Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Agronomic: corn, rapeseed, rye, soybeans
- Vegetables: radishes (culinary)
Practices
- Crop Production: conservation tillage
- Education and Training: demonstration
- Farm Business Management: agricultural finance
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, habitat enhancement, soil stabilization
- Production Systems: agroecosystems, holistic management, organic agriculture
- Soil Management: green manures, nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: public policy, social capital, sustainability measures
Proposal abstract:
This project is designed to evaluate the economic and environmental benefits to farmers of using cover crops in Central Illinois and the North Central Region. Cover crops have the potential to reduce nitrate leaching from row-crop, tile drained fields common in the region. Cover crop use may allow farmers to reduce nitrate fertilizer applications adding to the profitability of Central Illinois farms. Tile-drained fields in the region have been linked to nitrate pollution in surface waters. Cover crop use may also prevent this pollution improving drinking water quality and making farming more sustainable. The outcomes of this project will be: 1) increased knowledge of cover crop use to Central Illinois farmers, 2) increased adoption of cover crop use by farmers 3) possible reduction of nitrate concentration in surface waters. This project may increase the profitability of farms and reduce the environmental footprint of farming across the North Central Region.
Project objectives from proposal:
Objectives: The outcomes of this project will be: 1) increased knowledge of cover crop use to Central Illinois farmers, 2) increased adoption of cover crop use by farmers 3) possible reduction of nitrate concentration in surface waters. This project may increase the profitability of farms and reduce the environmental footprint of farming across the North Central Region.
Evaluation: Success of this project will be determined by 1) establishing environmental benefit of reducing nitrate concentrations below the root zone of corn, 2) establishing the economic benefit of cover crops from reducing nitrogen fertilizer rates. In-house soil and plant sample processing and data analysis for the first growing season should be completed by August 30, 2013 and a preliminary report with tentative findings will be made at that time. A final report will be finished August 30, 2014 and dissemination of results will take place then