Grower Story: Enhancing Soil Health on Beckwith Farms
Beckwith Farms improved soil health with MyLand across 390 acres of onions, cabbage, and watermelons, with reduced salt buildup, improved plant resilience, and increased onion size and yields.
Beckwith Farms, located in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, has faced significant soil health issues due to prolonged drought and increasing salinity. Over the past five years, low water levels in the Rio Grande River and rising salinity in irrigation water have posed challenges to the farm’s productivity and soil quality.
Poor soil health has reduced yields and increased the farm’s reliance on inefficient water use. Will Beckwith, the manager of Beckwith Farms, knew that finding ways to address these issues was crucial for sustaining his farm’s long-term profitability.
By introducing MyLand’s Soil as a Service, Beckwith Farms was able to improve soil health across the 390 impacted acres of onions, cabbage, and watermelons.
Soil Health Strategy
In 2023, Beckwith joined a collaborative research program with MyLand and Texas A&M AgriLife Reseach designed to improve soil health and address critical agricultural challenges like water availability, salinity, nutrient efficiency, and carbon cycling. The ongoing initiative aims to integrate over 12,000 acres of commercial farmland, cover more than 20 unique crops, and explore various ecosystems and soil types.
Eager to improve Beckwith Farms’ soil quality, Beckwith saw this program as an opportunity to implement the MyLand Service and harness the benefits of live, native microalgae to address his soil health issues.
By leveraging the collective resources and expertise of AgriLife Research and MyLand, Beckwith Farms was able to take part in this effort to promote sustainable agricultural practices.
“The collaboration between MyLand and AgriLife Research is helping farmers like us understand how to create healthy soil and why it’s so important for the future of our operations,” said Will.
Results with MyLand
By the end of Beckwith’s first growing season, Beckwith was already blown away with the results of the MyLand service, starting with increased water efficiency during dry season.
“We only had about two inches of rain all season, and even with that, I used just 11 inches of water to grow a good crop of watermelons, producing about 55,000 pounds of marketable crops per acre.”
Here are a few results Beckwith experienced this year:
Reduced Salt Buildup
“In the past, we’ve always seen a white salt rim on the edges of our beds, especially around the plastic mulch. This year we didn’t see any of that. [The MyLand Service] improved our soil’s resilience, reducing the salinity that’s been a growing issue.”
Improved Plant Resilience
“This year, we had fewer issues with disease in areas [with] the MyLand Service. For example, we had an onion control group that showed signs of Stemphylium and purple blotch, but where we applied the algae, the leaves didn’t get any tip burn and stayed green and healthy until the end. There were weeds, but the broadleaf pressure and sunflowers weren’t there in MyLand-applied zones.”
Increased Onion Size and Yields
“The quality of our onions was good across the board, but on areas [with the] MyLand Service, I saw a 7% increase in onion size, with more jumbos and colossals. Our yields increased by about 35% in those areas, which is a huge boost for us. The research that AgriLife Research is conducting on soil nutrient efficiency and water use has really helped to validate these kinds of improvements.”
Nourishing Long Term Success
Looking forward, Beckwith plans to continue with MyLand in collaboration with AgriLife Research.
“Next year, I plan to use MyLand system more […] and see how it affects our long-term soil health. I’m encouraged by the initial results. The collaboration between MyLand and AgriLife Research is helping farmers like us understand how to create healthy soil and why it’s so important for the future of our operations.”
Beckwith praised the support he received from both MyLand and AgriLife Research throughout the trial.
“The MyLand team has been great, especially when we had issues with electricity after storms knocked down power lines. They were always out here quickly to get everything back up and running. This collaboration between MyLand and AgriLife Research is showing us how much we can improve the land with these innovative soil health principles.”
For other growers considering MyLand and the AgriLife Research program, Beckwith offers strong words of encouragement:
“Everywhere MyLand serviced, I’ve seen a difference. If you’re facing soil health issues like salinity or drought, this is definitely something to try. It’s shown me why healthy soil is important, not just for improving crop yields but for making our farm more resilient in the long term.”
Ready to start improving your soil? Reach out to our team to get started today.
About Beckwith Farms
Location: Rio Grande Valley, Texas
Crops: Onions, cabbage, and watermelons
Challenges: Drought, salinity, low yields
Acreage: 390 MyLand acres / 600 total acres