Max Carter - Douglas,
Georgia
In the early 1970s, the soil on Max Carter's
farm was eroding at a fast clip. Like most
cotton farmers, Carter cultivated each of
his fields nearly year-round, turning over
the soil to prepare weed-free seedbeds. Like
all his neighbors, he burned crop residues
before each planting so the "trash" wouldn't
clog his disk or harrow.
After days of planting when he couldn't
see the front wheels of his tractor from
all the dust, Carter vowed to find another
way. He retained his rotation of wheat, corn,
cotton, peanuts, and soybeans, but he stopped
burning residue. Instead, he retrofitted
a planter to create a small bare strip ahead
of the seeder and drilled directly into the
residue.
As he fine-tuned his system, cover crops
became an important part of Carter's rotation.
In essence, he now creates extra residue
by growing non-cash crops in the off-season,
killing them, and then planting into this
soil cover for soil enhancement and weed
suppression.
Profitability
By eliminating burning and consolidating
tillage and planting in one field trip, Carter
shortened the time between harvesting one
crop and planting another.
As long as he can keep his yields stable,
Carter defines profitability in his system
by the amount of inputs—fewer inputs
equal more profit. Diesel fuel, equipment
maintenance costs, and chemical costs have
decreased, which has helped his bottom line.
If yields stay comparable to what he got
when he tilled conventionally—and so
far they have—he'll do what's best
for the soil. In a given year, he expects
45 to 50 bushels of wheat or soybeans per
acre, 2 tons of peanuts per acre and nearly
2 bales of cotton per acre.
Environmental Strategies
Carter's no-till practices have dramatically
reduced soil loss from his farm. In the process,
crop residues boosted the organic matter
in Carter's soils. Since the higher organic
matter improved his soil quality and water
retention, he has cut his irrigation costs
significantly. Higher soil quality also provides
more fertility for the next crop. Finally,
Carter now relies on spot spraying rather
than cultivation to manage problem weeds,
and his herbicide use has not increased in
the no-till system.
Without the smoke from burning and dust
from tillage, air quality has drastically
improved around the neighborhood. Max speaks
with pride about the quail and other birds
that have returned to his land, finding cover
among the residue on his fields.
Community, Outreach, Quality of Life
Today, conservation tillage is sweeping
the area. There are 80 members in the Coffee
County Conservation Alliance, an organization
that Carter helped organize and served as
past president. His farm is a showcase for
conservation tillage, hosting numerous visitors
and field days, and Carter has been asked
to speak at other events.
Carter likes to tell people that he got
into conservation tillage because the old
way was too much work, although one look
around his well-kept farm will tell you that
he's not afraid to put in some long days.
The truth is that conservation tillage allows
him to tend to other activities while his
neighbors are out cultivating their fields
during the winter and spring.
"I was ready to retire, but then this
started getting really interesting," Carter
says.
Back to Sustainable Agriculture Home Page |
