Tom Cotter is a third-generation farmer from Austin in southeast Minnesota who operates a diverse operation alongside his family and brother-in-law, Tony. He began farming with his dad in 1994 under a purely conventional system characterized by full tillage and routine chemical applications. Tom’s journey into soil health began unexpectedly when his father purchased a tile plow and they noticed how much easier the equipment pulled—and how much better subsequent yields were—following a 20-acre test planting of rapeseed cover crops.
Today, Tom manages an operation encompassing 340 acres of certified organic ground, 430 acres of conventional no-till ground, and an 80-acre pasture. Driven by a desire to cut input costs and work with nature, Tom has successfully integrated a five-way crop rotation with multi-species cover crop mixes and intensive grass-finished livestock grazing. He is passionate about helping his local community and fellow producers, actively collaborating with the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition to host annual field days and food health days.
In this episode, John and Tom discuss:
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A small trial of rapeseed in the 1990s that dramatically improved soil structure, earthworm populations, and subsequent corn yields.
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How integrating a 40-way cover crop mix and livestock triggered a massive biological explosion of 25 to 30 earthworms per shovelful.
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Balancing organic and conventional no-till acres using a simple plus-and-minus grading system to track soil health trends.
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Grazing livestock on crop ground for up to 10 months out of the year to cut feed costs and to act as a natural, variable-rate fertilizer system.
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Shifting to an adaptive multi-crop rotation distributed the workload, eliminated grueling hours, and reduced seasonal stress.
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How designing smart crop sequences and planting winter rye allowed him to completely eliminate fungicides and insecticides on his conventional acres.
- Distributing his workload so that he can take weekends off and enjoy motorcycle rides during harvest season .
Additional Resources
To learn more about Tom and the work of the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, please visit: https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/about-us/tom-cotter/
About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA’s science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA’s regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com