Winter rye is a hearty cereal grain that is considered a “workhorse” and, although it is not the highest quality forage crop, it is often chosen for its reliability and versatility. It thrives on well-drained, loamy soil but it also performs adequately in heavy clay as well as droughty, sandy soils. It can grow in low-fertility soils; it prefers a soil pH of 5.0 to …
Continue reading “Winter Rye Cover Crop: When to terminate?”
INTRODUCTION: From improving soil health to pollinator habitat to protecting water quality, cover crops can provide a multitude of benefits! One way cover crops can protect the field from erosion and reduce nutrients from reaching our waterways is by covering the soil with their leaves and stems. This is called surface cover by cover crop …
Continue reading “Measuring Percent Surface Cover: In-Field vs Remote Technology”
In 2018, the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils (NWCS) team hosted a No-Till Training Program for Agricultural Technical Service Providers (TSP). This training was created to help foster a stronger working knowledge of no-till equipment, soil health, and technology used to make no-till systems successful, better enabling TSPs to support farms and farm operators …
With the spring-like weather these past few days, now’s the time to consider frost seeding as a cost-effective method to improve forage diversity and quality in your hayland and pastures. Frost seeding is a low cost seeding strategy that relies on the action of the soil freezing and thawing to achieve the seed-to-soil contact needed …
Continue reading “Gearing Up for Spring: Improve Your Pasture & Hayland through Frost Seeding”
Our morning Cover Crops webinar series is in full swing! Thus far, we have held three webinars featuring Bill Curran, PennState Extension; Heather Darby, UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program; and Kirsten Workman, UVM Extension Champlain Valley Crops, Soils, & Pasture Program. Don’t worry if you missed the live broadcasts of these webinars; recordings …
Looking for a cost effective strategy to improve forage diversity and quality in your fields? Frost seeding is a low cost seeding strategy that relies on the action of the soil freezing and thawing to incorporate broadcasted seed into the ground. Frost seeding can begin at any point now as most fields throughout Vermont are …
Cover crop season seems a ways off as we still have not begun much field work, but one of the keys to successful cover cropping is planning. As part of creating a good plan with lots of options, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program is going to start sharing regular Soil …
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