Sommers Farm

Brothers Bob and Rich Sommers are busy. Along with their farming operation, they run a farm equipment and auto repair shop and sell corn, soybean, and cover crop seeds. 

They began adding cover crops into their corn and soybean rotation in 2013 to try to reduce soil erosion. They started out small and after having good yields, increased acres over the years with support from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program. After last fall’s harvest, they planted cover crops into 600 acres using a no-till drill. The coverage increases rainwater infiltration into the soil and reduces field erosion after heavy rainfalls.   

Along with cover crops, the Sommers have adopted minimum and no-till practices to improve the health of the soil. These methods have helped reduce wind erosion during the winter months.