Reflections on Cowl Crops and the Very important Function They Play in Natural Farming
By April Thatcher, farmer at April Pleasure Farm and OFRF Board President
Cowl Crop Seed at AJF | Oats, radish, vetch, barley, and crimson clover.
Cowl crops are a central a part of steadiness on my Southwest Washington farm. The truth is, they’re a significant device in natural methods throughout the USA, serving to to regenerate the soil, suppress weeds, and construct resilience within the face of a altering local weather. And but, I’ll admit, for all their advantages, cowl crops have been a supply of some head-scratching moments for me through the years.
After I first began utilizing cowl crops, I had numerous questions—most of the similar ones I nonetheless hear from different new growers at present.
- What mixture of crops will work finest with my soil kind, local weather, and crop wants?
- How do I do know my cowl crops are including worth to my system?
- What kind of kit do I must handle cowl crops efficiently?
- And maybe the commonest query I get from fellow farmers is: How do I transition from a lush, inexperienced cowl crop to a seedbed prepared for planting with out disturbing the soil an excessive amount of?
Natural farming is a relationship between the land and the farmer, and I consider cowl cropping as one large, ongoing dialog on this relationship. It’s a journey of experimentation, remark, studying, and refining methods yr after yr. Each bit of land, every crop, and every season requires a distinct method, and what works for one farmer won’t work for one more.
On my farm, I’ve spent years experimenting with completely different cowl crop mixes and timing methods. I at the moment use a mixture of cowl crops—grasses, legumes, and broadleafs—relying on what I observe the soil wants. Legumes like peas and clover can add nitrogen to the soil, whereas deep-rooted crops like daikon radishes assist break up compacted layers and enhance soil construction. The important thing for me is to assist useful variety—each above and beneath the bottom.
The Function of Cowl Crops in a Residing Soil System
Once we deal with soil as merely a medium to develop crops, we miss out on the extraordinary potential it has to regenerate life, sequester carbon, enhance the dietary worth of our meals, cut back off farm inputs, and to behave as a buffer towards the numerous challenges we face at present.
Cowl crops are a strong device to assist unlock this potential. These crops should not meant to be harvested however fairly are grown particularly to feed the soil. When used strategically, cowl crops might help cut back soil erosion, seize and recycle vitamins, promote nitrogen fixation, improve natural matter, suppress weeds, and even handle pests—all whereas nurturing the dwelling, advanced internet of life in our soils.
Cowl crops are a important device within the natural farmer’s device field to assist construct resilience on the bottom—not simply within the soil however in our whole farm ecosystem. And that resilience is extra essential now than ever as local weather change presents erratic new challenges to farmers throughout the nation.
Classes from the Area: Cowl Cropping in Follow
Cowl Crop Kale | Generally, we don’t mow or flip beneath our market crops after we’ve completed harvesting. We underseed cowl crops instantly into these fields as a result of, like cowl crops, these crops proceed to supply advantages for our system. Living proof- this tree frog has it made within the shade. Photograph credit score: Lauren Ruhe
I’ve realized through the years that there is no such thing as a one “proper” approach to make the most of cowl crops. I’ve surrendered to the fact that on extremely diversified operations like mine, cowl cropping is all the time going to be a strategy of experimentation, remark, and refinement. What works one yr won’t work precisely the identical the following, and that’s okay. If we’re observant and dedicated to conserving data of our trials, we are able to glean essential information each season of the yr. The objective isn’t perfection; it’s progress.
After eighteen years of working with cowl crops on my 24 acre farm, right here’s a little bit of what I’ve gleaned – what I’d inform my new-farmer-self if I might:
- Begin easy and make small changes to your fundamental cowl crop plan yr over yr. After I first began using cowl crops I used to be overly enthusiastic. Yearly I’d attempt a bunch of various, advanced seed mixes to try to discover the proper one. That was a mistake. I want I’d caught with a easy mixture of two or three species (grass/legume/broadleaf) for the primary few years. If I had completed so, and made small refinements yr over yr, (modify seeding charges, sowing dates, and so forth.) it might have saved me time in the long term. As an alternative of adjusting approach too many variables yearly, I’d have constructed up a gradual, dependable combine custom-made to my system faster- one which incrementally added stacking advantages to my system yr over yr.
- Decide just one (or two at most) targets. I had so many wants after I began utilizing cowl crops. I had soil compaction, low nitrogen, low natural matter ranges, and erosion and leaching to fret about. However beginning out, I’d have been higher off choosing simply certainly one of these to concentrate on addressing via the usage of cowl crops as an alternative of making an attempt to unravel all of them without delay. Over time, you possibly can construct in your success. However goal for the small wins, having religion they may add up over time.
- Be conscious of your tools and useful resource limits. Now we have sizzling, dry summers at my farm. So curiously, irrigation is a giant problem for me by way of utilizing summer season cowl crop crops. Identical goes for sowing fall cowl crops, which I need to sow as early as I can to maximise nitrogen fixation. Although I’ve the tools to sow, cultipack and terminate them efficiently, if I can’t get them to germinate with out water I’m at sq. one. If you happen to don’t have tools to crimp/roll cowl crops or don’t have a flail mower, be certain to be strategic concerning the species in your combine. Have a plan for seeding, and have a plan for terminating your cowl crops that’s sensible to your operation.
- Nest your cowl crops into your general crop system. Your cowl cropping plan has to work inside the bigger context of your farm plan. A part of this implies being sensible concerning the assets (together with labor) essential to implement your cowl crop technique (see bullet level above). A part of this implies being diligent about planning your cowl cropping efforts as diligently as you do crops to your market. It’s all too simple within the warmth of the season to bail in your cowl cropping plan as a result of a few of the particulars aren’t fairly labored out otherwise you didn’t order seed, and so forth. Be intentional about ensuring your cowl crop system compliments versus competes together with your market crop system. At my farm, duties for canopy crop soil prep, sowing, administration, monitoring, and termination duties are all included in my annual farm plan schedule. I don’t have to consider organizing or planning something cowl crop associated as soon as the season will get began; I can focus merely on implementation.
Each farmer who needs to make the most of cowl crops efficiently has particular soil well being wants, targets distinctive to their operation, and completely different tools and time constraints. So whereas there’s no single, universally proper method to cowl cropping, we are able to all profit from taking a strategic method to working with cowl crops.
Summer season Cowl Crop Combine | A favourite mixture for heat climate. Oats, Buckwheat, Poppies and Phacelia.
Bridging Expertise with Analysis: OFRF’s New Information to Cowl Cropping
That’s why I’m so excited to share a helpful new useful resource for farmers: a complete natural cowl cropping information developed via OFRF’s ongoing partnership with the Pure Sources Conservation Service (NRCS). This information is designed to assist farmers—whether or not they’re simply beginning out with cowl crops or refining their methods.
What makes this information so helpful is that it’s grounded in each science and expertise. It combines years of analysis on the advantages of canopy cropping with sensible, field-tested methods from natural farmers like myself. It gives an outline of the steps for choosing cowl crops, managing them via the rising season, and terminating them in a approach that advantages each the soil and the farmer’s backside line. And it affords a set of different regionally particular assets for farmers to dive in deeper. You too can discover extra in depth data in OFRF’s Soil Well being and Natural Farming information to Cowl Crop Choice and Administration.
Whether or not you’re seeking to enhance your soil’s well being, cut back off-farm inputs, assist pollinators, or make your farm extra resilient to local weather change, cowl crops could be a highly effective device in your toolkit. This information is filled with sensible, research-based recommendation to assist farmers make knowledgeable selections about the way to combine cowl crops into their methods.
