Farming Systems Trial (FST) Advisory Board Meeting February 2009 Rita Seidel

Main crops in 2008 Oats (organic only) Soybeans (conventional only) Corn (organic & conventional)

Oats Two entry points in both the Organic Manure (MNR) and Organic Legume (LEG) systems Drilled at 3 bu/a on April 8 th into moldboard plowed soil, variety ‘Spurs’. – MNR 1: Oats only (compost plow down as N source). – MNR 2: Oats with alfalfa/orchard grass for hay - following soybeans 14 lbs/a alfalfa + 8 lbs/a orchard grass – LEG 1: Oats only, following soybeans. – LEG 2 tilled reps: Oats only, following corn. – LEG 2 no-till reps: Oats with 15 lbs/a Nordell clover mix 2:2:1 (yellow blossom sweet clover, medium red clover, ladino white clover), following corn Harvest on July 25 th.

2008 FST Oat Yields (oat variety: Spurs)

Companion crop significantly reduced amount of weeds 2008 FST Weed Biomass in Oats

FST 2008 Oat Data

Clover after Oats in August Oats with Clover (after Corn) in July

Soybeans No soybeans in the organic rotations in Conventional beans were drilled on May 23 rd : – 4 reps into chisel plowed soil, 4 reps no-till Variety: Pioneer 93M11 (RR). Rate: 210,000/acre Post-emergence herbicide: Roundup Harvest on October 8 th. Post-harvest application of Roundup in no-till plots before winter wheat planting

2008 FST Soybean Data in the Conventional System (no significant differences between tilled and no-till)

Conventional Soybeans in August

Conventional Corn Planted May 6 th with Monosem planter (both tilled and no-till plots) Variety: Pioneer 33N58 (113-day, Bt, RR) Rate: 33,136/acre Starter fertilizer Pre- and post emergence herbicides (Degree Xtra and Callisto/Atrazine) – no Roundup was used in the corn Side-dress with UAN at 120 lbs N/a Harvest on November 19 th Corn residue was mowed Rye was planted (John Deere no-till drill) at 3 bu/a in no-till reps

Organic Tilled Corn Hairy vetch was moldboard plowed on May 15 th. Corn was planted on May 23 rd with Monosem planter Variety: Blue River 68F32 (113-day) Rate: 36,624/acre Weed management: tine weeder (2x), rotary hoe (1x), cultivator (4x) Harvest on November 19 th Corn residue was mowed and rye was planted (John Deere no-till drill) at 3 bu/a

Conv. no-till corn in July & AugustOrganic tilled corn in July & August

Organic No-till Corn Hairy vetch was rolled & corn was planted on June 16 th with Monosem planter Variety: Blue River 68F32 (113-day) Rate: 36,624/acre No cultivation Harvest on December 3 rd Corn residue was mowed and rye was planted (John Deere no-till drill) at 3 bu/a

Hairy vetch before and 2 weeks after rolling Hairy vetch mat in September

2008 FST Hairy Vetch Data (N input for corn)

2008 FST Corn Plant Population at Harvest Time Seeding rate for organic systems: 36,624/a Seeding rate for conventional systems: 33,136/a

2008 FST weed abundance in organic corn Fertility Source Manure Legume No Significant Difference

Abundance of annual vs. perennial weed species in corn Weed biomass (%) as Annual or Perennial TilledNo-Till System AnnualPerennial AnnualPerennial Manure Legume Conventional w Conventional S Weed biomass in organic systems did not increase as a result of no-till management. No-till affected systems differently leading to an increase in perennials in the organic systems, but not the conventional.

Tilled organic Annual Species Wild Buckwheat Common Ragweed Lady’s Thumb Giant Foxtail Velvetleaf PA Smartweed Giant Ragweed Smooth Crabgrass Perennial Species None No-till organic Annual Species Redroot Pigweed Hairy Galinsoga Shepherd’s Purse Common Lambsquarter Wild Radish Devil’s Beggar Tick Perennial Species Hedge Bindweed Curly Dock Yellow Wood Sorrel Canada Thistle Tilled & no-till conventional Annual Species Redroot Pigweed Large Crabgrass Common Purselane Wild Lettuce Hairy Vetch Perennial Species Common Milkweed Smooth Groundcherry Dandelion Yellow Nutsedge Weed species in corn

2008 FST Corn Data a b a b c c bu/a ab bc a c bc bc b b b b a a

Organic no-till corn never reached black layer. 113-day corn needs ~2,700 Growing Degree Days (GDD). GDD in 2008: GDD for previous 10 years Test weights of organic no-till corn was 20% lower than that of organic tilled and conventional corn: – Tilled organic & conventional: 63 lbs/bu – No-till organic: 51 lbs/bu What caused the lower yield in the organic no-till corn? CNVORG tilledORG no-till 2,7792,6462,209 May 15-Oct 31June 15-Oct 31 2,600-3,046 GDD2,265-2,566 GDD day corn day corn

Challenges in 2008 Low oat yields Probable causes: insufficient N, relatively high weed biomass in some entry points Course of action: supply more N after corn – we will test this in the legume overseeding trial Some weeds in conventional soybeans (mostly dandelion and lambsquarter) Probable cause: Herbicide was applied too late Course of action: Work more closely with our advisors to time application Low yields in organic no-till corn Cause: not enough GDD if planted in mid June Course of action: use day corn

Rotations Manure System

Legume System

Conventional System

Stale seedbed before rye Rye cover crop to be plowed in 2009 Drilled rye: 3 bu/a

Rye to be rolled for soybeans in 2009: 2 bu/a drilled, 1 bu/a walked on

Varieties for 2009 Corn: Blue River 85-day and 112-day corn for organic plots Pioneer 113-day corn for conv system (Bt, RR) – same as last year Soybeans: Blue River early Group 2 bean for organic plots (to be followed by wheat) Pioneer early Group 3 bean for conv plots (RR) – same as last year Oats: Spurs or Blaze Wheat: Seedway 50 for conv plots: locally available and tested variety, averaged 83 bu/a over last 3 years no wheat in organic systems until fall 2009 – we will wait for results from the variety trial to identify a variety for the organic systems

Satellite trials in 2009 Wheat Variety Trial 4 varieties, plus a mix of the 4 varieties, were planted on October 10, 2008: GH 4532 (Great Harvest, IN), WS 44 (Welter Seed, IA), Vigoro 9723 (Hundley Seed, IL), and W 106 (Wilken, IL) We will evaluate general plant growth and health, weed biomass and yields. Oat Variety Trial Several organic varieties have been identified and will be planted in spring 2009 Spurs, Blaze, Buckskin, Excel, Baker, Ogle, Rodeo, Esker, Robust Evaluation the same as for wheat

Compost trial to determine N availability of compost Treatments: compost application rates, compost types (or different C:N ratios) Data collection: soil samples for nitrate, yields tested in a field that had no compost application in the fall of 2008 and no over-winter vetch cover crop Corn or oats will be planted after compost application. Soil samples taken throughout the growing season, coupled with yield determination, will help us get a better understanding of in-field N availability. Satellite trials in 2009

Over-seeding of legume cover crops into corn as N source for following oats Treatments: legume species, seeding rate, seeding time, means of establishment Data collection: evaluate legume under-story, winter survival, biomass and N contribution, oat yields The legume would be plowed down in spring to serve as N source for oats, eliminating the need to plant a rye cover crop after corn. This can be tested in any tilled corn field (it will not be viable in organic no-till corn plots, due to the hairy vetch mat). Satellite trials in 2009

Questions for the Advisory Board Should we set biomass threshold levels for organic no-till system cover crops, below which we would moldboard plow? If so, what levels? Should we establish minimum levels for each soil nutrient, below which we will apply amendments? (i.e. apply K below 90 ppm or apply lime when pH is below 6.2) If so, what levels? Do you have suggestions for the satellite trials (e.g. what legumes to use, how to establish them, compost rates etc.)? Can we improve the rotations further?

The calm before the storm…