Duration: 10/01/2010 to 09/30/2015

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

This project will support the development of cover crop systems that will facilitate large-scale improvements in the ecological and environmental functioning of the predominant annual cropping systems in the North Central US. While natural ecosystems and perennial forage systems typically have some plants growing, covering the soil, and taking up water and nutrients most of the time that the ground is not frozen, annual cropping systems, like corn and soybean, only have "green" plants for four to six months each year. Current tillage practices and harvest of stover for fuel or feed leave soil exposed during fall, winter, and early spring. During the "brown" months agricultural fields are susceptible to losses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment to surface waters through runoff, nitrogen to groundwater or drainage systems through leaching, and carbon, nitrous oxide, and methane to the atmosphere through microbial processes. These losses have had impacts on water quality, soil quality, and greenhouse gasses on local, regional, and national levels. Thus, incorporating more "green" plants into the "brown" months of annual cropping systems will help to protect soil and water quality, reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses, and maintain natural cycles for water, carbon, nutrients and soil organisms.

Cover crops lengthen the green phase of an annual cropping system by growing in the months between harvest and planting. Many species can be used as cover crops, but in the North Central region, winter cereal grains, legumes, mustard and forage grasses are the most common, as their cold tolerance and winter hardiness are desirable for use with spring-planted and fall-harvested main crops, like corn and soybean. Cropping systems that include short season or winter annual crops, such as vegetable crops or winter wheat, can use cover crop species that are less cold tolerant because adequate growth of the cover crop during the warmer months can occur before a killing freeze. A third option is a living mulch, which is a cover crop that is present all year, but is suppressed during the main crop growing season. Cover crops could be a useful management tool for enhancing the sustainability of agroecosystems and reducing negative environmental impacts in the North Central US (Snapp et al., 2005; Kaspar et al., 2008). Cover crops improve agroecosystem functioning by recycling nutrients, reducing erosion, improving soil structure, increasing soil organic matter, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, supporting soil organisms, and suppressing weeds, nematodes, and pathogens.

Cover crops reduce nitrate leaching by taking up nitrate from the soil and storing it in plant tissues (Meisinger et al., 1991; Staver and Brinsfield, 1998; Kaspar et al., 2007). In the studies reviewed by Meisinger et al. (1991), cover crops reduced both the mass of N leached and the nitrate concentration of leachate 20 to 80 percent compared with a no cover crop control. Recently, Kaspar et al. (2007) showed that a rye winter cover crop planted every year in a corn-soybean rotation in Iowa reduced nitrate load to tile drainage by 61%.

Improved erosion control is one of the main benefits of using winter cover crops (Langdale et al., 1991; Kaspar et al., 2008). The use of cover crops for erosion control is based on the principle of increasing infiltration by improving soil structure, providing continuous ground cover to protect the soil against raindrop impact, and reducing the velocity and carrying capacity of overland flow (Langdale et al., 1991; Dabney, 1998). Kaspar et al. showed that a rye winter cover crop following no-till soybean reduced rill erosion by 90% and interrill erosion by 54% (2001).

Cover crops and their residue may aid weed control and reduce herbicide use by inhibiting weed establishment and diversifying the cropping system (Lal et al., 1991; Buhler et al., 1998). Organic growers often use a rye cover crop to suppress weeds through allelopathic and mechanical effects.

Cover crops affect soil quality primarily by increasing inputs of organic matter and recycling of soil nutrients. Winter cover crops have the potential to increase soil organic C or to slow its rate of decline in agricultural soils (Karlen and Cambardella, 1996; Reicosky and Forcella, 1998; Jarecki and Lal, 2003). Beale et al. (1955) reported that SOM was 28% higher after 10 yr of a vetch and rye cover crop with mulch tillage compared with cover crops and moldboard plow tillage.

Singer et al. (2007) in a survey of farmers in four north central states found that 44% of the farmers surveyed needed more information about cover crops to make decisions about using them on their farms. Information about cover crops for the North Central region is also needed by NRCS personnel, crop consultants, and farm industry personnel because cover crops are a management practice that qualifies for manure management plans and NRCS programs such as EQUIP and CSP. Although a substantial amount of information is available about the environmental, soil productivity, and nutrient cycling benefits of cover crops, much of that information has been generated outside of the North Central region. Even for those cover crop studies that have been conducted within the region, interpretation and extrapolation of the results between locations is difficult because of differences in cover crop genotypes, climate, soils, and cropping systems. Additionally, many basic science and practical application questions that are specific to the North Central region remain unanswered. Thus, to make use of future, present, and past research and extension information about cover crops in the North Central US a regional NCERA committee is needed to coordinate research and to share, communicate, consolidate, and translate this knowledge for use within the states of North Central region. The proposed NCERA committee will also collaborate with the Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC) to establish on-farm demonstration and research sites, to assess the need for educational materials, and to receive input from producers, NRCS, and industry on cover crop knowledge gaps. The MCCC is a diverse group of individuals from academia, production agriculture, non-governmental organizations, commodity interests, seed producers, and federal and state agencies collaborating to address soil, water, air, and agricultural quality concerns in the North Central region through the use and promotion of cover crops. Because of its diverse membership, the MCCC also will serve as a conduit for moving solutions and practices developed through research to the farm. The MCCC was established in 2006 and more information is available at their website (http://www.mccc.msu.edu ).

The increased demands placed on our agricultural systems by demands for both food and fuel will lead to declining soil productivity and increased degradation of surface and ground water supplies unless conservation practices like cover crops are implemented on a wide scale. Although other conservation practices such as wetlands, buffers, terraces, CRP, and perennial cropping systems all should play a role in our agricultural landscapes, cover crops are the only practice that has the potential to improve soil productivity, protect water quality, and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases without taking land out of production or reducing the production levels of our current annual cropping systems. The successful completion of this project will result in the adoption of cover crops by more farmers in the North Central region and subsequent increases in soil and water quality and agricultural sustainability.

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

1. Evaluate the effectiveness of cover crops and cover crop management practices, to provide environmental benefits in annual cropping systems.
Research and modeling studies in many of the North Central states are currently underway to evaluate cover crop species and management systems for their effectiveness in providing ecosystem services such as reducing nitrate leaching and erosion, increasing soil carbon sequestration, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving soil quality. There is a critical need for researchers from the different states to meet regularly and exchange information about management systems, methodology, research results, and observations. Research will be coordinated where possible, so that the appropriate variables are measured to allow comprehensive comparisons across the North Central region. On-farm sites established by members of MCCC will be utilized to examine ecosystem services provided by cover crops on field, farm, and watershed scales and to provide sites for field days and educational activities.

2. Assess the impact of cover crops on agronomic production.
Field research and modeling is being conducted on cover crops to evaluate their impact on various aspects of agronomic production systems and practices including: main crop yields, organics, home-grown nitrogen, reduced purchased inputs, cover crop seed production, risk management, pest control, additional forage or biomass production/double crop, timeliness of operations, and economics. Discussion of comparative studies conducted in the different soils, cropping systems, and climates are important for understanding and improving management of cover crops in the North Central region. On-farm sites established by members of MCCC will be utilized to test management practices needed to incorporate cover crops into production systems on field, farm, and watershed scales, and to provide sites for field days and educational activities. This collaboration and interaction between farmers and other MCCC members with NCERA project members will provide valuable feedback and will identify cover crop management problems that need to be addressed by the project.

3. Develop cover crop guides and other extension materials, and work with state and federal action agencies, to assist in implementation and demonstration of improved management practices for cover crops.
The NCERA committee will include extension personnel and an NRCS representative, and will coordinate the development of educational materials for cover crop management in the North Central region, which will include pamphlets, videos, and training modules. The committee will also work with the Midwest Cover Crop Council (MCCC) to assess needs for educational material, the impact of those materials, and to gather input on cover crop knowledge gaps and management problems from producers, consultants, suppliers, and action agencies. In cooperation with MCCC informational meetings, train-the-trainer professional development workshops, and field days will be developed for producers, consultants, NRCS personnel, and extension personnel in different parts of the region. The NCERA committee and the MCCC will work together on a web-based cover crop selector tool for each of the participating states. The two groups will also cooperate on a cover crop database, which will be used to supplement and refine the selector tool. The two entities will collaborate on developing proposals for additional funding across the region. Many of the potential representatives on the proposed NCERA committee are also participating in the meetings of the MCCC, which will facilitate communication and coordination between the groups.

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

Extension materials, such as pamphlets, videos, and training modules developed or coordinated by the committee will be available as hardcopies and CDs and through extension websites in each state and the MCCC website. Training programs will be available at winter meetings, at field days, as webinars, or as training modules on CDs for producers, NRCS employees, extension personnel, crop consultants, and watershed groups. MCCC members or member groups will make suggestions for needed education topics, distribute materials, provide feedback on materials, and relate personal experiences on using cover crops that can be incorporated into programs or materials.

Organization/Governance

The recommended Standard Governance for multistate research activities include the election of a Chair, a Chair-elect, and a Secretary. All officers are to be elected for at least two-year terms to provide continuity. Administrative guidance will be provided by an assigned Administrative Advisor and a CSREES Representative.

Literature Cited

Beale, O.W., G.B. Nutt, and T.C. Peele. 1955. The effects of mulch tillage on runoff, erosion, soil properties, and crop yields. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 19:244-247.

Buhler, D.D., K.A. Kohler, and M.S. Foster. 1998. Spring seeded smother plants for weed control in corn and soybean. J. Soil Water Conserv. 53:272-275.

Dabney, S.M. 1998. Cover crop impacts on watershed hydrology. J. Soil Water Conserv. 53:207-213.

Jarecki, M.K., and R. Lal. 2003. Crop management for soil carbon sequestration. Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 22:471-502.

Karlen, D.L., and C.A. Cambardella. 1996. Conservation strategies for improving soil quality and organic matter storage. p. 395-420. In M.R. Carter and B.A. Stewart (eds.) Structure and organic matter storage in agricultural soils. Advances in Soil Science. CRC Press Inc., New York, NY.

Kaspar, T.C., J.K. Radke, and J.M. Laflen. 2001. Small grain cover crops and wheel traffic effects on infiltration, runoff, and erosion. J. Soil Water Conserv. 56:160-164.

Kaspar, T.C., D.B. Jaynes, T.B. Parkin, and T.B. Moorman. 2007. Rye cover crop and gamagrass strip effects on NO3 concentration and load in tile drainage. J. Environ. Qual. 36:1503-1511.

Kaspar, T.C., E.J. Kladivko, J.W. Singer, S. Morse, and D.R. Mutch. 2008. Potential and limitations of cover crops, living mulches, and perennials to reduce nutrient losses to water sources from agricultural fields in the upper Mississippi river basin. p. 127-148. In UMRSHNC (upper Mississippi river sub-basin hypoxia nutrient committee). 2008. Final report: Gulf hypoxia and local water quality concerns workshop. ASABE, St. Joseph, MI.

Lal, R., E. Regnier, D.J. Eckert, W.M. Edwards, and R. Hammond. 1991. Expectations of cover crops for sustainable agriculture. p. 1-14. In W.L. Hargrove, (ed.) Cover crops for clean water. Proc. Int. Conf., Jackson, TN. 9-11 April. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny, IA., Ankeny, IA.

Langdale, G.W., D.G. Blevins, K.D. L, D.K. McCool, M.A. Nearing, E.L. Skidmore, A.L. Thomas, T.D. D, and J.R. Williams. 1991. Cover crop effects on soil erosion by wind and water. p. 15-22. In W.L. Hargrove, (ed.) Cover crops for clean water. Proc. Int. Conf., Jackson, TN. 9-11 April. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny, IA., Ankeny, IA.

Meisinger, J.J., W.L. Hargrove, R.L. Mikkelsen, J.R. Williams, and V.W. Benson. 1991. Effects of cover crops on groundwater quality. p. 57-68. In W.L. Hargrove, (ed.) Cover Crops for Clean Water, Jackson, TN. 9-11 April, 1991. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny, IA.

Reicosky, D.C., and F. Forcella. 1998. Cover crop and soil quality interactions in agroecosystems. J. Soil Water Conserv. 53:224-229.

Singer, J.W., S.M. Nusser, and C.J. Alf. 2007. Are cover crops being used in the us corn belt? J. Soil Water Conserv. 62:353-358.

Snapp, S.S., S.M. Swinton, R. Labarta, D. Mutch, J.R. Black, R. Leep, J. Nyiraneza, and K. O'Neil. 2005. Evaluating cover crops for benefits, costs and performance within cropping system niches. Agron. J. 97:322-332.

Staver, K.W., and R.B. Brinsfield. 1998. Using cereal grain winter cover crops to reduce groundwater nitrate contamination in the mid-Atlantic coastal plain. J. Soil Water Conserv. 53:230-240.

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, WI

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

Northern Plains Area, USDA-ARS-NSTL, Western Illinois University