Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Cover crop strategy---Animals and Veggies

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cover crop strategy---Animals and Veggies
  • Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:33:20 -0400

Rachel asked:
Just had another discussion with my husband about cover crop
strategy...  looking for input.
We want to turn a one acre block over to pasture this fall, let it
establish in the spring, and move a few head of beef onto it in the fall to finish them (they spend the first part of the year on another pasture).  Then leave it in pasture for all of the next year (2011) and turn it back into veggies for the next year (2012).
For all of you, does that sound reasonable, or does it not seem worth it to try and establish pasture for just 2 years?  In the end will it restore the land for veggie growing or not so much?  Is there a crop mix we can plant that will work for pasture but also fix enough N for a following veggie crop?  Or would we be better off choosing the right pasture mix, and then planting a winter crop of vetch right before veggies to fix the N (my husband hates working up a field more than necessary, largely because of our imperfect equipment situation)?
We have about 10 goats, 8 cattle we finish each year, and 3 llamas; and a variety of pastures in different conditions to move them around on....
Mixing veggies and animals is not easy!
 
Rachel,
You asked for input.  We are learning this as you are, others with more experience can jump in.  We're trying to establish (actually return to historical patterns) on our farm, where crops and pastures were rotated.  Old men who grew up here talk of "sitting on that high hill", looking down on the rotating, patchwork quilt of pasture, small grain, hay and veggie plots.
As W. Berry has observed, when we separate plants and animals longterm we run the risk of neatly dividing natures solution into two problems: importing fertility for the veggies and excess/removing manure.  See Eliot Coleman's 'New Organic Gardener' for the section on farm-generated fertility.  Other cover crop resources we have found useful are Mark Schonbeck articles (at VABF.org), and the pubs "Southern Forages" and "Managing Cover Crops Profitably".  Likely there are extension pubs and research in your region on reduced tillage, forage choices and forage/grazing management before veggies, and farms trying to do this.  Check out organic or sustainable ag conferences and publications; farm tours are invaluable. 
 
We read that healthy pasture (grass/clovers), once plowed, contains enough N to produce row crops not only from legumes but add'l N-fixing soil bacteria, and I was amazed how well our dent corn crop produced with no added N.  Am eating grits this morning from that '08 corn crop.
 
We cropped corn, sorghum and sunflowers in another area, part of larger field where 8 cows had been fed hay the winter before we moved here.  Again no added N, and all did well.  Make sure the hay feeder is moved around.
 
You ask if it's 'worth it' to establish pasture for 'just two years', and will it restore land for veggies.  Determine what improvements are needed on your veggie plot, what weeds you want suppressed and choose forage plants and grazing management accordingly.  Schonbeck and others write of the value of certain legume and other forages as 'smother crops' to reduce problem weeds in veggie plots, even for one year.  N-fixing ability varies widely.  Also using them as 'trap crops' to hold nitrogen over winter, and deep rooted cover crops (such as tillage radish) to breakup suboil and liberate deep minerals for subsequent shallow rooted veggies.  If you go with vetch the fall before, consider a small grain and brassica along with your vetch.
 
How you manage your animals in the two years on that pasture makes a big difference in controlling weeds and building organic matter and the soil food web.  Smaller plots for high density, rotational grazing are superior to continuous access over all the one acre plot.  We turn our cows, then goats into fallow veggie plots.  Cows mow down the rank forage several times per year (they love foxtail, pigweed and lambs quarters), then our goats remove weedy species.  Goats are out there now eating ragweed and plantain over red and white clover and bluegrass.  I follow both to hand remove the few remaining tall, noxious weeds, ideally before they seed.
 
Subdivide that one acre, with temp fencing and mobile water trough, to force the few cows to evenly spread their manure over the entire future veggie area, multiple times over the two years.  Yes, temp fencing and water takes time, but you can let the animals spread their manure or you can use equipment to do it.  Cattle can spread trace minerals, too.
 
To void two plowings/tilllages before returning to veggies: consider using second grazers (dry cows, etc) at high density to eat down the late summer/early fall pasture very close, perhaps follow with close mechanical mowing, then overseed with cereal rye and a "biodrill" such as tillage radish.  Drilling the seed in will help, as would light discing.  But both will come up as long as they are touching moist soil, so seed at a higher rate if only broadcast.  Both the rye and brassicas make excellent fall/early winter forage, along with remaining clovers/cool season grasses.  The brassicas winter kill, and the rye can be grazed in late winter/early spring (goats love it) before tilling it under for planting.  Our goats and geese especially enjoy the winter rye.  But keep in mind the time between last fresh manure on the soil and what veggies you will be planting there.  Leafy greens planted into fresh manure not a good mix.
 
As an older friend recommends, ask advice/learn from others, then try what might work for you.
 
Richard Moyer
Castlewood, VA
Hoping for rain to germinate cole crops, spinach and lettuce.
 
 

 


  • Re: [Market-farming] Cover crop strategy---Animals and Veggies, Richard Moyer, 09/20/2009

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page