2000 Annual Report for FNC00-293
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2000: $678.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2003
Region: North Central
State: Iowa
Project Coordinator:
Sister Sherry Pech
Olm Abbey
Mulching Soybeans
Summary
Organic producers strive to improve soil structure and nutrients, and find more beneficial ways of controlling weeds without the use of chemicals.
Objective: To determine quality of weed control of mulch use in a row-cropped organic soybean field so that soil fertility is improved and less labor is spent on tillage.
The producer spread, by hand, flail-chopped, dried prairie grass as mulch on soybean fields when seedlings were about knee high. Test rows received one-half, one, and two inches of mulch, and the producer did not mulch control rows.
Results: The project was extended to gather data.