Adaption of Cover Crops to Build Soil Health in the Northern Plains

Objective/Performance Targets

Objective 1: Collect regionally-specific data throughout the northern and southern Red River Valley on the effectiveness of various cover crop mixes following small grains and soybean using replicated plots.

Objective 1 accomplishments to date: Four replicated cover crop plots were established across the Red River Valley near De Lamere, Wahpeton, Cummings, and Thompson, ND. Sites are located in visible areas so neighboring farmers can monitor the cover crop plots throughout the seasons. After small grain (wheat or barley) harvest in 2015, three cover crop mixes were planted, each containing cereal rye to be compared to a control treatment where only volunteer grain re-growth was permitted. The three mixes seeded included: Mix 1: Cereal Rye, Radish, and Turnip. Mix 2: Cereal Rye, Radish, Turnip, Forage Pea, and Crimson Clover. Mix 3: Cereal Rye, Radish, Turnip, Forage Pea, Crimson Clover, Sorghum/Sudangrass, and Dwarf Essex Rapeseed. The mixes were designed to be additive, with the same basic species in all mixes and additional species added to investigate the potential cost or benefits associated with higher species mixes. Check plots were left as a comparison. Cover crop biomass ranged from 1.1 to 1.7 ton/ac where mixes were seeded and 0.5 to 1.3 where only volunteer small grains re-grew and additional cover crops were not seeded. There were no significant differences in biomass amongst the different cover crop mixes.

Soybeans were planted into the cereal rye cover crop strips in spring 2016. Two of the plots were hailed out or received excessive rain leading to crop failure (Wahpeton and Thompson). Soybean yield and weed pressure were measured on the remaining two plots. Soybean yields were the same or higher on the cereal rye and non-rye strips for both sites (42 bu/ac at the Delamere site; 44 bu/ac in the rye and 39 bu/ac in the non-rye at the Grand Forks site). Additionally weed biomass was 10x higher in the non-rye strips versus the cereal rye strips. This has been observed at other research plots and further highlights the benefits of a cereal rye cover crop for managing weed pressures.

Due to excessive fall rains (between 5-8”), cover crops were not planted following the soybean crop at the De Lamere and Thompson sites. This decision was made by the cooperating farmers to avoid rutting up fields.   The hailed out site in Cummings was abandoned and another location was seeded with cereal rye once insurance determined the stand a loss and soybean were planted into the cereal rye in 2017.  This was done by the farmer to still maintain a presence in the area and have a demonstration site.  The Wahpeton site was seeded to cereal rye in the fall of 2016 followed by soybean in 2017. 

Because of the  condition issues we had at several sites, along with getting a price break on cover crop seed from a local company, we included four other demonstration sites to reach additional farmers.  This included inter-seeding corn with cereal rye and radish at farms in Gardner, Jamestown and Milnor. 

We received funding for two additional years to continue the project through 2019.

Objective 2: Demonstrate the use of various cover crop mixes using full-scale plots installed by partnering producers in close proximity to other established salinity demonstration locations.

Objective 2 accomplishments to date: Farmer cooperators were crucial in the planning and installation of the cover crop plots as well as the distribution of information from the sites.   The farmers are using these sites as examples for the benefits of cover crops in managing weeds, improving trafficability at time of planting and for improving yields. They have shared these results within their communities and with the region. They have extended their knowledge past using cover crops for salinity management to using cover crops for achieving multiple goals on multiple fields. Most recently, Terry Wehlander who is our cooperator at the Delamere site, presented information from his plots at the state-level Cornvention, which drew 340 attendees. Terry will also participated on a soil health panel through the National Corn Growers Association Soil Health Partnership in San Antonio, TX on March 3, 2017 and shared information on a national stage to an anticipated 250 attendees. Doug Toussaint, cooperating farmer from Wahpeton, shared information on how he is now using cover crops at the Conservation Tillage Conference in Fargo (drawing 330 attendees), presented again on his use of cover crops at the Advanced Crop Advisors workshop in Fargo (drawing 250 consultants) and also the Midwest Cover Crops Annual Meeting in Michigan (March 2017, drawing 100 attendees). The cooperating farmers are effectively taking information generated from the plots to other farmers.

Objective 3: Increase education opportunities by demonstrating additional practices for salinity management and opportunities for improving soil health to an already existing framework of demonstration sites that have well attended annual field days.

Objective 3 accomplishments to date: Field days in 2015 were held at each field site during late fall, drawing a total of 284 participants. We ramped up the field days in 2016, for a total of 17 field days/workshops associated directly with this project reaching 687 participants. The group of participants included farmers, government agencies, Ag industry professionals, and Ag students from a local college. The increase in field days and attendance was a result of working a deal with cover crop seed companies to purchase seed at a lesser cost for the demo sites. This allowed us to incorporate additional sites into this project for demonstration purposes (sites in Gardner, Jamestown, Milnor). Nearly half of the soil health extension programming was devoted to these sites and almost 100% of the extension programs were focused on integrating cover crops (this would include a total of 23 field days/workshops, reaching 1,153 attendees).  In 2017, we held five additional workshops and field tours reaching 150 farmers with informational about cover crops.  We will continue to hold field days and workshops throughout the fall of 2017.

Lastly, we have produced 14 videos related to the SARE demonstration sites from 2015-2017.  Cooperating farmers are featured in these videos.  Videos are posted on the NDSU Soil Health webpage (ndsu.edu/soilhealth)