REAPING THE BENEFITS OF UNDER SEEDED RED COVER IN WHEAT

Feb 12, 2020

It's time to setup our 2020 crop plans! One of the most important things we can do is look at ways to improve the health of our soils while making our fields more productive.

Making crop plans for fields already planted into Winter Wheat is the next step to make sure we can optimize yields with proper inputs and improve soil health with cover crops.

Planting a cover crop such as red clover is one of the easiest ways to reap the benefits of this very common crop. Many of us have under seeded clover into our wheat crops in the past, some with excellent results and some not so great. Let’s go over the benefits clover has to offer from a soil health, rotational aspects as well some tips to help zero in on the proper time to plant, and the benefits clover adds to your crop rotation.

Picking the correct clover

The two main red clovers that are used are single cut and double cut. The seed will germinate well under lower temperature which makes it a great fit for frost seeding into your winter wheat stand in the early spring. Single cut is slower growing, takes approximately two weeks longer to mature than double-cut, does not flower in seeding year and is more drought tolerant. Double cut can also be a great for soil conditioning. When both clovers are left to grow until mid-October the differences in total biomass are negligible.

Click here to see more...

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.