www.sare.org publications conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast chapter-4-the-calendar-management-tasks-by-season march-through-may March through May With spring planting, March through May is the busiest time of year on conventional farms, but this is not the case in conservation tillage systems. The elimination of most soil preparation tasks—harrowing, bottom plowing and bedding—saves a tremendous amount of time. Essentially, springtime comes down to just a few operations: terminating the cover crop or […]
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-4-the-calendar-management-tasks-by-season june-through-august June through August With cash crops in the ground, June through August is a time to look forward to summer crop harvest and winter crop planting. There are many tasks to accomplish during the fall so planning and preparation in the summer is essential. Plan for Cover Crops The best time to plant winter cover crops is often […]
www.sare.org publications conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast chapter-4-the-calendar-management-tasks-by-season Chapter 4: The Calendar: Management Tasks by Season Kirk V. Iversen, Auburn University Ronnie M. Barentine, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Successful conservation tillage systems always have crops growing in the fields. Cover crops and cash crops follow each other and sometimes overlap. When summer crops are maturing or have just been harvested, it is time to plant winter cover crops. In the […]
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 summary-5 Chapter 3 Summary Conservation tillage systems can increase soil organic matter, which has many benefits to agriculture in the Southeast. Changing management by moving from inversion to non-inversion tillage or no-till is a good first step, but to maximize soil organic matter content, a crop rotation with heavy-residue crops and cover crops needs to be employed. These practices […]
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 conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast chapter-3-benefits-of-increasing-soil-organic-matter soil-organic-matter-and-carbon-sequestration Soil Organic Matter and Carbon Sequestration Along with the benefits to crop production, conservation systems that store more carbon in the soil are getting greater environmental attention. Carbon sequestration is simply defined as long-term storage of carbon [12] (Figure 3.10). It is important for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change. Trees, lumber, perennial […]
www.sare.org publications conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast chapter-3-benefits-of-increasing-soil-organic-matter building-and-maintaining-soil-organic-matter Building and Maintaining Soil Organic Matter Agricultural production systems based on no-till or reduced tillage, cover crops, and crop rotation increase organic matter in soils of the southeastern United States. These systems leave more organic matter in the soil than conventional systems where organic matter is lost through erosion and decomposition. Soil organic matter can be thought of as a savings […]