Practices which improve soil and water quality, like increasing soil organic matter which also improves soil stability, become more desirable when coupled with the increased consumer interest in sustainable products. These improvements come with some cost. For example, the use of conservation tillage increased soil organic matter content by 20% over 5-years, with a 35% increase measured when conservation tillage was paired with cover crops in an ongoing study at the Macon Ridge Research Station. These increases in soil organic matter were linked to increased total soil N content, C, N, and S cycling enzyme activity, and inorganic N availability, ultimately decreasing N fertilizer requirements for corn production. However, these systems also experienced some yield decrease in the early of years of establishment, which may be unsustainable for most producers if yield recovery does not occur. This lag in recovery is often used to justify the need for long-term commitments to conservation practices, however, due to the nature of academic research (limited to 2-3 years), it is often difficult to obtain the data to support these statements. The availability of multiple long-term (>5 year) sites managed under conservation practices is a unique opportunity for data collection. Additionally, as more producers adopt these practices, it becomes possible to monitor these changes in large-scale production systems, which may differ from typical small plot research.
Regionally specific recommendations for species and seeding rate are needed to better address producers’ questions. As lower recommended seeding rates for cereal rye have already been established, data collected has also indicated a lower recommended seeding rate for most grass cover crops that will allow for adequate biomass production at a lower cost to the producer. However, Louisiana’s unique climate coupled with highly variable weather patterns has produced many questions on the best methods for managing cover crops once they have been established. While surface coverage provides the best possible scenario for soil conservation, Louisiana’s warmer winters, which allows for continued cover crop growth, may also support populations of pests and diseases for subsequent cash crops. Identifying the opportune window to balance soil conservation with crop production requires a broader understanding how the various components of each system operate. For this reason, we propose to include additional assessments, specifically pest and weed measurements, of production conditions over the growing season.