Organic farming

But the proof, of course, is in the field performance. Although the 2003 crop yield and weed biomass data have yet to be analyzed (at this writing the soybeans are still in the field), Matt Ryan reports that “everyone was really, really impressed with how well this [system] worked.” Part of this year’s improvement was due to the new Monosem planter, which makes a narrower planting strip in the cover-crop residue and thus minimizes the potential weed zone. But the roller was the star of the show. Moyer estimates that they got “at least a 90% knockdown” with the new setup; and the roller easily handled tough cover crop combinations, like hairy vetch and rye, which caused lots of problems with the stalk chopper. “The only change we might make is to add some tractor weights to the frame” of the roller, says Brubaker, since they found that in the toughest field conditions for knockdown–a very dense stand of cover, on a dry soil–the implement wasn’t quite heavy enough even when filled with water.

Different types of cover crop also handle somewhat differently beneath the planter, and another refinement the team plans to make next year for vetch covers is to put small tires angled around the planting row after the seed drop, to nudge the plant material back over the exposed area. For the small grain covers, they used toothed cultivator-type wheels for this purpose, but the easily-snagged vetch needs something soft and blunt. Ryan also suggests that if possible, small grain covers should be planted perpendicular to the direction of the main crop, so that the 6-inch drill spacings will be less likely to get exposed in the knockdown process.

After planting, a few weeds did eventually get through the mulch, but for the most part these were delayed enough in their growth that they posed no competitive threat to the crop. “It’s important to remember that beyond a certain point, weed control becomes strictly a beautification process,” Moyer emphasizes. “Small weeds are not going to affect your crop yields.” To handle the occasional aggressive interloper in the no-till field, Moyer and his crew did a quick and dirty trial of vinegar as an herbicide, tacking some shields onto a two-row sprayer and running through a few rows of the soybeans. “It would have worked better if we’d sprayed the vinegar earlier,” says Moyer, “but you can see it did have an effect.” (USDA researchers John Teasdale and others have published initial experimental results of using vinegar as an organic herbicide www.barc.usda.gov/anri/sasl/vinegar.html.)

For next year, The Rodale Institute researchers are planning a more rigorous experimental trial to test the performance of the no-till system versus plow-till. There’s been some talk of submitting a patent application for the new roller design, but Brubaker waves off such commercialism and Moyer stresses that despite its initial success, the tool is still in the prototype stage. “There’s a lot of tinkering that could be done,” he notes. “Maybe the blades should be serrated, or sharpened, or every other one should be twice as high. Or we might be able to plant on 15-inch rows instead of 30, since a lot of the reason to have wider rows is so you can cultivate.” Seeding rates on the cover crops could also be adjusted for different results. Interest in the implement is mounting, however. “Jeff told me he’s already gotten a request for one,” says Brubaker. “I don’t have that much time with my own farming, but I haven’t said no.”

The organic no-till system has at least two potential groups of farmers it might interest: conventional farmers who are already doing no-till, and organic or sustainable farmers who are already working with cover crops. Ryan notes that for those already using covers, the barrier to trying no-till is finding the right equipment–and the new roller design could help with that. But for Moyer, the most exciting thing about developing this new method is that it “really opens the door to conventional farmers. When I talk to conventional farmers, they say, ‘I’d be ready to think about organic if it could be no-till.’ They all got rid of their moldboard plows years ago.” He even points out that conventional farmers could incorporate cover crops into their no-till systems while continuing to spot spray with herbicides or plant Roundup Ready soybeans. After all, the new roller is just a tool; and for conventional farmers to convert to organic is a big step.

“Farmers are business men–they need to have a business plan in place to make a change like this, they need to talk to their banker, to their families, really think it over.” For that group, Moyer recommends trying out the system on a small field at first–perhaps a rented field belonging to a landlord wanting to see a reduction in chemical use. “A lot of the farmers around here farm rented ground,” Moyer notes, “and that land base is dwindling” as the owners give in and sell off to developers. “So the farmers are saying to themselves, I need to figure out how to make the same amount of money on half as much land. Going organic could help them do that.”