The drought monitor report as of Tuesday, Oct. 15 shows a continued deterioration in drought conditions for the state. Barton County is still entirely in moderate drought. The six to ten-day outlook (Oct. 22 to 26) indicates a 70 to 80% chance of likely above normal for temperatures and normal for precipitation. The eight to 14-day outlook (Oct. 24 to 30) indicates a 50 to 60% chance of likely above normal for temperatures and near normal for precipitation.
With our dry, and until recently, hot weather, harvest has proceeded rapidly. Some producers feeling especially lucky have planted wheat into soybean, corn, and even some grain sorghum fields - hopefully, where practical no-till was used. Feeling lucky since we have a lack of soil moisture. Next June, some will plant soybeans or grain sorghum into a recently harvested wheat field. Double-cropping is a common practice here. With timely rains and adequate soil moisture, it can work well. The theory is good but reality often dictates otherwise.
Challenges producers face in our area are several fold. One is often a lack of, or very variable, soil moisture conditions. Another is a lack of nutrient holding capacity. A third is concern over wind and water erosion. These problems while throughout the area, are worse south of the river on the sandy soils. We need to find a way to alleviate these problems.
One potential way, instead of double cropping or leaving fields devoid of vegetation to store moisture, is cover cropping. Something gaining in popularity is cover cropping. Not a new topic, but something worth considering in a changing climate. The simplest definition is “a crop planted for the protection and enrichment of the soil.” It may be killed and left on the soil surface or incorporated into the soil. Some producers will graze it.
A special type of cover is a green manure crop worked into the soil while actively growing. No matter how you do it, the idea is that over time, you will increase the content of stable organic matter, humus. As the cover crop is broken down, it is a food source for microbes and the will release nutrients from it such as nitrogen, sulfur and potassium in an inorganic form available to the crop.
Humus improves water and nutrient holding capacity, soil structure, and can improve the infiltration of precipitation. If left to accumulate on the soil surface it acts as a vapor barrier to decrease evaporation and protect the soil from wind and water erosion. Cover crops also aid in weed suppression and keep soil cooler in the summer. And research has shown that fallow ground isn’t terribly effective in storing soil moisture. Under the best circumstances only about one-third of the precipitation.
Dr. Victor L. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for Barton Community College. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.
