Location: Dairy Forage Research
Project Number: 5090-12210-001-011-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Nov 1, 2015
End Date: Aug 31, 2020
Objective:
Improve cover crop legume performance through germplasm screening and management experiments and disseminate knowledge to farmers and agricultural professionals.
Approach:
a. Create a legume cover crop germplasm screening program that evaluates hairy vetch, crimson clover, red clover, and Austrian winter pea for select agronomic traits of interest across a latitudinal gradient;
b. Build a network of farmers who will aid in variety selection through participatory germplasm screening;
c. Identify select cover crop accessions for seed increases and future improvement;
d. Contract with buying groups or germplasm curators to conduct cover crop seed growouts.
e. Disseminate knowledge gained from on-farm and on-station cover crop germplasm screenings and management experiments and engage farmers and agricultural professionals through on-farm field days, regional workshops, webinars, and the eOrganic website.
f. Establish the Eastern Cover Crop Council (ECC).
