#Sylvopastoralisme #OrganicFarming #CropRotation #CoverCrop #RotationalGrazing

Small shorts of a Winter Rye and Hairy Vetch winter cover crop growing in a 30 gallon fabric growing bag converted with a thick crystalline layer of sparky frost.

Lots of sparkly frost here this morning on the Winter Rye and Hairy Vetch cover crop! Zoom in for more sparkly sparkles!

#Gardening #WinterRye #HairyVetch #CoverCrop

I also have water between the raised beds this time of year, but we are not irrigating in the wetter Northeast. That's why raised beds are important in the garden. A living #covercrop on the raised bed helps remove the water both upward and downward through transpiration and percolation.

Urea price just jumped 50%, and field corn is at only $4.30. Under what conditions will it pay to plant an N-fixing #covercrop instead this spring? Is that idea too radical?

When testing living mulch as a #covercrop system, the default expectation has to be that the cover crop will compete too much with the main crop and that pest pressure will be higher. If the new system is an exception, the burden of proof is high if one is to be taken seriously.

Penn State Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Hosts April 16 Webinar On Cover Crops And Conservation “ACAP Conservation Cornerstones: Cover Crops and Conservation” will occur from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. April 16. This webinar is aimed at conservation professionals supporting the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program, often referred to as ACAP, and cover crops, and farmers and agricultural producers interested in learning more about cover crops and the program. This webinar will provide an overview of how cover crops are implemented through the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program to improve soil health and water quality. Participants will learn how the practice aligns with standards from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission, including eligibility, documentation and conservation outcome considerations. The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training at Penn State Extension is made possible by funding through the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Penn State Extension offers this event at no charge, but registration by April 15 is required to receive the link to access the webinar. A link to the recorded webinar will be emailed to registrants within 10 business days after the live event. Participants can access the recording for six months from the event date. Who is this for? -- Conservation professionals supporting ACAP and cover crop implementation -- Farmers...

Penn State Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Hosts April 16 Webinar On Cover Crops And Conservation
->PA Environment Digest Blog | More on "Cover crops conservation agricultural program" at BigEarthData.ai | #Soilhealth #Covercrop #Agricultural #Conservation

Huge diakon radish. Foot for scale.

Beefiest fat boy radish

#countyfairwinner
#diakon
#radish
#gardensky
#covercrop

The clover #covercrop didn't take in one corner of the orchard, so ahead of the rain we disked and put down the mix we used elsewhere. But I had to indulge in a ground level look at the soil while it's visible. Love that biomass!

Two keys to #covercrop success are #faststart and #nogaps. This grower met the first by using a planter for seeding when other methods had failed. But the covercrop does not suppress weeds in the wide gaps between rows. That managent goal is met with herbicides.

Two keys to #covercrop success are #faststart and #nogaps. This grower met the first by using a planter for seeding when other methods had failed. But the covercrop does not suppress weeds in the wide gaps between rows. That managent goal is met with herbicides.
www.farmprogress.com/cover-crops/...

Winter cover crop in one of our greenhouses.

#vermontfarm #greenhouse #covercrop #livingsoil

Field peas starting to bloom. 2 underappreciated #covercrop features: food for pollinators and helping to draw water *out* of the soil after the drenching we have received since mid November.

Sustainable grass cover management of vineyards enhances pesticide sorption - Agronomy for Sustainable Development Vine is one of the most treated crops. In the Mediterranean area, vineyards are vulnerable to runoff and erosion, both vectors of pesticide dispersion. The substantial pesticide use along with acute d...

Dollinger, J., Dagès, C., Vinatier, F. et al. Sustainable grass cover management of vineyards enhances pesticide sorption. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 45, 44 (2025).
doi.org/10.1007/s135...
#CoverCrop #VineyardSoilManagement #Pesticide #WaterQuality

Potential of service plants for regulating multiple pests while limiting disservices in agroecosystems. A review - Agronomy for Sustainable Development Service plants are primarily used in agroecosystems to provide ecosystem services that are not directly marketable. They are a promising option to promote biological pest regulation. Past studies have...

Moreau, D., Ballini, E., Chave, M. et al. Potential of service plants for regulating multiple pests while limiting disservices in agroecosystems. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 45, 38 (2025).
doi.org/10.1007/s135...
#ArthropodPest #AerialPathogen #Intercropping #CoverCrop

#covercrop getting started in the #avocado orchard. Doing best in those areas that were too heavily mulched last season to be seeded. This will get 6 feet high or more and add a lot of biomass to the orchard floor.

Germination! These seeds are loving this weather. Note: these were spilled while reloading the seeder. Germinating above ground isn't ideal, but the properly bedded seeds are below ground and thus don't make a good picture. #covercrop

Tiny, just sprouted green leaf/stem wrapped around itself near the soil and with slightly curled edges further up. Light is coming through the leaf which has vertical stripes of darker and lighter green. I think this is the winter rye

Tiny, just sprouted green leaf/stem with dull red-brown coloring in regions. The leaf has a closed spiral wrap around itself near the soil and with slightly curled edges further up. Light is coming through the leaf which has vertical stripes of darker and lighter green and red. I think this is the hairy vetch.

A month ago: two 30 gallon fabric bags filled with soil for growing plants. They have been weeded and new compost has b added. The soil is a rich black. On the right is a wagon with a heavy black plastic crate now just half filled with compost. A red handled shovel is in the crate. At the top in the background is another growing bag still needs compost

A month ago I mixed compost into the soil into my 30 fabric growing bags and planted a winter cover crop of winter rye and hairy vetch. I’m always amazed that these seeds can germinate and grow in the cold.

Hairy vetch is a legume and fixes nitrogen in the soil […]

[Original post on ruby.social]

Seeds. This year's #covercrop mixture has bell beans, vetch, mustard, radish, triticale and rye. We had great results with this blend last year, using it in a different part of the orchard this time.

We don't disc our soil except to plant #covercrop. I did a few wind sheltered rows today to make sure the gear was ready. Planning to disc Mon-Tues, seed Wed, enjoy the rain Thu next week. If nature cooperates.

With some nice rain possible next week , it might be time to disk between the young #avocado trees so we can seed the #covercrop just before the rain arrives. We'll get the equipment ready and watch the weather.

🌞Morning with corn 🌽field harvested for silage. Planted with 🌾winter rye cover🌱crop. Cow 🐂manure injected. #covercrop Harmony Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota. 🟧October 12, 2025

New research shows that, unfortunately, Palmer amaranth is not sensitive to rye allelopathy. Competition remains the mode of action for this useful #covercrop for managing this bad weed. Read it in Weed Science -
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Cloudy skies in both instances, but quite a difference between March (L) and September (R). Now it's time to order #covercrop seed to convert the coming rainy season precipitation into next year's soil organic matter.

New Interest in Buckwheat Allows for Old Mill Growth in Penn Yan Birkett Mills in Penn Yan, New York, has been processing buckwheat and wheat into flour since 1797.

Here is a nice story on the company at the heart of the Northeast US buckwheat world. It is not just a #covercrop!
www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news...

This looks a lot like a #covercrop story!

Strips of different crop on a sloping field in a bucolic rolling landscape. Some of the strips are white with buckwheat flowers, indicating that it is time to terminate the cover crop.

A wet spring put many prevented-planting acres into buckwheat in Yates County. When do you #killontime? Terminate #covercrop now and collect insurance or wait till harvest and collect $620 a ton from the mill in town? A triticale winter cover can follow either option.

Feeding everybody at the veggie farm we manage 🌞 Just a cover crop of sunflowers, partially for biomass, mostly for fun #flowers #bloomscrolling #organic #farming #covercrop #pollinators

Growing your own mulch is a great way to increase the amount of organic matter in your soil. This is a mix of oats, daikon radish, snap peas, and clover. #covercrop #soilhealth 🌿🌰

A buckwheat #covercrop is great for soil aggregation. Those fine roots reach the whole soil volume and secrete mucopolysaccharides. This plant is but five weeks old and ready for termination. These will decompose fast. A great value in a short time.

Where did the winter #covercrop go? It's still there, but after mowing it is acting as a mulch, protecting the soil from wind and sun, preserving water for the #avocados.