Good Luck
Paul Schmitmeyer
-----Original Message-----
From: Bluestem Associates <bluestem@webserf.net>
To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu <sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu>
Date: Wednesday, May 12, 1999 11:24 AM
Subject: Cover Crop Incorporation
>On Tue, 11 May 1999 22:41:27 -0500, Floyd Johnson wrote:
>
>> I am looking for an implement that will incorporate residue (Rye
>>(sometimes waist high), hairy vetch, red clover, etc.) into the top 4
>>inches of soil (mostly silt loams) without causing a lot of grief .
>
>A large part of your problem has been that you're trying to incorporate
>rye that is *much* too mature. Ideally you should nail it at about 8
>inches high. Wet springs will certainly mess up that approach.
>
>The problem with rye taller than about 10 inches isn't the top, but
>rather the root balls. They get in the way of planters and can be quite
>aggravating if impaled on the rotary hoe. In organic soybean production
>the rotary hoe is one of your best friends. By the time rye is waist
>high it is fairly slow to digest in the soil, causing another set of
>problems.
>
>Depending on circumstances and time available you could harvest the
>tops for bedding/low-grade hay, you could mow/chop them (big flail
>mower) and then disc the whole mess in. Or no-till into the stubble
>might be an option depending on how far south in the state you are ---
>in which case shift your beans to a *higher* group number. That's a bit
>counter-intuitive but the later you plant the shorter days you'll have
>at key phases in the crop's life, and higher group beans do better with
>shorter days.
>
>The main thing with rye is to get it early in the spring if you
>possibly can. It will avoid a lot of the dancing around described in
>the previous paragraph.
>
>Organic farming in a wet season is not a lot of fun --- and you'll look
>way worse than the neighbors. On the other hand, *conventional*
>farming is more of a challenge in a drought, and your place with look a
>bunch better than theirs.
>
>
>
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