Cover Cropping,
Soil Health Workshop slated for March 6 in Lubbock AgriLife experts to weigh
possible pros and cons
LUBBOCK – Cover cropping, the
practice of planting a crop to prevent soil erosion and add organic matter,
will be the focus of a workshop conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. March 6 at the Texas A&M
AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock.
The center is located at 1102 East
Farm-to-Market Road 1294 (exit 11 on I-27 north of Lubbock International
Airport).
Individual registration is $30.
RSVP to the AgriLife Extension office in Lubbock at 806-775-1740 is requested
by March 4.
“Testimonials abound concerning the
potential benefits to cover crop use,” said Mark Brown, AgriLife Extension
agent in Lubbock County. “But with our limited water resources, will the
practice work on the South Plains? With that in mind, the goal of this program
is to bring forth information to start the validation process necessary to
determine whether the benefits outweigh the costs of cover cropping under our
growing conditions.”
Dr. Calvin Trostle, AgriLife
Extension agronomist at Lubbock said regional producers realize cover crops
would use significant amounts of water, so he said it is natural to determine
if the practice is even permissible under current water use guidelines.
“It’s a practice used mostly where
there is much more rainfall than we have here,” Trostle said. “Will it work
here? Would the water needed to grow cover crops be detrimental to our cropping
system? What are the potential long-term benefits for soil improvement? And do
tillage options affect cover cropping? These questions and more are the focus
of this workshop where we will attempt to take a pragmatic look at the pros and
cons of cover cropping, and at a minimum, identify components of cover cropping
that could enhance South Plains crop production.”
Brown said speakers will include
staff from AgriLife, Texas Tech University, U.S. Department of
Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service and several area producers
who have initiated cover cropping on part of their land.
“The exchange of ideas among
attendees, coupled with research and demonstration work conducted by AgriLife
will help us identify aspects of cover cropping that may be beneficial to the
region,” Trostle said.
For more information contact Brown at 806-778-1740, mark.brown@agnet.tamu.edu or Trostle
at 806-746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu
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