Equipment For Regenerative Organic Farmers

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

A regenerative practice like cover crops is often managed at a large scale using an herbicide to terminate the cover crop ahead of the primary crop. But what about farmers that want to farm both regeneratively AND organically? Extension specialist Dr. Erin Silva says they’re working with equipment companies to continue to innovate on tools like the roller crimper.

Silva… “ Yeah, so we've been working with companies to develop different ways of terminating the cover crops at a very specific stage of crop maturity, but to be able to effectively terminate those cover crops mechanically it does require innovation and technology in terms of equipment development. So there has been companies that have looked to see where they can contribute to these systems in these markets. Different models of roller crimpers that can cover larger acres that more effectively terminate crops. Again, to create a complete kill that would more, would mimic a herbicide application. And ways to manage so that we are able to plant the crop through these thick mulches, allowing for good soil to seed contact and allow for a very robust stand that will allow us to reach the yield potentials that we're looking at achieving.”

Silva says farmers she is working with in Wisconsin are making regenerative organic farming work in a diversified row crop systems.