Page 21 - Logan County Farm Outlook - Spring 2013

2013 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com March 21, 2013
21
an overabundance of corn beetles while
visiting to take soil samples.
When asked if the drought and heat of
2012 harmed the local soils, Phillips was
very reassuring. “Theheat anddrought of
2012 did not damage our Logan County
soils,” he said. He remarked that these
soils are very tolerant and fertile, and
since they are so deep and vast, there
is little that can harm them except for
the same kinds of farming practices that
were used in the West and Southwest
in the ’30s. Over-tillage, which exposes
too much soil to the ravages of the wind,
can cause our valuable soils to become
someone else’s valuable soils.
The National Weather Service has
reported that we have had adequate
precipitation so far in 2013, and Logan
County’s drought status has been
updated from extreme drought in fall
2012 to normal precipitation. Farmers
have reported that water is flowing from
field tiles, indicating that soil moisture
in many places in the county is good
even to the depth of 4 feet. This is quite
a turnaround from the conditions that
started in late June 2012.
Phillips said that with good soil
conservation practices, even through an
extended period of drought conditions,
the abundant benefits of the soils in
Logan County will persist and remain
productive.
And so, our treasure is safe for now.
[Jim Youngquist]