Remove Acre Remove Crop Remove Manure
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Will I Really Benefit from Grazing My Cover Crop?

UnderstandingAg

While many individuals are content with simply “growing a cover crop” and “reducing tillage” as their contribution to soil health, many experienced soil health practitioners agree that the single most beneficial aspect of the soil health principles is the addition of animals ON the land. The manure, urine, saliva, etc. Boot stage 3.8

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Practicing Resurrection: Using Green Manures on a Small Semi-Urban Homestead

ATTRA

The quarter acre I steward in Northeastern Pennsylvania is, I hope, an incarnation of this contradiction. Cover crops are all about connection. On the Mad Farm, this is enacted through compost and especially the cover crops that occupy space on the gardens each season. This spring, I planted a seed pack from High Mowing Seeds.

Manure 52
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Can Taller Cover Crops Help Clean the Water in Farm Country?

Civil Eats

It turns out a system that relies less on row crops isn’t just good for a time- and resource-strapped young farmer. It works as both a cover crop and forage for the cattle, and it’s helping Bedtka build up organic matter in his soil. Iowa farmers, for example, apply it on 87 percent of their fields at a rate of 149 pounds per acre.

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Q&A: Should Crop Insurance Be Subsidized?

Daily Yonder

Enjoy our conversation about postwar trucking culture, crop insurance, and English perspectives on the countryside, below. I was born and raised in rural southwest Wisconsin, where I attended a high school located in the middle of a 30,000 acre seedcorn field. Photo by Christopher Paul High on Unsplash. And are those things related?

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Managing Dairy Slurry to Maximize Nutrient Capture

UnderstandingAg

Manure slurry is a valuable but difficult resource to manage on dairy farms. Slurry pits must be emptied to make room for the never-ending stream of manure. Manure is often not a top priority for most dairies and handling may have to wait until seasonal fieldwork is completed. This causes the soil microbiology to go dormant.

Manure 52
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From Symptoms to Solutions: Addressing the Underlying Causes of Water Quality Degradation – Part 4

UnderstandingAg

Fall application of nutrients for a cash crop the following year makes no sense from a plant nutrition standpoint. Most N should be put in small amounts as a sidedress or foliar spray, unless you are planting into a high C:N ratio soil or cover crop that will require a lot of N for residue decomposition. Most N demand is in midsummer.

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The Carbon Chronicles – Part 3

UnderstandingAg

The corn crop in the diagram emerges and reaches maturity in about 120 days. Adding a cover crop adds a new inflow, and it’s more likely that a portion of that carbon will stay in the soil if that cover crop is not harvested. Adding a perennial to the crop rotation can also drive a large increase in photosynthesis.

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