Strategies to reduce fertility inputs and improve soil health and co-sequestration in mixed crop-livestock systems

Project Details

Status: Completed
Investment: $34,655
Commodity: Multiple Livestock, Multiple Crops
Organization: Peace Country Beef & Forage Association
Investigator: Akim Omokanye

In Alberta, the recent input expense reports showed that fertilizer costs constitute up to 25% of the total variable costs in cereal production, and up to about 30% for canola.

May 2024

Research Results

Mixed crop-livestock systems that were studied over a three-year period showed potential to minimize the use of chemical fertilizer inputs for annual crops.

  1. Increased yields after manure application

    Grain/seed yield following manure application and rolled Cover Crop Cocktails and to a large extent, the use of a soil rejuvenation program in combination with foliar feeding, can increase yields by as much as 42% when compared to conventional pea-canola-wheat rotation. Foliar fertilizer can support plant-availability of trace elements and macro elements, and can create conditions for better root growth and increased root exploration capacity.

    Extended grazing season

    Cover Crop Cocktails (CCCs) can be grazed in the fall to extend grazing season, resulting in producer savings in labour and equipment costs during extended fall grazing. With higher quality forage CCCs, supplementation with grain or protein pellets would not normally be required when grazing.

    Green manure

    Cover Crop Cocktails can be rolled as green manure to provide nutrients in the soil for subsequent crop production and reduce fertilizer costs.

    Savings up to 40 cents/cow/day

    The Cover Crop Cocktails (CCCs) that include grazing (annual pasture or swath grazing) in year one can save up to more than 40 cents/cow/day, resulting in time savings and nutrient loads to the system as a big benefit. Recapture of nitrogen (N) and other nutrients like phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) during grazing can be substantial and more than 30%.

    Fertilizer savings, particularly N, in rotations including CCC, manure application and the use of a soil rejuvenation program can be significant over a conventional pea-canola-wheat rotation.

    Reduced GHG emissions

    The introduction of Cover Crop Cocktails (CCCs), manure application (when incorporated into the soil), and the regular use of reliable or proven bio-stimulants into rotations help in reducing the use of fertilizers and energy in arable systems and consequently lowering the GHG emissions. The benefits derived from these treatments in crop rotations become significant when commercially relevant rates of N fertilizer are applied. Such treatments have been shown to have the ability to reduce fertilizer rate significantly over a conventional pea-canola-wheat rotation on different soil types.

    No-till cost savings

    No-till seeding that was used in this study could result in producers saving on labour costs alone compared to conventional land tilling before seeding.

    Improved soil quality

    Cover Crop Cocktail (CCC) based systems improve several aspects of soil fertility, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K). Rolled CCC as well as grazed CCC have the potential to improve surface soil organic carbon stock. Good BMPs are needed, such as no-till practices, which will help improve and maintain surface soil health and quality as well as soil organic carbon stock.

Why is this research important for Alberta ag?

Nitrogen is the most common limiting nutrient for crop production systems. In Alberta, the recent input expense reports showed that fertilizer costs constitute up to 25% of the total variable costs in cereal production, and up to about 30% for canola. The high cost of fertilizer is compelling producers to seek options for efficiency management of production systems that will improve soil nutrients and overall soil health, while reducing fertilizer input expenses, but not sacrificing the yield obtained.

This project will investigate the effects of different cropping/rotation systems, including cover crop cocktails (CCC), bale grazing and the use of manure and foliar fertilizer on soil health improvement, fertility savings and potential C-sequestration rates over a 3-year study period on two soil types using a systems analysis.

What benefits can producers expect from this research?

CCCs can be grazed in the fall to extend the grazing season, resulting in a producer saving in labour and equipment costs during extended fall grazing. Other cost-savings methods that will be tested include no-till seeding and fertilizer savings.

How will these research findings reach producers on-farm?

Findings will be shares through newsletters, annual reports, field days, presentations at industry events, and on social media.