Shepherd Agriculturists Say Drought-Resistant Methods Could Be Path Through Changing Climate

On the beaten paths of Tabler Farm, cicadas and crickets buzz from all directions — a hallmark of summer on the Jefferson County property. But this season the dirt underfoot looks dry, even dusty. And blistering heat means the team on site has to work twice as hard to keep crops hydrated.

Weeks-long drought conditions have taken a toll on agriculture across the state this summer, especially in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. Paired with recurring heat waves, farmers say it’s been devastating to their crops.

With temperatures rising globally, some say more challenges like these lie ahead. But adapting to a changing climate isn’t new territory for the staff at Tabler Farm. The 158-acre site is run by Shepherd University, offering students and community members workshops on sustainable farming.

“It’s used as a demonstration site for classes, for soil science, integrated pest management, sustainable agriculture,” said Brooke Comer, assistant professor of environmental studies. “All of it is in service to giving experiential education to the students.”

By seeing firsthand the success of sustainable, drought-resistant growing methods, Comer said she and her colleagues hope future agriculturists who step foot on the farm will take the techniques onto farms of their own.

‘Aquaponics’: Growing Plants In Water

One of those techniques is aquaponics, the practice of growing crops in a nutrient-rich bed of water instead of soil.

In Shepherd’s aquaponics lab, large tanks pump water into buckets on the ground. With their roots suspended in the liquid, lush green plants stretch tall overhead.

A water-based growing system might sound like a counterintuitive solution to dry spells. But Peter Vila, the associate professor of environmental studies who runs the lab, said it’s more efficient than continuously rehydrating a soil bed.

“A lot of other places claim savings up to 95 percent of water saved versus a traditional soil farm,” Vila said.

Beyond plants, the lab is home to another unexpected life form: fish. Tanks of blue tilapia are connected to the aquaponics water supply. This way, their waste add nutrients to the water.

“The fish, it’s like manure. You have cow manure, and that’s how you fertilize,” Vila said. “It’s the same process, except that it’s in a water system.”

Cover Crops And Water Retention

Other drought-resistant methods at Tabler Farm are less tech heavy, like cover cropping.

Many large-scale farms till the earth every season, ripping up the ground for seeding. While this can make planting easier, it disrupts the soil microbiome and can expose soil to direct sunlight, drying up the water stashed underground.

Cover cropping is the practice of growing a different plant on farmland during the off season. Farm Coordinator Madison Hale said this traps water and nutrients, better preparing the earth for commercial crops.

“A field that has been recently tilled and has nothing growing on it, it’s bone dry,” she said. Cover cropping “provides a little microclimate for it, which is helpful.”

If cover cropping is too cumbersome, Hale said farmers can also place tarps or mulch atop plant beds. These coverings trap water underground, so farmers don’t have to waste water continuously rehydrating the soil.

“When you have hot, hot sunny days like today, any moisture that may have been in that ground from a small rain that you had the previous night is going to evaporate much more quickly on bare, exposed soil,” Hale said.

Practicing ‘Drip Irrigation’

Comer said droughts also require farmers to be more judicious about how they use water. One way to protect water reserves and hydrate plants more directly is through the practice of “drip irrigation.”

Some farms launch water across crops with large sprayers. While these can get the job done, they don’t put water directly into the soil, meaning it can dry up before even reaching a plant’s roots.

By running small tubes alongside crops, farmers can more directly send water into the ground. And, by dispensing low-pressure water on a regular interval, Comer said they can hydrate more soil with fewer resources.

“Targeted irrigation through drip irrigation, where you’re putting it right on the plants as opposed to watering the weeds or even the cover crops — then you are putting that water right where it’s going to be used and turned into vegetables,” she said.

Pursuing Sustainable Solutions

After weeks of a dry spell, farmers in the Eastern Panhandle are looking toward this week’s projected rainfall as a sign of hope. The region could get 1 to 3 inches of rain as Tropical Storm Debby travels up the East Coast.

The downpour could reduce the local drought. But Hale said protecting agriculture doesn’t just mean addressing yearly conditions; it takes reckoning with a changing climate.

“I’m just hearing more and more from farmers that predictability that we used to have is not there. The temperatures are just up and down,” she said. “We have so many more extreme storms that are with really high wind or hail or flooding if you’re in an area that is susceptible to being in a flood zone.”

But investing in sustainable agriculture can be costly. Hale said some career farmers get worried about the financial toll of new methods, which stops them from adopting techniques that could pay off in the long run — both environmentally and financially.

That’s why she thinks the burden of financing and advocating for sustainable agriculture shouldn’t fall on farmers alone.

“If we really want to see a significant change in our agriculture system, we need to have policy change that is supportive toward regenerative and sustainable agriculture,” Hale said.

For more information on Tabler Farm and its sustainable growing techniques, visit Shepherd University’s website.