{"id":391,"date":"2015-07-22T19:09:44","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T19:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/drylandcovercrops\/?page_id=391"},"modified":"2015-07-22T19:09:44","modified_gmt":"2015-07-22T19:09:44","slug":"covering-your-assets-the-cortez-journal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/drylandcovercrops\/covering-your-assets-the-cortez-journal\/","title":{"rendered":"Covering your assets- The Cortez Journal"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>he Southwestern Colorado Research Center has received a $249,269 grant to study how using cover crops can improve soil health for dryland farmers.<\/p>\n

Five farmers in southwest Colorado and southeast Utah will administer test plots totalling 520 acres over a three-year period.<\/p>\n

Varieties being considered are yellow clover, Austrian winter peas, sorghum, cereal grains, rye and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarmers in this area are saying their soils are very depleted from overuse,\u201d said researcher Abdel Berrada. \u201cStudies elsewhere show cover crops rejuvenate the soil and increase yields when cash crops are planted afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cover crops on dryland farms are not widely used locally, but the three-year feasibility study hopes to change that by determining which variety is ideal for this climate and most affordable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis type of scientific trial has not been done here, so we want to find out what works and what doesn\u2019t,\u201d Berrada said. \u201cIt needs to be affordable and show results, or the farmer won\u2019t use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using cover crops on fallow fields helps the soil retain moisture, prevents erosion, out -ompetes weeds, and adds nitrogen, and organic matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur soils here don\u2019t have a lot of biomass to begin with,\u201d said research associate Cam Waschke. \u201cAnd holding in soil moisture is a big issue for dryland farming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cover crops are also ideal for organic farm operations because they control weeds without herbicides, and add organic matter and nitrogen without fertilizers.<\/p>\n

The grant funding pays farmers to participate and helps to purchase the cover-crop seeds. It also pays for expensive lab testing on soils and supplements salaries for research staff.<\/p>\n

Berrada said that traditionally, many dryland farms are tilled over after the bean, wheat, or sunflower crop is harvested.<\/p>\n

But the practice can deplete organic matter, and the soils are prone to drying and blowing away during high winds.<\/p>\n

The experiments will evaluating impacts to soil health when cover crops are disked in, mulched in, or just left in the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the dead plant material left in the field, there is less evaporation and the roots help with filtration when it rains,\u201d Berrada said.<\/p>\n

Depending on the results, cover cropping could change the way people farm, and is seen as way to conserve water an era of sustained drought.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a growing awareness that our traditional growing practices need to change for us to survive,\u201d Waschke said. \u201cCover cropping has shown to save water and increase crop yields and we hope that happens here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beginning next year, results will begin to materialize and tours, speakers, and workshops will be available to the public. Also a local dryland cover crop website with information and videos will launch in July.<\/p>\n

The federal grant was issued from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.<\/p>\n

jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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