Along the Mad River Valley this fall, a green hue, not normally so
apparent in November, covered most of the cornfields visible from Route
100B. Thanks to efforts by Mad River Valley dairy farmers and an organic
vegetable grower, a winter rye cover crop provided soil cover within
weeks after the fall crops were removed on over 165 acres.
The intention of the cover cropping initiative is to change land management
practices historically used in the Valley by offering an incentive payment
to completely cover the practice costs, provide technical support, educational
materials, and assistance in the search for custom cropping options
and bulk seed company rates. The project is part of the longer-term
Mad River Buffer and Filter Strip Initiative, funded through an EPA
319 Water Quality grant, which has so far produced 49 acres of installed
grass filter strips, over 7 acres of forested riparian buffers planted
with native vegetation, and 1740 linear feet of stabilized stream bank
along the Mad River.
Winter rye will survive through the harsh weather and undergo vigorous
regrowth in the spring. The rye can then be tilled into the soil as green
manure, enhancing soil quality and producing a natural slow release nutrient
supply for the growing season, or it can be chopped and removed as a straw
crop and used for mulching or bedding. It enables soil retention by preventing
erosion from water and wind and improves soil tilth as the roots aerate
the soil.
Winter rye inhibits or slows the growth of other nearby plants by releasing
natural toxins or allelochemicals and takes up nitrogen, phosphorus,
potassium, magnesium and calcium. For most crop fields along surface
waters like the Mad River that receive manure or commercial fertilizer
each year, this nutrient uptake helps keep excessive nutrients from
leaching into groundwater or running off into rivers and streams. If
reincorporated into the soil, the rye plant can then slowly release
these nutrients to the next summer's corn or vegetable crop.
Understanding that dairy farmers often find it difficult to add an
additional practice to their already busy fall season, this program
is being coordinated by the Winooski NRCD, which purchased the seeds
and contracted with local farmer Elwin Neill for the planting. The successful
implementation of this project is a tribute to the dedication of agricultural
producers in the Mad River Valley to work cooperatively with each other,
WNRCD, other non-profits like Friends of the Mad River, and a crop service
company, Lawes Agricultural Services, Inc. to improve the quality of
soil and water.
The District plans to work with the seven producers in the Valley
for the next two years in continuing the cover cropping at minimal cost
to the farmers, so that the benefits will be firmly in place to encourage
farmers to continue the practice on their own.
To learn more about the benefits of cover cropping, contact Abbey Willard
and the WNRCD office at 828-4493 x 110.
