Cover Cropping
Meet the Team
Ashley Snow
Environmental and Sustainability Studies Major
Caitlyn Hendricks
Environmental and Sustainability Studies Major
Claire
Environmental and Sustainability Studies Major
Introduction
SARE defined cover crops as plants used primarily to prevent/slow soil erosion, improve soil health, increase water availability, choke out weeds, help control pests and disease, and increase biodiversity. Cover crops are long term investments in improved soil health and farm management. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (a branch of the USDA), stated that, "cover crops have the potential to provide multiple benefits in a cropping system," specifically when used in conservation agriculture. The implementation of cover crops has been shown to reduce input costs and possibly increase revenue due to increased soil fertility resulting in higher crop yields.
Global Scale
Scientists around the world continue to assert that crop diversification in commercial farming should be among our top priorities when it comes to solving the issues of food insecurity and climate change on our planet. Cover cropping is a highly regarded solution within that umbrella of crop diversification: “Policy-makers must recognize that an over-dependence on cash crops and mono-cropping has driven a food systems imbalance that has resulted in economic decline, environmental destruction, and death...Many neglected and orphaned crops are at a high risk of disappearing and 75 percent of plant genetic diversity has been lost since the 1900s” (Forbes 2020). The Future Food-Tech Summit is one of many current global efforts to push this method as we move into the future.
National Scale
Government organizations like the USDA are now offering suggestions and tips on their websites for farmers who want to implement cover cropping, and while the amount of commercial farmers who are implementing crop diversification is increasing, cover cropping techniques remain pretty characteristic of organic agriculture while monocropping dominates commercial agriculture. However, research suggests that maybe American farmers should be moving in another direction: “According to data collected in a national cover crop survey, farmers can expect a 3% increase in their corn yield and a 4.9% increase in soybeans after five consecutive years of cover crop use. In the drought year of 2012, farmers reported even greater yield increases when they used cover crops: 9.6% in corn and 11.6% in soybeans” (SARE 2015). So, conventional agriculture techniques not only create financial instability for farmers as well as less resilient systems, but they also degrade the environment and contribute to climate change. According to the National Farmers Union, “scientific research helps make the case that farmers should be paid to apply no-till and cover crop practices to mitigate the effects of and adapt to climate change…Cover crops are one of the most cost-effective natural climate solutions for sequestering atmospheric carbon. By increasing the adoption of these practices, farmers can make a measurable impact on climate change.” However, even as research confirms the effectiveness of sustainable agriculture in fighting climate change, only about 21 percent of American crop farmers use no-till practices, and only 12 percent use cover crops. (NFU 2020).
Local Scale
Cover cropping is an integral method in most sustainable agriculture systems and is currently used at the GVSU student farm. We learned from the Farm Manager, Margaux Sellnau, that the SAP is currently applying for the Presidential Innovation fund...If all goes well, this would allow them to incorporate more acreage onto the farm to use for partner-based projects. With that addition comes new pressure to build soil quality in the new land, though, which has been used to industrially grow soybeans for years and could take a long time to bring back to good health. Margaux emphasized the importance of having a diversity of cover crops, or a cover crop ‘concoction’, to fertilize the soil as quickly as possible.
Background Research
The Agronomy Farm at the University of Rhode Island
The Agronomy Farm at the University of Rhode Island was started as a way to address shifts in growing seasons caused by climate change. Students and faculty identified that winter fallow cover cropping has become less ideal as winters are shorter, and summer cover crops should be introduced instead, specifically during the new summer fallow periods that happen in late summer. Summer cover crops were further researched because, "Winter cover crops are of limited utility when farmers are using season extension practices to plant vegetables as early as possible in the spring, and prolong harvest as late as possible in the fall.” (Brown, et al). Cover Crop Research at the University of Rhode Island investigated alternative cover crops to Cereal Rye in the winter, and Buckwheat in the summer. They tested Teff, Japanese Millet, Sunn Hemp, and Chickling Vetch as alternatives to buckwheat in the summer months. They found that Japanese millet has potential to be a valuable high biomass cover crop, and that Teff was comparable to buckwheat.
Brassica Cover Cropping for Weed Management: A Review
This was a study to see about weed management as one of the benefits of cover cropping, using the cover crop Brassica (Brassicaceae). Brassicas include yellow and white mustards, canola, and rapeseed, and although these crops are grown to be harvested for their oil, they make good candidates for short season cover crops or over-wintering cover crops. Brassica crops are capable of capturing excess nitrogen in soil- preventing nitrogen leaching in soil, but also have nitrogen immobilization characteristics which are beneficial when trying to get rid of weeds, but negative when growing crops.
Cover Crops Support Ecological Intensification of Arable Cropping Systems
This study found that cover crops can be used to decrease yield gaps between organic and conventional farming, and between conservation agriculture and intensive tillage practices. “The inclusion of nitrogen fixing cover crops in the organic production systems led to increased yields and could substantially contribute to decrease the yield gaps compared to the conventional system” (Wittwer et al.). The study found evidence of long-term positive effects of crop rotation diversification of cover crops with maize. Success of cover crops is largely dependent on proper establishment and biomass production, but most consistent success was found when using legume cover crops, which yielded the highest biomass and lowest yield variability.
Our Plan
The problem with the SAP is the soil on the new land is lacking in nutrients. It has been an old yellow soybean and corn field for some time, and it drained the soil of its nutrients. Our plan is to come up with a cover crop concoction that will bring the nutrients back to the soil as quickly as possible.
Soybeans draw mainly nitrogen from the soil. To counteract this, we would need to include a crop that is heavy in nitrogen. A good example of this would be cowpeas. They are an excellent source of nitrogen and fairly cheap to buy. Once they are harvested, they could also be sold at the GVSU Farmers’ Market. To go with the cowpeas, we included Sorghum Sudan Grass. This crop is not only a soil builder but also promotes the growth of the cowpeas.
The labor for the planting of the seeds would be done by the Farm Club and any other student volunteers interested. This would provide a learning opportunity and add no cost to the project.
For the seeds, we are not positive of the size of land so we planned for a 3-acre plot. It generally takes about 20 pounds of seeds to cover 1 acre of land for cover cropping. To do both cowpeas and Sorghum Sudan, it would cost about 400 dollars. This land would also have to be watered, but the cost for this would be minimal because cover crops do not have to be watered frequently. At most, they would be watered one to two times per month during the summer months.
Budget
*Note these prices are just an estimate based on Google searches. They are not definite and could fluctuate.
Timeline
Triple Bottom Line Analysis
People
Planting the cover crops would allow for students to build relationships as they volunteer together. It would also allow for an educational experience and it could be used in many ENS and NRM classes.
Planet
Implementing this would benefit the soil and decrease water usage. Cover crops do not require as much water as traditional farming. Using less resources allows for this project to be more sustainable.
Profit
Once the cover crops are harvested, they could be sold at the GVSU Farmers' Market. The profits from this could go back to the SAP to implement more sustainable farming initiatives.
References
Brown, Rebecca, et al. The University of Rhode Island, Cover Crop Research at the University of Rhode Island, newenglandvfc.org/sites/newenglandvfc.org/files/content/proceedings2015/19_2_Brown.pdf.
Clark, Andy. “Cover Crops.” SARE, 11 Aug. 2020, www.sare.org/resources/cover-crops/.
Curell, C. (2018, October 02). Cover crops as nitrogen source. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/cover_crops_as_nitrogen_source
Ewing-Chow, Daphne. “Neglected Crops Could Be The Global Solution For Food Insecurity.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 2 Oct. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2020/09/30/neglected-crops-could-be-the-global-solution-for-food-insecurity/?sh=3a94aeb57e50.
Great Lakes Staple Seeds. (2020). Fast Lady Northern Southern Pea Cowpea. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://greatlakesstapleseeds.com/collections/vigna-unguiculata/products/vigna-unguiculata_fast-lady-northern-southern-pea-cowpea
Haramoto, Erin R., and Eric R. Gallandt. “Brassica Cover Cropping for Weed Management: A Review.” Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 19, no. 4, 2004, pp. 187–198. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44490407. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.
Hendrickson, John. The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, 2003, Cover Crops on the Intensive Market Farm, mccc.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/WI_2003_Cover-Crops-Intensive-Market-Farm.pdf.
Iowa State University. (2020). Nutrient Requirements - Soybean. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/nutrient-requirements-soybean
Lubenow, L. (2020). North Dakota State University. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/crops/winter-rye-articles/seeding-rate
“Maximizing Cover Crop Benefits for Growers.” AgNet West, 11 June 2018, agnetwest.com/maximizing-cover-crop-benefits-growers/.
“Natural Resources Conservation Service.” NRCS, The United States Department of Agriculture, www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/climatechange/?cid=stelprdb1077238.
Swanson, K. (2018, June 29). Understanding Budget Implications of Cover Crops • farmdoc daily. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2018/06/understanding-budget-implications-of-cover-crops.html
“The Scientific Case for Paying Farmers to Use Cover Crops and No-Till.” National Farmers Union, 25 June 2020, nfu.org/2020/06/24/the-scientific-case-for-paying-farmers-to-use-cover-crops-and-no-till/.
University of Wisconsin. (2019, October 02). A Simple Explanation of the Triple Bottom Line: University of Wisconsin. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://sustain.wisconsin.edu/sustainability/triple-bottom-line/
“URI's Agronomy Farm.” URI's Agronomy Farm | USDA Climate Hubs, www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northeast/project/uris-agronomy-farm.
Wittwer, R., Dorn, B., Jossi, W. et al. Cover crops support ecological intensification of arable cropping systems. Sci Rep 7, 41911 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep41911
