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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-03-17, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005. PAGE 19. EFAO holds crop rotation workshop By Jim Brown Citizen staff Fourteen people from throughout western Ontario attended a crop rotation workshop on March 4. held in the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority boardroom in Wroxeter. The workshop on field crops looked at rotations for farms with or without livestock. This was one of the first modules of an advanced course on ecological agriculture. Facilitator Ken Laing said this was the first year that an advanced crop rotation had been sponsored by the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario. The introductory program has been offered for a number of years. According to Laing, the five main considerations when selecting crops for crop rotation are value as cash crop or livestock feed, soil-building, conserving nutrients, weed and pest control and the demands on labour, equipment and knowledge He indicated that although organic crops are usually sold at a higher price than conventional crops, it does not mean than any one organic crop will receive a premium price. The farmer has to determine the crop’s economic value as a cash crop or its importance as livestock feed. Laing said the farmer has to understand the role of the crops in building up the organic matter in the soil with the provision of adequate cover to protect the soil from erosion. He indicated green manures play a valuable role in the crop rotation for their ability to rejuvenate the soil’s structure, conserve moisture, control erosion and reduce the leaching of nutrients off the farm. The farmers have to realize whether the crop is contributing to or is a drain on the soil’s nutrient level. Nitrogen is a major nutrient and a key regulator of ecological processes. Laing indicated the crop has to have the ability to compete with weeds and have an inherent pest resistance. When it comes to weed and pest control, he said organic farmers do not usually have major problems with pests and plant diseases in field crops. Other objectives of crop rotation are to improve agro-ecosy stem diversity, make the best use of available labour and equipment and to diversify crops to buffer the farm and farm income against the impacts of poor weather and uncertain markets; in other words to make money. Laing stressed the importance of having a cover crop. They are called cover crops because they protect otherwise bare soil against erosion. Because a cover crop is inevitably added to the soil, it becomes a green manure; so the terms are somewhat interchangeable. Cover crops and green manures are grown for reasons other than short-term economic gain. They are not produced for sale, but for the benefits they provide to the production of subsequent cash crops. Laing said farmers use cover crops Beat the temptation. <^smokers’HELPLiNE CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY TOLL-FREE -877-513-5333 for a number of reasons. Cover crops that lessen the impact of wind and water passing over the soil surface can reduce erosion; cover crops that add a lot of organic matter to the soil can improve its structure and help absorb and conserve moisture; and cover crops competing for light, water and nutrients may suppress weeds. He added that cover crops growing late in the season can capture and recycle soluble nutrients that might otherwise be lost by leaching. Enhancing cropping system diversity by using cover crops may attract and create habitats for beneficial insects. Laing noted that since a single cover crop planting cannot provide all the benefits, a grower must prioritize the desired benefits before deciding what to plant. The grower has to consider a number of factors, of which are the seed cost, heat or cold tolerance, suitability to soil conditions, tillage equipment and the crop to follow. “Strategies for using cover crops are chosen depending on how the cover crop fits into the overall crop rotation plan,’’ said Laing. “A fund­ amental goal of cover-cropping is to avoid bare soil between cash crop plantings.” He noted it not only protects soil, but captures sunlight and produces biomass that eventually enhances soil quality. “There are four general categories of crop cover uses,” he said. Laing said these are fallow cover crops that require taking land out of cash crop production for all or part of a season; winter cover crops that are sown after vegetable harvest irr late summer or autumn and remain in place until the following spring; smother crops that are grown during a spring, summer or fall window between cash crops; and inter-seed or under-sow cover crops that arc established alongside a vegetable crop. According to Laing, there are many principles of crop rotation. Growers are encouraged to use legumes that fix nitrogen out of the atmosphere ahead of heavy nitrogen feeders like corn, fall cereals and potatoes and pastures containing a mix of legumes and grasses are the easiest way to boost the organic matter and create good soil structure. He said row crops provide an opportunity to use more mechanical tillage to control weeds and growers should alternate deep-rooted crops Crop rotation workshop Fourteen farmers from western Ontario gathered in the board room of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority to learn the latest on crop rotation as it pertains to organic farming. Ken Laing was the facilitator for the workshop which was the first advanced course offered by the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario. (Jim Brown photo) with shallow-rooted crops. Also, weed suppressing crops should precede slow-growing crops. Growers are also encouraged to alternate grasses and broad leaf crops and to alternate warm and cool season crops to disrupt weed cycles and to put breaks between crops that suffer from the same pests. Laing noted that rotations arc site specific; so what works on one farm may not work on another. He said when designing a crop rotation plan, growers should design the rotation to effectively utilize farm machinery and labour and to meet the feed requirements of a farmer’s livestock. He added that rotation design must take into consideration the climate as well as a field’s particular micro­ climate, soil type, drainage, nutrient deficiencies or excesses, pest problems and the economic value of the crop. Following the discussion of the objectives and principles of crop rotation, those in attendance were given the opportunity to work on their own rotation plans. Crop rotation plans could be anywhere from a four-year plan to a l()-year plan. A couple of the plants, were reviewed by all in attendance, with questions being asked as to why a certain crop was used in a specific year. The farmer gave the answer.