Sod Based Cropping System- The Next Step After Conservation Tillage Sodbased Team Auburn Univ., UGA, NWFWMD, VA Tech, The Rodale Institute, Texas Tech, USDA/ARS, NRCS, FDACS, and several other states who want to join in as funding becomes available

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Sod Based Cropping System- The Next Step After
Conservation TillageSodbased TeamAuburn Univ.,
UGA, NWFWMD, VA Tech, The Rodale Institute, Texas
Tech, USDA/ARS, NRCS, FDACS, and several other
states who want to join in as funding becomes
available
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Changes in Soil Organic Matter Magruder Plots, OK
Perennial Grasses -The Answer?
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Virgin prairie can weather drought, fire, and
flood but not plowsNational Geographic, May,
2004
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Grasslands

• About 25 of the earths surface is composed of
  grasses
• 29 of U.S. is grasslands
• Recognized as a livestock feed and an emerging
  bioenergy source
• Secondary benefits include maintain plant and
  animal biodiversity and habitat decreased
  erosion improved water quality increased soil
  quality increased soil flora and fauna carbon
  sequestration and long term organic matter
  enhancement and provides attractive green space
  and landscapes.

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Wetlands along with perennial grasses go hand in
hand in environmental stewardship

• Wetlands are natural buffers for runoff from
  other land and depend on microbial activity and
  vegetation to mitigate and tie up N and P as well
  as heavy metals before water flows into major
  streams
• The U.S. lost about 50 of its wetlands in the
  last 200 years
• Florida lost slightly less at about 45 of its
  wetlands in the same time period

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We know that farmers would prefer to grow most
crops after perennial grasses (peanuts, soybeans,
watermelons, etc) because the soil is clean and
will result in high yields with little use of
pesticides and deep root systems which can take
up nutrients from deeper in the soil profile to
lower the chance of nutrients entering into
ground water
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Sod Based Farming Next Step after Conservation
Tillage

• Conventional farming practices now include
  conservation tillage and cover crops.
• Cadre has helped move peanuts to conservation
  tillage
• Perennial grasses in rotations with row crops
  will make more difference in relation to soil
  health, yield, water quality, risk management,
  and farm economics than converting from
  conventional to conservation tillage
• Growers are implementing BMPs with impetus under
  TMDL program working with FDACS

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Peanut
2nd year bahia
Rotation and Conservation Tillage
1st year bahia
Cotton
Livestock integration into cropping systems
September, 2003
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After cotton
After Peanut
Whats so Great About the Sod Based Rotation for
growers?!
Dec. 2004
Profits have been 2-7 times higher with
perennial grasses in a peanut/cotton rotation.
Adding livestock also benefited the system by
risk aversion and year round utilization of farm
resources. (November-April best weather
conditions exist, good for winter grazing)
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1st year bahia
Cotton
August, 2005
Peanut
2nd year bahia
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Data Collected from Rotation Studies (Greenwood,
Quincy, Headland, Tifton)

• Water infiltration
• Soil moisture
• Nitrates moving through the soil profile
• Soil bulk density and compaction
• Organic matter content
• Earthworm populations
• Crops yields and quality
• Plant growth measurements (root, LAI, etc.)
• Disease
• Economics of system
• Cattle impact on soil and following crops, etc.

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Plant Development
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Peanuts grown in soil with Bahia roots
Peanuts grown in soil without Bahia roots
Same cultivated soil used in both cases with
roots added
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Conservation Tillage/ Bahiagrass Rotations for
Peanut/Cotton

• It works!
• Reduces nematodes and diseases
• Reduced nitrates in the soil and that leached
  below root zone
• Increases yields and grades
• Enhances soil quality (O.M., earthworms, etc.)
• Reduces risks by having alternate enterprises
• Reduces planting and harvest time with ½ acreage
  in row crops
• More profitable 2-7 times more

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Key to Sod Based System

• Convince growers that it is an idea whose time
  has come
• Partner with others with similar goals
• Be committed to making it work
• Growers will buy into it if they see that it will
  work
• Researchers must commit to long term projects
  that show that the system on farm with a variety
  of crops (row crops and vegetables)

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Benefits of perennial grasses and livestock in
cotton/peanut rotations

• Increased crop yields and biomass
• Reduced pests (nematodes, diseases, and weeds)
• Enhanced soil and water quality (reduced nitrates
  leached below the root zone due to higher
  uptake-more recycling)
• Provides a feed source for livestock as well as a
  wildlife refuge
• Creates diversity and livestock can be used as an
  alternate source of crop utilization
• Reduces cash risks associated with row crops,
  risk management
• Reduces reliance on irrigation, pesticides, and
  larger equipment, and less ideal planting and
  harvest time is required (farming half the
  acreage of row crops)
• Results in more earthworms and channels for water
  infiltration
• Utilization of farm resources year round
• Farm profitability increased 2-7 fold

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Sod based rotations have favorably influenced
each of the factors measured over the best
conservation tillage and cover crop management
systems (Economics, water infiltration, earthworm
numbers, soil moisture content, organic matter
content, lower penetrometer and residual nitrogen
content, enhanced plant growth, and reduced risks
to the farm system.
2007 Southern Conservation Tillage Conference
The Next Step After Conservation Tillage June
25-27, 2007, Quincy, FL Highlighting the
sod based system
http//nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/sodrotation.htm