Cover Crop Field Day in Allen County

by Cassandra Vondran

Cassandra is an Indiana State Department of Agriculture Resource Specialist for the Division of Soil Conservation in Allen and DeKalb Counties covering the Western Lake Erie Basin and has been with the Division for nearly 18 years.

Many benefits are associated with cover crops:  erosion control, increased microbial activity, increased nutrient cycling, increased organic matter, increased infiltration, and increased crop yields. To educate area farmers, a cover crop field day was held on April 10^th at Ron Miller’s farm north of Woodburn, IN.  The field day was sponsored by the Allen County SWCD as a part of an Indiana Department of Environmental Management 319 grant for the Upper Maumee River Watershed Project. 

Scott Haley and Derek Thompson showing soil health demonstrations

Scot Haley, NRCS Area Soil Scientist, and Derek Thompson, DeKalb County NRCS District Conservationist, kicked off the field day by showing soil demonstrations.  Mike Werling, a farmer and a contract employee through the St. Mary’s Watershed Initiative, provided additional comments.  The demonstrations showed the benefits of utilizing cover crops. Producers then were able to look at soil pits in fields that had cover crops.  

Attendees look on as Scott Haley describes cover crop roots in a soil pit

Soil pits were dug about three to four feet deep to allow producers the chance to see the below ground earthworm activity and the roots of the cover crops.  One field was seeded with cereal rye and the other field was seeded with oilseed radish and oats in the fall of 2012.  Mr. Miller received cost share assistance to try cover crops for one year.

Ron Miller and his son look at the roots of a dead oilseed radish plant

The takeaway message for the event was for farmers to understand the basic mechanics of cover crops and adopt them into their own management system.  Events such as this cover crop field day are giving farmers this basic information.  More cover crop field days are being planned for the future in Allen and DeKalb counties.   

(Mis)Conceptions about Soil Health

By Logan Garner

Logan is the Water Quality and Initiatives Program Manager for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture-Division of Soil Conservation. 

Unless you’re not involved with agriculture in Indiana, you’ve probably heard the term “soil health” countless times.  We are fortunate to live in a state where so many farmers are focusing on the improvement of our soils, and are adopting the paradigm that healthy soils mean good things for their crops, their wallets and the natural resources which sustain both.

Cover Crop Root Dig

Guest post by Logan Garner:  

Logan Garner is a graduate of Butler University with a B.A. in Science and Technology Societal Studies with a focus on environmental policy.  At Butler University he worked for the biology department and wrote and edited for the Butler Science Magazine.  Before joining the ISDA Logan worked in agricultural research and development at Dow AgroSciences on herbicide development and soil degradation studies.  He is a resource specialist for the Tippecanoe River Watershed and is located in Warsaw, IN at the Kosciusko County SWCD office. 

I visited my first cover crop root dig this week.  On an unseasonably warm March morning I arrived at a dig just south of Huntington to join a convoy of trucks and SUVs parked on the shoulder of state road 5.  Ag owners and operators, Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff  and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) personnel and a sprinkling of Cisco seed reps made up the small crowd of thirty or so folks enjoying coffee and donuts on the side of the road…I think the refreshments may have attracted a few stragglers as well.  At any rate, it wasn’t long before Scott Haley, an NRCS soil scientist, introduced himself and one Dave Robison from Cisco Seeds.  He then hailed everyone to the first root pit—or rectangular hole in the ground as it appears.  

As an introduction, the presenters highlighted gains to soil health and water quality as well as the logistic and economic benefits that generally accompany a field in a no-till/cover crop regimen.  Farmers chimed in opinions and shared experiences while county, state and federal staff gave their two cents as well.

Dave Robison took things from there, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each cover crop species as well as their useful mixes and pairings.  

As the morning progressed we moved from one pit to the next.  Terms like “nodules”,” nutrient management”,” tilth”, “water retention” and “biotic function” arose as the familiar buzzwords of the day; rye grass, crimson clover, hairy vetch, cowpeas, radishes and oats were the species in evidence.  For a seasoned cover crop academic, the event was both a refresher and a discussion board.  To fledgling land owners and operators of the cover crop world it was an introductory course in soil health conservation farming.  For newer employees like me it was a great opportunity to pick apart the dos and don’ts of management, species selection and rotation.

 

After all the pits were examined and the roots and soil clods were passed around the crowd for examination, a brief Q&A drew the field event closer to an end. The only thing left was the infamous soil demonstration, wherein we see the difference between bacterial driven soil systems (tilled soil) and fungal driven systems (no till/cover crops). I’d seen this demonstration nearly a dozen times so far in my less than three months with ISDA. But just when I thought I could give the presentation myself, I learned something new and important yet again. As I listened and watched Scot Haley drop two dried samples of soil into glass cylinders of water, an unfamiliar word (that I’ve somehow missed all this time…don’t judge me) escaped his lips: GLOMALIN!! Glomalin-related soil proteins are a significant component of soil organic matter and act to bind mineral particles together, improving soil quality.
 
For more information on Cover Crops, check out the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI) website

I Heart Soil

SSSA

I really do love soil and the folks that I work with in agriculture and conservation do too.  We love it because we have the opportunity to see everyday what a precious resource that it is.    We get to see the passion for conservation, productive lands, clean waters, wildlife, the Aldo Leopold "Land Ethic" in full swing!  In fact, everyone experiences the impact that soil has on our lives everyday through the food we eat, water we drink, home where we live, etc.  It is an awesome thing!

Another awesome thing.......the Soil Science Society of America has made these really cool, simple videos about the importance of healthy soil and the connection to clean water and food.  You can learn more at iheartsoil.org  .
Check out these cool videos by clicking the links below....I Heart Soil


Healthy Soil = Healthy Water
Healthy Soil = Healthy Food


Yet another awesome thing.......Our 2011 Indiana Tillage Transect results tell us that approximately 180,000 acres of Hoosier farmland is planted  to Cover Crops this year.  So, we have several farmers out there around Indiana working to build their soil quality, trying to hang on to their precious nutrients and topsoil, and keeping that beneficial soil biological activity humming all year long.  Good chance that if paired with no-till, they could be rewarded in any or all of the following....yield gains, better drought tolerance, minimized ponding, fuel savings, and on and on and on.