Cover Crops

We need to get the soil tests in, but what grew in the L-field last year was pretty sparse and homogeneous. Last weekend Liza and I went to the Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association (MOFFA) conference and had a fine time. The talks were largely about cover crops, which is what I think we really needed to hear about. A summary of what we learned as applies to cover crop choices, pasture, and building fertility on our farm:

Going in there was the idea that the way to improve the whole field was by grazing a grass/legume mixture. We have neither of those in the area in question. It was suggested that the best early-spring planted cover crop would be oats and Austrian winter peas, which the good Dr. Morse said could be planted as soon as the snow was out of the way. Buckwheat (the cornerstone of Morse's beneficial-insect-attracting projects) needs a bit warmer weather to be planted. But the suggestion was to just turn the chickens on what is growing there now, let them eat and stomp it to the ground, and see what comes up following this different sort of disturbance. This is encouraging because it is definitely the cheapest of the options. I don't know how hopeful I should be, though, considering that over most of the field there was what looked like broom on 5-inch centers and bare ground between. I do home something good comes up.