Discover how injecting manure into growing cover crops can revolutionize corn production while mitigating environmental impact. This innovative approach offers a win-win solution for farmers seeking to boost yields and reduce pollution.
Unlocking the Power of Manure
Nitrogen is an essential ingredient for crops to grow, but when it leaves the soil, too much of it can meet disturbances in the environment. Dairy farmers have used manure in the Northeastern United States as a fertilizer for years, but managing this resource has been one of their greatest struggles.
The problem is that traditionally farmers have had to pick between spreading manure earlier in the spring, risking ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions, or waiting till once the cover crop has been terminated, which boosts likelihood of nitrogen runoff. But a new study led by agricultural scientists at Penn State has found a possible long-term solution: injecting manure into fall-planted cover crops as a liquid slurry early the next spring, soon after the ground thaws
A Better Way to Grow Corn
What they discovered was that by injecting manure into a live cover crop early in the spring, nitrous oxide emissions could be reduced an eye-popping 55 percent compared to the practice of applying manure after the cover crop has been killed. This approach not only reduces the environmental footprint from dairy farming, it also preserves those limited corn yields that are critical to farmers.
In this innovative strategy, cover crops are central. They capture unnecessary nutrients when the summer annual crop leaves the field, prevent soil erosion, enhance soil structure and they even suppress weeds. When researchers applied manure to the field alongside the cover crop, they were able to synchronize the effects of both, providing a win-win for farmers and for the environment.
Conclusion
The results of our study point to an attractive win-win outcome for dairy farmers: they can benefit from environmentally friendly farming practices that are not just conducive to higher crop yields but also help in mitigating the drivers of greenhouse gas change. With the benefits of manure injection and cover cropping comes a great stride forward in more sustainable and productive agriculture —good for any farm’s ecosystem.
