(theme music)
I'm Erin Silva, the organic and sustainable cropping systems specialist with the
University Wisconsin Extension.
Today I want to talk about optimizing the cover crop based no-till system
specifically for organic management. The cover crop based no-till system
involves planting
a fall cover crop, leaving that cover crop to
over winter, and then coming in the following spring and terminating that
cover crop, either with a mower or
a roller-crimper. One of the first questions I often get from organic
farmers looking to
integrate this technique into their system is how do I fit this into my crop
rotation.
Here in Wisconsin in the upper Midwestern region of the US,
one of the best solutions is to fit into an alfalfa corn
cereal grain and soybean rotation. Where the alfalfa is established for two to three
years
followed by a corn crop either for silage or for grain
and then coming in with a cereal grain crop either winter wheat
or oat. And that cereal grain is then harvested in the late summer
which allows for early establishment of the rye cover crop,
which ensures adequate biomass for rolling and crimping the following year.
Here in Wisconsin that rye establishment really needs to occur
between September 15th in October 15th.
Whereas a rye crop for typical cover crop can be established later
in the fall, for this technique, it really is essential that that rye is established
early
to allow for adequate biomass and adequate weed suppression
during the soybean year. Another factor that a farmer should consider
when adopting this technique are the appropriate equipment modifications to
allow for both successful rolling and crimping
and successful planting of the soybean. One of the first things that we did
here at the University Wisconsin-Madison
was to front mount the roller-crimper using a three-point hitch.
By front mounting the roller-crimper, it allows for the crimper to
make contact with the rye crop before the tractor, which allows for more
effective
termination. It also allows for more success seeding on large acreage
where you don't have to go across the field after crimping
and allows for more precise seeding and more precise row spacing.
Other equipment modifications involve the planting equipment.
Farmers often ask me should I plant with a no-till grain drill on narrower
spacing
or should I plant on 30 inch row with the corn planter.
We recommend planting with 30-inch rows with the corn planter.
This allows for farmers to come in and do high residue cultivation later in the season
if the rye residue is not adequate to suppress the weeds throughout the entire
summer period.
Other modifications are valuable as well,
and Alex, a field technician here the university research station
has done several modifications to our equipment to ensure success in the
system.
So the first thing I started with open this plan was to put
frame mounted no-till coulters. You can see how it is mounted here and slicing
through the first part
of the residue. It is separate from the row units. Also
you get the whole way to the frame on the planter pushing down.
Right here the double-disc openers on the row unit about to cut through the
residue.
We were able to get 600 pounds of pressure per row unit
by adding heavy-duty down pressure springs. The other modification I'd like
to point out is that I added
weights to that planter as well. Added about twelve hundred pounds of weights.
This is a six row planter, so it is 200lbs per row unit.
You can see the combination of heavy-duty down pressure springs
as well as the additional weight that was put on the planter, has allowed
the no-till coulter and the double-disc openers to slice through this residue.
You can see how it cut right through the rye cover. You want to make sure
of as with
anything, after you spend all that time working on your planter, is that you want to
make sure you have it set properly in the while out the field.
That you are getting good soil to seed contact. That you are are getting the
soybeans through the rye and into the ground. After eight years researching cover
crop based no-till here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
we've seen great success using this system. By using cover crops, no-till
organic farmers in Wisconsin can eliminate tillage and cultivation in the
soybean phase of
the crop rotation. We typically get now about 40 to 45 bushels an acre using
this technique.
And by adopting the recommendations provided today,
organic farmers can optimize success of this technique in their systems.
For further information you can visit my website
www.organic.wisc.edu
Where I will post research updates and further information.
(music)