That's kinda' harsh, Jack (I like to pick on Jack, LOL?). You can't assume your knowledge is superior to the knowledge of the guys doing the actual farming. Of course we care about short-term profits! If we don't make it in the short-term, there is nothing else. Some producers are great with mechanics. Some are good negotiators. Some are good at finding land to farm. Some are good with soil science. There aren't many who are good with everything! However it happens, all the "cash input" factors of production must be paid. Soil health isn't one of them. Most land is rented and unless the lessor demands some sort of compensation for soil loss and health, it remains uncompensated. And, that is a cost to be considered both at the farm level and across society. There's a gap that needs to be filled. How to do it is the subject of another debate. Should producers be required to fill the gap? Or, does society have some responsibility.
Farm policy has a role. Let's take the curious case of a farmer participating (getting money) from national farm programs. There's a quid pro quo here. Participation requires the producer to have a soil conservation plan developed by NRCS. Sometimes that plan requires a farmer planting and harvesting corn to knock down the stubble to provide soil cover for the purposes of reducing over-winter soil erosion. Go ahead. Debate the merits if you wish.
In Virginia, the conservation requirement (and economics!) have changed the mix of crop production. For kicks and giggles and other reasons I went back to the 1900 Census of Agriculture to see how many acres of corn were grown in Virginia. Let's just say, today, its one-fourth of the 1900 amount. Now, perennial forages - hay and pasture - comprise over half the harvested acreage here. How's that for cover crop utilization?
Move forward to the moment. Over the past decade the local soil and water conservation districts have provide, free, cover crop seed to farmers willing to plant it. Debate that if you want. But, what it did was give the "missionaries" the opportunity to say, see for yourself if this makes any difference. It's not a big program because we are now a wheat-soybean rotation. But, the free cover crop seed program has made a difference.
Finally, a personal experience. The idea that cover crops can scavenge soil nutrients, well, I just couldn't get my head around it for the longest time. But, now, it makes perfect sense. Instead of nutrients leaching thru the soil and into groundwater, the cover crop sucks them up for overwinter storage, and then releases them in the spring? Did I get that right? Now, I have to change my whole way of thinking about what happens and how to do it. I think I'll go back to bed.
