Conservation Principles Guide Decisions on Family Farm

Delaware farmers Bobbi Jo and Matt Webber manage 1,500 acres of cropland and an organic poultry operation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. For the past 22 years, the couple has used conservation principles to guide the operational decisions of their family farm. These resource-conserving principles are deeply rooted throughout their family and work to benefit both the Bay and their bottom line.

“We’ve been doing conservation on the farm forever. The first wetlands were done long before I was on the farm,” said Bobbi Jo referencing two distinct wetlands located on their farm. They were previously drained for farming but produced marginally. Today the restored wetlands serve as the farm’s kidneys to improve water quality. “Any water runoff that we get from farming will run directly into both wetlands which filters out any sediment, should any leave the farm, before it moves on to the Bay.”

Cropland
The Webbers worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the local conservation district to build upon their current level of stewardship to further improve the health and productivity of their corn, soybean, and wheat operation.

“We do no-till a lot and some minimum tillage so that we’re not working the ground up, which prevents soil and water erosion,” said Bobbi Jo. “We also plant cover crops in the winter, which prevents erosion from wind and water and keeps the soil in place, so it doesn’t go into the Bay. It helps keep our nutrients in the soil.”

They have also implemented nutrient management practices to ensure they are properly managing the right amount, source, placement, and timing of nutrients. Utilizing pest management practices allow them to sustainably manage pests with minimum environmental impact.

Poultry
The Webbers manage eight poultry houses in which they grow organic chickens for Perdue Farms. They utilize a suite of conservation practices for their poultry headquarters which not only benefits the soil, water, and air but also saves them time and money. Their two manure sheds keep manure covered and away from exposure to the elements or outside threats. The composter allows them to properly dispose of dead birds while using a mixing process to turn the waste into compost which can be used to produce crops.

“We also have heavy use area pads at the end of the chicken houses so as we do clean out, manure gets pushed out of houses and stays on pad and then gets pushed directly onto the truck,” said Bobbi Jo. When used outside of a poultry house, a heavy use area pad stabilizes the surface that is intensely used and reduces the potential for excess nutrients/manure to contact the ground.

Legacy
The Webbers believe that implementing conservation practices is synonymous with farming. “We try and be a steward of the land—to make it better than you found it,” said Bobbi Jo. “It’s just not many of us left out there and we’ve got to try to do the best we can.”

NRCS provided technical and financial assistance through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Farmers interested in working with NRCS for conservation assistance, should contact their local USDA Service Center. To find the office nearest you, visit offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/.