b'COVER CROP CORNERWHY COVER CROPPING IS THE FUTURE OF FARMINGWITH INCREASED publicity about cover crop-ping, people are curious about future poten-tial in this area. Dr. Elaine Ingham, an American micro-biologist and soil biology researcher who co-authored the USDAs Soil Biology Primer, suggests that we have up to 1,500 years of nutrition in our soils.Kevin Elmy That is, if we just took from the soil Elmy is founder of Coverwithout adding any nutrients and were able Crops Canada. His bookto take all the plant needed, most soils will Cover Cropping in Westernbe able to supply plant growth for 1,500 Canada is availableyears. By using mulches, animal manure and through Friesen Press,compost, we will be able to extend that dra-Amazon, and digitallymatically. The way these nutrients are made through Apple Books,available is through natural weathering of the Kindle, and Google Play.soil and microbial activity. Strip cropping and fall grazing.For more info on CoverWhen we have a nutrient deficiency, we Crops Canada visitnormally have a microbial deficiency, assum-covercrops.ca ing the soil has not eroded, and it is not aforb plant group. This group today is an mobile nutrient like nitrogen. Using strategiesunder-represented group of plants that we that involve compostinga common benefituse in our cropping systems.of cover crops and intercroppingcouldDrones will be utilized to apply seed. be a good way of replacing nutrient removalThese drones will be able to test the soil beyond the soil supply capability. monitoring fungal: bacterial ratios, soil Jay Fuhrer, a USDA conservationist innitrates, soil moisture, and photosynthetic North Dakota, notes that plants literallyrates to be able to seed a multi-species cover create soil by fixing dirt, which leads to ancrop with species that are required at each active functioning ecosystem. By utilizingspot within the field. This process will be cover crops and practicing soil health princi- repeated throughout the year.ples, we can build soil health. Healthy soilsSeed coatings will allow seed to be placed will supply most if not all the nutrients thein the soil with delayed germination. This plants need. will allow a one-pass seeding of cash crop Cover crops are going to play a large roleand cover crop but allow the cash crop to get in future agriculture management. It will bea head start.the exception, rather than the rule, to see aHaving the option to turn genes on and field without a green cover crop growing.off has the potential to help cover crop plants This may require some genetic tweaking ongrow, but keep them in the vegetative stage, behalf of humans for difficult situations andnot allowing them to go to their reproductive climates (like breeding heat- and drought- stage. This would keep root exudates in a tolerant cover crops), but many current coverform that continues to feed soil biology.crops are suitable for this and widely avail- Meat animals will be on the land in con-able on the market as seed. junction with cropping systems. They will Still, breeding new generations of coverstill be managed with soil health and animal crops will become an even bigger industry.gains as targets, another tool of building soil Species will be developed either as planthealth.selections or ecovars that will be included inRome was not built overnight. Neither will blends as new species for cover crop uses.the changes that are on the horizon for cover These will come more from the perennialcropping. 44GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2021'