Location: Kansas
Written by Caroline Clymer

June 10, 2005

Yesterday, we visited the 5,000 acre Porter farm in Quinter, Kansas , a piece of land passed down through five generations, with rippling wheat and gorgeous Kansas sky stretching for miles.  Mr. Porter took us out to a field that had just been planted with sunflowers, and let us take a sample of soil.  We took out a sample about two and a half feet deep, and looked at how the color and texture of the soil horizons changed as we went deeper.  He also showed us a tool called a moisture probe, a six foot long metal rod you should be able to push all the way into the ground if the soil is moist enough.  I doubted it was possible, but I gave it a try anyway.  To my surprise, it easily punctured six feet of soil without hitting a single rock on the way down.  In Virginia , you can hardly poke in tent pegs without hitting a rock, but Mr. Porter told us that you can go down 50 feet in Kansas before you hit anything.  He talked to us about the things they do on their farm to prevent erosion and keep the soil fertile, like no-till farming, crop rotation, and planting trees as a wind-break.  After the tour of his farm, we went the city pool for a swim, then hopped back on the coach for a three and a half hour drive to Byers High School , where we spent the night. 

Location
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