How cover crops have turned into a 'win-win' for P.E.I. potato farmers
CBC
There's a lot more green in potato fields across Prince Edward Island in the months outside the traditional growing season.
That's because potato growers are turning to cover crops as a way to make their soil healthier — and generate some extra cash.
Researchers with the P.E.I. Potato Board have been tracking the adoption level of cover crops for the last few years, and the numbers are substantial.
"The last few years we've really seen that number jump, so we're up to over 50 per cent of the acres that had potatoes in them last year had a cover crop in them from our survey," said Ryan Barrett, research and agronomy specialist for the Potato Board.
"About 50 per cent of the acres that are going into potatoes this year also had a cover crop last year. And that's a big change from what it used to be. Now, we have a lot of fields that are staying green into the fall."
Some of the cover crops, Barrett said, die off over the winter and then the field is ready for potatoes the next year. He calls it a "win-win."
"From our research, we've been able to see that there is an associated yield benefit the next year. We actually saw somewhere on a 10 per cent yield improvement," Barrett said.
"That's because the cover crop is holding nitrogen, holding nutrients over for the next year that may have previously been lost."
Barrett said the cover crops also give the soil a bigger boost.
"It's building soil organic matter, it's feeding the soil microbes. It's energizing, and revving up the soil to get ready for next year," Barrett said.
"So I think having that living cover is a real benefit."
Barrett said the cover crops also reduce the amount of erosion. It holds the soil in place instead of it getting blown away during the winter.
"It takes 100 years to grow an inch of topsoil. So if we lose an inch of topsoil in two years, that's not a sustainable method of farming," Barrett said.
Some of the cover crops, such as winter wheat and winter rye, are harvested the following fall and generate additional income for the farmer, Barrett said.
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