My name is John Haas and I am a farmer in southwest Kansas. I live in Larned,

Kansas and am the third generation farming the Haas family farm. I am a member of the

Kansas and the National Grain Sorghum Producers Association. I also represent Kansas

State University on the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching.

(CARET)

I have been actively farming for more than 40 years and have seen numerous

changes take place over that time. The change I would like to address today is

commonly referred to as conservation farming, mulch till farming, no-till or reduced

tillage farming. I first started experimenting with the no-till type farming in 1980 but

after about 3 years I abandoned it because at that time we didn't have the planting

equipment available to deal with the great amounts of residue that were left on the

surface of the ground. Also the herbicides that were available were either too expensive

of just didn't work to the degree that was needed.

I again returned to the reduced tillage ways in the early 1990's and found that we

had a lot better equipment and herbicides available and there had been a lot of work done

by our land grant university's and experimental stations. With guidance available from

the Extension Service and my past experience, I found the going much more to my liking.

Today I am almost completely no-till on all 4000 acres that I farm.

You might ask why would a person change completely their style of farming if

what they were doing was working. That is what I would like to discuss next. By

reducing greatly or completely doing away with tilling the land several things happen.

First and probably most important is we no longer lose all that moisture when working

the ground with an implement. We know that every time the ground is worked we lose

the moisture as deep as we work the soil therefore each rain must first replenish that

surface moisture before we can build up any sub-surface moisture. We only get about

23" of rain per year and sometimes we can get 1/4 of that at one time. That is plenty of

rain to raise a crop if only we can catch and hold it where and when it falls.

With the previous crops residue on the surface of the soil there is a shading effect

much as when you mulch your garden with straw. As the winds blow across the fields

the standing residue reduces the ability of the wind to contact the soil directly, thereby

reducing the evaporation loss. The sun also cannot strike the soil directly and therefore

the soil stays a little cooler and there is less loss of precious moisture. As the rains fall

the drops of rain will strike the residue first and break up that droplet there by making it

easier for the soil to absorb.

As the soil absorbs more of the falling rain, that means there is less run-off. By

reducing the run-off we greatly reduce water erosion. By reducing the erosion we don't

let the top soil wash away and pollute the streams. This means that everyone wins as we

greatly reduce point source pollution. The farmer keeps his top soil and the surface water

stays cleaner. I have observed the actual healing of gullies over time by the use of no-till

style of farming.

When the soil is left undisturbed it will start a renewal process. The structure or

building blocks of the soil will improve. This makes for better water storage capacity, a

better environment for plant root development, a better environment for the soil

microbial activity, more earth worm activity and a soil that will support heavy loads

without causing compaction.

Many soils have a restrictive layer at about 5" deep that is caused by continually

working at this depth or working when the soil is too wet. I have found that after about 3

years of no-till this restrictive layer starts to disappear. I believe that mother nature

prepares the best seed bed by the freezing and thawing during the winter. It takes man

with big tractors and implements to disturb this process.

The pay off for me by using the no-till or reduced tillage system has been the

raising of much better crops. Not only do I raise better crops but a greater variety of

crops which have a higher value in the market place.

By now you probably are probably asking if it is so great why don't all farmers

use this method? There is one large draw back. It is called change. Changing from a

way that has been the practice for generations to an entirely different new concept. The

changing of turning the residue under to leaving it all on top of the soil. It also requires

much greater management on the part of the operator. Timeliness is probably the key.

Timeliness on when to use the proper herbicides, when to plant and when to fertilize.

Great patience is also needed because when you have to deal with the large amounts of

residue, planting can be very difficult. Faith is another trait required of a no-till operator.

To know what you are doing will really work when all your neighbors are still doing the

conventional tillage that your father and grandfather use to do. There is also the planting

equipment that is needed. You need the best, most modern of equipment and it must be

kept in top mechanical shape because planting no-till is very hard on the equipment.

This equipment can cost upward of $2,000.00 per foot. Plus, there is the out of the

pocket costs. Many farmers don't feel that it costs much to use the tractor and

implements that they already own. The purchase of herbicides are an immediate cost. I

find that I need less implements and smaller tractors than if I was conventional tilling my

farm. This adds up to less fuel burned, lower repair bills and less dollars in capital

investments. It also allows for more time to be spent on other jobs around the farm.

Is this the answer for the future of agriculture in the United States? I really don't

know but I do know this is working for me at the present time and has increased by

income and allowed me to produce new and different crops.

I want to thank you for this opportunity to testify before this committee.