Crop Rotation
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Changing Crop Varieties for Soil and Crop Health
Changing the crops grown in a field on a regular basis to break the cycle of weeds, insects and diseases naturally.
Description
Crops are changed or rotated seasonally or every few years in a planned sequence. On sloping lands, hay crops are often grown in wide strips across the hill, alternating with strips of grain crops such as corn. After a few years, the crops are rotated so that the hay strips are planted to grain crops and vice versa. On flat landscapes, entire fields are rotated from one crop to the next, sometimes within the same year (such as soybeans planted after wheat).
Benefits
- Crop rotation adds plant and biological diversity to an operation. Pesticide costs are often reduced because growing different crops breaks the cycle of weeds, insects, and diseases naturally.
- Rotation of grain crops (corn, wheat, and barley) with legumes (alfalfa, soybeans, and clover) reduces fertilizer needs because legumes add nitrogen to the soil.
- Crops that grow close together (hay, alfalfa, clover, and small grains) can reduce soil erosion dramatically.
Planning
- Can insect, weed, or disease problems be reduced by rotating crops?
- What crops are needed to support the farming operation? (For example, hay for livestock).
- Is there a market for other crops?
Tech Notes
- Work with our office to establish this practice.
- Crops must be suited to soils and climate.
- Design crop rotations to meet the residue needs of crop residue management plans.
- Rotations that include small grains or hay provide better erosion control.
Maintenance
- Switch crops to use perennials in the rotation, if necessary.
- Consider herbicide carry-over to avoid crop failures.