On the second day of our trip, Mike Hambly and I visited Beam Farms, Pennsylvania where Bill Beam talked us through how he runs his 3,000-acre farm and the challenges he faces.
Bill Beam believes herbicide tolerant biotech cropping has reduced weed contamination of grain worth $50+ per acre and no-till adds maybe another $50 per acre to the bottom line. Insect pressure had been lower with rotation and Bt corn. Herbicide-tolerant cropping opened up the ability for many farms to begin using no-till farming systems and the combined effect over time has been consistent higher yields.
He has 400 acres wheat and is using two herbicides and one insecticide, but weeds still impact wheat yield.
There is an increasing popularity of ‘IPA’ style beer in hundreds of US microbreweries – Beam Farms this year introduced a high tillering specialist malting barley variety from Washington state.
On some fields it is not possible to grow soy, where whitetail deer will destroy the beans as soon as they grow. They are out of season when they destroy the crop, deer hunters dislike farmers shooting deer out of season, but legal for the farmer. Groundhog and whitetail deer are the primary pest enemy on the area’s farms now.
There is a misconception that farmers are somehow obliged to buy GM seed, but universities and plant breeders offer non-gm seeds. Bill said: "Those engaged in non-GM and or organic farming are generally profit-driven." He believes herbicide-tolerant RR soy seed likely to be farm saveable in next couple of years. RR2 is in the better varieties. DuPont have patented most genetic material they use, but rarely enforce this. Breeders increasingly offer Replant schemes, 100 per cent replacement (for a later maturing variety) for failed crops (flood, slugs, groundhog, deer etc.) provided seed has been treated with fungicide and insecticide.
Bill’s average field size is 16 acres and has 40" rainfall, he’s had 28" this year in growing season.The field size was determined originally by what could be cleared of trees and rocks with horses, some hedges but none subject to preservation unless by a wetland, watercourse or similar.
Part of the land farmed is next to marshland, created by beavers, using small willow. This is one of largest wetlands in the area, supported by French and Pickering conservation trust with diverse plant and animal species. Remove invasive species like phragmities grass. Conservation programme (CREP) buffers established by water as appropriate, small watersheds have smaller need for measures. Conservation participation is essential to stay in business - if something goes wrong, the government can make the farmer restore damage and the business would no longer be eligible for government support programmes.