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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** VEGETABLE GROWERS IN MISSOURI AND OTHER NEARBY STATES FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES DURING TRANSITION FROM CONVENTIONAL TO ORGANIC SYSTEMS INCLUDING SOIL EROSION, POOR SOIL QUALITY/FERTILITY, AND WEED PRESSURE, ALL OF WHICH LIKELY CONTRIBUTES TO REDUCED YIELD AND PROFITABILITY. ACCORDING TO RECENT SURVEYS OF ORGANIC AND NON-ORGANIC VEGETABLE GROWERS IN MISSOURI AND THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION, THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST IN THE USE OF COVER CROPS TO INCREASE THE SOIL'S ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT AND SUPPRESS WEEDS IN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, THE CONCERN IS THAT FARMERS WILL OFTEN HAVE TO TAKE LAND OUT OF CASH CROP PRODUCTION EVERY OTHER YEAR OR MORE TO GROW COVER CROPS AS THEY BUILD UP SOIL HEALTH, A PRACTICE THAT WILL INEVITABLY REDUCE ECONOMIC RETURNS, LIMITING ORGANIC ADOPTION IN THE REGION. AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF INTEGRATING LIVING PERENNIAL COVER CROPS BETWEEN ROWS OF VEGETABLE CROPS IS PROPOSED TO ENABLE FARMERS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY BUILD SOIL HEALTH WHILE KEEPING LAND IN CASH CROP PRODUCTION. THE MULTI-YEAR NATURE AND EXTENSIVE ROOT SYSTEMS OF PERENNIAL COVER CROPS IS EXPECTED TO NOT ONLY REDUCE SOIL EROSION, NUTRIENT RUNOFF, AND BUILD SOIL HEALTH, BUT ALSO SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVE FARMER INCOME DUE TO DECREASED ANNUAL INPUTS AND ASSOCIATED COSTS. SPECIFICALLY, THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL OF USING PERENNIAL GRASS/LEGUME COVER CROP MIXES IN THE TRAVEL PATHS BETWEEN PRODUCTION ROWS OF VEGETABLES TO BUILD SOIL HEALTH AND SUPPRESS WEEDS DURING THE THREE-YEAR ORGANIC TRANSITION PERIOD WITHIN A VEGETABLE FAMILY CROP ROTATION. OUTCOME OF THIS RESEARCH WILL INCLUDE (1) AN IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH ECOSYSTEM SERVICES INCLUDING SOIL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT, WEED SUPPRESSION, AND CASH CROP YIELD GENERATED FROM THE USE OF PERENNIAL GRASS/LEGUME COVER CROP MIXES IN THE TRAVEL PATHS BETWEEN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION ROWS, AND (2) INCREASED USE OF PERENNIAL COVER CROP-BASED ALTERNATIVE WEED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION.

$500,000FY2021National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

Lincoln University, Lincoln University

Investigators

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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** VEGETABLE GROWERS IN MISSOURI AND OTHER NEARBY STATES FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES DURING TRANSITION FROM CONVENTIONAL TO ORGANIC SYSTEMS INCLUDING SOIL EROSION, POOR SOIL QUALITY/FERTILITY, AND WEED PRESSURE, ALL OF WHICH LIKELY CONTRIBUTES TO REDUCED YIELD AND PROFITABILITY. ACCORDING TO RECENT SURVEYS OF ORGANIC AND NON-ORGANIC VEGETABLE GROWERS IN MISSOURI AND THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION, THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST IN THE USE OF COVER CROPS TO INCREASE THE SOIL'S ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT AND SUPPRESS WEEDS IN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, THE CONCERN IS THAT FARMERS WILL OFTEN HAVE TO TAKE LAND OUT OF CASH CROP PRODUCTION EVERY OTHER YEAR OR MORE TO GROW COVER CROPS AS THEY BUILD UP SOIL HEALTH, A PRACTICE THAT WILL INEVITABLY REDUCE ECONOMIC RETURNS, LIMITING ORGANIC ADOPTION IN THE REGION. AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF INTEGRATING LIVING PERENNIAL COVER CROPS BETWEEN ROWS OF VEGETABLE CROPS IS PROPOSED TO ENABLE FARMERS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY BUILD SOIL HEALTH WHILE KEEPING LAND IN CASH CROP PRODUCTION. THE MULTI-YEAR NATURE AND EXTENSIVE ROOT SYSTEMS OF PERENNIAL COVER CROPS IS EXPECTED TO NOT ONLY REDUCE SOIL EROSION, NUTRIENT RUNOFF, AND BUILD SOIL HEALTH, BUT ALSO SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVE FARMER INCOME DUE TO DECREASED ANNUAL INPUTS AND ASSOCIATED COSTS. SPECIFICALLY, THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL OF USING PERENNIAL GRASS/LEGUME COVER CROP MIXES IN THE TRAVEL PATHS BETWEEN PRODUCTION ROWS OF VEGETABLES TO BUILD SOIL HEALTH AND SUPPRESS WEEDS DURING THE THREE-YEAR ORGANIC TRANSITION PERIOD WITHIN A VEGETABLE FAMILY CROP ROTATION. OUTCOME OF THIS RESEARCH WILL INCLUDE (1) AN IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH ECOSYSTEM SERVICES INCLUDING SOIL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT, WEED SUPPRESSION, AND CASH CROP YIELD GENERATED FROM THE USE OF PERENNIAL GRASS/LEGUME COVER CROP MIXES IN THE TRAVEL PATHS BETWEEN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION ROWS, AND (2) INCREASED USE OF PERENNIAL COVER CROP-BASED ALTERNATIVE WEED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION. · GrantIndex