Northern NY Agricultural Development Program Project Report, 2006
Project Leader
Michael H. Davis (mhd11@cornell.edu)
Research Associate, Crop and Soil Sciences
Cornell University E.V. Baker Research Farm
Collaborators
Jerry Cherney (jhc5@cornell.edu), Forage Specialist, Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University
Anita Deming (ald6@cornell.edu), Extension Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County
Background:
Organic grain production is one strategy that Northern New York farmers could use to diversify their operations and increase profitability. Fifteen to twenty percent annual increases in the organic food market coupled with the premium prices paid for certified organic grains have prompted many farmers to explore the organic option, and the amount of NNY acreage. Committed to organic field crop production has increased significantly in recent years.
Cropping system work in the organic rotations at the Cornell E.V. Baker Research Farm has primarily focused on the production of spring and winter wheat, grain-type soybeans, sweet corn, and alfalfa/grass hay. Solid regional markets for certified organic wheat and soybeans have helped to encourage local farmers to experiment with organic cropping systems, and most of the certified organic grain production in the area thus far has focused on these two crops. The challenge now is to find additional crop options that can be effectively and profitably inserted into the rotations. Sunflowers, flax, specialty grain corn, and dry (Adzuki) beans have been suggested by organic farmers or marketers as possible options.
Objectives
(1) To develop cropping system strategies to insert sunflowers, organic flax, and dry beans into the organic rotations at the Cornell E.V. Baker Research Farm.
(2) To acquire and test the agronomic performance of available sunflower, flax, and dry bean varieties in replicated, organically managed trials.
Baker Farm Organic Rotations
A six-acre field at the Baker Research Farm in Willsboro has been certified organic since 1993. The six acres were divided into ten equal blocks that have been allocated to two five-year rotations (a Wheat rotation and a New Crop rotation). The New Crop rotation initially involved three years of alfalfa/timothy sod, followed by one year of food-grade soybeans, and one year of sweet corn.
Two to three years of alfalfa/timothy sod forms the heart of all our organic rotations. The perennial sod serves to recharge soil health as it provides an extended period without tillage, fibrous grass roots contribute significant organic matter to the soil system, and alfalfa roots fix nitrogen. Weed seed banks are also reduced when the sod is mowed or hayed at regular intervals.
In an effort to diversify the cropping and marketing options in the New Crop rotation, food-grade soybeans were replaced with dry beans, sunflowers replaced sweet corn, and flax followed the sunflowers (essentially taking the place of one year of alfalfa/timothy sod).
Inserting sunflowers (Asteraceae family) and flax (Linaceae family) into the rotation adds two new plant families to the system and could function to reduce the incidence of pathogen and pest problems. The advantage to adding a third annual grain crop to the rotation is that it could improve economic returns over a five-year period. The downside of having three annual crops and only two years of alfalfa/timothy sod is that the soil system has less time to recharge and soil health could potentially be compromised.
Organic Flax Production
Fertility:
Flax was grown in the New Crop rotation block 12-O-6 on Rhinebeck clay loam soil in 2006. In 2005, this block received 3 tons/acre composted chicken manure (‘Giroux Doo’ with NPK of 2-2-1.5) and 500 lbs/acre Northcountry Organics 5-3-4 Pro Gro granulated fertilizer in preparation for sweet corn. Wet weather in 2005 resulted in a failed sweet corn crop that was plowed under in July. Since Flax is not a heavy feeder, no additional fertilizer was added to the block prior to the 2006 flax seeding. Flax is known to be sensitive to zinc deficiency and in future years soils will be tested for zinc and fertilized accordingly.
Weed Control
Flax does not compete well for either above or below ground resources, so it is essential to minimize weed pressure. Block 12-O-6 was fallowed following the failed 2005 sweet corn crop and this appeared to greatly reduce annual and perennial weed pressure ahead of the 2006 flax crop. A stale seed bed approach was also used in the spring to take out the first flush of annual weeds prior to planting the flax trial on May 8, 2006. No weed control measures were taken after planting, and weed control in the plots was excellent.
Trial Establishment
Untreated seed for five flax varieties were obtained from Albert Lea Seedhouse in Minnesota, and the Flax Institute at North Dakota State University. The variety trial employed a randomized complete block experimental design with six replications. Plots were 10’ wide and 30’ long and planted at a 7” row spacing with a 3 point hitch mounted 5’ wide grain drill (equipped with press wheels). Flax was seeded at 56 lbs/acre rate, which is slightly higher than the 35-50 lb/acre rate that is typically recommended for treated seed. Target seeding depth was 1” (0.5”- 1.5”). As flax seeds are relatively small and seedlings have difficulty pushing through soil crusts, it is important not to plant too deep. Plots were seeded on May 8, 2006 and harvested on October 9, 2006.
Results and Discussion
The flax trial included four brown seeded varieties and one yellow seeded (“golden”) variety (Table 1). While yellow and brown seeded varieties do not differ in their composition, the yellow color is considered more desirable for use in human consumption.
The tallest variety, Omega, differed significantly in height from the shortest variety, York; none of the other varieties differed significantly in height. No lodging problems were observed in the trial. No statistically significant differences in yield were found among the varieties. Yields ranged from 636 lbs/acre to 738 lbs/acre with a trial mean of 672.3 lbs/acre. These yields are consistent with yields reported for the same varieties in conventionally managed trials at NDSU’s Williston Research Station, indicating that these flax varieties may be well suited for Northern New York growing conditions, and that they can perform well in an organically managed cropping system.
Two or more additional years of data are needed to further refine organic flax production strategies, and to confidently gauge the potential of these flax varieties for use in organic production systems in Northern New York.
| Table 1. 2006 Organic Flax Variety Trial | ||||
|
Source |
Hybrid/Variety Name |
Seed Color |
Yield |
Plant height |
|
lb/a |
cm |
|||
|
Trial Mean |
672.3 |
51.4 |
||
|
LSD |
134 |
4.4 |
||
|
LSD P > |
0.05 |
0.05 |
||
|
CV |
16.6 |
6.5 |
||
|
F Test |
0.5603 |
.0264 |
||
| NDSU | Nekoma | Brown |
676.3 |
52 |
| Albert Lea Seeds | Omega | Golden |
738.8 |
54 |
| NDSU | Pembina | Brown |
636.3 |
52 |
| NDSU | Rahab 94 | Brown |
654.4 |
50 |
| NDSU | York | Brown |
655.8 |
48 |
Organic Dry Bean Production
Fertility:
Dry beans replaced food-grade soybeans in the rotation in 2006 and were grown in Block 12-0-8 on a Rhinebeck clay loam soil with tile drainage. Dry beans followed a plowed down legume/grass sod, and since beans fix their own nitrogen, no additional fertilizer was added to the field.
Trial Establishment:
Certified organic seed of four dry bean varieties was obtained from High Mowing Seed Company in Vermont. A randomized complete block trial with six replications was designed. Trial plots were 10’ wide by 20’ long and consisted of four rows with a 30” spacing between the rows. Our target planting date was mid-May, but unusually wet weather delayed planting until June 16, 2006. Target planting depth was 1” and all seed was inoculated with the appropriate Rhizobium sp. prior to seeding. The trial was harvested by hand on November 1, 3, and 6, 2006.
Weed Control:
Block 12-0-8 was plowed in August 2005 and fallowed the remainder of the growing season to kill the sod and reduce perennial and annual weed populations. Additionally, a stale seed bed strategy was used to take out two flushes of annual weeds in the spring. In a normal spring the beans would have been planted by mid May, and there wouldn’t have been enough time to germinate and cultivate a second flush of weeds, but the delayed planting in 2006 allowed for an additional stale period prior to seeding. Wet weather continued after planting and there were no opportunities to do any blind cultivating with a rotary hoe. The plots were cultivated using sweeps between the rows on July 6, 2006. Weed control in the plots was generally good, primarily due to the effectiveness of the late season fallow period and stale seedbed.
Results and Discussion:
While the entire dry bean trial was surrounded by three strands of electrified tape, deer browsing damage was noted in the plots. It is difficult to assess the impact of the browsing damage on yields. Most of the browsing occurred on the leaves and the deer appeared to browse the four varieties indiscriminately. All four varieties appeared to set a large number of pods per plant, but final yields varied significantly between the entries with Black Turtle averaging over twice the yield of any other variety (Table 2).
All four varieties set some pods very close to the ground, making it impossible to mechanically combine the plots without leaving significant numbers of pods in the field. Our inability to mechanically harvest any of the dry bean varieties suggests that they may not be suited to larger scale plantings. In future dry bean trials efforts will be made to locate varieties that don’t set many pods close to the ground.
| Table 2. 2006 Organic Dry Bean Variety Trial | ||||
|
Source |
Hybrid/Variety Name |
Seed Color |
Yield |
Moisture |
|
lb/a |
% |
|||
|
Trial Mean |
1134.2 |
9.6 |
||
|
LSD |
149.6 |
|||
|
LSD P> |
0.05 |
|||
|
CV |
8.7 |
6.3 |
||
|
F Test |
0.0001 |
0.1621 |
||
| High Mowing Seeds | Black Turtle |
2113.5 |
||
| High Mowing Seeds | Soldier |
953.4 |
||
| High Mowing Seeds | Maine Yellow Eye |
685.7 |
||
| High Mowing Seeds | Jacobs Cattle |
784.3 |
||
Organic Sunflower Production
Fertility:
Sunflowers replaced sweet corn in the New Crop rotation, and were grown in a block (12-0-7) that had produced food-grade soybeans in 2005. Three tons/acre composted chicken manure (“Giroux Doo” with an NPK of 2-2-1.5) was broadcast onto the field and then disced in prior to fitting the field for planting. Since sunflowers are considered fairly heavy feeders, and there was concern that the heavy rains in May and June had flushed much of the available nitrogen out of the soil, the plots were topdressed with 200 lbs/acre 5-3-4 Pro Gro granular fertilizer from Northcountry Organics on July 10, 2006 (40 days after planting).
Weed Control:
Weed control in the preceding food-grade soybean crop was poor due to a very wet spring and early summer in 2005. Several annual grasses and dicotyledonous weeds went to seed, and the annual weed pressure in block 12-0-7 was expected to be high in 2006. Block 12-0-7 was mowed and then plowed in October 2005 following the soybean harvest. The field was worked as early as possible in spring 2006 to stale seedbed the plots and eliminate a flush of annual spring weeds prior to planting. May 15 was the target planting date, but frequent rains delayed planting until May 31. Continued wet weather after planting inhibited timely cultivation of germinating weeds; we were not able to cultivate the plots until July 10 (40 days after planting) when we used sweeps in an effort to set back weeds growing between the rows. In plots with good plant populations, the sunflowers competed well with the weeds. Plots located in the wetter sections of block 12-0-7 had poor sunflower stand establishment and serious weed problems
Trial Establishment:
Untreated seed of one edible seed variety (Mammoth) and one oil seed variety (Black Oil) was obtained from Albert Lea Seedhouse in Minnesota. Two hybrid oil seed varieties, 6949 and Defender HO were contributed by Seeds 2000 (Minnesota organization). A test was established with 15 replications. Many of the replications located in the wetter areas of block 12-0-7 had poor stand establishment; the trial was eventually reduced to four complete replications. Plots were 10’ wide, 20’ long, and consisted of 4 rows with 30” between row spacings. Sunflowers were planted with a two row cone planter (two passes per plot) on May 31. Final plot evaluations and harvest data were taken on November 6.
Results and Discussion:
All four varieties grew well in plots that had good stand establishment. Mammoth was almost twice as tall as the three oil seed varieties (Table 3). Selected heads were hand harvested from plots in replications one through four in November, but extensive bird damage to the heads made it impossible to collect meaningful yield data. The sunflowers matured slowly in the fall and in many plots the heads started to mold and rot before they had dried enough to combine. The apparent slow maturation may be explained by the delayed planting date, but is also possible that these varieties are too late maturing for Northern New York growing conditions. More trial years are needed for a complete assessment of the potential for organic sunflower production in NNY.
| Table 3. 2006 Organic Sunflower Variety Trial | ||||
|
Source |
Hybrid/Variety Name |
Seed Type |
Height |
|
|
(cm) |
||||
|
Trial Mean |
189.6 |
|||
| Albert Lea Seeds | Mammoth | Edible seed |
284.6 |
|
| Albert Lea Seeds | Black Oil | Oil seed |
156.9 |
|
| Seeds 2000 | 6949 | Oil seed |
166.1 |
|
| Seeds 2000 | Defender HO | Oil seed |
150.6 |
|
Outreach:
Tabulated trial results will be posted on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website www.nnyagdev.org, and included in regional extension publications and meetings.
A workshop on the organic flax production was presented at the NOFA-NY winter conference in Syracuse, NY, January 27, 2007.