Planting Green

“Planting Green” by Toby Lloyd, MET Board member
I am passionate about agriculture, and I love farms and the
beautiful landscapes they provide. I watch with great interest what
farmers are planting, following the same fields throughout the growing
seasons. If my timing is right, I am lucky enough to see the finale of the
season - trucks lining the fields and combines harvesting the crops from
dawn into the night. Yes, that is exciting for me and it’s my favorite time
of year.


There’s one farm, though, that’s always looked just a little
different to me from the rest. The fields are never plowed, a tall grasslike
crop grows in winter and spring and in both wet and dry years, the
corn and soybean crops consistently look dense and green. Curiosity
finally got the better of me recently and so I stopped in to ask the farmer
what was unique and special about his operation.


The farm is King’s Grant Farm, located in Kent County, Maryland.
Rich in history, it spans 800 acres, dating back to the 17th century, and
as an added bonus is protected with a conservation easement. The farm
is owned and operated by Tyler Johnson and his family. Tyler’s son
Webb manages the fieldwork. Located along the Chester River, the farm
is a patchwork of cropland, waterways, woods, and riparian forest
buffers.


I find Tyler in the farm’s office where I quickly notice his desk is
scattered with magazines about both production agriculture and
conservation. I inquire about his distinctive farming methods and he
responds, “it’s planting green.”


Unlike conventional crop production methods where farmers pass
over their fields in the spring with tillage equipment to prepare the
seedbed, Tyler plants his corn and soybean crops into a five foot tall
living stand of cereal rye grass. This stand of rye is planted in the fall
after the corn and soybean crops are harvested and is called a “cover
crop.” Cover crops are not planted to be harvested but are planted to
prevent soil erosion during the winter months. Cover crops also take up
excess nutrients left over from the previous crop and hold them over
winter. When cover crops die, the nutrients are released for the new
crop to be used. This farming method is called “zero-till” or “no-till”
because the farmland is not being cultivated, and the method of planting
into a living stand of cover crop has earned the name of planting green.
In Maryland, approximately 500,000 acres of cover crops are growing
this year alone!


“For the farm and the environment, it’s a win-win solution,” says
Tyler. “Less passes across the fields benefit the farm’s bottom line. We
save on fuel and don’t have the added expense of additional farm
equipment. One pass with the planter and the crop is planted.” Planting
green results in better yields, as the living rye takes up excess soil
moisture in the spring allowing crops to be planted earlier. During the
growing season, it acts as a mulch that retains moisture and increases
the soil’s fertility and microbial health. From an environmental
standpoint, Tyler uses less herbicide as the mulch from the cereal rye
makes it more difficult for weeds to grow, and the root structure of the
grass reduces the chance of soil erosion caused by heavy rain.

The land stewardship by farmers continues to amaze me. It is
fascinating to observe how science and technology help farmers use
crops and farming methods to increase yields, yet decrease their impact
on the environment at the same time. As I drive away down the farm
lane, looking over Tyler’s fields once more, I ask myself who would have
thought that simply planting cereal rye after crops are harvested would
provide such diverse benefits.

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