www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably nonlegume-cover-crops barley Barley Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Type: cool season annual cereal grain Roles: prevent erosion, suppress weeds, scavenge excess nutrients, add organic matter Mix with: annual legumes, ryegrass or other small grains See charts for ranking and management summary. Inexpensive and easy to grow, barley provides exceptional erosion control and weed suppression in semi-arid regions and in light […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably nonlegume-cover-crops annual-ryegrass Annual Ryegrass Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) Also called: Italian ryegrass Type: cool season annual grass Roles: prevent erosion, improve soil structure and drainage, add organic matter, suppress weeds, scavenge nutrients Mix with: legumes, grasses See charts for ranking and management summary. If you want to build soil without investing much in a cover crop, consider annual ryegrass. […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably nonlegume-cover-crops Nonlegume Cover Crops OVERVIEW OF NONLEGUME COVER CROPS Commonly used nonlegume cover crops include: Annual cereals (rye, wheat, barley, oats) Annual or perennial forage grasses such as ryegrass Warm-season grasses like sorghum-sudangrass Brassicas and mustards Nonlegume cover crops are most useful for: Scavenging nutrients—especially N—left over from a previous crop Reducing or preventing erosion Producing large amounts of […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably charts Introduction to Charts The four comprehensive charts that follow can help orient you to the major cover crops most appropriate to your needs and region. Bear in mind that choice of cultivar, weather extremes and other factors may affect a cover crop’s performance in a given year. Chart 1: Top Regional Cover Crop Species This chart lists up […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably managing-cover-crops-in-conservation-tillage-systems Managing Cover Crops in Conservation Tillage Systems by Kipling Balkcom, Harry Schomberg, Wayne Reeves and Andy Clark with Louis Baumhardt, Hal Collins, Jorge Delgado, Sjoerd Duiker, Tom Kaspar and Jeffrey Mitchell Introduction to Cover Crops Conservation tillage is defined as a system that leaves enough crop residue on the soil surface after planting to provide 30% soil cover, the amount needed to […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably crop-rotation-with-cover-crops Crop Rotation with Cover Crops Crop Rotation with Cover Crops Readers’ note: > indicates progression to another crop; / indicates a mixture of crops growing at the same time. One of the biggest challenges of cover cropping is to fit cover crops into your current rotations, or to develop new rotations that take full advantage of their benefits. This section […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably managing-pests-with-cover-crops Managing Pests with Cover Crops by Sharad C. Phatak and Juan Carlos Diaz-Perez Cover crops are poised to play increasingly important roles on North American farms. In addition to slowing erosion, improving soil structure and providing fertility, we are learning how cover crops help farmers to manage pests (390). With limited tillage and careful attention to cultivar choice, placement and […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably building-soil-fertility Building Soil Fertility and Tilth with Cover Crops by Marianne Sarrantonio Soil is an incredibly complex substance. It has physical and chemical properties that allow it to sustain living organisms—not just plant roots and earthworms, but hundreds of thousands of different insects, wormlike creatures and microorganisms. When these organisms are in balance, your soil cycles nutrients efficiently, stores water and drains the excess, […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably selecting-the-best-cover-crops-for-your-farm Selecting the Best Cover Crops for Your Farm by Marianne Sarrantonio Cover crops provide many benefits, but they’re not do-it-all “wonder crops.” To find a suitable cover crop or mix of covers: This book makes selection of cover crops a little easier by focusing on some proven ones. Thousands of species and varieties exist, however. The steps that follow can help you find […]
www.sare.org publications managing-cover-crops-profitably benefits-of-cover-crops Benefits of Cover Crops Benefits of Cover Crops Cover crops can boost your profits the first year you plant them. They can improve your bottom line even more over the years as their soil-improving effects accumulate. Other benefits reducing pollution, erosion and weed and insect pressure may be difficult to quantify or may not appear in your financial statements. […]