Winter cover crops plentiful, thanks to good fall weather

Dec 29, 2016

By Brian Higgins,

Some farmers on P.E.I. have a lot of green in their fields this winter.

They're seeding winter cover crops to reduce soil erosion and improve productivity.

Good weather this fall has allowed one farmer to plant more than ever.

P.E.I. potato farmers seeing 'very good' crops

"This year, being a warmer fall, we even extended our seeding season of the winter wheat until October the 18 this year, which was about 10 days longer than normal," said potato farmer Melis Visser.

Visser put in 600 acres of winter wheat this fall and about 1,100 acres of other cover crops — most of the land he farms in and around Victoria, P.E.I.

"We do it for a few reasons. The biggest reason, holding the soil," said Visser. "Also it picks up the nutrients that are left from a potato crop for our winter wheat, and it helps with the crop rotation in the spring that some of the field work is already done."

Some of the crops, including oats, will be disked back into the soil in the spring, according to Visser. Winter wheat will be harvested next summer and sold.

Source: CBC

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