Reducing Tillage in Mid-Atlantic Organic Grain Production.

Organic corn and soybean producers in the mid-Atlantic region are interested in developing reduced-tillage organic systems that would combine the soil protecting capacity of conventional no-tillage systems with the soil building capacity of organic systems. While continuous organic no-till is not currently a production option, rotational tillage through perennial forage cropping, grazing, or reducing tillage frequency and intensity (depth and degree of soil inversion) are important strategies for achieving these goals. This presentation will focus on cover crop-based strategies for reducing annual tillage in corn and soybean. Recent development of a system for planting crops without tillage into a mat of cover crop residue flattened by a roller/crimper has helped operationalize the potential to achieve reduced-tillage organic grain production.  However, inability to consistently control weeds is a major constraint to adoption of no-till planting systems in organic farming because of the inability to use synthetic herbicides which are largely responsible for the success of conventional no-tillage systems.  In the case of corn, fertility management is also a critical constraint. The shift to high residue systems also creates preferential habitats for many seed and seedling feeding herbivores. Finally, cover crop management for optimal performance and crop rotation integration represents a new critical challenge to the overall success of the production system. Our multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary team is addressing these system constraints and challenges.