ARS | Publication request: Sustainable cropping systems using cover crops, native species field borders and riparian buffers for environmental quality

Submitted to: International Soil and Water Conservation Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 11, 2012
Publication Date: July 22, 2012
Citation: Gantzer, C.J., Reinbott, T., Kremer, R.J., Udawatta, R., Miller, R., Anderson, S.H. 2012. Sustainable cropping systems using cover crops, native species field borders and riparian buffers for environmental quality. International Soil and Water Conservation Conference, July 22-25, 2012, Fort Worth, Texas. p. 65.

Technical Abstract: This presentation will focus on the application of sustainable management practices for no-till cultivation using cover crops, native species field borders, and fast growing woody species integrated in vegetative strips and riparian buffers. An ongoing field project at the Bradford Research and Extension Center near Columbia, MO., will be highlighted. We will present information on annual cover crops usage for row-crop rotations that emphasize the contribution of biologically-fixed nitrogen, weed growth suppression, carbon sequestration, and soil health. We will discuss use of cover crops alone and in mixes either over-seeded in standing corn and soybeans or drilled after harvest and then followed by an annual grain crop. We will also present options for enhancing riparian buffers and field borders for wildlife and a haven for beneficial insects, using native forbs and shrubs with the fast growing woody species (willow and cottonwood) that will enhance water quality, wildlife habitat, and thus promote native beneficial pollinator species. Presentation of current on-farm success stories from Missouri producers using these techniques will be discussed. The organization, presentation, and outcomes of field days and workshops for farmers, landowners, and educators to encourage adaption of these methods will be discussed. Farmers must produce more food and fuel, but do it sustainably, and these practices will enable farmers to do so while making choices that improve water, soil, and air quality, and provide wildlife habitat.