Steve Groff
Holtwood, PA
www.cedarmeadowfarm.com
Permanent Cover Cropping System
Cover
Crops
Crop rotation
Permanent mulch cover
Enhancing the Environment
Permanent Cover Cropping System
Increased
profits
Clean water
Healthy soil
Reduced pesticides
Less soil erosion
Sustainable Production requires
Environmental Protection + Economic Profitability
We in agriculture must carefully balance the "bottom line"
and degradation of our finite soil, water and air resources.
Why Cover Crops?
Why No Till?
“Soil is meant
to be covered”
-Steve Groff
•Manage your water table
•Soil Armor-protection from rain, sun,
and wind
•Green Tillage- using plants to prepare
the soil for seeding
Cover Crop Management Ideas
Plant Cover Crops for
Erosion Control
Grand Canyon
Cover Crop
Mixtures
 Diversity


Biomass
Root growth
 Guard against failure
of one species
 Complementary
Cover Crop Cocktails
 Above ground diversity is a
mirror of below ground diversity
 Microorganisms are like cattlethey need a balanced diet
Cover Crop Cocktail
$20.00 per acre
Cover Crop
Biology
 C/N ratio
 Insect changes
 Planting dates
 Challenges
Hairy Vetch 20-25lbs per acre
Rye 2 bushel per acre
60 lbs rye
20 lbs hairy vetch
Soil Health
Soil is meant to have
something living
in it at all times
Organic matter
2.7% 1984
5.4% 2007
Cover Crop Biology
 There is a time to kill
 Biological pumping: roots
bringing up nutrients
 If you built habitat, they will
come- earthworms
34 earthworms in a square yard
Equipment
 Planter
 Drill
 Rolling Stalk
Chopper
Rolling Cover Crops
There is a time to Kill
No N Applied
Soil test
Manure Management
On Time
 As soon after
harvest as
possible
 Priority
 Plan
Cerrado Region Brazil
Plan ahead!
Explore
 Internet
 Field Days
 Connect with
other farmers
Winter Lentils
Field Days
Over 50% of
Pumpkins
in Lancaster
County are now
no-tilled
Researchers
 University
 NRCS
 Global
Tillage
Radish
 Break up
compaction
 Control winter
annuals
32” root
Bio-drilling
March 29
Tillage Radish/Spring Oats
Grain
Grass/Legume
Tillage Radish/Vetch/Rye`
Rye/tillage radish plots
Rye/tillage radish
Tillage Radish/Jerry Oats
Broadcast Seeded
Seeding Rate
10 lbs per Acre
Needs 60 lbs of N
Tillage Radish cover crop
2.5 acre demonstration plot
Corn Yields (dealer had weigh wagon)
No cover crop
180 bu/acre
Barley cover crop
193 bu/acre
Tillage Radish cover crop 221 bu/acre
41 bushel increase!
Dan Magness
White Hall, MD 21161
But how much will tillage radishes
increase my yields??
University of Maryland
research indicates an 8-12
bushel corn yield increase
can be expected after
planting tillage radishes the
previous fall.
“They till the soil
and don’t even hurt
the earthworms.
Actually, they help
the earthworms by
giving them
something to eat!”
-David Groff
“No piece of steel
can benefit
the soil like roots
from a good cover crop”
-Steve Groff
Deep Tillage Tools?
You decide…
Crop Residue Management
Old Method?
Older Method?
Monuments of the past!
Permanent Cover Cropping System
Steve Groff
Cedar Meadow Farm
Holtwood, PA
steve@cedarmeadowfarm.com
www.cedarmeadowfarm.com
Enhancing the Environment