Updated April 27, 2021:
The goals of the project are to use a farmer board to brainstorm ways to protect soil after soybean without hurting a following corn crop, with the expectation that cover crops will be a key component. Test 20 to 30 of the brainstormed ideas in small plots on the University of Missouri research farm to see how well soil is protected and how they affect yield of a following corn crop.
The farmer board met to brainstorm ideas for the project, coming up with 20 different ideas for how to protect soil after soybean. The main ideas we’re testing are:
• Use species other than rye as cover crops to protect soil after soybean.
• Use rye to protect soil after soybean, but plant rye in strips and plant the next year’s corn between those strips.
• Use rye to protect soil after soybean; apply most nitrogen fertilizer on with the planter so that rye’s negative effects on the soil nitrogen supply do not hurt the corn.
• Plant soybean into tall rye, kill the rye, and count on it protecting soil for a whole year.
All of these ideas were implemented in 2019. In spring 2020 we'll plant corn to see whether they hurt yield. Monthly
photos will be taken to assess how well each one protects the soil. The best ideas in the research plots will be added to the Missouri Strip Trial program for on-farm testing.