Cover Crop and Relay Intercropping Field Day Near Crawfordsville

By Andi Anderson

Iowa Learning Farms will host a free Cover Crop, Relay Intercropping, and Water Quality Field Day near Crawfordsville, Iowa, on Thursday, November 6, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Iowa State University Southeast Research Farm.

The event is open to farmers and landowners at no cost and includes a complimentary meal.

Relay intercropping is a system where three crops are grown in two years, offering both environmental and financial benefits. “In a relay intercropping system, where three crops are grown in two years, benefits include a marketable small grain for use as a cover crop and additional winter cereal rye growing following corn harvest revenue for the farmer,” said Liz Ripley, conservation and cover crop outreach specialist with Iowa Learning Farms. She added that this practice, similar to cover cropping, helps reduce soil erosion, suppress weeds, and decrease nutrient runoff into water bodies, while also improving soil organic matter and providing livestock forage.

Mark Licht, associate professor and cropping systems specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will lead a discussion on relay intercropping research conducted at the farm.

Attendees will also tour cover crop demonstration plots guided by Cody Schneider, ISU Southeast Research Farm manager, and Mila Victorio Pessotto, ISU Department of Agronomy postdoctoral research associate, who will share best management practices.

Ripley will additionally present updates on a smart agricultural drainage project led by ISU researchers, exploring how improved water management benefits soil and crop systems.

The event will take place at 3115 Louisa-Washington Road, Crawfordsville, Iowa, 52621. Attendees are asked to RSVP by October 30 by contacting Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu. Participants will be entered into a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey.

The field day is supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, in partnership with the Iowa State University Southeast Research Farm and funded through a USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant and a National Science Foundation award. For more details, visit the Iowa Learning Farms website.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-mvburling