Intense rainstorms after a prolonged dry period often results in what is called overland flow; basically the water runs off the field in sheets and doesn't infiltrate the soil. When this happens, soil often gets taken with the flow of water, causing erosion and exporting nutrients, resulting in economic loses to the farmer, and nutrient loading of our waterways. Cover crops improve soil health and one of the ways that they do this is by increasing the permeability of the soil: instead of the water sheeting off the field, it infiltrates. Cover cropping and good soil health will also help a crop withstand prolonged dry periods by improving moisture retention.
Please join us to learn more at Under the Covers: Enhancing Profitability and Resiliency with Cover Crops, a workshop for farms of all types and sizes, on Tuesday, September 15th in Room 214 at 90 Research Drive in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia.
9:00 AM Registration/Coffee
9:15 AM Welcome
9:30 AM Why Cover Crops - David Blanchard
10:15 AM Meet the Cover Crops - David Blanchard
10:45 AM Online Decision Making Tool - David Blanchard
11:15 AM Cover Crop Economics - David Blanchard
11:45 AM Nitrogen Mineralization of Cover Crops - Rosalie Madden
12:15 PM Lunch Provided
1:15 PM Alternative Cover Crops for Strawberry Rotations - Dr. Nancy McLean
1:45 PM Novel Cover Crops and Root Morphology - Amy Sangster
2:30 PM Soil Health, Structure, and Aggregate Stability - Jason Stuka
3:15 PM Green Manures and No-till - Carolyn Marshall
4:00 PM Wrap up
To register please call Gail at 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) or
902-678-7722 (local) by Wednesday, September 9, 2015.
A portion of the day will be in the field; please dress accordingly.
