OFRF Farmer-Led Trials: Can Cover Crop Species Selection Improve Soil Penetrability?
Becky and Tim Colby, Colby Farms
Farm Trial Overview
Colby Farms, located in Papillion, Nebraska, is a 30-acre farm, of which 14 acres are cultivated and about 5 acres are currently in use. Owned and operated by Becky and Tim, the farm is in its third year of transitioning to organic practices, with a history of conventional soybean and corn farming, along with some dairy cows and horses. Becky and Tim are actively working to improve soil health. Soil compaction is a known issue, and traditional tillage methods for addressing it are not aligned with the sustainable and effective biological solutions that they want for their land.
The Colby’s conducted a farm trial to assess the effectiveness of various cover crops in reducing soil compaction. The Colby’s hypothesis was that certain cover crops, especially the daikon radish varieties, would outperform others in reducing soil compaction. An additional goal was to be able to record observations on the potential for different cover crops to help suppress weeds and insect pests.
By conducting this trial, they hope to have informed cover crop choices for the future, allowing them to select species best suited for their specific soil conditions and that enhance the physical structure of their soil, leading to better water infiltration, root growth, and overall soil ecosystem health.
For full details on the study’s methodology and results, check out the OFRF Farmer Led Trials Blog, or read the final report linked here.
Funding Amount
$1,500
Funding Year
2024Location
Papillion, Nebraska
Collaborators
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Key Findings
- No statistically significant differences in soil penetration depth between treatments was observed, and this may indicate that having the soil covered with a crop is more important than the actual cover crop selected.
- While the data did not reflect differences in soil penetrability among cover crop treatments, the Colby’s observed soil structure improvements. Notably, daikon radish and rye treatments were the most weed suppressive, and both daikon radish varieties contributed to greater visual improvements to the soil structure and penetrability.
Region
Midwest
Topic
Soil Health, Weed Management, Cropping Systems
Category
Grain and Field Crops
Year Published
2025
