1991 Annual Report for ANE91-006
Information Dissemination to Increase the Utilization of Soil-Improving Cover Crops in the Northeast Cropping Systems
Summary
Project participants are developing and disseminating materials that will help overcome barriers to the use of cover crops in the Northeast. The work focuses on materials that will help farmers choose the most appropriate species for soil improvement for their own conditions, predict with more accuracy the likely nitrogen contribution from a green manure and asses the long-term effects of cover crops and green manures on their soil and cropping system. The products of the project will include a guide to using soil-improving crops, a database of information on soil-improving crops, on-farm demonstration trials, and workshops for educating farmers, extension personnel and others.
In 1992, Marianne Sarrantonio completed a first draft of the workbook in early September. It closely followed the outline submitted with the proposal. According to the process outlined in the original project proposal, the draft workbook was to be evaluated through a series workshops. Participants in the first workshop agreed that the book needed to be expanded to include more management information for Northeast growers, and more species-specific information. As a result, Sarrantonio rewrote Chapter 1 to include more practical information on the attributes of various species for particular purposes. Other revisions suggested by reviewers were included in the other chapters. Copies of both the first and second drafts of the workbook are available on request.
Work on the database in 1992 included the following:
1) Development of the necessary software for smooth performance of the database;
2) Production of the 1992 Legume Seed Source Directory, which lists seed sources for close to 400 species of legumes, as well as inoculants.
3) Expanding and updating existing information on various cover crops species in preparation for publication of factsheets.
In regard to on-farm demonstrations: Twenty-four growers, representing a wide rage of farming operations, soils and climates, are participating in unreplicated screening trials of various winter cover crops. They will report back observations on their plantings in the Spring of 1993. Additionally, replicated trials were established on three different systems in Pennsylvania.
In regard to workshops: The first workshop, was held in September 1992. The 23 participants included nine extension agents, four SCS representatives, seven members of the Rodale staff and a few agricultural educators.