The success prompted Betts to expand his cover crop repertoire in 2012 by seeding alternating bands of annual ryegrass and radish seven inches apart, for a total of nine bands per middle-row. The ryegrass was intended to complement the large holes left by decayed radishes. which allowed for the water infiltration that they were hoping for, but also created unstable ground for tractor access. Adding the ryegrass species, that has an extensive, soil-holding root system, helps to stabilize the ground during wet periods to allow for easier tractor access. The experiment wasn’t entirely successful, as the radishes crowded out the ryegrass, a common occurrence if radish seeding rate is too high (one extra pound of radish seed per acre can make a huge difference) or there is high residual nitrogen in the soil.
Fortunately, financial help arrived in the form of the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), a National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) subsidy funding cover crop efforts to combat erosion and improve soil health. Betts took advantage of their prescribed mixes of three to seven different seed species, and worked with the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program (LERGP) to alternate mixed planting with fallow plots three panels long by three rows wide (24 X 9ft) to serve as an experimental control. This experiment block has been ongoing for eleven years.
The Betts Farms cover crop program has helped address many practical concerns, including erosion, summer moisture retention, and weed suppression. Betts has further innovated by initiating use of a 5-foot-wide I & J roller crimper in 2015 to terminate cover crops in June, an uncommon practice in Concord grape vineyards. Rolling the aboveground portion of the cover crop protects the soil from rain droplet impact, while cover crop roots hold soil in place during periods of intense rainfall (Figure 2). This decreases the runoff and erosion that may carry pesticides, valuable nutrients, and topsoil away from the grapevines. The roller treatment also addresses the concern that cover crops might compete with vines for soil moisture during times of drought, as the biomass mat created in early June shades the ground, retaining soil moisture. The mat also results in cooler surface temperatures, creating better soil microbe habitat than hot, dry, bare soil.
Both the actively growing cover crop and the biomass mat help suppress weeds, which is especially important for problematic annual species like Marestail (Condyza canadensis), a plant commonly resistant to glyphosate (Roundup). While Marestail was a significant problem in Betts Farms’ control rows, it was rare in cover cropped rows that had been rolled and crimped (Figure 2), which reduced his overall reliance on glyphosate. The biomass mat provided adequate weed prevention most years, and if it doesn’t, herbicide can be applied as needed.