While there are many benefits of organic agriculture, one of the potential downsides can be the frequent requirement for tillage, in particular during the soybean production phase. Excessive tillage is known to have negative impacts on soil structure and soil health as a whole. In an effort to reduce the tillage requirement for combating weeds in organic soybean production in Ontario, Jake Munroe, Soil Management Specialist for Field Crops, with support from the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), has been looking at utilizing crimped cereal rye as a weed-suppressive mulch during the growing season. This is a concept that has been thoroughly studied by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Maddison and implemented on farms in the United States; however, it is not currently a widely used method in Ontario organic agriculture. This two-year trial has evaluated crimped cereal rye in organic soybean production on several small plots, as well as in collaboration with growers who are trying the system on their farms. In this three-part video series, we will take a look at how the system works as a whole, and hear from two of the on-farm cooperators who have been implementing this system on their farms.
The first video in this series features Jake Munroe explaining cover crop-based organic no-till soybean production and how it has been implemented in the OSCIA trials. A key tool to enable cover crop-based organic no-till is a roller crimper, a large drum with metal strips affixed to it in a chevron pattern, that is used to terminate the rye and lay it down flat. With this method of termination, it is important to avoid cutting the plant stems, which can allow for rye re-growth. Soybeans can either be planted into standing cereal rye or following rye crimping, although it is recommended to have sharp openers and effective closing wheels for optimal results.
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