Overview
- This year, the Washtenaw County Conservation District (WCCD) has partnered with the Lenawee Conservation District, Monroe Conservation District, Hillsdale Conservation District and Scott’s Cover Crops LLC to offer a Cover Crop Fly-on program for local producers. Scott’s Cover Crops has been flying on single species and special blends of cover crops for several years.
- WCCD encourages the planting of cover crops (sometimes called green manure) because they increase soil fertility, improve soil texture, and prevent erosion. Allowing the crop to grow and then tilling it into the ground does this. A fly-on approach has many benefits, particularly in Washtenaw County because the window to establish viable vegetation after the primary crop has been harvested is very short.
- In temperate climates with a hard freeze during winter, getting the timing of planting cover crops exactly right is challenging. Plant too late and the seeds may not have time to germinate, grow, and become fertilizer for the next planting.
- This hard frost generally occurs in Washtenaw County around October 15. This means that you may wish to sow cover crops at different times, spreading the seeds over various sections of the garden as individual crops are cleared. The longer the cover crop grows, the lusher its vegetations and the more organic matter it will add to the soil.
About Matt DeJonge, conservation technician
Matt specializes in direct technical and administrative assistance to farmers primarily on USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Farm Bill Programs, specifically the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Matt grew up in Wyoming, MI and went to school at Grand Valley State University to study Natural Resource Management. While in school, Matt fell in love with GVSU student farm where he was able to apply himself by participating in the production of seasonal produce and extension practices. Also, during college and after graduation he worked on a variety of farms, from a start-up permaculture farm in Iowa City to an organic dairy farm in Byron Center, MI. He left farming in 2016 to pursue a career with the US Forest Service. Initially, he worked in timber sale preparation, but then shifted to reforestation and silviculture in more recent years. In his off time, Matt enjoys spending time outdoors, cycling, running, and disc golfing.
Transcription
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU, and welcome to this week's Issues of the Environment. Today, we're going to talk a little farming--more specifically about getting the ground ready and prepared before the first frost and hard freeze hits the area. Ground cover--it's essential to the agricultural industry. I'm David Fair, and, full disclosure, I know nothing about this subject. I've tried to grow things. I have not succeeded. I've literally killed cactus. I imagine I should be banned from visiting any farmer's market anywhere for fear my mere presence would be contagious and kill off everything when growers return to their properties. But I recognize how essential family and small farms are, and I have a great appreciation for them. So, I wanted to invite an expert on to educate all of us--particularly me--on some of the essentials and complexities. Matt DeJonge is a conservation technician for the Washtenaw County Conservation District. And thank you for making time for us today, Matt. I appreciate it!
Matt DeJonge: Thanks for having me, David!
David Fair: Well, as a rudimentary start to the conversation, perhaps you can give me a hand up and define what exactly ground cover and cover crops are.
Matt DeJonge: Yeah. So, cover crops are a plant that's utilized in a grower's rotation that's not specifically grown for a crop to produce food, but it might be grown for other benefits, such as weed suppression, soil health, water quality enhancement, or even to increase the yields based on some numbers that I've seen.
David Fair: Am I mistaken, or have I heard this referred to as "green manure?"
Matt DeJonge: You're not mistaken at all, actually. That's one of my favorite things to call cover crops just as a little side or maybe with some producers. They understand exactly what I'm talking about. And cover crops can provide very similar benefits to a traditional manure application, which for the listeners is typically cattle product after they're done eating.
David Fair: The green manure sounds better to me than the alternative.
Matt DeJonge: Exactly, yeah. So, yeah, green manure provides an extra nutrient boost to the soil, depending on the species we're talking about. It can also benefit soil health by scavenging excess nutrients that were applied, typically chemically, and lock those nutrients up for use in future plantings.
David Fair: Why is the timing of planting cover crops so vitally important?
Matt DeJonge: Yeah. So, this is something that you touched on in the introduction. But timing is incredibly important, depending on the length of the growing season between that first frost and last frost. We really want to germinate cover crop seeds typically this time of year, especially in commodity crop production systems. And just having enough of the growing season lets us really produce a good stand of cover crops. You know, I think that right around now is a great time with with the remaining rainfall that we have left. We're really looking at the final window of summer into fall.
David Fair: WEMU's Issues of the Environment conversation with Matt DeJonge continues. Matt is a conservation technician with the Washtenaw County Conservation District. You've kind of outlined it in a broad sense, but are the reasons you've already stated exactly why the conservation district is so high on cover crops?
Matt DeJonge: Well, we really try to meet producers where they're at when it comes to, I guess I would say, giving advice about cover crops. Some producers are very interested in learning more about conservation programs, and cover crops are a great way to introduce them to some of our cost share options that we have to implement some of this work. And others are really focused on the environmental benefits that I've touched on, even possibly upping their conservation level to incorporate more species.
David Fair: Are some of the other environmental benefits, perhaps, prevention of erosion and, perhaps, preventing agricultural runoff into our waterways?
Matt DeJonge: Exactly! Cover crops play a critical role in preventing soil erosion and enhancing water quality. Cover crops can increase infiltration. And, on a long enough timeline, cover crops can also make water quality better instead of just preventing it from getting worse.
David Fair: Is the cost of putting in cover crops offset by the benefit reaped?
Matt DeJonge: It is, but, like any good investment, it can take a long time to see those dividends. So, there's some research that was done by SARE, which I believe stands for Sustainable Ag Research and Education. And this particular study looked out five years, and the increases in yield starts in year one with a corn field--a yield increase of half a percent. But all the way up to five years out, it goes up to 3%. And that can be a big difference when we're talking about a slim margin business that is farming. So, while it might be hard to see in those first couple of years, it really does take that long-term vision to see the environmental benefits of changing one's management to incorporate cover crops.
David Fair: We're talking with Washtenaw County Conservation District conservation technician Matt DeJonge on 89 one WEMU's Issues of the Environment. And I want to discuss a new partnership the Washtenaw District has forged with other conservation districts to more efficiently plant the ground cover we've talked about. Now, you've teamed with the Lenawee, Monroe and Hillsdale County conservation districts with a company called Scott's Cover Crops this year. This is an aerial approach to seeding the cover crops. Is the fly-on approach better in your estimation?
Matt DeJonge: It is better for some producers, and we like to promote this as one option for producers to implement cover crops, because it can get seed onto the soil with that time window with more days in the growing season. If some of the listeners have driven out to the countryside recently, you might notice that the crops, for the most part, are still out there. And if we can get that seed on the soil while the crops are still growing, it gives us a longer time window for those cover crop stands to establish and get the benefits that we really, really do need out there on the on the farmland to be realized.
David Fair: And in your exploration of these cover crops, is blended better than single species or does it depend on the land itself?
Matt DeJonge: I think that question is really best answered by a producer that's making the decision. The decision to plant a cover crop requires many, many factors. And I think when it comes to starting out, it's a great idea to maybe utilize one or two species with a lot of research. And then, as producer or operator is more comfortable, maybe your three to your five of utilizing cover crops could start diversifying the mix. That can include some broadleaf species, like turnips, for example, or maybe getting into diversifying the grass mix that they're using.
David Fair: So, as we talk about this, it occurs to me I was born in a city and grew up in the suburbs, and I don't have a real personal relationship with farm or farmland. And a lot of people just like me are curious. This is important to the agricultural community. This is important on those farms. But I imagine that it is important to all of us who don't touch that land as well. So, why should this conversation matter to those who are not in the industry?
Matt DeJonge: Well, it's a great point you bring up, David. And, for me, I come from the suburbs as well. And that's one thing that, after many years, I've grown appreciation for is some of these decisions that happen in the agricultural communities and learning the how and the why is incredibly important. Farmland covers a major portion of Washtenaw County, and decisions that occur on that farmland impact all of us from reducing the heat island effect that can be produced from paved spaces to things like incorporating cover crops. So, when I think of community benefits, specifically with cover crops, I'm thinking of increased yields, like the example I brought up. That bolsters the local economy and that increases profitability on farms for our local businesses. But it also has several environmental benefits, too. Increasing plant cover year-round is incredibly important, especially with the changing environment that we've been seeing. This increases on farm resiliency to be able to have long-term sustainability on our farms, and that can come in the form of decreased soil erosion, enhanced water quality for all of us that turn the spigot on every morning to get a glass of water, all the way down to, like I said before, the economic benefits and having a strong local economy.
David Fair: Matt, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk with me today and providing the education. I truly appreciate it!
Matt DeJonge: Thank you so much, David, for having me!
David Fair: That is Matt DeJonge. He is conservation technician with the Washtenaw County Conservation District, helping inform us on agricultural ground cover and the associated programs to support farmers and, ultimately, all of us. For more information, check out our website at wemu.org. Issues of the Environment is produced in partnership with the office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner. And you hear it every Wednesday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti.
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