Oats are a legacy project for me. Getting oats growing on more acres in my community has great impacts on a variety of areas in my life about which I care deeply: water quality, community, my family and my farm. 

Growing oats and encouraging others to do so, too, is the backbone of my conservation strategy. I’m a part-time conservation technician at the Olmsted County Soil & Water Conservation District. I’m also a fifth-generation farmer and a water quality enthusiast.

Our geography is unique. On the surface I farm an area where glacial-till soils transition to windblown Loess. The resulting hodge podge means I get to farm soils that range from high clay content with higher soil organic matter (SOM) to lower SOM silty loams. 

Check The Specs...

NAME: Martin Larsen

LOCATION: Byron, Minn.

ACRES: 1,490

YEARS NO-TILLING: 11

CROPS: Corn, soybeans, oats

PRIMARY SOIL TYPE: Glacial Till to Loess transition

ANNUAL PRECIPITATION: 33 inches

Underneath the surface is where things get truly interesting. Eroded Karst limestone bedrock riddled with caverns supplies all the public and private drinking water for our community. Water from our farms filters, and in some cases flows directly, into the underground water supply.

When surface water infiltrates into these caves and aquifers, they can take a wide range of…