The Champlain Valley Crop, Soils, and Pasture Team will lead a hands-on discussion of benefits cover crop mixes hosted by Chuck Farr and Ashley Farr and families. Farr Farms is a multi-generational dairy operation; Chuck Farr focuses on crop production while his son, Ashley, and his family manages the dairy. Here, we will discuss the many opportunities that winter rye, grown as a seed crop, can offer. We will also take a look at large blocks of 8 different combinations of legumes, brassicas and cereal grains and discuss the benefits and challenges of these systems. We will be looking at cover crops that we drilled with our no-till grain drill.
This cover crop field day is part of a series hosted in conjunction with the UVM Ext. Northwest Crops and Soils Team and the Vegetable and Berry Program.
When: Tuesday October 25, 2016 at 1pm – 3pm Where: 491 Huntington Rd, Farr Family Farm, Richmond, VT – google maps RSVP: Register here
Other Cover Crop Field Days (each day from 1pm – 3pm):
October 26, at Foote Brook Farm in Johnson, VT
October 27, a tour of cover crops at farms in St. Albans, VT
October 28, a look at research plots in Alburgh, VT
Special thanks to the Farr Family.
To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, contact Susan Brouillette by 10/17/16 at 802-524-6501 or toll-free in VT at 1-800-639-2130 so we may assist you.
Vermont farmers are on target to plant over 20,000 acres of cover crops this year. The majority of these acres will be planted to winter rye, but there is still time (even now) to get a little more from your cover crop.
Legumes are unique because of their ability to fix nitrogen, utilize that nitrogen themselves reducing fertilizer requirements, and contribute it back to the soil for use by the following crop. Agricultural legumes are plants that are in the family Fabaceae. Most farmers are familiar with the list of legumes that comprise their forage legume species like alfalfa, clover, and trefoil, or those that are grown for grain like soybeans, peas, lentils and even peanuts. And don’t forget the vegetable legume crops like green beans and snap peas.
Legumes also have a much lower carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) than cereal grains, so they decompose quicker making that nitrogen more available to the subsequent crop. If you have ever plowed down (or killed) a nice stand of alfalfa and then planted corn, then you know just how beneficial a legume in your crop rotation can be. Legumes can provide over 100 pounds of nitrogen credit per acre, which is why they are often called ‘green manures’.
Rhizobia nodulation seen on pea cover crop roots
The legumes themselves are not responsible for nitrogen fixation, however. This happens as a result of a symbiotic relationship between the nitrogen-fixing bacteria that invade the plant root and store nitrogen in root nodules. The plant provides the bacteria with nutrients and energy, and the bacteria provide the plant with a usable form of nitrogen. These bacteria, called Rhizobia, are able to take nitrogen gas from the atmosphere (N2) and convert it to ammonia (NH3), which is then converted to ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3–) which are the forms of nitrogen usable by plants. In order for good root nodulation and maximum nitrogen production, it is important to inoculate your legumes with the appropriate species of Rhizobia bacteria at planting. Some seed is available pre-inoculated, but many times you will need to apply the inoculant yourself. Whoever you get your seed from should have inoculant available as well. Beware, however, inoculants have a short shelf-life and are also species specific. Using clover inoculant on peas or vetch will not be successful.
Plant Available Nitrogen (PAN)
Graph 1. PAN from cover crop related to date of cover crop termination. Originally from D. Sullivan, Oregon State Univ. See reference below.
The ability of your legume cover crop to supply nitrogen to your subsequent crop depends on how much biomass and when you terminate the cover crop. This plant available nitrogen (PAN) becomes available roughly 4-6 weeks after cover crop termination. Oftentimes, a cereal grain terminated at or beyond the boot stage can actually immobilize nitrogen and create a PAN deficit, making it necessary to increase fertilizer/manure nitrogen applications. This is because microbes are tying up nitrogen temporarily as they break down the carbon rich material. Conversely, a cover crop terminated too early will provide only minimal PAN. Below is a simple explanation of the differences between cereal grain and legume cover crops and the implications of when you terminate them.
Table 1. From information in the publication by D. Sullivan referenced below.
Considerations When Planting Legume Cover Crops
Hairy vetch in bloom
Legume cover crops will need to be planted earlier than cereal grains to survive winter and maximize N production. For clovers, you’ll want them established by August 15th in Vermont, so this limits them to being interseeded or planted after a cereal grain harvest. The winter annual legumes can be planted as late as September 1st through 15th, which means you can still plant them after a timely corn harvest.
If you are planting legume cover crops only to replace nitrogen, the economics may or may not pencil out. Usually in organic systems, this is a preferred practice. However, when commercial nitrogen fertilizer is $45 for 100 pounds of nitrogen and a legume cover crop could cost you $70 per acre for that same 100 pounds the nitrogen benefit may not be financially rewarding. Certified organic fertilizer, however, could run you $150 per acre, making the cover crop a wise investment. However, a legume cover crop is more than just nitrogen, and these additional benefits are harder to quantify. According to USDA this includes “yield improvements beyond those attributable to nitrogen alone. These may be due to mulching effects, soil structure improvements leading to better moisture retention and crop root development, soil biological activity and/or enhanced insect populations below and just above the soil surface.” (Clark, SARE). They are also great soil conditioners, and can provide early weed suppression.
There are many legume cover crops, but the table below gives a list of the most common ones planted in the northeast.
Table 2: Information in this table from Managing Cover Crops Profitably, A. Clark (SARE)
Do you have questions about cover crops? Would you like to conduct a trial on your farm? Contact Kirsten [802-388-4969 ext. 347, kirsten.workman@uvm.edu]
Lately we’ve been busy bees (particularly Kirsten Workman!) and have found ourselves on Across the Fence as well as NPR. Here are some links where you can see and hear more about what we are up to!
John Kemmeren, a NY dairymen with 40 years of no-till experience on his 200 head dairy farm. He will share successes and challenges of no-till and cover cropping.
Dr. Kevin Bradley, associate professor and extension weed scientist at the University of Missouri. He will share his perspectives on how cover crops, herbicides, and good weed control can work in a no-till system.
Odette Menard, a soil conservation honoree and employee in Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture will share her insight into helping farmers identify strategies to build soil health, increase yields, improve economics, and reduce erosion.
Other speakers and facilitators from UVM Extension:
As with previous years, we will also have a great panel discussion:
* Mark Anderson, Land View Farms * Kevin Kocsak, Salem Farm Supply *Larry Gervais, Gervais Family Farm * Brad Thomas, Jillian Holsteins *
The UVM Extension’s Champlain Valley Crop, Soil & Pasture Team & the Northwest Crops & Soils Program invited all farmers and technical advisers to attend this event dedicated to No-Till and Cover Cropping systems for field crop growers in our area.
Join Us For This Great Event Full of Useful Information For Your Farm!
February 17th at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center, Burlington, VT
Registration is now open for this event. We have a day filled with guest speakers and professionals from around the state, country and also Quebec. Speakers will be addressing soil health, herbicides, cover crop research and demonstration trials, no-till successes and challenges, economics and soil conservation.
All the information about this event can be found on our2016 Symposium Page.
We will be hosting Jim Hoorman, from Ohio State University Extension (PhD candidate and farmer), to discuss:
The Biology of Soil Compaction
Using Cover Crops to Keep Phosphorus Out of Surface Water
Economics of Cover Crops & Weed Suppression
(click on the picture above to view the pdf)
We will meet at the American Legion, have a hot lunch, and then head out to the field to visit Vander Wey’s Nea-Tocht Farm. If you are a farmer, you can attend this field day FOR FREE, due to the generous contributions of Caring Dairy and the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition.
Service professions are welcome to attend, there will be a $30 fee. Five CCA credits available from this event.
The 2015 No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium was a huge success! We are already processing the evaluations to continue to improve and advance the conversation. If you missed the symposium, or would like to revisit the information, we have posted the pdf files of the presenters.
To view PDFs of the individual presentations, click on the links below.
Speakers Included:
John Koepke and his family own and operate a 350 cow dairy farm in SE Wisconsin. They are 2011 Leopold Conservation Award Winners and 2011 Dairy Men of the Year and have been no-tillers for more than 25 years: John Koepke’s Presentation
Gerard Troisi is crop advisor/production consultant since 1991, consulting on 24,000 acres in central PA. He works with operators who no-till or are transitioning, and is skilled at increasing production on marginal soils while reducing input costs and adjusting production practices: Gerard Troisi’s Presentation
Lucas Criswell and his father farm in the hills of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in central Pennsylvania. They have been no tilling for over 30 years and now utilize high residue cover crops: Lucas Criswell’s Presentation
Pierre-Olivier Gaucher is the owner of Terralis & convened a consortium of Canadian farmers who are changing their cropping techniques to improve soil health. They developed a crop rotation to include cover crops, winter cereals and interseeding in corn: Pierre-Olivier Gaucher’s Presentation, Pierre-OLivier Gaucher’s Video
