator is permitted without direct consent of the author, Ficke Cattle Company. Contact (402) 499-0329 or fickecattle@outlook.com Thank you so much for reading!

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