Farmers with years of experience growing cover crops have made the practice part of their regular cropping operations after finding ways to make it work. A panel of cover crop growers at the Southwest Ag Conference showed that cover crop practices vary greatly by farm and area. Ken Schaus, of Schaus Land and Cattle in […] Read more
Tag Archives cover crops — page 2
Finding the right fit for cover crops
Three Ontario producers make dedicated use of cover crops for different reasons and with different results
Making row crops work with perennial cover crops
Learnings from an Ontario grower’s five years of on-farm research
Laurent “Woody” Van Arkel likes to push the boundaries of conventional thinking and strives to understand more about soil and crop interactions. Van Arkel, who farms near Dresden, has finished a five-year, on-farm research project as a participant in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Living Lab Ontario initiative in which he integrated perennial cover crops […] Read more
Space for every type of grower
Cover crop adoption is increasing, but data is needed to confirm anecdotal evidence about the practice
Promotion of cover crops, be it a single- or multi-species blend, isn’t always an easy sell but the latest statistics from various sources on cropping practices show intriguing trends. The 2021 agricultural census showed that more Ontario farmers are using cover crops. What the numbers don’t show are total acres, as well as acres involving […] Read more
A different cover option for soybeans
Broadcasting rye offers more harvest management options, improved soil health
Growers often fall into two categories: those who follow convention and those who set their own pace amid questions from others. Meet Reuben Stone. Operating a value-added farm business near Cobden, Ont., Stone grows several specialty crops including peas and hemp, while servicing a growing cover crop market. In the latter discipline he’s made […] Read more
Well-chosen tillage part of organic family’s innovative crop system
Adding alfalfa to the rotation inspired the moldboard plow's return
Brett Israel of Drayton-area 3-Gen Organics shared his family’s recent experiences on how reintroducing the moldboard plow can be a winner for both yield and soil health on heavier-textured land. 3-Gen Organics hosted a farm tour Aug. 30 to show how prudent tillage with cover crops is working on their farm. It was co-hosted by […] Read more
A better system resides with residue
Corn Guide: Lucknow-area brothers like what they see and get from biostrip till
Seven years ago, Lawrence Hogan and Steve Howard decided to change their tillage management. They had worked for decades with a variety of tillage systems, from ridge to minimum, strip till to no till, and then decided to replace the tillage implement with plants. In 2015, they tried no-tilling corn into a mix of summer-planted, […] Read more
Bringing livestock into high-value crop land
Here’s how a young farm family is making livestock work where corn, soybeans and wheat dominate
One of the most valuable ends for a cover crop is for it to be eaten by livestock, converted to manure and added to the soil as processed nutrients. That’s a significant challenge in areas where crops are of such high value that the investment in infrastructure for livestock, especially grazing, makes little sense. That’s […] Read more
AAFC explores options for cover crops in organic rotation
Findings show some corn yields at Harrow plot were comparable with conventional
A recently completed study into organic cash crop rotations added support to those who believe the moldboard plow still has a place in southwestern Ontario agriculture. A team at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada’s Harrow research station will continue looking into alternative ways of terminating cover crops prior to corn. Why it matters: Many organic farmers […] Read more
Assessing strength, building on foundation key to soil health
Crop advisor says soil health options will vary by farm and by economics
Lee Briese’s soil health principles build upon five pillars: soil armour, minimizing disturbance, diversity, continuous living roots, and livestock integration. “I don’t find these to be laws, commandments or requirements for soil health management,” he said. “These are nice guidelines to help guide some of the practices.” During a July webinar, the North Dakota crop […] Read more
Learning to read and react to biostrip till
Growers who use it do their best to make it work, especially for corn
Nick Stokman and Ian McDonald have more than 80 years of combined experience in farming, research and extension. Yet they’re relative newcomers to the practice of biostrip tilling, a means of replacing tillage implements with plants. It’s a complex regimen requiring constant adjustments and monitoring, but it definitely has its benefits, mostly when corn is […] Read more
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