The Ecosystem Benefits of Sustainable Agricultural Practices | 2022
Vilicus Farms is a nationally recognized first generation, organic, dryland crop farm in Northern Hill County, Montana. The cropping systems here model a vision where organic practices are considered the norm, seeking to advance land stewardship practices at scale that promote healthy ecosystems.
Sustainably managing the land can play a major role in protecting the environmental benefits we receive from natural areas, often called ecosystem services. This case study looks at a few of the ecosystem services enhanced by activities on Vilicus Farms.
Learn more at vilicusfarms.com.
Photo Credit: USDA NRCS Montana via Flickr
The Benefits of Soil Carbon
As climate change and greenhouse gas emissions moved to the forefront of sustainability concerns in recent years, so has valuation of offsetting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Although agriculture can be seen as major greenhouse gas emitters, there’s also significant value in cropland’s ability to sequester and store CO2 in the form of soil carbon. Vilicus Farms’ dedication to sustainable practices (e.g., diverse 5- to 7-year crop rotations, cover cropping and green manure) may have contributed to retention of soil carbon.
The Benefits of Pollinator Habitat
One focus of Vilicus Farm’s cropping practices is on pollinator-friendly conservation tactics. Twenty-six percent of managed land on the Farm is dedicated to permanent pollinator-friendly conservation. Vilicus Farms is also “Bee Better” certified, meaning their practices are designed to protect bees and other pollinators from threats and provide critical habitat.
Besides their contribution to market value, pollinators also contribute to human wellbeing in other ways. Consumers also care that pollinators are in decline, benefitting by simply knowing that pollinator habitat exists. Many are even willing to pay to increase habitat areas suitable for pollinators to stem this decline. One study found that households were willing to pay up to 81 cents per pollinator habitat area per household in a 10-county region to increase pollinator habitat areas. If the same results are applied to the pollinator habitat areas at Vilicus Farms, the population in Hill County, Montana values the habitat areas here at about $10,000 per year.
The Benefits Erosion Control
With fields divided into strips separated by 20- to 30-foot conservation buffers, a rotation of cover crops, and minimum-disturbance tillage, Vilicus Farms’ cropping practices are designed to reduce soil erosion on the land. Erosion reduction creates benefits both on- and off-site, benefitting not only Vilicus Farms, but also others in Hill County and beyond.
Reducing erosion mean less soil nutrients are lost, less runoff reaches surface water, flood risk decreases, and air quality improves.
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Banner Photo Credit: USDA NRCS Montana via Flickr
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