Cover Crops: Potential Role in Nutrient Management & Establishment Methods

Transcription

1 Cover Crops: Potential Role in Nutrient Management & Establishment Methods 2016 MINNESOTA PORK CONGRESS CERTIFIED ANIMAL WASTE TECHNICIAN WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

2 Jill Sackett Eberhart INTRODUCTION University of Minnesota Extension Extension Educator USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) State Co-coordinator University of Minnesota Extension Regional Office, Mankato Statewide Appointment Sustainable Agriculture 2

3 Potential Cover Crop Benefits WHY COVER CROPS? Reduce erosion Increase organic matter Increase infiltration Increase water holding capacity Nutrients Forage / grazing Increase plant diversity Potential Cover Crop Difficulties Cost Timeliness Equipment Labor Adjustments to tillage management Adjustments to herbicide management 4

4 WHY COVER CROPS? PART 2 Technology Biological Science Chemical Science Engineering Water quality issues Surface water and groundwater Sediment, nutrients, chemicals, bacteria Consumers / Markets 5

5 Potential Cover Crop Benefits WHY COVER CROPS? Reduce erosion Increase organic matter Increase infiltration Increase water holding capacity Nutrients Forage / grazing Increase plant diversity Potential Cover Crop Difficulties Cost Timeliness Equipment Labor Adjustments to tillage management Adjustments to herbicide management 6

6 COVER CROPS, SOIL HEALTH, AND WATER QUALITY Bridging the Brown It s all interconnected Soil quality and water quality Organic matter levels affect water infiltration, water holding capacity, nutrient availability, and cation exchange capacity 10% more SOM in top 4 inches (about ½ % increase) = additional ½ inch of available water and 10 lbs/acre of mineralized soil N (Kaspar) 7

7 CC AND WQ, CONTINUED Subsurface Drainage N losses under row crops in corn belt lbs/acre Research Mainly cereal rye, some oat Strock, et al = nitrate N reduction of 11% Kaspar, et al = nitrate N reduction of 53% 8

8 CC SH - WQ Kaspar 9

9 COVER CROPS AND MANURE Minnesota Study (Randall, Vetsch) Cover crop of oats planted same day as manure application in Aug. and Sept. reduced spring soil nitrate levels (scavenged N) Manure applied October or spring with no cover crop had more available N in spring Iowa Study (Singer, Cambardella, Moorman) Rye/oat mix seeded into standing soybean Hog manure injected after soybean harvest CC decreased nutrient loss Manure application decreased cc numbers 10

10 SOIL QUALITY FOR WATER QUALITY 11

11 Grasses COVER CROP TYPES Winter Cereal Rye Oats Wheat Triticale Annual Ryegrass Barley Sorghum Sorghum-sudangrass Millet 12

12 Legumes COVER CROP TYPES Field Peas Austrian Winter Peas Vetch Alfalfa Red Clover Crimson Clover Berseem Clover Sunn Hemp 13

13 COVER CROP TYPES Non-Legume Broadleaves Oilseed Radish Forage Turnip Buckwheat Sunflower Pennycress Camelina 14

14 COVER CROP MIXES Thought to better adapt to field conditions 15

15 COVER CROPS & NUTRIENT REDUCTION Reduce soil erosion = reduce P loss, residual chemical loss Reduce leaching = reduce N and ortho-p Erosion Preventer / Lasting Residue Good/quick growth, deep roots Nitrogen Scavenger Cold tolerant, deep rooting, N affiliation Nutrient Recycler Grasses And Some Broadleaves! But don t nix Legumes! Deep roots, specific nutrient affiliations 16

16 COVER CROP ESTABLISHMENT To obtain benefits, must have enough cover crop growth Growing Degree Days Seed-to-Soil Contact DRILLS AND PLANTERS Optimal No-till drill Grain drill Precision planter 17

17 Broadcast BROADCAST With or without light incorporation 18

18 EXAMPLES Martin County Peas harvested in early July Hog manure injected August 29 Oat cover crop broadcast with rented fertilizer spreader August 30 (2 bu/acre) Light pass with field cultivator August 30 November 8 biomass sample ave lb/a Terminated with cold weather late November 19

19 INTERSEEDING - AERIAL Airplane Helicopter 20

20 INTERSEEDING HIGH CLEARANCE Row-gators Detasslers 21

21 Rowbot INTERSEEDING - ROWBOT 22

22 INTERSEEDING PA INTER SEEDER Corn at V5-V8 23

23 Michigan work MANURE SLURRY SEEDING Success with a liquid manure, surface application with aerway incorporation Suspect injection and sweeps would get cover crop seed too deep SlurrySeeding.html 24

24 TERMINATION Freezing temperatures Herbicide Tillage (often takes more than one pass) Mowing (some) Roller-crimper (some) 25

25 USDA PROGRAM GUIDELINES Risk Management Agency Crop insurance compliance html Natural Resources Conservation Service Termination guidelines for USDA programs and crop insurance participation ilfull/plantmaterials/technical/publications/?cid =stelprdb

26 ADDITIONAL THINGS TO REMEMBER Cover crop selection depends on farmer objectives, farm rotation, available equipment, and also the weather. Have a Plan B (and a C too) Herbicide interactions read your labels! Including cover crops will likely affect tillage management, nutrient management, & pesticide management Named seed varieties tend to be more reliable Must have enough cover crop growth to obtain desired benefits 27

27 COVER CROP RESOURCES University Extension programs Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Midwest Cover Crop Council Natural Resources Conservation Service Minnesota Department of Agriculture Sustainable Farming Association of MN My handout 28

28 Thank You! Jill Sackett Eberhart Univ. of Minn. Extension Regl. Offc., Mankato Phone: Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this PowerPoint is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to