Welcome to Conservation Ag Update. We’ll check back in with Mackane here in a minute. But first we’re kicking things off in Stony Point, N.C., where Leopold Conservation Award recipients Jimmy and Andy Gray are reaping the benefits of no-till and cover crops.

Jimmy Gray: “Conservation has been tremendous for the success of our dairy. I’ve got two (conservation practices) that I feel like are heavy hitters — no-till farming and stream exclusions.”

Andy Gray: “I think with no-till, just stick with it, you may not see the rewards the first year or two, but just building up your soil health will have some long-term advantages that you’ll see in 2-3 years and years to come.”  

Jimmy Gray:“If you don’t till that ground, last year’s plants that are dead and gone, their roots are dying out and there’s an area that water can go and recharge ground life. That soil heals itself. Soil health is all about that. Then that vegetation is there not only to make the stream banks stop eroding, but if you have a large rain event, that vegetation will lay over like shingles on a roof and protect the soil.”  

Read more about the Grays’ conservation practices on SandCountyFoundation.org.

Watch the full version of this episode of Conservation Ag Update.