Greg Baltz’s Commitment to Sustainable Farming
Greg Baltz has been farming for more than 40 years. After earning a degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, he started farming with his father in 1980 and has been working the land ever since.
“I’ve been around a little while,” he says with a chuckle.
Baltz has been working with Peco Foods since 2015, helping to supply the corn needed for feed production. Peco intentionally works with farmers like Baltz who share a commitment to sustainability.
In early 2024, Baltz was recruited to participate in the Climate-Smart Commodity Project, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and facilitated in part by Mississippi State University and the University of Arkansas.
The long-term objectives of the project are to promote land conservation through the scaling of climate-smart practices on farms across the mid-South row crop region by demonstrating how these practices positively address environmental impacts, soil health, water conservation and quality, and regenerative market viability. One primary project objective is to demonstrate the market viability of producing climate-smart grains to be sold to local poultry feed operations, supplementing traditionally grown grains as we transition to a more sustainable future.
The Climate-Smart Practices Include:
- Cover crops and reduced tillage
- Advanced nutrient management
- Enhanced efficiency fertilizers
As a project participant, Baltz is testing different techniques for the application of fertilizer and nitrogen – which corn needs to thrive. A farmer’s goal is to apply the right amount of nitrogen at the right time, so the crop absorbs as much as possible. “That way we’re not wasting our money and nitrogen, and we’re also not having an adverse effect on the environment,” Baltz says.
More efficient nitrogen use can help prevent the nitrogen from leaching into the groundwater as nitrate or escaping into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide or ammonia.
Baltz is also reducing tillage as part of the program. Reducing tillage can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as farms are using less energy and fuel. This means lower costs, too.
For the farmers, the project requires meticulous documentation. But after harvest, farmers like Baltz can compare their yield with this collected data to determine which practices are most efficient, economical and environmentally friendly.
Participating in a project like this is an incredible time commitment. And for farmers, time is critical, especially in their early production season when they’re busy planting and working to wrangle in weeds. But that didn’t deter Baltz from signing up.
“The time is always a crunch, and anything extra we have to do obviously adds on to that,” Baltz says. “But I’m all for trying to develop these efficiencies and find ways to farm smarter.”
Smart farmers know that what’s good for the planet is also best for business.
“I think you’ll see a lot of farmers wanting to find climate-smart solutions because they don’t want to waste their money or lose yield,” Baltz explains, adding that you’d be hard-pressed to find a farmer who is going to overapply nitrogen, herbicide or any other treatment because doing so is not cost-effective. “The more we understand about how the nitrogen and other fertilizers dissipate, the more we can get to the proper, most efficient application,” Baltz adds. “The farmers in our community and around the country all see the value of protecting the environment, and I’m proud to be doing my part.”