BUCYRUS, Ohio — Modified relay intercropping, which lets farmers harvest two crops in the same year, will be examined at a workshop July 19 in Bucyrus.
The program is free and takes place at the university’s Unger Farm, 970 Nevada Road from 7 to 9 p.m., where six years of trials have gone on.
Results
Results so far show favorable average yields of both crops plus lower chemical use, said workshop leader Steve Prochaska of Ohio State University Extension’s Crawford County office.
In replicated field trials at the Unger site, wheat and soybeans have averaged 73 and 28 bushels an acre, respectively. In good years, wheat has gone over 80 bushels an acre and soybeans 40.
Planting under modified relay intercropping, a kind of double-cropping, takes place in late May and early June, typically by sowing soybeans into wheat with a grain drill or a tool bar planter.
“Because the soil is under the cover of a growing crop for 12 months, and few if any pesticides are used, this system is beneficial to the environment,” he said.
More information
For more information about the workshop, call 419-562-8731.
More information about modified relay intercropping is available at http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0504.html or a fact sheet can be picked up at any county office of OSU Extension.
The workshop is sponsored by Ohio State University’s Sustainable Agriculture Team. The program is part of a summer series that is part of a larger coordinated schedule, the 2008 Summer Farm Tour Series.
The complete schedule — 29 tours and workshops plus six festivals — is available at http://www.oeffa.org/pdfs/08farmtourweb.pdf.
