Stacking Conservation Practices in Order to Maximize Ecosystem and Economic Benefits ROB MYERS, PH.D. UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AND NCR-SARE
Traditional approach to conservation One problem one practice Grassed waterway for erosion Physical solutions instead of biological Use a bulldozer to build a terrace rather than using a biologically diverse perennial buffer strips on contours One practice at a time Practices are more or less independent of each other Not designed specifically to help support a biologically diverse farm landscape
Terraces the physical solution From www.oklahomafarmreport.com Sept., 2016
Is moving dirt around the only solution? From www.rcrca.com
Iowa STRIPS Project
Benefit of 10% of field in prairie strips Nitrogen surface runoff reduced by 84% Phosphorous surface runoff reduced by 90% Total water runoff reduced by 40% Sediment loss reduced by 95% (above and beyond no-till alone!) More pollinators and other beneficial insects More birds and wildlife
The Conservation Biocontrol Concept The greatest single factor in preventing insects from overwhelming the rest of the world is the internecine warfare which they carry out among themselves, said entomologist Robert Metcalf. Assassin bug eating stink bug on raspberry Photo: Nancy Adamson
Land Institute Salina, KS
Intermediate wheatgrass (Kernza perennial wheat)
Integrating biomass with row crops
Diverse perennials planted in strips on contours
Triple strategy conservation approach National Working Group on Cover Crops and Soil Health called for a new approach for ground coming out of the Conservation Reserve Program Build off 10 or more years of zero disturbance by keeping it no-till Instead of removing all perennial plants from CRP area leave strips of perennials on the contour in row crop areas Plant cover crops in between the strips of perennials Why this can work Covers and strips can be grazed or potentially hayed for income Avoids costs and difficulty of establishing new strips of perennials New equipment easier to use around strips
Can biologically diverse landscapes work with modern equipment? www.hagie.com
Lots of different cover crop species and varieties out there
What is the impact of cover crops on profitability? 34.5% 33.7% 5.7% 26.1% Cover crops increase profitability Cover crops decrease profitability Cover crops do not affect profitability Not enough data or experience to tell
Cover Crop Grazing Credit: Rob Kallenbach, U. of Missouri
Considering Soil Health And Biodiversity
rairies are patchy in terms of plant distribution
Summary Stacking Conservation Practices Need to help farmers and landowners think about ways to design more biologically diverse agricultural landscapes with integrated conservation approaches create synergy A fresh approach to thinking about conservation incentives may be needed with some state and federal programs The growing interest in soil health is creating an opportunity to talk with producers about the biology of cropping systems Need to communicate about the economics of the practices as well as the overall stewardship benefits
Thanks! Visit www.sare.org/covercrops