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Alternative Agriculture (1989) / Chapter Skim
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2 A Mixed Crop and Livestock Farm in Southwest Iowa: The BreDahl Farm
Pages 266-274

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From page 266...
... teaches school full-time and, because of teaching schedules, is available for limited farming activities during most of the year and full-time farming in the summer. GENERAL DATA In some respects, Clark BreDahT farms as his father did, using crop rotations and strip cropping.
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From page 267...
... control Animals consume crop residues, and the fields are usually kept in a 5-year rotation. Disease control No disease problems were mentioned.
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From page 268...
... The various rations are determined according to extension service recommendations. Climate The climate of Adam County is typical of southwestern Iowa subhumid and continental, with cold winters and hot, humid summers.
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From page 269...
... The predominant soil type on the farm is Sharpsburg silty clay loam with less than 5 percent slope. Sizable acreages of relatively flat Macksburg and Winterset soil series are present along with Nira silty clay loam on the steeper slopes (5 to 9 percent)
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From page 270...
... Because the entire farm is fenced and cross-fenced, after the harvest, cattle and sheep can be turned into the fields to consume crop residues. Machinery BreDah!
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From page 271...
... Soil fertility additions closely follow university recommendations. Feedlot manure is spread on the soil following soybeans or corn in the rotation and before the field is planted to oats.
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From page 272...
... According to the Adair County extension director and the district soil conservationist, less than 13 percent of the corn and 2 percent of the soybeans in the county are grown using either no-tiDage or ridge-tiDage systems, even though these systems result in a significant reduction in soil loss (Table 3~. Clark BreDahl maintains organic matter in the soil through crop rotation, by incorporating the crop residue left by his livestock and by the addition of manure.
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From page 273...
... They provide all of their own labor except at lambing and haying time; they hire custom shearing of the sheep this item represents about two-thirds of their $1,600 annual labor bill. The variety of livestock raised on the farm provides market animals and income throughout the year.
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From page 274...
... He does feel, however, that by eliminating price supports, farmers with a good managerial strategy eventually could be better off. The BreDahis' crop rotation system of 1 or 2 years in alfalfa, 2 years in corn, 1 year in soybeans, and 1 year in oats and possibly turnips has minimized purchased farm inputs of fertilizer and pesticides while maintaining high roughage production.
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Key Terms

  • adair county
  • silty clay
  • clay loam
  • weed control
  • crop rotation

  • clark bredaht
  • soil fertility
  • poorly drained
  • strip cropping
  • normal monthly

  • percent slope
  • soil loss
  • adam county
  • crop residue
  • commercial ewes

  • extension director
  • row crops
  • southwestern iowa
  • planting methods
  • consume crop

  • base yield
  • county extension
  • crop residues
  • conservation service
  • corn base

  • soil tests
  • rotary hoe
  • sheep glean
  • purchased inputs
  • annual precipitation


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