Cover crops are environmentally beneficial but to determine if they pay for themselves, growers need to provide detailed data on costs and revenue. Aaron Breimer, general manager for Deveron’s Chatham-based […] Read more
Tag Archives cover crops
Cash flow and cover crops
Adaptation and experience reduce upfront costs and improve returns
Survey aims to build cover crop data
There’s lots yet to learn about cover crop use in Ontario
A survey conducted for the Ontario Cover Crops Steering Committee aims to improve understanding around levels of cover crop use in Ontario. The survey is open to the end of […] Read more
Van Eerd, Denotter honoured with OSCIA Soil Champion Award
Roger and David Buurma recognized for on-farm ingenuity with Don Hill Legacy Award
Two soil health contributors were honoured with Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) 2021 Soil Champion Awards. “This year we are lucky enough to be able to award two […] Read more
Let nature direct ecosystem health
Researcher says agriculture needs to learn from how water, soil function in nature
I have learned more from observing Nature than by trying to change it,” said Dwayne Beck. Beck, the research manager at Dakota Lakes Research Farm (DLRF) in Pierre, South Dakota, […] Read more
Relationships crucial for farm-to-farm cover crop grazing
Neighboring farmers find mutual benefit in livestock grazing, farming arrangement
There’s opportunity for the grazing of cover crops, whether it’s livestock farmers using their own cropland and animals, or offering services to cash-cropping neighbours. That was the overarching message delivered […] Read more
Finding the right fungus
First steps taken to identify and promote fungi beneficial in cropping systems
Do you have fungus? Your fields certainly do, though the varieties vary based on several factors. While tillage levels, rotational diversity and cover crops affect fungi type, they don’t appear […] Read more
Cover crops reduce nitrate leaching
40-year rotation trials find diverse rotation makes for more resilient crops
Research findings released recently from the Soil Health Monitoring Station at Elora, Ont. suggest including cover crops in a rotation could significantly reduce nitrate leaching. Using soil lysimeters installed at […] Read more
Twenty-five farms host on-farm soil health research
The ONFARM initiative brings together diverse industry cooperators
A four-year federal-provincial agreement to fund a series of field-scale soil health research projects is underway across southern Ontario. In all, 25 co-operator farmers have taken on side-by-side plots at […] Read more
The economics of cover crops
Ridgetown research highlights profitability gains and losses in grain and vegetable systems
The impact of cover crops on profit margins is a long-contested subject, but new data from the University of Guelph shows some clear winners and losers. Vegetable crop yields, specifically, […] Read more
Trial looks at cover crops in 60-inch corn
Increased sunlight exposure to the soil is thought to help the establishment of cover crops
A demonstration project south of Clinton is looking at 60-inch row corn, over traditional 30-inch row corn, to better establish cover crops. It is thought that the wider row corn […] Read more