This fall, we completed the second year of CFSA’s organic no-till project, determining production costs, yields, profitability, and scalability of growing no-till butternut squash after a cereal rye cover crop. We used several cover crop and weed management methods that were implemented using a tractor, walk-behind tractor, or done manually.
If you want to dig into our findings, don’t miss Comparing No-Till Methods & Equipment for Different Scales
Interested in no-till production, but unsure of how to manage cover crops so they don’t become a problem for the crop that follows?
The most common management concern is when to crimp your cover crop to get a good kill but prevent it from setting seed. Getting the timing right on crimping small grain cover crops like rye isn’t difficult, but it does take a little attention to its growth stage. See this three-minute video for a quick run-down on which stages to look for in order to get that timing right.
CFSA’s organic, no-till research project at Lomax Farm studies how well different cover crop-based, organic no-till systems perform and the acreage at which each makes sense. If you’re a small- to mid-scale grower who wonders which organic, no-till method or equipment to use and whether it makes sense to invest in larger-scale equipment, we hope this research will inform some of your decisions. While our research is not definitive – it covers only one crop and needs another year of data at least – it will hopefully provide a framework for navigating the decision-making process when taking on organic no-till or scaling up.
Read all about our findings in: How Do Organic No-Till Methods Compare?
