Annual Ryegrass used as a cover crop adds organic matter in no-till operations. Why? The massive root structure left behind increases organic matter as it decays. Having something growing in the ground year-round allows earthworms and healthy bacteria to keep working, building nutrients, building carbon.
Each time the soil organic matter is improved by 1%, one [...]
Continuous No-Till and Cover Crops – Boosting Soil Organic Matter, Carbon, and Crop Yields
Since 1969, select farm plots at the University of Illinois have been in continuous no-till. In that time, the measure of organic matter has been boosted three-fold – from about 1 percent to 3.2 percent, without use of cover crops. In the [...]
Since 1969, select farm plots at the University of Illinois have been in continuous no-till. In that time, the measure of organic matter has been boosted three-fold – from about 1 percent to 3.2 percent, without cover crops, according to Mike Plumer, the natural resources management educator at the university Extension. He said that in [...]
In a recent blog post, the author was poking holes in the notion that carbon credit legislation will be an effective tool in the global warming equation.
One of the people responding to his post talked about a book written almost 10 years ago that laid out the argument that agriculture is potentially a massive player [...]
Continue reading about How Much Carbon Dioxide Can Cover Crops Catch?
In a blog post in Organic Life Style Magazine, the author provoked lots of discussion based on this comment:
While conventional farming typically depletes soil organic matter, organic farming builds it through the use of composted animal manures and cover crops.
One of the responders, Matthew, replied:
There is another form of conventional farming, and that is no-till [...]
Continue reading about Has No-Till Become Popular Enough to Be Called “Conventional?”
Finally warm enough - and dry enough - to get into the fields. Some farmers here in Central Illinois are late in spraying the cover crops, due to the incessant rainy conditions, and thus I’ve seen some “heading out” in the fields. Definitely, you want to burn that down before seeds develop. New this year, [...]
Continue reading about Planting Begins in Central Illinois - annual ryegrass burndown a tad late
