NO-TILL HERO  -  Jack Clark

Jack Clark has been no-till farming for 25 years.  He started with no-till corn in 1982.  Mr. Clark said, “I began no-tilling to control erosion, save labor, save wear and tear on equipment, and save money.”  He had such good results with his no-till corn that he started no-tilling wheat in 1997 and soybeans in 2003.  He now no-tills all corn, wheat, and soybeans. 

Jack Clark owns and operates a 1,500 acre farm located in east-central Whitley County Kentucky.  The dominant cropland soils are Huntington silt loam (a fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Fluventic Hapludolls), 0 to 4 percent slope and Cotaco silt loam (a fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Aquic Hapludults), 0 to 4 percent slope.  Mr. Clark’s farming operation consist of approximately:  200 acres corn, 100 acres soybeans, 125 acres wheat, 1,075 acres pasture/woodland, 160 beef cows, and 150 feeder cattle.  All corn, wheat, and soybeans are no-tilled or drilled into last year’s crop residue or cover crop.  Rotations include corn and double cropped wheat and soybeans. 

What are the benefits Mr. Clark has received by implementing a no-tillage strategy on his land?  He says, “less wear and tear on equipment, fuel savings, time savings, decreased soil erosion, and less inorganic fertilizer needs for crops.”   

The management of organic matter and plant roots are two of the keys to building, maintaining, and improving the soil.  Plant roots encourage the formation of mycorrhizal fungi and fungal hyphae that build soil structure by binding soil particles together.  Organic matter can hold up to 90% of its weight as water, increasing the water holding capacity of the soil.  In addition, organic matter increases the cation exchange capacity of the soil and thus soil nutrient holding ability.  Over time the accumulation of organic matter builds the soil’s nitrogen bank.  This increases soil nitrogen reserves, enabling the soil to provide more plant nutrients allowing landowners to save money on inorganic fertilizer.  When organic matter increases, earthworm numbers also increase.  Earthworms digest organic matter leaving castings that other organisms digest, releasing more nutrients for plant uptake.  Earthworms also form soil macropores, increasing water movement and storage in the soil. 

A no-tillage system builds soil by producing, maintaining, and managing organic matter for soil improvement.  Conventional tillage (plowing) and/or minimum tillage (disking or chisel plowing) depletes the soil resource by decreasing organic matter and destroying soil structure.  The inversion of organic matter during the plowing, disking, or chisel plowing process increases decomposition of organic matter leaving the soil unprotected and in a depleted state with no residue left to improve and protect the soil.  Plowing destroys soil structure, removes and depletes organic matter, reduces water holding capacity, increases soil bulk density, increases erosion, decreases water infiltration and permeability, decreases cation exchange capacity, decreases nutrient holding ability, releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, decreases microscopic organisms, and decreases earthworms.  In short plowing or tilling the ground in anyway harms the soil, while no-tilling heals soil and builds soil quality and soil health.  Disking or chisel plowing can set back soil quality gains dramatically even if the soil has not been tilled in any way for years.  It should be noted that fields that have been under a continuous no-tillage system for many years, with much improvement to soil quality, can and will lose most or all of those gains if the fields are tilled in anyway even one time. 

Mr. Clark has overcome some of the challenges of no-tillage.  He states, “I used to have a Johnson grass problem in some of my fields before chemical companies came out with herbicides for Johnson grass control.  It was difficult to grow crops in these fields, especially no-tilled crops.”  Now Mr. Clark says, “Johnson grass is no longer a problem.  The improvement and/or development of chemicals for weed and pest eradication have gone a long way in making no-tillage sustainable year after year.”  Mr. Clark also likes the new Roundup Ready corn and soybeans.  He says, “this makes weed control much easier than before.”  He believes two reasons no-tillage has been and will remain successful are innovative chemicals to control diseases, pests, and weeds and innovative seed technology.  

Mr. Clark is always receptive to new ideas and is willing to listen to new conservation techniques.  He shares his ideas and knowledge with other landowners.  He has implemented numerous conservation practices that has enhanced his farming operation.  He works closely with personnel at his local Natural Resources Conservation Service office and the Whitley County Conservation District to obtain needed practice technical information and designs.  He has installed many conservation practices such as Animal Waste Beef Stack Pad (Agriculture Conservation Program), filter strips (Conservation Reserve Program), pasture seedings, pipeline and tanks (Environmental Quality Incentive Program), heavy use areas (State Cost Share Program), etc.

 Jack Clark and his family are very hard working innovative people.  Not only do they own and operate a 1500 acre farm but also own and run a farm supply store, custom seeding/fertilizing spreading business, and a country grocery store.

 Mr. Clark has served on the:  Kentucky Farm Bureau Farmer Idea Exchange (1995 and 1996) and the Whitley County Conservation District Board (1992 until present).

Mr. Clark has received numerous awards: 1997 Kentucky Farm Bureau Farmer Idea Exchange Award, Farm Bureau Home Improvement Award, Farm Bureau Beef Cattle Award, Farm Bureau Corn Production Award, and the Farm Bureau Tobacco Production Award.  He is also an Honorary Whitley County FFA Member.  He has been The Whitley County Conservation Farmer of the Year.  He has also won the Conservationist Farming Award from the Whitley County Conservation District and The Whitley County Master Conservationist Award.

Jack Clark – Whitley County

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