www.sare.org publications conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast chapter-4-the-calendar-management-tasks-by-season case-study-a-vegetable-and-fruit-calendar Case Study: A Vegetable and Fruit Calendar Arnold Caylor is director of the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center in Cullman, Ala. (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7b). He uses conservation tillage systems to manage 30 acres of vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, cantaloupe, watermelons, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, brassicas, cowpeas and field peas, and perennial fruit including blueberries, bunch grapes and muscadines. Some […]
www.sare.org publications conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast chapter-4-the-calendar-management-tasks-by-season december-through-february December through February The winter months before cash crop planting are not nearly as busy as the fall, but there are tasks to accomplish such as planning, scouting, maintaining equipment and purchasing supplies. It can also be a time to diversify the farm with livestock grazing. Plan Crop Rotation A good crop rotation spreads risk, breaks pest cycles […]
www.sare.org publications conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast chapter-3-benefits-of-increasing-soil-organic-matter research-case-study Research Case Study Research Case Study Demonstrating the Potential for Triticale and Annual Ryegrass as Both an Alternative Winter Crop and a Soil Organic-Matter-Building Practice Project Information Project type: Farmer/Rancher Grant Project number: FS11-253 Project dates: 2011–2014 Principal investigator: Jonny Harris, Greenview Farms Screven, Ga. Project reports: https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/FS11-253/ Problem Statement Winter cover crops offer farmers a number of benefits: […]
www.sare.org publications conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast chapter-3-benefits-of-increasing-soil-organic-matter predicting-changes-in-soil-organic-matter Predicting Changes in Soil Organic Matter The amount of organic matter in soil depends on cropping history, current production methods, soil type, and variations in climate and microclimate. The Soil Conditioning Index (SCI) is used by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to predict changes in soil organic matter as affected by cropping system, tillage management and soil texture [24]. When […]
www.sare.org publications cover-crop-economics an-in-depth-look-at-management-situations-where-cover-crops-pay-off-faster ken-rulon-data-drives-fertility-decisions Ken Rulon: Data Drives Fertility Decisions Ken Rulon, Arcadia, Ind. Primary cover crops: cereal rye, annual ryegrass, oats, radish, clover, rapeseed and hairy vetch To say that data drives decisions for Ken Rulon is an understatement. Utilizing one-acre grid sampling for twenty-four years, Rulon and his family have learned there is a linear relationship between soil organic matter and yield. “The data is clear. We need […]
www.sare.org publications cover-crop-economics an-in-depth-look-at-management-situations-where-cover-crops-pay-off-faster junior-upton-deeper-rooting-builds-resilience-into-the-cropping-system Junior Upton: Deeper Rooting Builds Resilience into the Cropping System Ralph "Junior" Upton, Springerton, Ill. Primary cover crops: cereal rye, ryegrass and hairy vetch Junior Upton’s history with cover crops began almost 50 years ago with frost-seeded red clover into winter wheat. Producing corn and soybeans on 1,800 acres about 100 miles east of St. Louis, Mo., Upton recalls that his original interest in cover crops and no-till arose […]
www.sare.org publications cover-crop-economics an-in-depth-look-at-management-situations-where-cover-crops-pay-off-faster mike-taylor-addressing-compaction-erosion-and-weeds Mike Taylor: Addressing Compaction, Erosion and Weeds Mike Taylor, Helena, Ark. Primary cover crops: cereal rye and mixes A sign hangs in Mike Taylor’s shop that reads, “You do not inherit the land from your ancestors, you borrow it from your children.” Taylor and his father vividly remember 1992 as a year that challenged that statement. High wind conditions combined with their light, sandy soils resulted […]
www.sare.org publications cover-crop-economics an-in-depth-look-at-management-situations-where-cover-crops-pay-off-faster justin-zahradka-positive-returns-from-grazing-cover-crops Justin Zahradka: Positive Returns from Grazing Cover Crops Justin Zahradka, Lawton, N.D. Primary cover crops: oilseed radishes, turnips, cereal rye, oats, peas, sorghum sudangrass and hairy vetch Justin Zahradka is no stranger to change, and he’s even more familiar with innovation. Farming the same ground his family homesteaded in 1898, Zahradka is the fifth generation living on and working their Walsh County, N.D., operation. His path to farming and […]
www.sare.org publications cover-crop-economics an-in-depth-look-at-management-situations-where-cover-crops-pay-off-faster when-cover-crops-are-used-to-speed-and-ease-the-transition-to-no-till When Cover Crops are Used to Speed and Ease the Transition to No-Till Some of the earliest grain crop farmers to adopt cover crops in recent decades have been no-tillers. In fact, No-Till Farmer magazine reported that 83% percent of their no-till farmer readership used cover crops on at least some of their fields in 2017 [2]. However, a new trend has become apparent with the rapid expansion of cover crops, which is that a segment […]
www.sare.org publications cover-crop-economics an-in-depth-look-at-management-situations-where-cover-crops-pay-off-faster when-soil-compaction-is-an-issue When Soil Compaction is an Issue With farmers planting more acres than ever before, the time window to get into and out of fields for planting, harvest and other operations is smaller than ever. Unfortunately, the sense of urgency to get over a lot of fields quickly can lead to situations where farmers are using large, heavy equipment on fields where moderate to high moisture leads to compaction. Once the […]