Building Soil Health as a First Generation Farmer with Ryan Bivens

It’s always neat to hear of farms that have been with a family for generations, but is it still possible for a first generation farmer to get started? Ryan Bivens is proof that it is possible, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. First generation Kentucky farmer Ryan Bivens talks about his path to getting started in farming, why wheat is his favorite cover crop, and how he manages 88 different landlords in his area of central Kentucky.

“Just because somebody says you can't do that.…Try it yourself. Do it on a small basis. You have to figure out what can and cannot work for you. You can't break the bank doing it. If you're gonna screw something up, do it on a small trial. Try it out there. And who's to say, if it works, then next year expand it but you know what's best for your own soils.” - Ryan Bivens

Ryan farms soybeans, corn and wheat on about 7600 acres, 1200 of which he owns and the remaining he leases from 88 different landlords. Ryan grew up around agriculture and started farming in FFA. After college his wife took an ag teaching job in the community they now live in so he had to start over. He searched for farmland to rent through an ad in the local newspaper and built from there. Ryan shares how he got his start, his approach to soil health, and a whole lot more.

“We can't tell each other how to farm. There is not one right way or wrong way to do it. Everybody has to know their own land, they have to know their soils, and they have to know what works for them. If I don't go out and learn something every day, that's the day I need to hang it up and quit. Because that's the day when you're done as far as I'm concerned.” - Ryan Bivens

This Week on Soil Sense:

• Meet first generation Kentucky farmer Ryan Biven and discover his unique path to farming

• Discover his business model including both owned and rented land and explore his approach to soil health on that land

• Explore Ryan’s practices with rotation and his experiences with cover crops

Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.

If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.