OPTIMIZING TILLAGE AND COVER CROPS FOR SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SCALE ORGANIC VEGETABLE FARMS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1013971
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2017
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2021
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
ITHACA,NY 14853

Performing Department
Horticulture

Non Technical Summary
Organic farming practices are expanding across the Northeast. In NY, the number of certified organic farms has increased from 597 (2011) to 934 (2015) and there are now over 1000 certified organic vegetable farms in the Northeast. Organic produce sales have increased by 10.5% from 2014-15 nationwide and there is growing demand for local, organic production to serve regional markets. There is great potential to increase local production but growers face important challenges improving soil health and ensuring long-term productivity.Given the high value of organic vegetable crops and the short growing season in the Northeast and upper Midwest, growers in these regions have traditionally relied upon intensive and frequent soil tillage to develop a clod-free, weed-free seed bed. Deep moldboard plowing followed by passes with a disc harrow, or rototilling on small farms, are common practice. While some tillage is important to vegetable crops, excessive tillage is detrimental to long-term soil quality, contributing to losses of soil organic matter, nutrients and soil erosion. Organic farmers attempt to balance the degrading effects of tillage with the soil-improving benefits of cover crops, compost and animal manures. However, land-limited producers have few windows of opportunity for cover cropping, and many mid- to large-scale growers do not have sufficient local sources of organic soil amendments.Despite growing interest in progressive reduced tillage (RT) practices, farmers find little guidance on RT suitable to organic production, especially the large numbers of beginning or transitioning farmers wishing to follow organic practices. They need solutions that successfully balance crop productivity, costs, soil health, and labor requirements to achieve profitability. This project fills that gap by identifying profitable and sustainable practices that enhance soil health and resilience to climate change for organic vegetable production on all scales.Many small-scale organic vegetable growers opt to grow in permanent beds. Fields are divided into beds where tire traffic and compaction is restricted to alleyways, year after year. Beds are then often intensively tilled using rototillers. An alternative to tillage is using opaque plastic tarps for weed control. In this case, black plastic tarps are applied to the soil and then removed prior to planting a crop, to smother emerging weeds and warm soils. Tarps may be left in place on the soil for a few weeks to the full winter. Tarps represent a very low cost strategy to reduce tillage and labor costs on very small farms, less than 5 acres. However documentation of labor, equipment and fuel savings plus changes to weed pressure and crop productivity is needed to support greater adoption of tarping systems by small organic vegetable farmers. We will evaluate the efficacy of different tarping practices for controlling weeds and identify RT strategies that integrate tarps and cover crops to minimize residue and nutrient management challenges. On medium to large sized farms, farmers can use zone tillage (ZT) equipment to target their tillage to a narrow strip where the crop will be planted. Growers may till only the top few inches of soil (shallow ZT) or include a shank to break up compacted soil layers at 8-20" (deep ZT or DZT). The untilled area between-row maintains the environmental benefits of no-till, such as improved water infiltration and retention, organic matter retention, and decreased erosion. This provides economic benefits compared to conventional tillage, including reduced fuel use and labor costs and improved labor efficiency. Organic growers need more information on strategies to integrate cover crops while controlling weeds and improving soil fertility in zone tillage systems. We will compare cover crop combinations and practices for both early season and summer vegetables to optimize zone tillage practices for organic growers.Through our research and extension efforts, this work supports the long-term viability of vegetable farms in NY by identifying profitable and sustainable practices that enhance soil health and resilience to climate change for organic vegetable production on all scales.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
102	0110	1060	60%
102	0199	1140	40%

Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
0110 - Soil; 0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems); 1140 - Weed science;

Keywords

soil health

reduced tillage

cover crops

organic vegetables

Goals / Objectives
Our goal is to support the long-term viability of vegetable farms in NY by identifying profitable and sustainable practices that enhance soil health and resilience to climate change for organic vegetable production on all scales. Through our research and extension efforts we expect to reach 300 growers by 2020 (100 per year), 200 will improve their knowledge of reduced tillage or cover crop practice, and 50 growers will adopt some new form of improved soil health practice on their farm.Objectives1. Develop alternative reduced tillage strategies (tarping, mulching) that decrease weed pressure, improve labor efficiency, and maintain high productivity of vegetables2. Evaluate practices that combine tarping and overwintering cover crops for early termination of cover crops without tillage while improving residue and weed management, and increasing soil fertility.3. Evaluate zone and shallow tillage practices in winter-killed cover crops to improve residue management and flexibility for early season direct seeded crop establishment and productivity.4. Develop strategies to manage high biomass cover crop residue (cut and carry, mulch in-place), reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve labor efficiency for deep zone tillage in late planted transplanted vegetables.

Project Methods
Objective 1. Tarping to reduced tillage. We will build on our current work with opaque plastic tarps. In our past research, tarps were placed in the field for either 6 weeks or the full winter (November to May) and did suppress weeds and enhance soil fertility. To improve flexibility and optimize tarp management, we will test different lengths of tarp application to optimize crop growth, soil fertility and weed management in direct seeded beets (cultivar 'Boro').Each fall, the experimental trials will be seeded to non-hardy oat/field pea cover crop. In the spring, tarps will be applied at three times (3, 6 and 10 weeks) prior to planting. Each season, tarping will be tested for two crop planting dates (late May and mid-June). Crops will be established within 1 week of tarp removal. Control no-till and full tillage treatments will have an oat/pea cover crop residue that is cultivated twice (3 and 6 weeks prior to planting) with a field cultivator to control weeds. Weed management during the season will vary based upon treatment, but avoid deep soil disturbance. Supplemental sidedress nitrogen (N) will be applied to ½ of each plot after sampling soils 3 weeks after planting.Treatment effects on soil and crop development will be assessed with the following measures: soil moisture, soluble N (at tarp removal, 3 weeks after planting and at harvest), soil temperature (continuous for all treatments starting with application of first tarps 10 weeks prior to planting), weeds counts and biomass (at tarp removal, 3 weeks after planting and at harvest) and crop quality and marketable yield. In addition, labor hours spent on all field operations (i.e. hand weeding) will be tracked for all treatments for use to create partial enterprise budgets for comparison of costs.Objective 2. Tarping combined with overwintering cover crops. Overwintering cover crops provide a significant benefit to soil health by maintaining winter soil cover, capturing nitrogen, and adding green biomass to the soil in the spring with termination. In organic systems, termination of these cover crops can be accomplished by intensive moldboard plowing early in the season or for an RT system- mowing at cover crop physiological maturity. Waiting until cover crop maturity for termination, however, presents a challenge due to potential high amounts of crop residue left on the surface of the soil. In an RT system, this residue can interfere with planting and cultivation. While the cover crop residue can serve as a mulch to delay weed emergence, the quantities generated are rarely sufficient for season-long weed control.We will investigate the use of tarps to facilitate early termination of an overwintering cover crop without tillage. Factors expected to impact efficacy of cover crop termination are total biomass and physiological maturity at time of mowing / tarping. Two levels of biomass will be created by using two fall planting dates for cover crops. Cereal rye (120 lb/a standard rate) and winter wheat (100 lb/a) will be planted on two dates (Sept 15 and Oct 15). In the spring, cover crop plots will be mowed just prior to application of tarps, targeting 6, 4 and 2 weeks prior to a planting date of June 1. Control treatments will be mowed but have no tarps applied.Biomass for each cover crop will be recorded just prior to mowing, at tarp removal, and again 3 weeks after tarp removal. All plots will be zone tilled and planted to a direct seeded crop (e.g beets) to assess crop emergence and growth rates. Subsequent weed emergence (counts and biomass) and cover crop regrowth (biomass) will be assessed at 3 and 6 weeks after tarp removal. Two mechanical cultivation operations will be performed. Plant population and root quality and yield will be assessed as a measure of overall tillage system performance.Objective 3. Reduced tillage for early planted vegetables. We will test shallow full width (2-3 in), shallow zone, and deep zone tillage in different winter killed cover crops planted alone and in mixture for production of early-planted vegetables. Practices will be evaluated for improvements in spring direct-seeded crop establishment, weed control and crop performance while minimizing soil disturbance. We are particularly interested in the potential for tillage radish to provide "tillage" benefits similar to deep strip-tillage, thereby reducing tillage costs, providing an alternative to heavy zone tillage equipment, and improving soils. We will seed four cover crop treatments (none, oats, tillage radish and mix) in mid-August to ensure adequate biomass (sampled in late fall) prior to winter-kill. In spring, three reduced tillage strategies (shallow full width, shallow zone, deep zone) will be applied across the cover crop mixes. Beets will be direct seeded into these plots as an early spring crop. Weed emergence at seeding and harvest as well as crop emergence, stand and yield will be assessed to compare among combinations of cover crop and tillage strategy.Objective 4. Cover crop mulching for zone tillage. We will compare management strategies for over-wintering cover crops for high residue (grass and legume) that are optimized for zone tilled transplanted vegetables (likely Brassicas). We will investigate three management practices: mowed and left in place as mulch, a "cut and carry" approach that removes top-growth, and conventional tillage with repeated mowing. We will also evaluate strip planting cover crops to improve zone tillage performance in high residues. This method involves segregating cover crop mixes in and out of the crop row to maximize legume nitrogen in the row and grass cover crop biomass between rows.Cover crops to be tested include cereal rye and hairy vetch mixed, rye and crimson clover mixed, strip planted rye between rows and vetch or clover in 15 inch strips over planting row, and strip planted rye without any legume in row. Each cover crop treatment will include subplot with and without fertilizer nitrogen (40 lb actual N acre, bloodmeal) applied as a sidedress 4 weeks after transplanting, to evaluate the potential for cover crop mixtures to provide adequate N to developing crop. Other measures will include cover crop biomass, weed counts and biomass, labor and equipment hours, soil moisture and nitrogen availability three times during season, weed pressure, crop yields and enterprise partial budgets.Research results will be summarized for publication in 2019 and 2020. Summer field days will highlight progress on research for the organic vegetable industry, in collaboration with NOFA NY. In addition, results will be summarized for presentation each year at various grower winter meetings. Each winter, we will host webinars to share research findings with growers across the country. We will develop evaluations for educational programs offered to assess knowledge gained and the potential for impacting on-farm practices. We will capture change in knowledge, attitudes, and intentions and then follow up directly with participants after 6 months to understand changes to practice.

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:This project has targeted organic farmers in New York (NY) that are interested in transitioning to reduced tillage (RT) practices. We investigated multiple RT strategies to reach both mid-scale and small-scale vegetable operations (<15 acres). This project reached farmers through grower meetings and conferences offered across the state, the Northeast region, and the US and Canada. Details on these activities are presented in the accomplishments section in this report. Over the course of this project, we partnered with NY organizations to host grower meetings and conference workshops, including the Northeast Organic Farm Association of NY (NOFA-NY), Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), the Glynwood Center for Food and Farming, the NYS Vegetable Growers Association, the Cornell Soil Health Program, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). To expand our reach regionally, we worked with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors (BC, Canada), the New England Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (NEFVGA), and the Northeast Cover Crop Council (NECCC). This project built off a previously funded USDA-OREI project with collaborators in Michigan State University and the University of Maine (2014-2019) and leveraged a NESARE Research and Education grant (2020-2022) in partnership with the University of Maine. These institutions have analogous audiences in their respective states and our partnership complements our research and extension efforts to reach growers across the northern US region. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Over fouryears, we organized and/or presented at 43 educational events reaching 1,975farmer and educator participants (some attending multiple events) sharing both RT research results and farmer experiences. Among these events, we held a series of intensive, day-long farmer to farmer workshops in NY and ME in the fall of 2019, Tarping for Reduced Tillage in Small-Scale Vegetable Systems, targeting farmers interested in adopting or improving tarping practices on their farm (3 workshops: 112 total attendees). Workshops were designed with two primary goals: 1) learn how we can use tarping to overcome barriers to reducing tillage in vegetables while managing weeds and improving soil health, and 2) identify specific changes we can make to farm management in the next year resulting in reduced tillage, better weed management, and greater profitability. Each workshop agenda followed a similar general format with presentations by a combination of researchers and invited farmer presentations followed small group breakouts/activities based on topic. Content was structure into three general topical areas: 1) tarping as a RT and NT management tool; 2) Weed management and tarp tactics; and 3) Tarps and soil building. Workshops were designed and facilitated using a Dialogue Education (DE) approach to engage farmers in new information/ideas followed by facilitated small group discussion to integrate ideas, share concerns, and identify additional information needed. We began each workshop with an inventory of current tarping practices/goals and prioritizing issues to discuss through the day. The workshop ended with an individual exercise to give farmers the opportunity to outline changes to farm management using tarping. This template is being used to support farmers in trialing new practices on their farm. Overall, this workshop approach balanced new information with discussion to gives farmer time to think though and talk about new tarping strategies.Evaluations from workshops gathered feedback on knowledge gained, specific new ideas learned, and tarping ideas for the coming year. A total of 78 evaluations were collected representing 70% of attendees, with a majority (65) representing farmers. Sixty five percent of responses rated the overall quality of the workshops as "Excellent" and another 30% rated it as "Good". Evaluations collected metrics on the amount of knowledge gained based on farmer knowledge before the workshop (1 to 5 rating). For example, in ENY, before the workshop 14% of participants had either a moderate amount or a lot of knowledge (4 or 5 rating) on the logistics of tarping and after the workshop this increased to 75%. This dramatic change in knowledge gain was similar with other topics: reduced tillage (from 7% to 64%), weed management (7% to 80%), cover crops (11% to 72%) and crop rotation planning (4% to 62%). We had a similar impact at other workshops. On the topic of reducing tillage, those farmers with a moderate or a lot knowledge increased from 16% to 83% (WNY) and from 24 to 88% (ME). Attendees shared the most interesting lessons learned and 1 to 2 examples of how they will use the information on their farm in the coming year, including: how they can address tarping logistics (storing, securing, moving tarps), combine tarping with winter hardy cover crops for effective termination, using tarping for perennial weed control, and tarp timing and duration for different crops and in a rotation. On-farm trials. We also worked with a subset of growers in developing on-farm trials and/or demonstrations to help facilitate RT adoption and learn from grower experience. These on-farm activities were designed to directly facilitate grower experimentation with RT tarping practices: Muddy Fingers Farm, Hector, NY. 2018. We worked with Liz Martin and Matthew Glenn on their 2-3 acre diversified vegetable farm. They prepared and managed a several beds of beets in a side-by-side trial, where a set of beds had a tarp applied 4-5 weeks pre-planting. The tarped beds were prepared before tarping, so beets were direct seeded immediately after tarp removal. They found much higher stand counts in tarped beds due to increased moisture given a very dry July. No weeds were present at tarp removal and tarps kept between-bed pathway weeds under control. Liz and Matthew plan to continue using tarps and experimenting with the best methods for their farm. Plowbreak Farm, Burdette, NY. 2018. We worked with Aaron Munzer and Kara Cusolito on their 6 acre diversified vegetable farm. They used tarps for both a carrot/beet planting and a mixed greens planting. The first experiment failed, because tillage was applied after tarping and weeds overran the beds (they had no time to hand weed). The second experiment, however, was successful. For these beds they prepared the soil before tarping and found ideal moisture conditions at the time of tarp removal. Aaron was particularly impressed by the tarp's ability to suppress grasses. They also found tarps can be effective in their high tunnels, suppressing winter annual weeds before winter greens. Centurion Farm, Locke, NY. 2018. We worked with Jeff and Nina Saeli on their 1 acre 'market farm'. They used tarps in an early planting of onions and a later planting of dry beans. Nina was impressed with the weed suppression of the tarps. She found that most weeds were killed by tarps, and any surviving seedlings were weak and blanched and easier to pull up. Nina is excited by the prospect of tarps and has bought several more to use on their farm, including overwinter applications to hold beds for the following spring. Rise and Root Farm, Chester, NY. 2018. We worked with Karen Washington, Jane Hodge, and Michaela Hayes on their farm in the Hudson Valley on black dirt "muck" soil. They used tarps in a basil planting and found that tarps significantly weakened the aggressive perennial weed, Canada thistle, for more effective hand weeding. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have presented at 37 educational outreach events targeting farmers, including discussion groups, conferences, and field meetings. We reached 1,975 farmer and educator participants (some attending multiple events, total 2,509 contact hours) where we shared results from our organic RT research and the experience of organic growers that have adopted RT. From NY activities, we maintain an active list of 3,800 growers and educators that have shared their interest in learning more about implementing RT on farms. Specific extension activities included: Rangarajan, A. Integrating cover crops and strip tillage for organic vegetables. 11/8/2017. NE Cover Crop Council - Annual Meeting. NECCC. Ithaca, NY. 20 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. and B. Caldwell. Scale appropriate reduce tillage systems for organic vegetables. 11/13/2017. Cornell Cooperative Extension Ag-Inservice. Ithaca, NY. 15 participants. 1.5 hour. Rangarajan, A. Comparison of reduced tillage systems for small scale organic vegetable production. 12/13/2017. NE Vegetable and Fruit Conference. Cooperative Extension and NE Vegetable and Fruit Growers Assoc. Manchester, NH. 175 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. Tarping soils to minimize tillage at small scales. 12/13/2017. NE Vegetable and Fruit Conference. Cooperative Extension and NE Vegetable and Fruit Growers Assoc. Manchester, NH. 175 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. Integrating cover crops and strip tillage in organic vegetables. 1/11/2018. Long Island Ag Forum. Cornell Cooperative Extension. Riverhead, NY. 75 participants. 0.75 hour. Maher, R and J. Fisher-Merritt. Cover cropping and reduced tillage systems. 1/18/2018. Empire State Producers Expo. NYS Vegetable and Fruit Growers Association. Syracuse, NY. 25 participants. 1.25 hour. Maher, R. and J. Fisher-Merritt. Cover cropping and reduced tillage systems. 1/19/2018. Northeast Organic Farming Assoc - NY Winter Conference. NOFA-NY. Saratoga Springs, NY. 200 participants. 1.25 hour. Caldwell, B., J. Rich, S. Jacobs, and K. Hammer. Digging deep into compost. 1/19/2018. Northeast Organic Farming Assoc - NY Winter Conference. NOFA-NY. Saratoga Springs, NY. 200 participants. 1.25 hour. Maher R. and E. Grundberg. Scale appropriate reduce tillage systems for organic vegetables. 3/23/2018. Soil Health Farmer to Farmer. Glynwood Center for Food and Farming. Cold Spring, NY. 25 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. Zone tillage in high residue. 7/31/2018. Reduced Tillage in Organic Systems Field Day. Cornell Cooperative Extension. Willsboro, NY. 50 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. Presenter. Zone tillage in high residue. 10/24/2018. Soil Health Prof. Dev. Training. AFT. Ithaca, NY. 20 participants. 0.75 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Strategies for RT in org vegetables on small farms. 10/28/2018. SWCD - Wayne Co. Newark, NY. 15 participants. 0.75 hrs. Hutton M. and R. Maher. Presenters. Permanent beds and tarps for RT on small farms. 11/5/2018. Maine Farmer to Farmer. MOFGA. Northport, ME. 30 participants. 3 hrs. Maher, R. and H. Rylander. Presenters. Finding success with RT in org vegetables. 1/15/2019. Empire State Producers Expo. NYVGA. Syracuse, NY. 30 participants. 0.75 hrs. Maher, R., Rylander H., Caldwell B., and L. Martin. Presenters. Tarps, tillage and time: What's happening with your soils and weeds? 1/19/2019. NOFA - NY Winter Conf. NOFA-NY. Saratoga Springs, NY. 60 participants. 2.5 hrs. Maher, R. and H. Rylander. Presenters. Tarping for RT in org veg - F2F. 3/20/2019. CCE Tompkins Co. Ithaca, NY. 12 participants. 2 hrs. Rylander, H. Presenter. Tarping for org vegetable production. 3/26/2019. Erie/Niagara Regional Veg Meeting. CCE. Eden, NY. 20 participants. 0.5 hrs. Rylander, H. Presenter (poster). Tarping for RT in org vegetables. 4/24/2019. Cornell Org Symposium. Cornell and CCE. Ithaca, NY. 40 participants. 0.5 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Tarping for RT in org vegetables. 5/7/2019. Veterans in Ag Series: Tarping to RT. Cornell SFP and Farm OPS. Honeoye Falls, NY. 10 participants. 4 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Tarping for RT in org vegetables. 7/31/2019. Innovations in Org Veg Production Field Day. Organic@Cornell, NOFA-NY. Freeville, NY. 40 participants. 0.5 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Integrating cover crops and RT in vegetable systems. 8/8/19. Empire Farm Days - Soil Health Center. NYS ISHWG and Soil Health Initiative. Seneca Falls, NY. 15 participants. 0.75 hrs. Maher, R., Stewart, C., Rangarajan, A., Hutton, M., and N. Rowley. Presenters. Tarping for reduced tillage in small-scale organic vegetable systems. 11/02/19. MOFGA Maine Farmer to Farmer Pre-conference. Northport, ME. Led by Cornell Small Farms Program, University of ME Extension, and CCE. 45 participants. 6 hrs. Rylander, H. Presenter. Tarping and cover crops in organic reduced tillage systems. 11/07/19. NE Cover Crops Council Annual Meeting. Hyattsville, MD. 100 participant. Poster presentation. Maher, R., Stewart, C., Rangarajan, A., Hutton, M., and N. Rowley. Presenters. Tarping for reduced tillage in small-scale organic vegetable systems. 11/18/19. Cornell Small Farms Program, University of ME Extension, and CCE. Canandaigua, NY. 39 participants. 5 hrs. Maher, R., Stewart, C., Hutton, M., and N. Rowley. Presenters. Tarping for reduced tillage in small-scale organic vegetable systems. 11/19/19. Cornell Small Farms Program, University of ME Extension, and CCE. Voorheesville, NY. 39 participants. 5 hrs. Stewart, C. Presenter. Tarping for weed control. Catskill Regional Agriculture Conference. 01/09/20. Delhi, NY. 28 participants, 1 hr. Maher, R., Rylander, H., and J. Bonhatal. Presenters. Digging deep into compost: Using compost in NT production. 01/17/20. NOFA-NY Winter Conference. Syracuse, NY. 75 participants. 2.5 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Reduced tillage systems for small scale organic vegetables. 02/05/20. In partnership with Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors. Webinar. 20 participants, 1.5 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Survey of tarping practices by fresh produce growers. 07/13/20. NE IPM Tarping Working Group. Webinar. 15 participants. 15 minutes. Maher, R. Presenter. Tarping weeds in reduced tillage organic vegetables. 11/04/20. CCE Ag-Inservice: Rapid research talks. Webinar. 40 participants. 10 minutes. Maher, R. Presenter. Tarping research in organic vegetables. 02/10/21. Glynwood Center for Food and Farming. No-till roundtable. Webinar. 25 participants. 1hr. Maher, R., and P. Ginakes. Host. Reserving beds with tarps: Spirit of Walloon Market Garden and Colfax Farm. 03/16/21. Cornell Small Farms Program and University of ME Extension. 72 participants. 1 hr. Maher, R., and P. Ginakes. Host. Pairing Tarps with Cover Crops: Edible Uprising Farm and Adamah. 03/23/21. Cornell Small Farms Program and University of ME Extension. 47 participants. 1 hr. Maher, R., and P. Ginakes. Host. Solving problems with tarps: Hartwood Farm and Earth Dharma Farm. 03/30/21. Webinar. Cornell Small Farms Program and University of ME Extension. 32 participants. 1 hr. Maher, R. Presenter. Reduced tillage strategies for organic vegetables. 04/09/21. Cornell Soil Health Program and American Farmland Trust - Soil Health Specialist Training. Webinar. 27 participants. 1 hr. Maher, R. Presenter. Reduced tillage strategies for organic vegetables. 04/15/21. NRCS - NY Organic Ag Training. Webinar. 45 participants. 1 hr. Maher, R. Presenter. Tarping for bed preparation field demonstration. 07/07/21. CCE-Onondaga County. Matthew 25 Farm, Lafayette, NY. 10 participants. 1 hr. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Towards our research objectives, we have designed and managed field experiments on four research farms, in New York, Maine, and Michigan. New York locations are in Central NY (Freeville Organic Research Farm) and Long Island (Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center). These trials combined to address multiple objectives investigating organic vegetable RT systems that are scale-appropriate, enhance soil and weed management, and increase efficiencies in labor and equipment to improve farm profitability. Objective 1. Develop alternative reduced tillage strategies for permanent beds (tarping, mulching) that decrease weed pressure, improve labor efficiency, and maintain high productivity of vegetables Small organic vegetable farms (<10 acres) may effectively reduce tillage by dividing fields into beds that restrict traffic to between-bed pathways year after year. We established a long-term trial (fall 2014) to evaluate the agronomic and economic effects of different tillage and mulch practices in permanent beds at two locations (CNY, ME). We have been synthesizing results from the first phase of the experiment (2015-2018), where we managed cabbage (yr 1/3) and winter squash (yr 2/4) in rotation with six levels of tillage intensity, from conventional (CT; 7-8in) to no-till (NT) and in combination with 3 surface mulches - compost (1.5 in), straw/hay, and no mulch. We compared two NT systems with one using a black, impermeable, polyethylene tarp placed on the soil surface (6 or more weeks) and removed before planting. We found that: 1) yields using RT (shallow, <4in) and NT practices were similar to CT but NT required significantly more labor; 2) hay/straw lowered crop yields largely due to greater pest pressure with the most impact in NT and NT tarping systems (40% reduction); 3) tarping reduced total pre-harvest labor for NT by as much as 40% but added up to 20% more labor compared to CT; 4) compost had the biggest yield impact in NT tarping systems (25% increase) but also led to nutrient loading (i.e. >4x rec soil P levels), and 5) tarping increased cash returns for NT in unmulched and compost systems, similar to RT and CT, but not in hay/straw. These results were shared at farmer meetings and field days throughout this project (18 total) and we have synthesized data on crop yield, labor use, and profitability that will be submitted for scientific publication in 2022. Starting in 2019 (yr 5), based on results and farmer feedback, we established new treatments within this long-term permanent bed trial which inherit valuable legacies from past management. We are testing the effects of tarping, tillage, and additional soil management practices in a two-year rotation that includes a double crop of lettuce and fall broccoli in 2019/2021 (yr 5/7) and a direct seeded beet crop and oat-pea cover crop in 2020/2022 (yr 6/8). We are comparing three levels of tillage intensity, conventional, deep tillage (8in rototill), shallow tillage (<4in), and no-till (hand tools), with and without tarping. Tillage main plots are split into three soil management subplots, unmulched, hay mulched (5 ton/ac applied in broccoli), and deep compost (legacy effects, not applied after yr 4) to allow us to compare tarping and tillage across different soil management systems. We are using acomprehensive set of field measurements to evaluate tarp and tillage effects on soils (temperature, moisture, plant available N), weeds (counts and species emergence at cultivation and biomass at harvest), labor (hand labor, equipment operations), and crop yields (stands, marketable yields). We have shared preliminary results through grower meetings (12 total) and are summarizing data set on from 2019-2021. Objective 2. Evaluate practices that combine tarping and cover crops without tillage while improving residue and weed management, and increasing soil fertility Tarping can be a scale-appropriate tool for small farmers to control weed and prepare seedbeds with less tillage. We investigated tarping to reduce weed pressure and increase crop yield in a direct-seeded beet crop at 3 locations (CNY, LI, and ME). Tarps were applied over an oat cover crop (2016-17 and 2017-18) and left in place for three different time periods prior to two projected spring planting dates: 1) greater than 10 weeks, 2) six weeks, 3) three weeks, and 4) no tarp. After tarp removal, beds were tilled using CT (>4in), RT (RT; 1-3in), or left undisturbed (NT), and planted to beets. Tarps dramatically increased soil nitrate at planting, most in overwinter applications, but did not significantly impact soil moisture or crop residue. Tarping for 3 or more weeks suppressed weeds by 95-100% at the time of tarp removal and retained lower early weed pressure. Tarping increased crop yield and reduced weeds at harvest for NT and RT with similar results to CT. Results were synthesized across all sites and years and published in two peer-reviewed journal articles in 2020 (see publications). Objective 3. Evaluate zone and shallow tillage practices in winter-killed cover crops to improve residue management and flexibility for early season direct seeded crop establishment and productivity We investigated oats and tillage radish cover crops, alone and in combination, in snap pea crop at four locations (CNY, LI, ME, and MI), two in NY, over three years. Field experiments were completed in 2018. We compared deep (DZT; >12in) and shallow (SZT; <4 in) zone tillage and hypothesized that crop performance would depend on both tillage and cover crop mixture. Cover crops were planted in mid-August (2015, 2016, and 2017-LI only) and strongly suppressed fall weeds compared to no cover crop, by 90+%. At early spring planting, cover crops still suppressed weeds - radishes most strongly in 6 site years (up to 94%); followed by oats + radish mixture (up to 88%), and oats alone (up to 55%). Pea crop emergence tended to be poor, with good stands only in ME in 2016, and LI in 2017 and 2018. In those site-years, yields were most related to pea stands, regardless of cover crop and tillage.We concluded that radish and radish + oats can strongly suppress weeds for ZT systems but do not directly affect the performance of the subsequent crop. Objective 4. Develop strategies to manage high biomass cover crop residue (cut and carry, mulch in-place), reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve labor efficiency for deep zone tillage in late planted transplanted vegetables We evaluated overwintering legume cover crops (none, vetch) grown in mixture with cereal rye before zone-tilled cabbage over three years (CNY, LI, and ME). We hypothesized that legume cover cropping strategies would have different effects on N availability, weed suppression, and crop yield. Cover crops were planted at all sites (CNY, MI, LI) in late summers of 2015-17, terminated in early summer, and effects measured on fall cabbage (2016-18). Studies in CNY and MI evaluated alternative spatial arrangements of cover crop mixtures, standard mixed planting vs strip planting of legume and rye (legume in-row and rye between-row). We found that: 1) vetch provided more N than crimson clover to the subsequent cabbage crop; 2) cover crop mixture had little to no impact on the efficacy of in-row mechanical cultivation, hand weeding time, or weed biomass; 3) N from rye-vetch mixtures and vetch monocultures was adequate to provide equivalent or greater cabbage yields when compared to rye with 120 lbs N in 7 of 9 and 4 of 4 site years, respectively; 4) crop yields were most strongly related to the C:N ratio of cover crop mixtures at termination; and 5) cover crop spatial arrangement had little practical benefit on cabbage yields. Field experiments were completed in fall 2018, data and lessons shared at 11 farmer meetings over the full grant period. Results were synthesized for a peer reviewed journal and published in 2021 (see publications).

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Maher, R.M., Rangarajan, A., Caldwell, B.A., Hayden, Z.D., & Brainard, D.C. (2021) Legume species not spatial arrangement influence cover crop mixture effects in strip-tilled organic cabbage. Agronomy Journal. 113: 2710 2731. https://doiorg.proxy.library.cornell.edu/10.1002/agj2.20664
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rylander, H., Rangarajan, A., Maher, R.M., Hutton, M., Rowley, N.W., McGrath, M.T., & Z. Sexton, Z. (2020). Black plastic tarps advance organic reduced tillage I: Impact on Soils, Weed Seed Survival, and Crop Residue. Hort Science. 55: 819-825.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rylander, H., Rangarajan, A., Maher, R.M., Hutton, M., Rowley, N.W., McGrath, M.T., & Z. Sexton, Z. (2020). Black plastic tarps advance organic reduced tillage II: Impact on Weeds and Beet Yields. Hort Science. 55: 826-831.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hutton, M., N. Rowley, M. Hutchinson, R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, A. Rangarajan, and H. Rylander. 2018. Using tarps to reduce tillage in small-scale organic beet production. ASHS Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. July 30- August 3. (Poster)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Maher, R.M., A. Rangarajan, M. Hutton, B. Caldwell, M. Hutchinson, and N. Rowley. 2017. Comparison of reduced tillage practices for small-scale organic vegetable production. ASA, CSSSA, and SSSA Annual Meeting. Tampa, FL. Oct 22-25. (Oral)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rangarajan, A., D. Brainard, R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, M. McGrath, and Z. Sexton. 2018. Strip planting cover crops to improve performance of zone tilled organic vegetables. ASHS Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. July 30- August 3. (Oral)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rangarajan, A., R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, D. Brainard, M. McGrath, and Z. Sexton. 2017. Managing cover crops in strip-tilled organic vegetables. ASHS Annual Meeting. Waikoloa, HA. Sept 19-22. (Oral)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rangarajan, A., R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, M. Hutton, M. Hutchinson, and N. Rowley. 2017. Comparison of reduced tillage strategies for small-scale organic vegetable systems. ASHS Annual Meeting. Waikoloa, HA. Sept 19-22. (Oral)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rylander, H., A. Rangarajan, R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, M. Hutton, and N. Rowley. 2018. Reusable black tarps suppress weeds and make organic reduced tillage more viable. ASHS Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. July 30- August 3. (Oral)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rylander, H., A. Rangarajan, R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, M. Hutton, and N. Rowley. 2019. Reusable opaque plastic tarps suppress weeds and increase yields in organic reduced tillage system for beets. NPPS Conference, Baltimore, MD. (Oral)

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:This project has targeted organic farmers in New York (NY) that are interested in transitioning to reduced tillage (RT) practices. We are investigating multiple RT strategies to reach all scales of organic vegetable farms, including very small operations. In this reporting period, we have reached farmers through grower meetings and conferences offered across the state and Northeast region. Details on these activities are presented in the accomplishments section this report. We have worked with the Northeast Organic Farm Association of NY (NOFA-NY), Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors (BC, Canada), and the New England Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association to host and/or participate in grower meetings and conferences. This project continues to build off a previously funded USDA-OREI project with collaborators in Michigan State University and the University of Maine (2014-2019) and has leveraged a NESARE Research and Education grant (2020-2022) in partnership with the University of Maine. These institutions have analogous audiences in their respective states and our partnership complements our research and extension efforts to reach growers across the northern US region. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We continue to work directly with growers at all levels of experience to increase farmer adoption of RT practices. In 2020, we organized and/or presented at 10 educational events reaching over 570 farmer and educator participants (some attending multiple events) sharing both RT research results and farmer experiences. Among these events, we held a series of intensive, day-long farmer to farmer workshops in NY and ME, Tarping for Reduced Tillage in Small-Scale Vegetable Systems, targeting farmers interested in adopting or improving tarping practices on their farm (3 workshops: 112 total attendees). Workshops were designed with two primary goals: 1) learn how we can use tarping to overcome barriers to reducing tillage in vegetables while managing weeds and improving soil health, and 2) identify specific changes we can make to farm management in the next year resulting in reduced tillage, better weed management, and greater profitability. Each workshop agenda followed a similar general format with presentations by a combination of researchers and invited farmer presentations followed small group breakouts/activities based on topic. Content was structure into three general topical areas: 1) tarping as a RT and NT management tool; 2) Weed management and tarp tactics; and 3) Tarps and soil building. Workshops were designed and facilitated using a Dialogue Education (DE) approach to engage farmers in new information/ideas followed by facilitated small group discussion to integrate ideas, share concerns, and identify additional information needed. We began each workshop with an inventory of current tarping practices/goals and prioritizing issues to discuss through the day. The workshop ended with an individual exercise to give farmers the opportunity to outline changes to farm management using tarping. This template is being used to support farmers in trialing new practices on their farm. Overall, this workshop approach balanced new information with discussion to gives farmer time to think though and talk about new tarping strategies.Evaluations from workshops gathered feedback on knowledge gained, specific new ideas learned, and tarping ideas for the coming year. A total of 78 evaluations were collected representing 70% of attendees, with a majority (65) representing farmers. Sixty five percent of responses rated the overall quality of the workshops as "Excellent" and another 30% rated it as "Good". Evaluations collected metrics on the amount of knowledge gained based on farmer knowledge before the workshop (1 to 5 rating). For example, in ENY, before the workshop 14%o of participants had either a moderate amount or a lot of knowledge (4 or 5 rating) on the logistics of tarping and after the workshop this increased to 75%. This dramatic change in knowledge gain was similar with other topics: reduced tillage (from 7% to 64%), weed management (7% to 80%), cover crops (11% to 72%) and crop rotation planning (4% to 62%). We had a similar impact at other workshops. On the topic of reducing tillage, those farmers with a moderate or a lot knowledge increased from 16% to 83% (WNY) and from 24 to 88% (ME). Attendees shared the most interesting lessons learned and 1 to 2 examples of how they will use the information on their farm in the coming year, including: how they can address tarping logistics (storing, securing, moving tarps), combine tarping with winter hardy cover crops for effective termination, using tarping for perennial weed control, and tarp timing and duration for different crops and in a rotation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have presented at 10 educational outreach events targeting farmers, including discussion groups, conferences, and field meetings. We reached 570 farmer and educator participants (some attending multiple events, total 935 contact hours) where we shared results from our organic RT research and the experience of organic growers that have adopted RT. From NY activities, we maintain an active list of over 500 growers that have shared their interest in trialing RT on their own farm. Specific extension activities included: Maher, R., Stewart, C., Rangarajan, A., Hutton, M., and N. Rowley. Presenters. Tarping for reduced tillage in small-scale organic vegetable systems. 11/02/19. MOFGA Maine Farmer to Farmer Pre-conference.. Led by Cornell Small Farms Program, University of ME Extension, and CCE.45 participants. 6 hrs. Rylander, H. Presenter. Tarping and cover crops in organic reduced tillage systems. 11/07/19. NE Cover Crops Council Annual Meeting. Hyattsville, MD. 100 participant. Poster presentation. Maher, R., Stewart, C., Rangarajan, A., Hutton, M., and N. Rowley. Presenters. Tarping for reduced tillage in small-scale organic vegetable systems. 11/18/19. Cornell Small FarmsCanandaigua, NY. 39 participants. 5 hrs. Maher, R., Stewart, C., Hutton, M., and N. Rowley. Presenters. Tarping for reduced tillage in small-scale organic vegetable systems. 11/19/19. Cornell Small Farms Program, University of ME Extension, and CCE. Voorheesville, NY. 39 participants. 5 hrs. Hutton, M. Presenter. Tarping for weed control. 12/11/19. New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference. Manchester, NH. 50 participants, 0.5 hr. Stewart, C. Presenter. Tarping for weed control. Catskill Regional Agriculture Conference. 01/09/20. Delhi, NY. 28 participants, 1 hr. Maher, R., Rylander, H., and J. Bonhatal. Presenters. Digging deep into compost: Using compost in NT production. NOFA-NY Winter Conference. Syracuse, NY. 75 participants. 2.5 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Reduced tillage systems for small scale organic vegetables. 02/05/20. In partnership with Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors. Webinar. 20 participants, 1.5 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Survey of tarping practices by fresh produce growers. 07/13/20. NE IPM Tarping Working Group. Webinar. 15 participants. 15 minutes. Maher, R. Presenter. Tarping weeds in reduced tillage organic vegetables. 11/04/20. CCE Ag-Inservice: Rapid research talks. Webinar. 40 participants. 10 minutes. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1. Develop alternative reduced tillage strategies for permanent beds (tarping, mulching) that decrease weed pressure, improve labor efficiency, and maintain high productivity of vegetables We will continue the long-term permanent bed field experiment (yr 7) and replicate tillage and mulch treatments trialed in 2019 (yr 5). We will collect data documenting soil nutrients, weeds, soil temperature and moisture, labor and equipment hours, and crop yield across systems. We will synthesize our economic analysis of RT practices in permanent beds (yr 1-4) and submit for scientific publication. We will focus on how tillage and mulch effects yields, total labor hours for production, and net income. Objective 2. Evaluate practices that combine tarping and cover crops without tillage while improving residue and weed management, and increasing soil fertility. This objective has been completed. Objective 3. Evaluate zone and shallow tillage practices in winter-killed cover crops to improve residue management and flexibility for early season direct seeded crop establishment and productivity. This objective has been completed. Objective 4. Develop strategies to manage high biomass cover crop residue (cut and carry, mulch in-place), reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve labor efficiency for deep zone tillage in late planted transplanted vegetables. A publication is under review in a peer-reviewed journal and we anticipate final publication synthesizing 6 site-years (CNY and MI) on managing winter hardy cover crops in zone tillage.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Towards our research objectives, we have designed and managed field experiments on two research farms in this reporting period (NY and ME). The New York location is in Central NY (Freeville Organic Research Farm). These trials combined to address multiple objectives investigating organic vegetable RT systems that are scale-appropriate, enhance soil and weed management, and increase efficiencies in labor and equipment to improve farm profitability. Objective 1. Develop alternative reduced tillage strategies for permanent beds (tarping, mulching) that decrease weed pressure, improve labor efficiency, and maintain high productivity of vegetables Small organic vegetable farms (<10 acres) may effectively reduce tillage by dividing fields into beds that restrict traffic to between-bed pathways year after year. We established a long-term trial (fall 2014) to evaluate the agronomic and economic effects of different tillage and mulch practices in permanent beds at two locations (CNY and ME). We have been synthesizing results from the first phase of the experiment (2015-2018), where we managed cabbage (yr 1/3) and winter squash (yr 2/4) in rotation with six levels of tillage intensity, from conventional (CT; 7-8in) to no-till (NT) and in combination with 3 surface mulches - compost (1.5 in), straw/hay, and no mulch. We compared two NT systems with one using a black, impermeable, polyethylene tarp placed on the soil surface (6 or more weeks) and removed before planting. These results were shared at farmer meetings and field days throughout this reporting period (9 total) and we have synthesized data on crop yield, labor use, and profitability that will be submitted for scientific publication in 2021. Starting in 2019 (yr 5), based on results and farmer feedback, we established new treatments within this long-term permanent bed trial which inherit valuable legacies from past management. We are testing the effects of tarping, tillage, and additional soil management practices in a two-year rotation that includes a double crop of lettuce and fall broccoli(yr 5/7) and a direct seeded beet crop (yr 6/8). We are comparing three levels of tillage intensity: conventional, deep tilled bed (8in rototill), shallow tillage (<4in), and no-till (undercutter, hand tools). Untarped tilled beds are tilled 1-2 times based on soil conditions and planting date. For tilled and tarped treatments, tarps were applied following the first tillage event and removed at planting. No-till tarped beds were not disturbed prior to planting.Tillage main plots are split into three soil management subplots, unmulched, hay mulched (5 ton/ac applied in broccoli), and deep compost (legacy effects, not applied after yr 4) to allow us to compare tarping and tillage across different soil management systems. In this reporting period, we continued to implement these tillage, mulch, and tarping treatments and managed a direct seeded beet crop (yr 6). Tarps were applied in late fall 2019 after flail mowing broccoli and left in place overwinter in preparation for planting beets. Hay mulch applied to broccoli was left in place overwinter and then removed by hand raking to between-bed pathways prior to tillage and planting beets. In spring, tarps were temporarily removed to implement tillage treatments (deep and shallow) and then reapplied for 3-4 weeks prior to planting beets. Beets (Boro) were planted by mid-June (3 rows per bed, 15in spacing) using a Jang seeder. Irrigation was applied as needed based on field conditions. Beets were weeded once using tractor-based cultivation tools (between-row) and hand hoeing (in-row) at approximately 3 weeks after planting. Beet stands were thinned 4-5 weeks after planting to not exceed 12 beets/ft. Beets were harvested by early August, 55-60 days after planting, based on crop maturity. After harvest, tillage treatments were applied and a cover crop of oats-field peas (100:50 lbs/ac) was drilled across the entire plot area in mid-August. We are using acomprehensive set of field measurements to evaluate tarp and tillage effects on soils (temperature, moisture, plant available N), weeds (counts and species emergence at cultivation and biomass at harvest), labor (hand labor, equipment operations), and crop yields (stands, marketable yields). We are summarizing and synthesizing the complete data set from 2020. Preliminary results showed NT weed counts were greatest in unmulched soils and hay and deep compost management lowered weed density at beet cultivation by more than 80%. This result suggests the importance of mulch management history and soil management practices in NT and, in part, how applying hay and compost in previous years can reduce weed pressure for the following crops in rotation. Tarping had the greatest effect on weeds at cultivation in deep compost amended soils in ST. In this system, tarps reduced weeds counts by 91% which may suggest that deep compost increased fatal weed seed germination with tarping. Results on beet stands at thinning showed that tarping enhanced beet germination within each mulch and tillage system. In unmulched ST, stands in tarped soils were over 2 times greater than untarped soils. This is likely a result of high spring weed pressure, primarily chickweed, prior to tillage in ST and DT leading to a rough and uneven seedbed with shallow incorporation. Tarping effectively suppressed these early weeds and helped create a clean, level and firm seedbed which likely improved seed to soil contact for beet germination. Objective 2. Evaluate practices that combine tarping and cover crops without tillage while improving residue and weed management, and increasing soil fertility Tarping could be a scale-appropriate tool for small farmers to control weeds, incorporate residues, and prepare seedbeds with little to no tillage. We investigated tarping to reduce weed pressure and increase crop yield with RT and NT practices in a direct-seeded beet crop at three locations (CNY, LI, and ME) over two years (2016-17, and 2017-18). Experiments were completed in 2018 and results were shared in multiple grower meetings this year, including a series of intensive, day-long farmer to farmer workshops (see Presentations). Results were synthesized across all sites and years and published in a peer-reviewed journal in this reporting period. Objective 3. Evaluate zone and shallow tillage practices in winter-killed cover crops to improve residue management and flexibility for early season direct seeded crop establishment and productivity We investigated oats and tillage radish cover crops, alone and in combination, in snap pea crop at four locations (CNY, LI, ME, and MI), two in NY, over three years. Field experiments were completed in 2018, and results summarized for sharing with farmer audiences over previous reporting periods. Objective 4. Develop strategies to manage high biomass cover crop residue (cut and carry, mulch in-place), reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve labor efficiency for deep zone tillage in late planted transplanted vegetables We have evaluated overwintering legume cover crops (none, vetch, crimson clover) grown in mixture with cereal rye before zone-tilled cabbage over three years (CNY, LI, and ME). Field experiments were completed in fall 2018 and data and lessons shared at farmer meetings in previous reporting periods. In this reporting period, we submitted a scientific paper for publication synthesizing results from 6 site years.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Maher, R.M., A. Rangarajan, B. Caldwell, Z.D. Sexton, and D.C. Brainard. In review. Rye-legume mixtures and spatial arrangement effects in strip-tilled organic cabbage. Agronomy Journal.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rylander, H., A. Rangarajan, R.M. Maher, M. Hutton, N.W. Rowley, M.T. McGrath, and Z. Sexton. 2020. Black plastic tarps advance organic reduced tillage I: Impact on Soils, Weed Seed Survival, and Crop Residue. Hort Science. 55: 819-825.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: "Rylaner, H., A. Rangarajan, R.M. Maher, M. Hutton, N.W. Rowley, M.T. McGrath, and Z. Sexton. 2020. Black plastic tarps advance organic reduced tillage II: Impact on Weeds and Beet Yields. Hort Science. 55: 826-831.

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:This project has targeted organic farmers in NY that are interested in transitioning to reduced tillage (RT) practices. We are investigating multiple RT strategies to reach all scales of organic vegetable farms, including very small operations. In this reporting period, we have reached farmers through grower meetings, field days, and conferences offered across the state and Northeast region. Details on these activities are presented in the accomplishments section this report. We have worked with the Northeast Organic Farm Association of NY, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), and the NY State Vegetable Growers Association to host and/or participate in grower meetings and conferences. We also continued to share results and engage with CCE through locally sponsored meetings. This project contributes to a regional USDA OREI-funded effort, through which we are actively collaborating with the University of Maine and Michigan State University with analogous audiences in their respective states. Our partnership with these institutions both replicates and complements our research and extension efforts to reach growers across the northern US region. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We continue to work directly with growers at all levels of experience to increase farmer adoption of RT practices. In 2019, we organized and/or presented at 11 educational events reaching over 300 farmer and educator participants (some attending multiple events) sharing both RT research results and farmer experiences. Among these events, we worked with the Cornell SFP Farm OPS project to offer a half-day program for military veterans on tarping practices for small-scale reduced tillage vegetable systems. This event was hosted at the Equicenter in CNY and included discussion and in-field demonstration to support their farm operation and veterans in their network that are interested in agriculture. In another event, we helda half-day tarping workshop at the NOFA-NY winter conference (85 attendees, 2.5 hrs) that was stimulated by project findings and increasing farmer interest. Based on evaluations, 69% of attendees shared that a great amount of knowledge was gained (4 on a 1-4 scale), 96% of respondents said they would use the information in their operations, and 80% thought the knowledge gained would help them increase revenue in the next year. We also presented at the Organic@Cornell - Innovations in Organic Vegetable Production Field Day (Freeville, NY) to engage farmers, educators, and students (40 attendees; 3 hrs) in a field tour of organic research. We shared research on reduced tillage and weed management practices using tarps, and evaluations showed that 80% would likely or definitely use the information shared on tarping in the coming year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have presented at 11 educational outreach events targeting farmers, including discussion groups, conferences, and field meetings. We reached 300 farmer and educator participants (some attending multiple events, total 465 contact hours) where we shared results from our organic RT research and the experience of organic growers that have adopted RT. From NY activities, we maintain an active list of over 400 growers that have shared their interest in trialing RT on their own farm. Our collaborations in ME and MI reached an additional 115 farmers and educators through 3 additional extension events. Specific NY based extension activities included: Maher, R. Presenter. Zone tillage in high residue. 10/24/2018. Soil Health Prof. Dev. Training. AFT. Ithaca, NY. 20 participants. 0.75 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Strategies for RT in org vegetables on small farms. 10/28/2018. SWCD - Wayne Co. Newark, NY. 15 participants. 0.75 hrs. Hutton M. and R. Maher. Presenters. Permanent beds and tarps for RT on small farms. 11/5/2018. Maine Farmer to Farmer. MOFGA. Northport, ME. 30 participants. 3 hrs. Maher, R. and H. Rylander. Presenters. Finding success with RT in org vegetables. 1/15/2019. Empire State Producers Expo. NYVGA. Syracuse, NY. 30 participants. 0.75 hrs. Maher, R., Rylander H., Caldwell B. and L. Martin. Presenters. Tarps, tillage and time: What's happening with your soils and weeds? 1/19/2019. NOFA - NY Winter Conf. NOFA-NY. Saratoga Springs, NY. 60 participants. 2.5 hrs. Maher, R. and H. Rylander. Presenters. Tarping for RT in org veg - F2F. 3/20/2019. CCE Tompkins Co. Ithaca, NY. 12 participants. 2 hrs. Rylander, H. Presenter. Tarping for org vegetable production. 3/26/2019. Erie/Niagara Regional Veg Meeting. CCE. Eden, NY. 20 participants. 0.5 hrs. Rylander, H. Presenter (poster). Tarping for RT in org vegetables. 4/24/2019. Cornell Org Symposium. Cornell and CCE. Ithaca, NY. 40 participants. 0.5 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Tarping for RT in org vegetables. 5/7/2019. Veterans in Ag Series: Tarping to RT. Cornell SFP and Farm OPS. Honeoye Falls, NY. 10 participants. 4 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Tarping for RT in org vegetables. 7/31/2019. Innovations in Org Veg Prodution Field Day. Organic@Cornell, NOFA-NY. Freeville, NY. 40 participants. 0.5 hrs. Maher, R. Presenter. Integrating cover crops and RT in vegetable systems. 8/8/19. Empire Farm Days - Soil Health Center. NYS ISHWG and Soil Health Initiative. Seneca Falls, NY. 15 participants. 0.75 hrs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1. Develop alternative reduced tillage strategies for permanent beds (tarping, mulching) that decrease weed pressure, improve labor efficiency, and maintain high productivity of vegetables We will synthesize data from 4 yrs of the permanent beds trial including results on weeds, yields, and total and hand weeding labor. We will summarize treatment effects on soils to better understand how tillage and mulch practices, particularly compost and tarps, affect nutrient and carbon accumulation with depth. Results will be shared through grower workshops and prepared for peer-review publication. We will continue field experiments and implement tillage and mulch treatments initiated in 2019 (yr 5). We will collect data documenting soil nutrients, weeds, soil temperature and moisture, labor and equipment hours, and crop yield across systems. We will complete an economic analysis of soil health practices in permanent beds (yr 1-4) and submit for scientific publication. This analysis will help farmers consider how different RT management systems can increase profitability. Based on four yrs of data from this experiment, we will focus on how tillage and mulch effects yields, total labor hours for production, and net income. Objective 2. Evaluate practices that combine tarping and cover crops without tillage while improving residue and weed management, and increasing soil fertility. We will submit two manuscripts on the tarping experiment investigating tarp duration and tillage for peer-reviewed publication: one focused on the soil environment and the other on the weed and yield dynamics. We will continue to present our results through local grower meetings, NOFA-NY Conference sessions, and the Maine Farmer to Farmer Conference among others. Objective 3. Evaluate zone and shallow tillage practices in winter-killed cover crops to improve residue management and flexibility for early season direct seeded crop establishment and productivity. This objective has been completed. Objective 4. Develop strategies to manage high biomass cover crop residue (cut and carry, mulch in-place), reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve labor efficiency for deep zone tillage in late planted transplanted vegetables. We will fully summarize and synthesize data from 6 site years on managing winter hardy cover crops in zone tillage (MI and CNY) for submission to a peer-reviewed publication and continue to share results through grower workshops and extension articles.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. Develop alternative reduced tillage strategies for permanent beds (tarping, mulching) that decrease weed pressure, improve labor efficiency, and maintain high productivity of vegetables Small organic vegetable farms (<10 acres) may effectively reduce tillage by dividing fields into beds that restrict traffic to between-bed pathways year after year. We established a long-term trial (fall 2014) to evaluate the agronomic and economic effects of different tillage and mulch practices in permanent beds at two locations (CNY and ME). We began summarizing results from the first phase of the experiment (2015-2018), where we managed cabbage (yr 1/3) and winter squash (yr 2/4) in rotation with six levels of tillage intensity, from conventional (CT; 7-8in) to no-till (NT) and in combination with 3 surface mulches - compost (1.5 in), straw/hay, and no mulch. We compared two NT systems with one using a black, impermeable, polyethylene tarp placed on the soil surface (6 or more weeks) and removed before planting. We found that 1) yields using RT (shallow, <4in) and NT practices were similar to CT but NT required significantly more labor, 2) hay/straw lowered crop yields largely due to greater pest pressure with the most impact in NT and NT tarping systems (40% reduction) 3) tarping reduced total pre-harvest labor for NT by as much as 50% but added up to 30% more labor compared to CT 3) compost had the biggest yield impact in NT tarping systems (25% increase) but also led to nutrient loading (i.e. >4x rec soil P levels), and 5) tarping increased cash returns for NT in unmulched and compost systems, similar to RT and CT, but not in hay/straw. These results were shared at farmer meetings and field days throughout this reporting period (9 total) and data synthesized on crop yield and economics in preparation for scientific publication in 2020. In 2019, we continued this field experiment and initiated a new combination of tillage treatments using the management legacies of this long-term trial. We compared CT, RT, and NT with and without tarping to further investigate how tarping impacts soils, weeds, and crop performance under different levels of tillage intensity. We maintained unmulched, hay mulched, and deep compost-amended subplots to compare tarping and tillage across different soil management systems. Tarps were applied for a minimum of 3 weeks following seedbed preparation and removed before planting. Untarped beds were tilled twice with times based on planting date. A combination of hand and tractor cultivation tools were used in no-till beds as needed to manage weeds prior to planting. This year, tillage and tarps were applied in April prior to planting lettuce in mid-May (3 row, 0.38m spacing). Lettuce was harvested in late June, tillage treatments applied, and tarps laid prior to transplanting a brassica crop in late July (2 row, 0.46m spacing). The brassica crop was harvested in late September. Preliminary results from the lettuce crop (unmulched control) showed that tarping increased soil temperatures by an average of 4°F over the mid-April to mid-May tarping period and doubled soil nitrate levels at planting time (6 to 13ppm). Tarping had similar and beneficial effects on weeds across tillage systems, reducing weed counts at first cultivation by 50-75% and weed biomass at harvest by 75%. Overall weed biomass at crop harvest was minimal in tarped systems, regardless of tillage, and lettuce yields were lower in untarped systems (19-25%) but not significantly different. Objective 2. Evaluate practices that combine tarping and cover crops without tillage while improving residue and weed management, and increasing soil fertility Tarping could be a scale-appropriate tool for small farmers to control weeds, incorporate residues, and prepare seedbeds with little to no tillage. We investigated tarping to reduce weed pressure and increase crop yield with RT and NT practices in a direct-seeded beet crop at three locations (CNY, LI, and ME) over two years (2016-17, and 2017-18). Experiments were completed in 2018 and sharing results was the focus of multiple meetings during this reporting period (9 events.). Tarps were applied over an oat cover crop in late fall and left in place for three different time periods prior to two projected spring planting dates: 1) greater than 10 weeks, 2) six weeks, 3) three weeks, and 4) no tarp. After tarp removal, beds were tilled using CT (>4in), RT (RT; 1-3in), or left undisturbed (NT), and planted to beets. Tarps dramatically increased soil nitrate at planting, most in overwinter applications, but did not significantly impact soil moisture or crop residue. Tarping for 3 or more weeks suppressed weeds by 95-100% at the time of tarp removal and retained lower early weed pressure prior to first cultivation. Tarping increased crop yield and reduced weeds at harvest for NT and RT with similar results to CT. Results were synthesized across all sites and years with plans for scientific publication in 2020. Objective 3. Evaluate zone and shallow tillage practices in winter-killed cover crops to improve residue management and flexibility for early season direct seeded crop establishment and productivity We investigated oats and tillage radish cover crops, alone and in combination, in snap pea crop at four locations (CNY, LI, ME, and MI), two in NY, over three years. Field experiments were completed in 2018 and results summarized for sharing with farmer audiences over the last year. We compared deep (DZT; >12in) and shallow (SZT; <4 in) zone tillage and hypothesized that crop performance would depend on both tillage and cover crop mixture. Cover crops were planted in mid-August (2015, 2016, and 2017-LI only) and strongly suppressed fall weeds compared to no cover crop, by 90+%. At early spring planting, cover crops still suppressed weeds - radishes most strongly in 6 site years (up to 94%); followed by oats + radish mixture (up to 88%), and oats alone (up to 55%). Pea crop emergence tended to be poor, with good stands only in ME in 2016, and LI in 2017 and 2018. In those site-years, yields were most related to pea stands, regardless of cover crop and tillage.Radish and radish + oats can strongly suppress weeds for ZT systems but do not directly affect the performance of the subsequent crop Objective 4. Develop strategies to manage high biomass cover crop residue (cut and carry, mulch in-place), reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve labor efficiency for deep zone tillage in late planted transplanted vegetables We evaluated overwintering legume cover crops (none, vetch) grown in mixture with cereal rye before zone-tilled cabbage over three years (CNY, LI, and ME). Field experiments were completed in fall 2018, data and lessons shared at farmer meetings (2 this reporting period). Results are being synthesized for scientific publication in 2020. We hypothesized that legume cover cropping strategies would have different effects on N availability, weed suppression, and crop yield. Cover crops were planted at all sites (CNY, MI, LI) in late summers of 2015-17, terminated in early summer, and effects measured on fall cabbage (2016-18). Studies in CNY and MI evaluated alternative spatial arrangements of cover crop mixtures (e.g. strip planting of legume and rye). We found that 1) vetch provides more N than crimson clover to the subsequent cabbage crop; 2) N from vetch is sufficient to avoid supplemental N fertilization at sites with heavier soils and higher organic matter, but not in sandy soils; 3) crop yields are most strongly related to the C:N ratio of cover crop mixtures at termination and 4) zonal plantings have little impact on cabbage yields.

Publications

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:This project has targeted organic farmers in NY that are interested in transitioning to reduced tillage (RT) practices. We are investigating multiple RT strategies to reach all scales of organic vegetable farms, including very small operations. In this reporting period, we have reached farmers through on-farm trials, grower meetings, field days, and conferences offered across the state and Northeast region. We have identified and worked directly with a subset of growers (4 farms this reporting year) in on-farm trials and/or demonstrations to help facilitate RT adoption. Details on these activities are presented in the accomplishments section this report. We have worked with the Northeast Organic Farm Association of NY, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), and the NY State Vegetable Growers Association to host and/or participate in grower meetings and conferences. We also continued to share results and engage with CCE in an annual, statewide meeting of agricultural educators. This project contributes to a regional USDA OREI-funded effort, through which we are actively collaborating with the University of Maine and Michigan State University with analogous audiences in their respective states. Our partnership with these institutions both replicates and complements our research and extension efforts to reach growers across the northern US region. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We continued to work directly with growers at all levels of experience to increase farmer adoption of RT practices. We engaged with experienced organic RT farmers from our DACUM farmer intensive retreat (2014) to better understand farmer practices and strategies for working with new growers. In 2018, we organized a series of winter workshops on reducing tillage in cover crops with Janaki Fisher-Merritt (Food Farm, MN). Janaki participated in the DACUM process and has served as advisor to our experimental trials. We also continued to work with a subset of growers (4 farms this reporting year) in developing on-farm trials and/or demonstrations to help facilitate RT adoption and learn from grower experience. These on-farm activities were designed to directly facilitate grower experimentation with RT tarping practices: Muddy Fingers Farm, Hector, NY. We worked with Liz Martin and Matthew Glenn on their 2-3 acre diversified vegetable farm. They prepared and managed a beds of beets as they normally would in their farm operation, and managed an identical set of beds next with a 4-5 week tarp pre-planting. The tarped beds were prepared before tarping, so beets were direct seeded immediately after tarp removal. They found much higher stand counts in tarped beds due to increased moisture in the midst of a very dry July. No weeds were present at tarp removal and tarps kept aisle-weeds from bending over into the plots. Liz and Matthew plan to continue using tarps and experimenting with the best methods for their farm. Plowbreak Farm, Burdette, NY. We worked with Aaron Munzer and Kara Cusolito on their 6 acre diversified vegetable farm. They used tarps for both a carrot/beet planting and a mixed greens planting. The first experiment failed, because tillage was applied after tarping and weeds overran the beds (they had no time to hand weed). The second experiment, however, was quite successful. For these beds they prepared the soil before tarping, and found ideal moisture conditions at the time of tarp removal. Aaron was particularly impressed by the tarp's ability to suppress grasses. He thinks there are still a lot of kinks to work out, and that tarps are no magic solution to reduce tillage, but plans to use them more in the future. Centurion Farm, Locke, NY. We worked with Jeff and Nina Saeli on their 1 acre 'market farm'. They used tarps in an early planting of onions and a later planting of dry beans. Nina was impressed with the weed suppression of the tarps. She found that most weeds were killed by tarps, and any surviving seedlings were weak and blanched and easier to pull up. In the bean beds, she spent more time looking for weeds in the tarped section than she did actually pulling up weeds, yet she was on her hands and knees all down the untarped section. Nina is excited by the prospect of tarps and has bought several more to use next year. She hopes to use them overwinter this year rather than wait for spring. Rise and Root Farm, Chester, NY. We worked with Karen Washington, Jane Hodge, and Michaela Hayes on their farm in the Hudson Valley on black dirt "muck" soil. They used tarps in a basil planting and found that tarps significantly weakened the aggressive perennial weed, Canada thistle, to the point that it could be pulled up by the taproot (a very difficult thing to do normally). They plan to continue using tarps in their operation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have presented at 10 educational outreach events targeting farmers, including discussion groups, conferences, and field meetings. We reached 960 farmer and educator participants (some attending multiple events, total 833 contact hours) where we shared results from our organic RT research and the experience of organic growers that have adopted RT. From NY activities, we maintain an active list of over 300 growers that have shared their interest in trialing RT on their own farm. Our collaborations in ME and MI reached an additional 700 farmers and educators through 11 extension events. Specific NY based extension activities included: Rangarajan, A. Integrating cover crops and strip tillage for organic vegetables. 11/8/2017. NE Cover Crop Council - Annual Meeting. NECCC. Ithaca, NY. 20 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. and B. Caldwell. Scale appropriate reduce tillage systems for organic vegetables. 11/13/2017. Cornell Cooperative Extension Ag-Inservice. Ithaca, NY. 15 participants. 1.5 hour. Rangarajan, A. Comparison of reduced tillage systems for small scale organic vegetable production. 12/13/2017. NE Vegetable and Fruit Conference. Cooperative Extension and NE Vegetable and Fruit Growers Assoc. Manchester, NH. 175 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. Tarping soils to minimize tillage at small scales. 12/13/2017. NE Vegetable and Fruit Conference. Cooperative Extension and NE Vegetable and Fruit Growers Assoc. Manchester, NH. 175 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. Integrating cover crops and strip tillage in organic vegetables. 1/11/2018. Long Island Ag Forum. Cornell Cooperative Extension. Riverhead, NY. 75 participants. 0.75 hour. Maher, R and J. Fisher-Merritt. Cover cropping and reduced tillage systems. 1/18/2018. Empire State Producers Expo. NYS Vegetable and Fruit Growers Association. Syracuse, NY. 25 participants. 1.25 hour. Maher, R. and J. Fisher-Merritt. Cover cropping and reduced tillage systems. 1/19/2018. Northeast Organic Farming Assoc - NY Winter Conference. NOFA-NY. Saratoga Springs, NY. 200 participants. 1.25 hour. Caldwell, B., J. Rich, S. Jacobs, and K. Hammer. Digging deep into compost. 1/19/2018. Northeast Organic Farming Assoc - NY Winter Conference. NOFA-NY. Saratoga Springs, NY. 200 participants. 1.25 hour. Maher R. and E. Grundberg. Scale appropriate reduce tillage systems for organic vegetables. 3/23/2018. Soil Health Farmer to Farmer. Glynwood. Cold Spring, NY. 25 participants. 0.5 hour. Maher, R. Zone tillage in high residue. 7/31/2018. Reduced Tillage in Organic Systems Field Day. Cornell Cooperative Extension. Willsboro, NY. 50 participants. 0.5 hour. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1. Develop alternative reduced tillage strategies for permanent beds (tarping, mulching) that decrease weed pressure, improve labor efficiency, and maintain high productivity of vegetables We will synthesize data from 4 yrs of the permanent beds trial including results on weeds, yields, and total and hand weeding labor. Results will be shared through grower workshops and prepared for peer-review publication. We will continue field experiments and implement tillage and mulch treatments in 2019 (yr 5) based on practices started in 2015. We will consider changes in crop(s), tarp management, and compost use to address grower interests and collect data documenting soil nutrients, weeds, soil temperature and moisture, labor and equipment hours, and crop yield across systems. We will assess treatment effects on soils to better understand how tillage and mulch practices, particularly compost and tarps, affect nutrient and carbon accumulation with depth. We will complete an economic analysis of soil health practices in permanent beds to inform farm management decision-making for small-scale organic vegetable farmers state-, region-, and nation-wide. Most existing studies that highlight the benefits of conservation tillage focus on field crops. Based on 4 yrs of data from our permanent bed experiment, we will investigate the effects of various mulch and tillage managements on key cropping outcome indicators. We will identify the causal impact of various tillage levels and mulch uses on yields, net income, income including operator labor value, income per labor hours, total labor hours, and hand labor. Preliminary results show that mulch has the highest capacity to affect yield, net income, net income per labor hours, and total and hand labor hours, while the effects and its significance are different across years. There is a learning curve in grower practice and soil management that improved performance in the second year for each crop. We will also document the evenness of labor hours spread throughout the growing season for each crop year. Preliminary results imply that mulch determines how labor hours are distributed across the year, regardless of tillage level. The evenness of labor use provides relevant information for growers regarding the allocation of hours in the field throughout the year and strategies to optimize labor efficiency. Objective 2. Evaluate practices that combine tarping and cover crops without tillage while improving residue and weed management, and increasing soil fertility. We will prepare two manuscripts on the tarping experiment for peer-reviewed publication: one focused on the soil environment and the other on the weed and yield dynamics. We will present our results at the NE-ASHS Conference, NY State Vegetable Growers Association Producers Expo, and NOFA-NY Conference, among others. On-farm trials will be summarized and published in an article in the Cornell Small Farms Quarterly and possibly submitted to other publications. We intend to create a short, informative video and fact sheet summarizing RT tarping practices and farmer experiences. Objective 3. Evaluate zone and shallow tillage practices in winter-killed cover crops to improve residue management and flexibility for early season direct seeded crop establishment and productivity. We will fully summarize and synthesize data on winter-killed cover crops for zone tillage, 8 site-years and share results through grower workshops, extension articles, and submit for peer-reviewed publication. Objective 4. Develop strategies to manage high biomass cover crop residue (cut and carry, mulch in-place), reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve labor efficiency for deep zone tillage in late planted transplanted vegetables. We will fully summarize and synthesize data from 9 site years on managing winter hardy cover crops in zone tillage and share results through grower workshops, extension articles, and submit for peer-reviewed publication.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Towards our research objectives, we have designed and managed field experiments on four research farms, in NY, ME and MI. New York locations are in Central NY (Freeville Organic Research Farm) and Long Island (Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center). These trials combined to address multiple objectives investigating organic vegetable RT systems that are scale-appropriate, enhance soil and weed management, and increase efficiencies in labor and equipment to improve farm profitability. Objective 1. Develop alternative reduced tillage strategies for permanent beds (tarping, mulching) that decrease weed pressure, improve labor efficiency, and maintain high productivity of vegetables Small, diversified organic vegetable farms (<10 acres) may effectively reduce tillage by dividing fields into beds that restrict traffic to between-bed pathways year after year. We continued to evaluate the agronomic and economic effects of different tillage and mulch practices in a long-term permanent bed system at two locations (CNY and ME). In 2018 (yr 4), we managed a winter squash crop with 6 levels of tillage intensity (high-deep tillage to low-no till) and 3 surface mulches, including compost, straw, and no mulch. We compared two no-till systems, where one used a black, impermeable, polyethylene tarp placed on the soil surface and removed before planting. Preliminary yield analysis in NY shows squash plant stands and yields were dramatically improved in the fourth year of production, especially in straw, however there was more unmarketable squash due to pests in shallow and no-till straw systems. Overall, mulch was the primary driver of yields, where straw performed similarly to compost mulch and both performed better than no mulch. For the fourth consecutive year, shallow tillage (<4in) gave similar results to deep tillage (8in) in unmulched and compost mulch systems. Objective 2. Evaluate practices that combine tarping and cover crops without tillage while improving residue and weed management, and increasing soil fertility. We investigated the use of tarps on the soil surface prior to planting to reduce weed pressure and increase crop yield in a direct seeded beet crop. At two NYS locations (CNY, LI) and in ME tarps were applied to winter-killed oats (planted mid Aug 2017) and left in place for four different time periods prior to two 2018 planting dates: 1) greater than 10 weeks, 2) six weeks, 3) three weeks, and 4) no tarp. After tarp removal, plots were tilled using conventional (4-8 in depth), reduced (1-3 in), or left undisturbed (no-till), and then planted to beets. We measured soil nitrate, temperature, and moisture pre- and post-tarp removal, early and late-season weed pressure, and crop yield. Tarp use increased soil nitrate at planting but did not significantly impact soil moisture or oat crop residue. Tarping for three or more weeks reduced weed percent cover by 95-100% at the time of tarp removal, and retained lower weed pressure for 10 days. Tarp use made reduced and no-till systems more viable by increasing crop yield and reducing weed biomass. Objective 3. Evaluate zone and shallow tillage practices in winter-killed cover crops to improve residue management and flexibility for early season direct seeded crop establishment and productivity. We examined the effects of winter-killed oats and tillage radish cover crops, alone and in combination, on weeds and the performance of a subsequent strip-till pea crop. Tillage radish is purported to both reduce weeds and perform a "bio-till" function on compacted soil layers due to its deep roots. We compared deep zone tillage (DZT; >12in) and shallow (<4 in) full-width or zone tillage, and hypothesized that shallow tillage would perform differently based on cover crop and similar to DZT when combined with radish. The experiment was implemented in 4 locations (CNY, LI, ME, and MI) in fall 2015, 2016, and 2017 (LI only). Oats, radish, and mixed oats and radish cover crops planted mid-August grew well and strongly suppressed late fall weed biomass compared to no cover crop plots, generally by 90+%. At early spring planting time, cover crops still suppressed weeds, usually 50% or more compared to no cover crop. Radishes suppressed spring weeds most strongly in 6 site years (up to 94%); the oats + radish mixture was intermediate (up to 88%) and oats least (up to 55%). All treatments resulted in residues and uneven ground which were managed with DZT or shallow tillage before planting. Subsequent snap pea crop emergence tended to be poor, with good stands only in ME in 2016, and LI in 2017 and 2018. In those site years, marketable pea yields tended to be related to pea stands, regardless of cover crop and tillage treatments. We conclude that tillage radish and tillage radish + oats winter-killed cover crops strongly suppress weeds in fall and the following early spring, but do not directly affect the performance of the subsequent crop.Radish roots + shallow tillage do not have the same effect on soil planting conditions as DZT. Objective 4. Develop strategies to manage high biomass cover crop residue (cut and carry, mulch in-place), reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve labor efficiency for deep zone tillage in late planted transplanted vegetables. We evaluated the effects of overwintering legume cover crops (none, vetch, winter peas or crimson clover) grown in mixture with cereal rye before strip-tilled cabbage. We hypothesized that legume cover cropping strategies would have different effects on N availability, weed suppression, and crop yield. Cover crops were planted at three sites (CNY, MI, LI) in late summers of 2015-17 and effects on cabbage evaluated in 2016-18. In addition to these core treatments, studies in CNY and MI evaluated potential benefits of alternative spatial arrangements of cover crop mixtures (e.g. strip planting of legume and rye). We are in the process of analyzing results from the 2018 season, where we tested additional cover crop mixtures (vetch alone, winter peas) based on location. Preliminary analysis from previous years suggests that 1) vetch provides more N than crimson clover to the subsequent cabbage crop; 2) N from vetch is sufficient to avoid supplemental N fertilization at sites with heavier soils and higher organic matter, but not in sandy soils; 3) zonal cover crop plantings have little impact on cabbage response.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Maher, R.M., A. Rangarajan, M. Hutton, B. Caldwell, M. Hutchinson, and N. Rowley. 2017. Comparison of reduced tillage practices for small-scale organic vegetable production. ASA/CSA/SSSA Annual Meeting Annual Meeting. Tampa, FL. Organic Soil Health Special Session. Oct 22-25. Oral presentation
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hutton, M., N. Rowley, M. Hutchinson, R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, A. Rangarajan, and H. Rylander. 2018. Using tarps to reduce tillage in small-scale organic beet production. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. July 30- August 3. Organic Hort. Poster presentation.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rangarajan, A., D. Brainard, R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, M. McGrath, and Z. Sexton. 2018. Managing cover crops in strip-tilled organic vegetables. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. July 30- August 3. Commercial Hort Session. Oral presentation
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Maher, R.M. and B. Caldwell. 2018. Take me out to a tarped field. Small Farm Quarterly, Spring: 19-20. https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2018/04/06/take-me-out-to-a-tarped-field-needs-sidebar/
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rylander, H., A. Rangarajan, R.M. Maher, B. Caldwell, and A.B. Jones. 2018. Reusable black tarps suppress weeds and make reduced tillage more viable. eExtension.org: Online Article. August 22. https://articles.extension.org/pages/74710/reusable-black-tarps-suppress-weeds-and-make-organic-reduced-tillage-more-viable