Progress report for ONC23-124
Project Information
The goal of this proposed project is to investigate if there is potential to improve soil health in a manageable and scalable way in organic farming. Specifically, to reduce the amount of tillage while increasing cover crop bio-mass and managing weeds in organic agriculture. Tillage is one of the major weed management tools in organic agriculture and is detrimental to soil health. This level of disturbance makes soil more susceptible to erosion by wind or runoff, damages soil structure and biology and requires large amounts of fuel and labor. This study brings together the benefits of strip tillage, living mulch, row mowing, RTK guidance, and cover crop diversity, on a scale adaptable to organic commercial crop farmers. Extending cover crop growth and controlled mulching can improve rainfall absorption and sequester more carbon while reducing labor and fuel requirements. The farms are located in Belgrade, MN and are representative of organic farms in the upper Midwest.
This innovative project will use strip till in combination with cover crops and compare mowing, rolling and cultivating between rows for cover crop management. The project will also determine best cover crop mixes and try new equipment modification ideas.
- Identify improvements to soil health from these practices
- Feasibility of mowing cover crops in between rows in a commercial organic system
- Feasibility of crimping cover crops in between rows in a commercial organic system
- Feasibility of cultivating cover crops in between rows in a commercial organic system
- Yield impacts
- Best practices for managing strip till and cover crops in an organic system
- Ideal cover crop mixes for strip till and cover crops in an organic farming system
- Equipment needs and modifications
- Monitor weed pressure/suppression
Cooperators
Research
Equipment Modified
Crimper/Roller with new rollers installed:
Inrow Mower:
Both crops will have 6 rows each, row mowing with a 6 row mower, row crimping with a one row crimper and cultivating between the rows with a Buffalo Cultivator. Our control will be 6 rows of organic corn and 6 rows or organic soybeans tilled without covers. The row-mower and cultivator will be modified and adapted to position the different attachments so they can manage the weeds in the strip tilled rows. The cover crops growing between the crop rows will either be mowed, roller-crimped, or cultivated to evaluate which system works better under which situation and when is the ideal time to terminate, crimp or cut. Soil health will be measured utilizing the Haney and the PLFA test before planting and after harvest for each practice. We will also measure the cover crop biomass, crop yields and weed pressure.
Field H1 - Soybeans into Triticale
This field had triticale planted in the fall of 2022. Soybeans were planted into standing triticale in the spring of 2023. The triticale had a healthy even stand.
Plot #1 Roller Crimped – There was difficulty getting the roller crimper equipment set properly and as a result the crimping was done later than ideal. Waited for anthesis and was heavily impacted by the drought. The tractor tires knocked rye down and did not get good crimp. This plot had heavy weed pressure as a result.
Plot #2 Mowed - There was difficulty getting the mowing equipment set up properly and as a result mowing was very late. The mower was jamming and throwing rocks dangerously. The weeds overtook the plot.
Plot #3 Roller Crimped & Mowed - There was difficulty getting the roller crimper equipment set properly and as a result the crimping was done later than ideal. This plot had heavy weed pressure as a result. There was difficulty getting the mowing equipment set up properly and as a result mowing was very late. The mower was jamming and throwing rocks dangerously. The weeds overtook the plot.
Plot #4 – Rolled/crimped and mowed twice
Plot #5 Buffalo Cultivated - There was difficulty getting the buffalo cultivator equipment set properly and as a result the cultivating was done later than ideal. This allowed the weeds to overtake the soybeans and made it difficult to manage.
Plot #6 Conventional Disc Tillage
Field H9 Corn into Standing Alfalfa
This field had alfalfa planted early fall of 2021 and corn was planted into standing alfalfa in the spring of 2023. There was heavy weed pressure from dandelions and grasses and the alfalfa stand was in moderate condition and not did not have an even stand. There was difficulty strip tilling the alfalfa and we were unsuccessful at terminating the alfalfa in the strips.
This field lacked soil structure and had low moisture in June. There was very little earth worm activity and the ground was hard from the alfalfa and nitrogen.
Throughout the growing season in all of the plots except Plot 1, the corn had difficulty getting established and was short and stunted. There was also an N deficiency denoted by the color of the corn (yellow).
The intense drought/lack of moisture, coupled with the competition rom the alfalfa as a result of difficulty getting the equipment set up finished in time led to a full crop failure for the corn in all plots.
Plot #1 Roller Crimped 2 Times
Plot #2 Mowed 2 Times
Plot # 3 Roller Crimped & Mowed
Plot #4 Rolled/crimped and mowed twice
Plot #5 Buffalo Cultivated
Plot #6 – Conventional Disc Tillage
Field K40 Corn into Disced Alfalfa
This field was alfalfa planted in the fall of 2020 and disced in the fall of 2022. In the spring of 2023 corn was planted into a light and sparse stand of alfalfa. The goal of these plots was to find a way to mitigate cover crop seed cost and take advantage of the nitrogen from the alfalfa, while identifying which method, controlled the alfalfa the best.
By June 1, the alfalfa had made a rigorous comeback and had significantly less weed pressure then the plots in field H9 where corn was planted into standing alfalfa.
The corn struggled to emerge and was stunted throughout the growing season. By mid-August the corn was just over knee high.
The intense drought/lack of moisture, coupled with the competition rom the alfalfa as a result of difficulty getting the equipment set up finished in time led to a full crop failure for the corn in all plots.
Plot #1 Roller Crimped 2 Times
Plot #2 Mowed 2 Times
Plot # 3 Roller Crimped & Mowed
Plot #4 Rolled/crimped and mowed twice
Plot #5 Buffalo Cultivated
Plot #6 – Conventional Disc Tillage
Field M1 Soybeans into Standing Rye
This was the first year of Joe’s management on this field. It was organic corn conventionally tilled 5 years prior to this. The cereal rye was planted in the fall of 2022. The spring stand was even and lush. The rye was strip tilled at about 15 inches and soybeans were planted into the standing rye. By June the rye was 2.5 ft tall and the soil was beginning to suffer from the drought. Ragweed had began to grow in the field.
Plot #1 Conventional Disc Tillage -This was disced/tilled in the rows late May
Plot #2 Buffalo Cultivated - This was cultivated with a buffalo cultivator in the rows late May
Plot # 3 Buffalo Cultivated - This was cultivated with a buffalo cultivator in the rows late May
Plot #4 Roller Crimped & Mowed - This was disced/tilled in the rows late May
Plot #5 Roller crimped 2 Times - This was roller crimped in the rows late May but was done too early and had a unsuccessful termination in the rows.
Plot #6 – Mowed 2 Times - This mowed in the rows late May but was done too early and did not leave enough residue for weed management.
Field DNR 30 Corn into Cereal Rye
In 2022 this field had green peas harvested early July and was then panted with Barley in late July for a cover crop and cereal rye was also drilled in the fall of 2022. In the spring of 2023 82- day corn was panted into standing cereal rye and barley cover crop using strip till.
Plot #1 Burn – This plot was planted 5/15 and burned 5/16 at 1mph. Then burned again 5/22 at 2mph. The corn begin to emerge 5/23. The covers were burned again 6/15 at 1.8mph and then cultivated in row 6/17. June 22, cover crops were interseeded into the standing corn, using red clover, radish, and Italian rye grass. This is the low part of the field and has very poor infiltration and aggregate stability.
Plot #2 Heavy Burn
Plot #3 Mowed or Crimped
Plot #4 Medium Burn
Plot #5 – Light Burn
Plot #6 – Burn & Cultivate
Taking samples in K-40:
Taking samples in Field H-1:
Field H-9 on May 18th:
Rye a
nd tilled strips on M-1 (5/29/2024, before mowing):