Integrating Vegetable, Poultry, and Cover Cropping to Enhance Resiliency in Organic Production Systems
Project Director
Ajay Nair
Year Funded
2019
Award Number
2019-51300-30244
Funded Institution
Iowa State University
Grant Program
OREI (Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative)
USDA NIFA Report (alternate)
Project Overview
Multi-year field trials were conducted at three locations to evaluate organic poultry-vegetable-cover crop integrated systems designed to close nutrient cycles. Treatments included:
(1) Spring vegetable – summer poultry – fall cover crop
(2) Spring vegetable – summer cover crop – fall poultry
(3) Spring vegetable – summer cover crop – fall vegetable (control).
Researchers monitored vegetable yields, cover crop biomass, soil health, nutrients, weed and insect populations, poultry health, meat quality, and foodborne pathogens. Poultry were rotationally grazed in chicken tractors moved daily, and their performance was compared with poultry raised in confinement. Ancillary trials were conducted in Iowa to identify best spinach, broccoli, and squash cultivars.
Farmer Takeaways
(1) Integrating poultry and cover crops into organic vegetable rotations can enhance soil health, nutrient cycling, yields, biodiversity, and enterprise diversity.
(2) Additional benefits include fewer weeds and reduced fertilizer needs.
(3) Monitor soil nutrient levels to detect and manage potential nutrient surpluses.
(4) Chickens raised in this system show healthier bones and slightly higher meat quality.
(5) Foodborne pathogen risks appear low; manage with standard food safety measures.
(6) ‘Aztec’ spinach and ‘Green Magic’ broccoli performed best for spring plantings in Iowa.
Project Outputs
Carey, A. M., Dutter, C. R., Mbacke, K., McDaniel, M. D., & Nair, A. (2025). Integrating poultry improves soil health and vegetable yield in organic, cover-cropped system. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 382, 109499.
Bilenky, M. T., Nair, A., McDaniel, M. D., Shaw, A. M., Bobeck, E. A., & Delate, K. (2024). Integrating pastured meat chickens into organic vegetable production increased nitrogen and microbial biomass with variability in presence of E. coli and Salmonella spp. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 39, e11.
Carey, A. M., & Nair, A. (2025). Evaluating ecosystem services of summer cover crop mixtures for organic cabbage production. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 40, e8.
Carey, A., Nair, A., & Thoms, A. (2024). Evaluating the Soil Block Method and Growing Media in Organic Vegetable Transplant Production.
Galindo, F. S., Delate, K., Heins, B., Phillips, H., Smith, A., & Pagliari, P. H. (2020). Cropping System and Rotational Grazing Effects on Soil Fertility and Enzymatic Activity in an Integrated Organic Crop-Livestock System. Agronomy, 10(6), 803.
Carr, P. M., Cavigelli, M. A., Darby, H., Delate, K., Eberly, J. O., Fryer, H. K., Gramig, G. G., Heckman, J. R., Mallory, E. B., Reeve, J. R., Silva, E. M., Suchoff, D. H., & Woodley, A. L. (2020). Green and animal manure use in organic field crop systems. Agronomy Journal, 112(2), 648–674.