Cover Cropping on the Canadian Prairies: A Mixed Methods Study to Gain Understanding of Cover Crop Agronomic Practices Among Farmers

Cover crops (CC) can provide multiple benefits to farmers and society by reducing greenhouse gases, improving soil health and regional biodiversity, increase climate resiliency, and provide ecosystem services. However, currently within the Canadian Prairie agriculture systems, the recent use of CC is limited with upwards of 100,000 acres seeded. Farmer responses in previous surveys indicated they need more information of CC agronomy and performance to support incorporating CC into their farming systems. The objective of this research is to collect and relate important factors regarding CC use: practices, producer goals, challenges, performance, and benefits through a survey and interviews with Prairie farmers that have grown CC. Analysis between two subgroups; farmers with livestock vs farmers without livestock; and semiarid vs subhumid Prairie regions was completed. A key learning was that there were general similarities in CC goals, challenges and benefits across the Prairies, despite identified differences in production type or geography, a finding supported by the interviews. Common goals included, but not limited to, increasing soil organic matter and biodiversity, providing additional grazing for livestock, and reducing cash crop inputs. CC species and crop rotations are similar across the Prairies. Common challenges are found with fertility and residue management, CC stand establishment, and crop rotations. Farmers have built confidence in the benefits of CC through improved water retention, reduced soil erosion, reductions in cash crop inputs, and additional grazing opportunities. A new finding is that farmers are taking advantage of volunteers and letting them grow as a CC. Additional research to further substantiate findings in this project regarding the use of volunteers as a CC, evaluation of nitrogen impacts on grazing, CC impacts on SOM, and CC residue management, will bring further value to Prairie farmers.

Author dc:creator

• Holzman, Jodi

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• McConkey, Brian

• School of environment and sustainability

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/ir-19882

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/28277