News release                               contact: Dan Towery, 765-490-0197

 

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 same period, rotating between corn and soybean crops, the stored carbon in that soil has risen from 25,200 lbs per acre to 99,300 lbs.

 

It’s said that agriculture is a significant contributor to the carbon load in the atmosphere (estimated at about 8%) and that conventional tillage is largely to blame.  Mike Plumer, a University of Illinois Extension educator who has done extensive no-till research, believes farms are a potential ally in lowering the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Plumer has also been an avid promoter of cover crops as a companion to no-till.

 

“Conventional tillage burns carbon and decreases organic matter,” he said. “Cover crops essentially speed the recapture of organic matter and carbon in the soil.” He points to annual ryegrass as an example. “Its network of deep roots sequester carbon over the winter while increasing organic matter, rebuilding soil structure more quickly than by no-till alone.” Cover crops also reduce erosion, store nitrogen, mine deeper minerals and, particularly in the case of annual ryegrass, produce channels for subsequent corn and soybean crops to follow, allowing them access to deeper moisture in dry years.

 

In a 2 year, replicated study on a southern Illinois farm where corn yields were compared with conventional, no-till and no-till with annual ryegrass, Plumer found that crop productivity increased substantially with annual ryegrass. Moreover, the yield increased as the years in no-till and cover crops increased. Here’s a brief look at the data, collected during 2006 and 2007 seasons.

 

Type of tillage                                       Ave. yield in bushels/acre

Conventional                                                  52.5

Conventional (1^st yr), No-till (2^nd)                       61.5

No-till                                                           79.0

No-till w/annual ryegrass cover crop                121.0

 

In 2006 and 2007, the weather was exceptionally dry. In 2008, a more normal rainfall year, average yield on the no-till with cover crop land was 169 bu/ac.

 

Note, the soil at this farm has a layer of fragipan. Annual ryegrass excels at eliminating compaction. Yield differences between conventional and no-till with cover crop would less dramatic in a normal year.

 

Positive results like these have encouraged farmers throughout the Midwest to adopt no-till and cover crops. Government agencies including the USDA/NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) are incentivizing and advising farmers, helping with conservation plans and practices to sequester carbon.

 

For more information: www.ryegrasscovercrop.com

 

 

 

 

Dan Towery Elected to National Soil & Water Conservation Society
Crop Consultant is the Midwest Project Manager for the Oregon Ryegrass Commission

Dan Towery, an independent crop advisor, agronomist and former NRCS educator, has been elected to the board of directors for the National Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS). Founded in 1943, the SWCS serves as an advocate for conservation professionals and for science-based conservation practices, programs, and policy – both here and abroad.

Towery was a strong advocate for no-till cropping systems during the ten years he was assigned by NRCS to the Conservation Technology Information Center, in Indiana. On the strength of his career, his network and his credibility among growers, Towery was hired as the Oregon Ryegrass Commission’s Midwest Project Manager in 2005, helping to expand the annual ryegrass cover cropping effort in the US. Those same qualifications make him ideal for the SWCS,” said Bryan Ostlund, administrator for the Commission.

“I bring a practical side to the SWCS,” Towery said, which helps to balance the scientific and academic credentials on the Society. “The organization strives to discover, develop, implement, and constantly improve ways to use agricultural working lands, in ways that sustains its productive capacity and enhances the environment at the same time,” he said.

As the newest “at large” director, Towery has been assigned to the Marketing and Outreach Committee, and will also contribute to the Science and Policy Committee.

“I hope my experience will help the Society provide more and better information on how to produce high yields while reducing the environmental impact,” Towery added.  “Sequestering carbon and improving soil quality may help mitigate climate change but will require a paradigm shift in the science and art of natural resource conservation. This balance is what constitutes truly sustainable agriculture,” he said. 

“The SWCS has been a consistent, strong voice in the conservation policy arena,” Towery said. “And it needs to continue to raise its voice. Getting increased crop yields while substantially lowering environmental impacts is important, and the SWCS’ leadership role in that regard is very much needed.”

During his four years of work for the Oregon Ryegrass Commission, the acceptance and use of annual ryegrass as a cover crop has expanded significantly, according to Ostlund. “Dan is well known and respected. Between his presenting at conferences, organizing research and conducting on-farm demonstration, he has helped raise the awareness about the value of cover crops and annual ryegrass in particular,” Ostlund added. “His efforts have helped conservation efforts through the Midwest while also helping Oregon growers looking for an expanded market for annual ryegrass seed.”

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