Paradise Prairie Farms thrives on diversification

<p>FAMILY FARM: &nbsp;Farming is all about family at Paradise Prairie Farms. Levi and Crystal Neuharth are managing and operating a farm that Levi’s father started. They have three children — Kaydee (left), Justin and Johnathon. &nbsp;</p>

<p>MILO HARVEST: The sun sets during the Neuharth’s harvest of milo, one of four commodity crops that they usually grow each year. Wheat, oats and sunflowers are the others. They also usually plant one to three specialty crops annually. Field peas, lentils and flax are common ones. Over the past 10 years they’ve grown 18 different crops. “We almost always have a contract for [specialty crops] before we plant,” Levi says. The contracts often include Act of God clauses. If there are crop losses caused by something beyond their control, the Neuharths don’t have to deliver on the contract.</p>

<p>STRIPPER HEADER: The Neuharths harvest wheat with a stripper header. The header pulls wheat heads off the stems and runs them through the combine. The tall straw is left standing to protect the snow and catch additional snow over the winter to increase soil moisture. The Neuharths no-till and plant in the tall stubble. Levi’s father started no-tilling in 1993. “I don’t know how to farm any other way,” Levi says. “I grew up with it.” Levi and Crystal have added cover cropping and livestock grazing of cropland to the no-till system.</p>

<p>COVER CROP MIX: Levi holds a colorful mix of cover crop seed. He plants cover crops after small grains or as full-season forage crop. Cover crops keep the soil covered and live roots growing in the soil longer than the grain crops.</p>

<p>CUSTOM GRAZING: The Neuharths custom graze cattle. Custom grazing is currently less risky for them than owning cattle. They can easily alter stocking rates to match the amount of grass they have. When it is dry, they don’t feel forced to buy hay and aren’t tempted to overgraze their pastures to maintain a cowherd.</p>

<p>ROTATIONAL GRAZING: Crystal checks the grass before moving cows into the next pasture. The Neuharths received the state’s Excellence in Range Management Award in 2017. They use a rotational grazing system. The rotation intensity varies from pasture to pasture and from year to year, based on conditions. “We try to make sure to give all of our grass enough rest to recover from grazing,” Levi says.</p>

<p>GRAZING COVERS: Yearling cattle graze a full season cover crop. Levi mowed strips in the field, so the fence is more visible.</p>

<p>DAIRY GOATS: The Neuharths have 90 dairy goats. The goats graze areas around the farm headquarters. As stripper grazers that prefer weeds over grass, the goats have significantly reduced Canada thistle and other weeds around the farmyard. The Neuharths added a guard dog to the goat herd this year. They plan to turn the goats out in pastures further from the headquarters to help control weeds in problem areas.</p>

<p>GOOD GOATS: Justin, 9, especially enjoys the goats. The Neuharths bought a few dairy goats in 2011 because Justin was allergic to cow’s milk. He does fine with goat milk, though. The family now milks about five does each year to provide milk, ice cream and other dairy products for the family. They also sell and lease goats for 4-H projects and sell goats to a rodeo livestock contractor. “We have almost every breed of dairy goat there is,” Crystal says.</p>

<p>CHICKENS TOO: Kaydee, 4, holds her favorite chicken, Snow. The Neuharths have about 150 laying hens. Their children are involved in caring for the birds. The Neuharths raise Orpington, Ameraucana, Australorp, Barred Rock and several other breeds.</p>

<p>EGGS FOR SALE: Johnathon, 11, gathers eggs from the free-ranging flock. The breed diversity in the flock ensures that they’ll have a steady supply of eggs year-round, no matter what the weather. Some breeds tolerate the cold better and some tolerate the heat better than others, Crystal says.</p>

<p>NO-TILL GARDEN. The Neuharth’s garden flourishes without tillage. “If it works in our grain fields, Levi figured in would work in the garden, too, and provide the same benefits,” Crystal says. They cover the garden each fall with straw about 1½ feet deep. In spring, they plant vegetables seed into mulch. One year, to mimic the diversity of plants found on rangeland, Crystal mixed all different kinds of vegetable seeds in a bucket and then scattered the seed. Most of the plants did well. Harvesting the produce was like being on a scavenger hunt, she says. The children especially enjoyed the activity.</p>

<p>OPEN HOUSE: People attending the Neuharth’s annual open house, called Family Farm Visit Day, gather around the goat milking station. They started the event because so many people even in rural South Dakota have been on farm. Everyone in Neuharth family — including their children — talk to visitors about how they care for the animals, crops and the land.</p>

<p>CHILDREN INVOLVED:&nbsp; Johnathan (left), Kaydee and Justin pick peas. The children are all involved in the farm in ways appropriate for their ages. Levi and Crystal talk to their children what they are doing to protect and improve natural resources on their farm. The children are interested in what they are doing to protect the earth, Crystal and. Johnathon has even helped give a soil health presentation at the 2019 America's Grasslands Conference.</p>

<p>Kaydee (left), Justin and Johnathan prepare to do a water infiltration demonstration in a cover crop. Levi wonders what regenerative ag practices his children will bring to the farm in 20 to 30 years. “The possibilities are exciting,” Levi says. Learn more about the Neuharths and Paradise Prairie Farms at <a href="http://paradiseprairiefarms.com" target="_blank">paradiseprairiefarms.com</a><em>.</em></p>