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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] New cover crop research builds on producers' success
  • Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:39:50 -0600


http://www.theprairiestar.com/articles/2008/07/11/ag_news/farm_and_field/farm12.txt

"When he tests his soil, he is not testing it for the traditional levels, he
is testing it for the amount of organic matter."

New cover crop research builds on producers' success

By SUE ROESLER, For The Prairie Star
Thursday, July 3, 2008 11:06 AM MDT
Research is providing data about what cover crops can do for the soil.

DICKINSON, N.D. - Healthy soil is key to good yields - and cover crops can
play a part in that.

Gabe Brown of Bismarck, N.D., has been following that creed for several
years. He often says, “Feed the soil; harvest the sunlight.”

Brown has been finding out how “cocktails” of cover crops such as legumes,
grasses, and tap root crops, companion crops (planting another crop with the
main crop), keeping the soil covered year-round with stubble and high organic
matter in soil all work synergistically.

When he tests his soil, he is not testing it for the traditional levels, he
is testing it for the amount of organic matter.

Brown thought cover crops were the answer to some of the problems they
experienced with retaining soil moisture and having increasingly higher input
costs for fertilizer and chemicals.

He heard what cover crops did for other producers at a no-till conference
several years ago. So he, and other producers in the Burleigh County Soil
Conservation District in North Dakota began experimenting with them in
earnest.

They not only found success themselves, but willingly shared their knowledge
and showed others their methods.

Last week, on a cover crop cocktail field filled with growing radishes,
legumes, hairy vetch and several other crops, Brown said this crop mix was
improving organic moisture in the soil. Next spring, the soil in this field
would be in top condition for a corn crop, he said.

“I tell producers, just try it and see if it works for you,” Brown said.
“Cover crops bring the nitrogen to the surface where the plant can use it.”

Currently, Pat Carr, agronomist at the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension
Center, and scientists at the USDA ARS Research Lab in Mandan, N.D., are
building on that success to be able to show other producers the actual data
of what cover crops are doing to the soil to other producers.

“There's not a lot of actual research on what Gabe Brown has done,” Carr
said. “We're going to complement what he is doing on his ranch with research.”

The new research is being conducted at both Dickinson and ARS-Mandan sites.

In August research teams will seed cover crops alone and in various
combinations with other crops.

“We want to see how cover crops impact the soil quality and the subsequent
crops that follow them,” Carr said.

The plan is for the annuals to grow into the fall until they are killed by
frost.

Carr said there is a lot of speculation about what cover crops are actually
doing to the soil and this research will document what is happening
underneath the ground surface.

“We'll visually look at things and see what benefits there are, and quantify
them,” Carr said. “That's our goal.”

With higher energy costs such as fertilizer, higher pesticide and herbicide
prices, Carr said this research will be important as producers are always
looking for ways to cut down on costs.

Brown said his cover crops with tap roots help with infiltration which keeps
moisture in the soil.

He calls the system a revolving nutrient bank account where the cover crops
provide nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and sulfur to the soil. With his soil
tests showing higher organic matter, he has been able to use less fertilizer
and produce higher yields.

Brown said that he routinely gets more than the usual corn yields for a
dryland farmer in this region. In 2005, for example, his corn yield was 143
bushels to the acre.

Carr says that scientists can measure the nutrients in the soil, and that's
what they will be doing during the entire research project.

He planted field peas this spring into the ground that will be used for the
cover crop research, and plans to harvest them in July. That will provide
time for some recharge from late-season rains before seeding the cover crops
in August.

A burndown was applied to kill the weeds and a pre-emergence herbicide will
also be applied to take care of any additional weeds. Cover crops will be
no-till seeded into the field pea stubble.

In spring 2009, the crops that will be planted into the cover crop residue
will be corn, beans, spring wheat and peas at both sites.

“We will be looking at the crops during the growing season to see how the
cover crops are impacting growth and yields,” Carr said.

The research will replicate what can be done on a farm by using larger plots
than used in typical research and by using commercial farm equipment.

“There's a lot of interest in cover crops right now,” Carr said. “It will be
research that all growers across all spectrums can use.”





  • [Livingontheland] New cover crop research builds on producers' success, Tradingpost, 07/12/2008

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