- Author: Alli Rowe
I love cover crops. I really do. No, I don't think they are the solution to everything or that they work magic in every scenario. But for the scenarios they work in, they are marvelous. Why are these plantings so interesting, you ask? Well, let me tell you about my love interest with cover crops.
First of all, cover crops are one of the most cost effective ways to build soil organic matter. You can get cover crop seed for a few dollars a pound, grow it up, and terminate it once it goes to seed. All of that seed goes right back into the soil, giving a nice seed bank to reseed next season. Compare that to the cost of purchasing, transporting, and spreading mulch or compost and you have yourself a deal.
Cover crops can be selected for multiple benefits and to unique environments. Let's take an orchard system for example. In an orchard situated in certain temperature zones, there may be an increased risk of frost. Planting tall cover crops that come to maturity during the coldest days of the year put the orchard at greater risk for frost. Instead, this risk can be minimized by seeding low stature cover crops in January. The winter rains will assist in establishment, but the growth will be minimal during those frost-prone days of February. Come March and April, a fully established cover crop will provide erosion control and increased infiltration rates to keep rain onsite for the orchard.
Another thing to love about cover crops is their role in nutrient management. Nitrate leaching is a problem of excess fertilizer making its way below the root zone and into water systems. Think regulatory agencies, public health and environmental concerns, and paperwork. Grasses and brassicas are excellent nitrogen scavengers, helping prevent nitrate leaching to groundwater. These grasses and brassicas take up nitrogen and then slowly decompose, releasing that nitrogen back to the soil as a biologically available form for the cash crops to utilize. Legumes, on the other hand, work in an entirely different way to impact nitrogen. Utilizing nitrogen fixing nodules in their root systems, legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen and exude it as biologically available nitrogen for other plants to use. With a greater level of soil nitrogen available, less added nitrogen is required for optimal crop growth.
Weeds and pests. Carefully selected cover crops can use their super hero powers to combat villains that threaten crop viability. Want to suppress weed competition? Maybe plant a cereal rye or a mustard. Grow that up, knock it down, and create a nice mat to stifle weed growth. Aphids got you down? Try planting some legumes such as cowpea to attract lady beetles.
Soil structure. Oh, soil structure! Cover crops can provide multiple benefits here as well. Cover crop roots prevent erosion, keeping soil in place. In addition, they add organic matter to the soil as they grow and decompose. Roots of various cover crops, especially those in the daikon radish and sugar beet variety, have deep penetration and can break up compacted soil layers. In the process, cover crops increase soil porosity and infiltration, allowing water to move into and stay in the soil profile instead of running offsite. The change in soil structure to one of fluffier, porous, organic material provides habitat for increased soil biodiversity of microorganisms and decomposers. These guys help with nutrient cycling to maintain soil healthy and productivity. Over time, cover crops build soil tilth, soil porosity, soil organic matter, soil biodiversity, and overall soil structure that is easier to work with and produce in.
I could go on. The point is not that cover crops are the answer to everything, but rather that they provide multiple benefits for a good price. Cover crops are a low investment practice to test out when building healthy, resilient soils that will last for future generations of farmers.
Climate smart agriculture encompasses management practices that increase soil carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve yields and efficiencies, and promotes climate resilience. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) supports three funding opportunities in climate smart agriculture: the Healthy Soils Program, the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program, and the Alternative Manure Management Program.
In a collaborative partnership, CDFA and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources have teamed up to support 10 community education specialists throughout the state to provide technical assistance and outreach for the climate smart agriculture programs. As one of these technical assistance providers, my role is to promote and support the adoption of these programs in Ventura County. If you are interested in working with me, please contact me at amrowe@ucanr.edu.
- Author: Alli Rowe
This week the California Department of Food and Agriculture released the much anticipated Healthy Soils Program awards. Statewide, a grand total of $12.48 million will be supporting 217 projects that build soil health, increase soil organic matter, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions through agricultural land management practices. On a national scale, this funding represents the country's largest investment in building healthy soils as a climate mitigation strategy. This is great news for farmers, ranchers, and the soils of California.
The program funds farmers and ranchers to implement practices such as cover crops, reduced tillage, mulch application, development of grazing management plans, compost application, and the establishment of windbreaks or hedgerows. The awards support both incentive projects and demonstration projects under the umbrella of the Healthy Soils Program. CDFA selected 194 incentives projects to receive $8.7 million in funding across 45 counties and 23 demonstration projects to receive $3.8 million in funding across 16 counties.
So, what happened in Ventura County? I am sure you are eagerly awaiting the local news! In our county, we have 1 demonstration project and 3 incentive projects that received funding. That is a huge increase from the previous round in which Ventura County only received 1 incentive grant. See below for details on the projects funded for the county.
Incentive Projects
|
Organization |
Brief Description |
Total Funding ($) |
Estimated GHG Reduction (MTCO2eq/yr) |
|
King & King Ranch |
Converting 32 acres to no-till and planting windbreaks. |
$6,794.94 |
12.6 |
|
The Abundant Table |
Increase cover crop rotation, plant hedgerows, and apply compost. |
$23,589.79 |
42.2 |
|
Clow Ranch |
Apply mulch to avocado and lemon orchards. |
$74,778.09 |
3.0 |
Demonstration Project
|
Organization |
Brief Description |
Total Funding ($) |
Estimated GHG Reduction (MTCO2eq/yr) |
|
Ventura County RCD + Limoneira |
Research the impacts of various compost and mulch applications on a newly planted lemon orchard. |
$249,546.00 |
21.4 |
For a full list of projects and project descriptions, please go to the websites for the CDFA Healthy Soils Incentive Program and the CDFA Healthy Soils Demonstration Program.
Stay tuned for updates on how these projects progress and opportunities to come see Healthy Soils in action in Ventura County!
Climate smart agriculture encompasses management practices that increase soil carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve yields and efficiencies, and promotes climate resilience. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) supports three funding opportunities in climate smart agriculture: the Healthy Soils Program, the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program, and the Alternative Manure Management Program.
In a collaborative partnership, CDFA and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources have teamed up to support 10 community education specialists throughout the state to provide technical assistance and outreach for the climate smart agriculture programs. As one of these technical assistance providers, my role is to promote and support the adoption of these programs in Ventura County. If you are interested in working with me, please contact me at amrowe@ucanr.edu.
- Author: Alli Rowe
Thanks to special guest author Shulamit Shroder for a glance at a Healthy Soils Program grant in action. Shulamit is Kern County's UCCE climate smart agriculture specialist.
Quaker Oaks Farm is a small nonprofit farm in Tulare County, near Visalia. About half of its 21 acres are devoted to restoring and maintaining a native wetland and riparian oak forest area. The rest is a diverse organic farming operation, with areas devoted to annual vegetable crops, grazed grasslands, and a small orchard.
As farm manager, Steven Lee applied for and received a Healthy Soils grant in 2017 to plant cover crops and hedgerows, apply compost and mulch, and establish a silvopasture area.
He believes that this investment in the farm's soil will pay off in the long term, so that the next generation can continue to enjoy the services provided by the nonprofit's complex landscape.
Between March 2018 and March 2021, the farm plans to:
- Plant cover crops on 4.5 acres
- Plant hedgerows on 0.3 acres
- Establish a 2.5 acre silvopasture area
- Apply mulch to 2 acres
- Apply compost to 6 acres
Benefits
Water usage: Dr. Lee reported that the mulch has helped keep young plants from wilting in the hot sun and that their overall water usage has decreased.
Energy usage: They have reduced their tillage operations, which has decreased their energy use and their carbon footprint.
Pests: Dr. Lee has witnessed an increase in beneficial insects since the start of the project, especially ladybugs. In 2018, the ladybugs did not migrate away from the farm during the hottest part of the summer like they had in previous years. The farm also did not have to spray organic pesticides in 2018, unlike in 2017. In addition, the increase in native pollinators should help to pollinate the fruit tree orchard, since the farm does not have its own beehive.
Disadvantages
Labor: Implementing these practices takes time, and Dr. Lee does most of the on-farm labor himself. He ended up prioritizing the Healthy Soils project over production during the past year, since the grant has offset his labor costs.
Learning curve: Determining optimal timing has been the steepest learning curve so far, such as figuring out when to plant the native hedgerow plants and when to replace the ones that died.
Climate smart agriculture encompasses management practices that increase soil carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve yields and efficiencies, and promotes climate resilience. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) supports three funding opportunities in climate smart agriculture: the Healthy Soils Program, the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program, and the Alternative Manure Management Program.
In a collaborative partnership, CDFA and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources have teamed up to support 10 community education specialists throughout the state to provide technical assistance and outreach for the climate smart agriculture programs. As one of these technical assistance providers, my role is to promote and support the adoption of these programs in Ventura County. If you are interested in working with me, please contact me at amrowe@ucanr.edu.
- Author: Alli Rowe
Petty Ranch, a story of cover crops in Ventura County.
“All of the lemon trees were dying.” Sigh. Another distressing story about agriculture in the face of climate change, rising land values, difficult economies, and soil degradation. Or is it? Chris Sayer, owner of Petty Ranch, walks me through his 50-acre property of figs, lemons, and avocados. In addition to his trees, Chris has a whole other system growing. Cover crops.
I am personally a huge fan of cover crops or green manure. Planting cover crops keeps the soil covered, which reduces the loss of topsoil to wind and rain. Additionally, cover crops are an inexpensive way to build soil carbon and improve soil structure. Depending on the cover crop chosen, root systems help penetrate and break up plowpan layers created from tractor compaction, increase water infiltration, reduce runoff, and improve nutrient cycling for cash crops. Many cover crop systems include legumes, which have the amazing power of fixing atmospheric nitrogen. In an association with bacteria, legumes “fix” nitrogen from the atmosphere into a biologically available form in the soil that plants can use. In this way, cover crops with legumes mixed in can increase nitrogen levels in the soil, allowing farmers to reduce fertilizer inputs.
Back at the fig trees, Chris picks up a shovel. He easily scoops up a nice shovelful of soil, maneuvering the shovel into the earth with little effort. Chris explains to me that before they started cover cropping, this particular area was so compact couldn't get a shovel down even a few inches. Not even a plow could break ground below six inches. Daikon radishes and sugar beets helped improve soil structure in these heavy soils by breaking up compaction with their deep root structures. Triticale and barley add to the success by adding plentiful organic material and carbon to the soil.
Chris started cover cropping in 2005 in an attempt to build up his soil organic matter. His lemons were suffering on a heavy soil that had been compacted and degraded by years of production. When he got to the point where the trees were no longer productive, Chris decided to remove an area of lemon orchard and replace it with figs. After taking the lemons out, adding steer manure and gypsum to the soil, he planted cover crops for the first time.
Today, the entire 50-acre property has cover crops growing in between lemons, avocados, and figs. In Ventura County's climate, it makes sense to establish cover crop in the late fall when the first rains arrive, let them grow during the wet season, and terminate them when the rain disappears in the spring. On Petty Ranch, Chris lets some cover crop go to seed, saving him the money of repurchasing seed the following year. Once he terminates the cover, the plant matter decomposes and adds its organic material right back into the soil. Daikon radish, I learned while hanging out with Chris, acts like a sponge as it decomposes. Its structure holds water, improving overall soil moisture by allowing a slow release of water as the radish disappears.
The extremely cool part about Chris's cover cropping is the noticeable change in organic matter and water flow on the ranch. Before he started cover cropping, Chris's soils measured about 2.5% organic matter, which is typical for Ventura County. Since he has been cover cropping, that number has increased to 5.5%. With the increase in organic matter, Chris has seen an increase in porosity, improved infiltration, and decreased runoff.
Cover crops are one strategy to build soil organic matter, increase water infiltration, and reduce greenhouse gas emission on agricultural lands. In addition, they have been shown to improve crop yields, increase biodiversity, attract beneficial pollinators, and act as weed suppressants. You can learn more about the benefits and types of cover crops through the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) learning center. The California Department of Food and Agriculture's Healthy Soils Program provides funding to farmers interested in practices such as cover cropping, alleviating some of the initial costs associated with starting the practice. For more information about cover crops or the Healthy Soils Program, please reach out to me or your closest UC Cooperative Extension community education specialist:
Mendocino County: Britta Baskerville – blbaskerville@ucanr.edu
Glenn County: Dana Brady – dmbrady@ucanr.edu
Yolo County: Emily Lovell – ejlovell@ucanr.edu
Santa Cruz County: Valerie Perez – valperez@ucanr.edu
Ventura County: Alli Rowe – amrowe@ucanr.edu
San Diego County: Esther Mosase – enmosase@ucanr.edu
Imperial County: Kristian Salgado – kmsalgado@ucanr.edu
Kern County: Shulamit Shroder – sashroder@ucanr.edu
Climate smart agriculture encompasses management practices that increase soil carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve yields and efficiencies, and promotes climate resilience. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) supports three funding opportunities in climate smart agriculture: the Healthy Soils Program, the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program, and the Alternative Manure Management Program.
In a collaborative partnership, CDFA and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources have teamed up to support 10 community education specialists throughout the state to provide technical assistance and outreach for the climate smart agriculture programs. As one of these technical assistance providers, my role is to promote and support the adoption of these programs in Ventura County. If you are interested in working with me, please contact me at amrowe@ucanr.edu
- Author: Alli Rowe
The Nuts and Bolts of Carbon Farming
I recently attended a Carbon Farm Plan Training hosting by Restoration Oaks Ranch, the Cachuma Resource Conservation District, and the Carbon Cycle Institute. I had heard about carbon farm plans and understood the concept, but attending this training gave me a much greater appreciation of what the nitty gritty details of creating one of these plans entails.
In a nutshell, a carbon farm plan takes a look at your farm from a carbon cycling perspective. The management practices that take place on the landscape influence the ins and outs of carbon moving through the system. Land management can push the meter towards increasing carbon into the system or releasing it out of the system. Developing a carbon farm plan creates a blueprint of management practices that lead to a net gain of carbon into the land system.
Agriculture is the one sector that has the ability to change from a net carbon emitter to a net carbon sequesterer. Common agricultural practices such as over-grazing, tilling the soil, over application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and mismanaged irrigation can result in carbon emissions, contributing to climate change. Removing carbon through harvesting crops without adequate replacement further depletes the carbon content of the soil. Carbon farming relies on plants doing the thing they do best, photosynthesizing, and maximizes the carbon cycle to result in a net gain of soil carbon. In this way, carbon farming improves the rate that carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and converted to soil carbon or plant tissues, allowing agriculture to act as a net carbon sink. This process builds soil organic matter, which then increases water infiltration, enhances water-holding capacity, improves soil structure, and promotes soil microbiota diversity.
A Carbon Farm Plan is a long-term document created through a process modeled after the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Plan. Local Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) and agricultural support organizations (such as UC Cooperative Extension) provide the planning support to individual farmers and ranchers when creating a Carbon Farm Plan. The process begins with taking an overall inventory of natural resource conditions on the farm or ranch and generating a list of opportunities for enhanced carbon storage. The list of potential practices are refined based on the management goals of the farmer or rancher. Next, the carbon benefit potential for each practice is quantified using a set of online tools (COMET-Planner and COMET-Farm) developed by Colorado State University, NRCS, Carbon Cycle Institute, and the Marin Carbon Project. Once the list of practices are identified, prioritized, and quantified, a document is generated that lays out a plan of implementation based on funding sources and technical assistance.
What practices might you want to include in a Carbon Farm Plan? The NRCS has described many conservation practices that promote soil carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Some of these include:
- Cover cropping
- Compost application
- Reduced till or no till
- Multi-story cropping
- Windbreak and shelterbelt establishment
- Silvopasture establishment
- Forage and biomass planting
- Nutrient management
- Range planting
- Hedgerow planting
- Mulch application
A Carbon Farm Plan creates a road map for managing agricultural and working lands through a carbon lens. However, it also provides a working framework to address many ecosystem co-benefits that affect viability of agriculture in a changing climate. Improvements to soil health increase water holding capacity, soil stability and structural integrity, and decreases nutrient and water runoff. In addition, planting herbaceous and woody plants can sequester carbon while improving pollinator habitat. These practices influence the carbon cycle, but more broadly help agriculture build resiliency to drought, water inconsistencies, and temperature variability as the climate changes.
Let's get (carbon) farming!
Climate smart agriculture encompasses management practices that increase soil carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve yields and efficiencies, and promotes climate resilience. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) supports three funding opportunities in climate smart agriculture: the Healthy Soils Program, the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program, and the Alternative Manure Management Program.
In a collaborative partnership, CDFA and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources have teamed up to support 10 community education specialists throughout the state to provide technical assistance and outreach for the climate smart agriculture programs. As one of these technical assistance providers, my role is to promote and support the adoption of these programs in Ventura County. If you are interested in working with me, please contact me at amrowe@ucanr.edu.
