CoverCrops

•  RestlessTillageSyndrome-YouTube

•  LeastAmountOfMechanicalDisturbancePossible•  ArmorOnTheSoilSurface•  PlantDiversity•  LivingRootAsLongAsPossible•  IntegraConOfLivestockOnCropland

KeystoAchievingaHealthySoil

ByPlanCngCoverCropsIdahoFarmersBenefitfrom:

•  LowerNFerClizerCost.SaintAnthonyareaplantedSeptember7th

LowerNferClizercostconCnued…

CaribouCounty,plantedattheendofJune,PicturetakenlateOctober

IncreasesOrganicMaQer

•  Thegreatestbenefitofcovercropstothesoilmaybewhatishappeningbeneaththesurface.CovercropsprovideacCvelivingroots.Theselivingrootsfeedsoilmicrobesandinturnincreasenutrientsavailabletothenextcropfromnaturalprocessesinthesoil.

•  InaddiConthebiomassabovethegroundwilleventuallybreakdownintoorganicmaQer.

SoilOrganicMaQerNutrientBankAccount.

•  1.0%OM=20,000#– 10,000#Carbon(5ton) – 1,000#Nitrogen @$.50/#=$500– 100#Phosphorous @$.70/#=$70– 100#Potassium @$.40/#-=$40– 100lbsofSulfur @$.50/#=$50– Total $680

•  MineralizaConRate=2-3%fromorganicNtoinorganicN.

•  ResulCngin20to30lbsofuseableNperacre.

SoilOrganicMaQer&AvailableWaterCapacity

PercentSOM Sand SiltLoam SiltyClayLoam

1 1.0 1.9 1.42 1.4 2.4 1.83 1.7 2.9 2.24 2.1 3.5 2.65 2.5 4.0 3.0

BermanHudsonJournalSoilandWaterConservaCon49(2)189194189-MarchApril1994–Summarizedby:Dr.MarkLiebig,ARS,Mandan,NDHalWeiser,SoilScienCst,NRCS,Bismarck,ND

InchesofWater/OneFootofSoil1acreinch=27,150gallonsofwater

CoverCropsusedasabio-fumigant

•  EginbenchnearSaintAnthonyFallof2015ResearchhasshownthatradishwillhelpcontrolnematodesforpotatoproducConwhengrownasacovercrop.Thisoperatorhasnothadtofumigateapotatofieldfor5years.

Bio-FumigantCoverCropsforNematodeControl

ControlWindErosionI-15Osgood,MudLake-2012

PicturetakenthefollowingSpringwithKenBeckman(NRCS)

ScavengingandRetenConofSoilNutrients

•  AfallplanCngofmanycovercropsspecieswillcaptureexcessNandPandreleasethemthefollowingspringthroughdecomposiCon.

•  SmallGrains,RadishandCanolaareratedas“verygood”atscavengingnitrogenfromthesoilandreleasingitthefollowingspring.

•  MustardandTurnipareratedas“good”.

ProducConofaAlternaCveForage

NutrientCycling

DecreasecompacCon(deeprootedcoverssuchasDaikonradish,Mustard,Rapecanbreakthroughcompactedlayers

MadisonCounty2015PlantedmidAugustPicturetakenmidOctober

InAddiConCoverCrops:

•  Suppressweeds•  Conservewater-bynotleavingabaresurfaceopentothesun,windetc.TaketheEoutofET.

•  ImprovedcropproducFon.Manyfarmersreportincreasedyieldstheyearfollowingacovercrop.

•  Improvedwaterquality-especiallytrueinsloppedareas.Reducedrunoffintostreamsandrivers.

But,itstooBlastedColdinIdahoforCoverCrops!

RadishandAustrianWinterPeacovercropSaintAnthony,ID-Fallof2015Plantedinmid-AugustaperWinterWheat PicturetakeninlateOctober

CoverCropBonnevilleCounty2015.MixofTriCcaleandRadishwithvolunteerBarley.

CoverCropMadisonCounty2015Radish,Turnip,Vetch

PlantedAugust20th,aperBarleypicturestakenlateOctober.Wateredtwicewithpivot

NorthOfTremonton,Utah

PictureTaken9/22/2015 PictureTaken10/16/2015

WhatthingschangewhenSoilHealthImproves?

•  WaterinfiltraConimproves•  Soilaggregatesformandarenotdestroyed

•  Soilfoodwebincreasesanddiversifies•  Soilfungiandearthwormsincrease

SoilHealthPlanningPrinciples

•  LeastAmountOfMechanicalDisturbancePossible

•  ArmorOnTheSoilSurface•  PlantDiversity•  LivingRootAsLongAsPossible•  IntegraConOfLivestockOnCropland Goal:Tocreatethemostfavorablehabitatpossibleforthesoilfoodweb

Soundsgreatbutwhatisitgoingtocostme?

CostofCommonSeedMixesSpecies lbs./acre

AustrianWinterPea 8.6

hairyVetch 3.4

Radish 1.4

Turnip 1

Rapeseed 1

Totalslbs./acre 15.4

ThisMixwouldcostintheneighborhoodof$25/acre.

Species lbs/acre

AustrianWinterPea 18

Radish 6

Totallbs./acre 24

ThisMixwouldcostintheneighborhoodof$30/acre.

CostofCommonSeedMixes

Species lbs/acre

WinterTriCcale 39

radish 4

Totallbs/acre 43

ThisMixwouldcostintheneighborhoodof$25/acre.

NRCSPayment

•  $74peracreformulC-spicescovercropforsoilhealth.

•  $58peracresforcovercropplantedtoreduceerosion(CheaperSeed)

QuesCons

LocalNRCSOffices

County Number

BonnevilleCounty 522-6250

BinghamCounty 785-6505

BannockCounty 237-4628

Jefferson/ClarkCounFes 745-6664

MadisonCounty 356-3218

BuLeCounty 527-8557

FremontCounty 624-3341

AaronDallingPocatelloAreaOffice237-4628ext118aaron.dalling@id.usda.gov