A survey of cover crop practices and perceptions of sustainable farmers in North Carolina and the surrounding region

The environmental benefits of cover cropping are widely recognized but there is a general consensus that adoption levels are still quite low among US farmers. A survey was developed and distributed to more than 200 farmers engaged in two sustainable farming organizations in NC and the surrounding re...

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Published in:Renewable agriculture and food systems 2015-12, Vol.30 (6), p.550-562
Main Authors: O'Connell, S., Grossman, J.M., Hoyt, G.D., Shi, W., Bowen, S., Marticorena, D.C., Fager, K.L., Creamer, N.G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural practices
Attitudes
Cash crops
Cover crops
Crop production
Crop rotation
Crops
Economics
Factor analysis
Farm income
Farmers
Farming
Farms
Obstacles
Organic matter
Perception
Polls & surveys
Research Paper
Research Papers
Soil erosion
Soil moisture
Soil organic matter
Sustainability
Sustainable agriculture
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container_end_page 562
container_issue 6
container_start_page 550
container_title Renewable agriculture and food systems
container_volume 30
creator O'Connell, S.
Grossman, J.M.
Hoyt, G.D.
Shi, W.
Bowen, S.
Marticorena, D.C.
Fager, K.L.
Creamer, N.G.
description The environmental benefits of cover cropping are widely recognized but there is a general consensus that adoption levels are still quite low among US farmers. A survey was developed and distributed to more than 200 farmers engaged in two sustainable farming organizations in NC and the surrounding region to determine their level of utilization, current practices and perceptions related to cover cropping. The majority of farms surveyed had diverse crop production, production areas
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A survey was developed and distributed to more than 200 farmers engaged in two sustainable farming organizations in NC and the surrounding region to determine their level of utilization, current practices and perceptions related to cover cropping. The majority of farms surveyed had diverse crop production, production areas &lt;8 ha, and total gross farm incomes &lt;US$50,000. Approximately one-third of the survey population had an organic production component. Eighty-nine percent of participants had a crop rotation plan and 79% of the total survey population utilized cover cropping. More than 25 different cool- and warm-season cover crops were reported. The statements that generated the strongest agreement about cover crop benefits were that cover crops: increase soil organic matter, decrease soil erosion, increase soil moisture, contribute nitrogen to subsequent cash crops, suppress weeds, provide beneficial insect habitat and break hard pans with their roots. Economic costs associated with cover cropping were not viewed as an obstacle to implementation. A factor analysis was conducted to identify underlying themes from a series of positive and negative statements about cover crops. Pre- and post-management challenges were able to explain the most variability (30%) among participant responses. Overall, participants indicated that the incorporation of residues was their greatest challenge and that a lack of equipment, especially for no-till systems, influenced their decisions about cover cropping. 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source Cambridge Journals Online; JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection
subjects Agricultural practices
Attitudes
Cash crops
Cover crops
Crop production
Crop rotation
Crops
Economics
Factor analysis
Farm income
Farmers
Farming
Farms
Obstacles
Organic matter
Perception
Polls & surveys
Research Paper
Research Papers
Soil erosion
Soil moisture
Soil organic matter
Sustainability
Sustainable agriculture
title A survey of cover crop practices and perceptions of sustainable farmers in North Carolina and the surrounding region
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