The
following is the second submission of an unedited Yeomans Keyline Plow client
Field Report as relayed to us by Mr. Dean Yancey and his wife Wanda at -
Agrotecy, Lowville, NY.
Progress of Pasture Cropping (Row Cropping on Permanent
Turf)
No-till
planting of wheat or corn into pastures is a growing trend in Australia,
Europe, and the Mid-West U.S. In the
beginning of the dry season native grasses become dormant and the wheat grows
well. Often herbicides such as gramaxone
(herbistat) retard the grasses long enough to establish the cereal crop. Eventually, the crop will shade out the
native competition. Fertilizers are necessary at first because most
agricultural land has been depleted of soil organic matter. However, after a
few years this higher yielding double crop, no-till practice restores soil
health. Fertilizer and herbicide become
less necessary. Colin Seis, Kristy Jones, et al. have developed and promoted
this practice for a decade starting in Australia.
Advantages of Pasture Cropping
Planting costs are minimal because
little tillage or removal of existing sod is necessary. Few weeds invade the narrow zones of row
crops. Annuals of most weed species are
less active in later summer months when the fast growing row crop is covering
the narrow band of tillage.Usually a first cutting of hay is removed or
pastured prior to planting. For our
area, we prefer grazing corn for early June no-till planting. Harvest it nine weeks later at the tassle
stage. Without a cob or kernel corn it furnishes low starch high energy forage
enabling dairy cows to produce more milk on less concentrate diets. This is the goal of progressive farmers
seeking lower feeding costs and better herd health.
After harvesting the summer row crop,
the forage grasses reestablish with no need to plant a cover crop. Sorghum x
sudan hybrid, sudan grass, millet, or sweet corn could be planted in the crop
rotation. These crops are rapid humus
builders when planted into hayfields.
Each can release hundreds of pounds of sugar per acre to feed soil microbes
that rebuild humus. Healthy soil reduces
cost for pest and disease control. The corn population need be only half the
normal to cover expenses. Risk of losing
money in poor weather is very low because costs are minimized. A half-crop
yield is sufficient to cover harvest costs.
Grazing these crops reduces harvest
costs and nutrients are returned without any equipment needed. Humus builds fastest in this case. Soil
structure, water and nutrient holding capacity ,drainage, and tilth are improved.
Hilly or stony land even where growing seasons are short can be valuable for
pasture cropping. Erosion from minimal tillage on permanent turf is little
problem. We prefer to plant in contour
curves around the ridges. In the keyline
method most contours will slope gradually to transfer rainfall to adjacent
ridges avoiding transport of soil downhill. We use a Yeoman plow to subsoil,
aerate, and plant simultaneously in a keyline contour pattern. Most fertilizer
or compost is broadcast before planting. Some starter fertilizer is applied
with the Yeoman plow-planter. This plow has wear-resistant shanks and
points. The wear parts are cheaply
replaced. The soil contact parts are
aerodynamic in shape and slide through the soil with minimal friction and
disturbance of soil structure. We find ten horse power per shank is sufficient
unless deep hardpans are being fractured. In fact several horses could pull one
shank. Operating costs (fuel,
maintenance, parts, labor) are reasonable.
While planting the shanks are set to
desired depth for aeration. A V-shaped
wing knife attached to the rear of a shank is adjusted to plow a foot-wide zone
while seed is being dropped ahead of the knife point. The knife slices off
roots and rolls back a three inch layer of sod. Germination was great during
the drought June 2011. The plow shanks
penetrate bone dry sod easily, unlike conventional no-till planters. Few machines are required. Grandpa almost had
enough horse-drawn implements to do pasture cropping. This method of farming can
quickly supply the crop demanded by changing markets. A hayfield or pasture can be converted to a
cereal or vegetable crop, then left alone to revert back to grass as the market
demands. Round baling of Master’s Choice
BMR grazing corn can be a challenge. It
dries down slowly. However, growing
grass between the rows simplified harvest.
The grass dries much quicker than green corn stalks. Cows milk well on the combination. Harvesting the crop before late fall rains
reduces mud problems. Working on sod with dump trucks, round balers, and
mid-sized tractors is gentle on the soil and machinery.
Environmentalists support this farming
method. Carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere is sequestered as soil organic matter when plant residue and roots
are quickly converted into humus by active microbial population in healthy
soils. Erosion is nil while producing
grain crops. Nutrient run-off is avoided
protecting aquatic systems. Dependency on imported petroleum is greatly reduced
with less need of fuel fertilizer and pesticide. Organic farmers can use this method with
compost only. No winter cover crop need
be plowed into the soil to maintain fertility.
Nature has built the most productive crop land with a commingling of
grasses, legumes, and grazing animals. Cereal crops including corn grew
throughout the grassland before man’s presence.
Pasture cropping can be challenging
where soils are depleted and fertility or rainfall is inadequate for crops like
corn. With time, the build-up of humus improves both fertility and water
retention. Is grass a competitor to corn
like any weed would be? No, grass is fed
to cattle along with the corn. It is not a weed. It’s a healthy combination for cattle diets,
easy to harvest for disc mowers, rakes,
and round balers. The corn is planted in
tilled shallowly plowed zones of about one foot width and four feet spacing on
center. It takes a few weeks for the
grasses to send new roots into the plowed zone. By then the grazing corn has
established well. Pre-starter fertilizer
in the corn row helps in the competition.
The corn seems to compete with adjacent corn stalks more than the grass
does. In fact, the tallest corn at harvest is found amongst the tallest grass
where soil productivity is higher.
Pasture cropping can utilize heavy
applications of manure without excessive nutrient buildup and danger of
nutrient run-off. Manure can be kept closer to the barn. Even hilly fields can be utilized. The aeration while planting improves
infiltration of liquid manure. Pasture
cropping methods should be tried for reestablishing alfalfa in hayfields where
it has nearly disappeared. The narrow
zone plowing mixes much dirt to three or four inch depth. This reduces lingering allopathic toxins left
by the alfalfa roots. Seed dropped
behind the plow knife should establish nicely on suitable soils for alfalfa.
Other crops of interest for hayfield
planting could include oil seed (sunflower, soy bean, canola) teff grass for a
summer horse hay market, forage brassicas for increased grazing capacity from
May to December; sugar crops, fiber, and textile crops etc. These experiments should be top priority for
us.
Dean Yancey
Lowville, New York
June 4, 2012
