Abstract
There is a growing trend in the use of cover crops in the United Kingdom, and whilst research shows there are many soil and environmental benefits, little is known about the farmer's perspective of cover cropping. A survey was designed and distributed to ask farmers about their use and management of cover crops. The online survey received 117 usable responses between January and March 2017, following distribution through social media in the United Kingdom. The survey highlighted that 66% of respondents used cover crops following harvest in 2016. Respondents observed benefits to soil structure, soil erosion control and water infiltration in addition to reductions in the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicide and fuel use. Of those not using cover crops, 90% would consider their use in the future if additional information on their use and benefits were known in a UK context. Changes to the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme guidelines for cover crops would have been welcomed by 71% of respondents using cover crops.
Highlights
Cover cropping is gaining momentum in the United Kingdom
Largely conducted outside of the United Kingdom has shown that cover crops can benefit: soil structure (Munkholm, Heck, & Deen, 2013; Tonitto, David, & Drinkwater, 2006), soil biology (Reeleder, Miller, Ball Coelho, & Roy, 2006; Roarty, Hackett, & Schmidt, 2017), soil erosion control (Magdoff & van Es, 2000) and nutrient management (Cooper et al, 2017; Wendling et al, 2016)
This paper aims to present information from farmers about the use and management of cover crops in the United Kingdom using a survey distributed to the UK arable farming community in winter 2017
Summary
There is a growing trend in the use of cover crops in the United Kingdom, and whilst research shows there are many soil and environmental benefits, little is known about the farmer's perspective of cover cropping. A survey was designed and distributed to ask farmers about their use and management of cover crops. Respondents observed benefits to soil structure, soil erosion control and water infiltration in addition to reductions in the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicide and fuel use. Of those not using cover crops, 90% would consider their use in the future if additional information on their use and benefits were known in a UK context. Changes to the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme guidelines for cover crops would have been welcomed by 71% of respondents using cover crops
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