Grain and Forage from Intermediate Wheatgrass: A New Perennial Grain Crop
Minnesota team: Craig Sheaffer, Jake Jungers, Mitch Hunter, Bradely Heins Michigan team: Sieglinde Snapp, Vicki Morrone and Kim Cassida (Michigan State University) and Hampshire Farm Project Highlights One of the first studies to investigate dual-use of intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) for production of Kernza® grain and forage Sites in Minnesota and Michigan represent a wide gradient…
Read MoreInoculant Impacts on Organic Vegetable Production in the Upper Great Plains
In the Northern Great Plains, adoption of roller-crimping for weed suppression in no-till organic cropping systems remains a challenge due to limited growing season and delayed soil warming, which limit production of sufficient cover crop biomass to suppress weeds. A solution may be to grow weed-suppressive biomass out of phase spatially and temporally with the main crop, an approach called ‘deep mulching.’
Read MoreThe Details That Matter: Second Generation Questions On Organic No-Till Practices
Submitted by Dr. Erin Silva, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison View/Download Full Report in PDF Format Introduction The amount of land under certified organic management continues to expand in response to growing consumer demand. According to the 2016 United States Department of Agriculture’s Certified Organic Survey, 1.1 million ha of crop land were…
Read MoreCover Crop Strategies to Build Soil Organic Matter, thereby Enhancing Soil Biology, Water Retention and Weed Control in Organic Cropping Systems of the Western Corn Belt
Principal Investigators: Dr. Rhae A. Drijber University of Nebraska-Lincoln 316 Keim Hall Lincoln, NE 68583-0915 402-472-0770 Fax: 402-472-7904 [email protected] Dr. John L. Lindquist University of Nebraska-Lincoln 279 Plant Science Hall Lincoln, NE 68583-0817 402-472-2771 Fax: 402-472-3654 [email protected] Project Abstract We request funding to expand research initiated in 2009 on organic weed management with support from…
Read MoreToward effective microbial weed management: Effects of manure application and cover crop use on native soil microbial communities and weed seed demise in the soil seedbank
Craig Sheaffer Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics University of Minnesota Summary Seed of common Midwestern agricultural weeds was buried in 47 fields on 15 certified organic farms in Minnesota. Long-term cropping history was collected from organic certification records. Weed seed was excavated following a year of burial and tested for viability. Surrounding soil was…
Read MoreLegume Cover Crop Impacts on Soil Nitrogen Cycling and Soil Fertility on Organic Vegetable Farms
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Blesh Assistant Professor, School for Environment and Sustainability, and Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, University of Michigan 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 [email protected]. Collaborators: Dr. Sieglinde Snapp Professor, Soils and Cropping Systems Ecologist, Michigan State University 3700 E. Gull Lake Dr., Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, MI 49060 Dr. Daniel Brainard…
Read MoreMicro-managing soil health: leveraging plant-microbe interactions to improve the effectiveness of cover cropping strategies
Final Report for Ceres Grant 2015-01667 Anthony Yannarell Associate Professor of Microbial Ecology Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [email protected] tel: 217-333-2398 fax: 217-244-3219 Project Objectives The goal of this research project was to improve cover-cropping strategies in organic agriculture by understanding how cover crops interact with soil microorganisms…
Read MoreEffect of Cover and Green Manure Crops on Soil Health, Plant Health and Tuber Yield in Organic Sweet Potato Production
Graduate Student Final Report – Ceres Trust Research Grant Graduate Student: Waana Kaluwasha, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri- Columbia [email protected] Faculty Advisor: Dr. Xi Xiong, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia [email protected] Project Period: 2016 – 2017 Abstract Interest in organic sweet potato production in the United States has been growing as consumers…
Read MoreSelecting and Suppressing Triticale Cultivars for Organic No-till Rotations in Nebraska
Richard Little, Research Technologist UNL East Campus, Lincoln, Nebraska [email protected] 402-472-7836 Summary Our objective was to improve the viability of organic bean production in wheat-based rotations by achieving triticale crimping success and a reasonably early planting date for soybeans and string beans in a rotational-till triticale mulch system. This objective was met by: 1) developing…
Read MoreKeystone Cover Crop Species: Understanding the Relative Contribution of Individual Species to Soil Health
Principal investigators: Dr. Sarah T. Lovell Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1201 S Dorner Dr. Urbana, IL 61801 [email protected] Dr. Sam E. Wortman Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska – Lincoln 279 Plant Sciences Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583 [email protected] Non-technical Executive Summary: Cover crop mixtures are popular among farmers…
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