Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Agronomic: corn, soybeans
- Vegetables: radishes (culinary)
Practices
- Crop Production: cover crops, double cropping, intercropping
- Education and Training: demonstration, youth education
- Farm Business Management: value added
- Production Systems: general crop production
- Soil Management: green manures, soil analysis, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: sustainability measures
Proposal abstract:
Our high school agriculture teacher explains that the earth is like an apple. The thin layer of skin represents how thin soil is around the earth. However, though thin, soil is one of the most, if not most important natural resources of our environment. Soil supports and influences the crops we grow for food and fiber, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Therefore, I am interested in tackling issues about soil compaction, nutrients, and erosion with a focus on cover crops. At first, I perceived cover crops to be negative because they would be another crop absorbing nutrients. However, after learning about cover crop's benefits of protecting the soil, breaking apart compaction, and holding nutrients, I became very interested in incorporating this into a test plot. Further, while researching types of cover crops, I found that root crops such as radishes and turnips can be used as cover crops. Consequently, planting root crops as a cover crop is the primary Sustainable Agriculture issue that I want to research.