The Press-Dispatch
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E-2 Pike County Planter SwCD Newsletter September and october 2014 The Press-Dispatch Controlled Release Fertilizer A smarter source of nitrogen A smarter way to grow At this special time of year, please accept our sincere wishes for a holiday that's deeply satisfying from start to finish. Your support has meant so much to us. Merry Christmas from everyone at 10237 E. 200 N. • P.O. Box 26 Otwell, IN 47564 Offi ce (812) 354-2404 • Fax (812) 354-3865 ESN Logo Full Colour Pantone 361 Green (76 C 91 Y) Black One Colour Black Reverse logo Black & White Reverse logo Full Colour Pantone 361 Green (76 C 91 Y) Black ESN in a polymer-coated urea that controls nitrogen release and lowers N loss due to denitrification, volitization and leaching. Tests show ESN applications provide higher yields and greater flexibility, because it decreases early spring losses and it allows you to apply nitro- gen when conditions are right. Give us a call or stop in today for all the details on how to increase yields. SoiL eXpo Continued from page 1 By Julie Loehr Middle Patoka Watershed 319 Grant Coordinator Exciting things are still happening in the Middle Patoka River watershed grant proj- ect. Work on finishing up the cost-share program has not stopped the education and workshop aspect of the project. We have several exciting events planned in the near future. Recently, Watershed Coordinator, Julie Loehr, spent July at the local county fairs talking with people. A water quality three-sided poster board was created and displayed at both Pike and Dubois County fairs and information regarding Middle Patoka River project was displayed at the Gibson Co fair as well. If you would like to see the displays —one is currently at Huntingburg public librar y and the other is in the Jasper public librar y. SePtiC SyStem mAiNteNANCe WoRkSHoP Future educational events to look for ward to include an on-site septic system workshop open to the public. The exact date is dependent on the home being con- structed, but it should be in the next month or so. If you currently have a home with a septic system, or are thinking of building a home that will need a septic system, you should consider attending this workshop. Proper usage and routine maintenance of septic systems are key to preventing water pollution. Shawn Werner, Dubois Co. Health Dept., will be at the event to share his expertise and knowledge regarding care and maintenance of septic systems. If you would like to know when this workshop will take place, contact Shawn to get on a contact list. As soon as home construction reaches a point where it is time for the septic system to go in, we will announce the workshop and contact you to let you know. Leave your name and number at the Dubois Co Health Dept. 812-481-7055, ext. 2. miDDle PAtokA RiveR StReAm CleANuP eveNt Nearly 22,000 people receive their drink- ing water from Winslow, Huntingburg, Ferdinand and Jasper community ser vices. Winslow and Jasper get their water di- rectly from the Patoka River. However, the Middle Patoka River watershed includes 236,706 acres. That's a lot of territor y for pollutants to enter our mighty Patoka. And unfortunately, there are a lot of streams and tributaries flowing into the Patoka that are receiving trash, litter, old tires, car- casses, old appliances and waste. Sometime in late September or early October, we will be planning a stream cleanup event where citizens in the watershed can volunteer to come out to help gather trash out of our creeks and streams. Watch for an announcement as to date and time of this event. If you would like to get on a contact list, email Julie Loehr at jloehr@inh2o.org or call her at 812-779-7924. Water Plant Tour—We all should be just a little curious as to how that clean water we pour from our tap gets there and how it's regulated. Coming up in March or April of 2015 we will be planning a Water Plant Tour. Watch for future announcements for dates and times. Possible plants we might tour include Huntingburg and Jasper. If you would like to get on a contact list, email Julie Loehr at jloehr@inh2o.org or call her at 812-779-7924. Doing your part is critical. It is so easy to think that on an individual scale, we hardly contribute at all, either as part of the problem or as part of the solution. After all the Middle Patoka River watershed covers 236,706 acres or 369.85 square miles. It is obviously impossible for one person to make a significant change on such a large watershed scale —whether by being the one that throws that Styrofoam cup into the creek or being that volunteer who picks it up: which seems to be the ver y reason why so many are unconcerned about stopping the problem or uninvolved about being the solution. However, collectively we are the entire problem. And likewise, collectively, we are the only solution. RAiN gARDeN WoRkSHoP Vincennes University Jasper Campus is implementing a rain garden and will be hosting a workshop on September 19 at VUJC. Learn more about rain gardens, why they are good for the environment, and then volunteer to help with the planting of it. Contact Judi Brown at Dubois Co SWCD at 812-482-1171 ext. 3 or at judi.brown@ in.nacdnet.net if you are interested in more information about this rain garden project. Anyone interested in learning more about water quality, the 319 Grant cost- share program, or how to get involved in making positive changes to the environ- ment and our water supply, you may contact Julie Loehr at the Gibson SWCD office. Loehr's office hours are irregular, so call or email before stopping by. However, she stat- ed she is always available to set up an ap- pointment to speak with anyone within the watershed. You may email her at jloehr@ inh2o.org or call her at 812-779-7924. from the plane to a computer and the data is analyzed according to the needs of the producer. The 2014 Soil Health Expo wouldn't have been such a success without the following companies: Baker Seed, Beck's Hybrids, Byron Seeds, CISCO Company, Daylight Farm Supply, Elberfeld State Bank, Goedde Oil, Inc., Heuring Crop Insurance, Hoosier Uplands, Koetter & Smith, Inc., Midwest Ag Finance, NTM Ag Equipment, Precision Farming Solutions, Springfield Plastics and Vincennes Tractor. A big thank you to all the participants, partnering agencies, sponsors and vendors who helped make this event a success. Coming down to support their partnering agencies and learn more about how Precision Ag can assist with their conser vation efforts, Shalyn Sargeant, knox Co. SwCD; Tom Held, NRCS DC, and Linda Powell, ISDA RS, take time out of visiting vendors to get a picture taken. middle patoka river Watershed coordinator update As the last of our summer vegetable crops are har vested and the garden beds are cleared of plant debris, the fall weather is still warm enough to sow over-winter 'cover crops,' which restore fertility and humus, and en- rich the soil for planting next spring. Cover crops are tilled under in late winter or early spring. In a typical garden, we see the soil level drop about 3-4" in each bed after the vegetable crops are har vested. This is a visible reminder that grow- ing a food crop consumes consider- able organic matter. Cover crops, such as fall r ye, crim- son clover, buckwheat and others are easy to grow. When they are digested by soil microorganisms they restore organic matter and nutrient levels in the soil. Because they are sown thickly, they also help to out-compete weeds. Cover crops also control ero- sion from heavy winter rains, and help prevent the soil from compacting over winter. Depending on your growing region, some cover crops will die during the coldest weather. The crop residue is still a valued supplement in the spring. You may be asking, what cover crops should you plant? Seed compa- nies sell cover crop seeds as indi- vidual crops or as mixes of grasses and legumes. Common annual cover crops suitable for fall planting are: Hardy legumes—These nitrogen- fixing crops provide a fertilizer as well as organic matter. Planted in fall, they grow slowly until late winter when growth speeds up. Legume crops may not mature until May in some regions. Cut down these cover crops in spring before they go to flower, then till them under. Grasses: Cover crops from the grass family grow quickly, toler- ate cold, and improve the structure of compacted soils. Thickly sown grasses add in‐ creased organic mat- ter in comparison to legumes. Grasses also control erosion which is a real benefit in wet regions. Grasses do not have the benefit of fixing nitrogen as legumes do. Annual grass cover crops are cut down or mowed in spring be- fore seeds set, and then tilled under. A common mix offered by seed companies is hair y vetch and annual atmospheric nitrogen, while the r ye uses leftover nitrogen. Nitrogen from the decomposing vetch will cause the r ye to decompose more quickly and not tie up nitrogen as long. To plant cover crops, sow seeds at least 30 days before the first expected fall frost date in your growing region. For cover crops that are only margin- ally hardy in your area, push back the sowing date to 60 days before the first frost. The more established a cover crop is before winter, the more likely it will over winter successfully. Are there drawbacks to planting fall cover crops? Since cover crops shade the soil, they can keep the soil wet and cool in a late spring, which can lead to poor seed germination. We turn under cover crops early in these conditions. Attention must be paid to the timing of digging in cover crops. If the plants get too mature, the stalks can get woody and be harder to cut. Cover crops are much easier to turn under while the leaves are still lush and green. What if you have no time to plant a fall cover crop? No problem, an alternative to planting fall cover crops is to add leaves, plentiful in autumn, in a thick layer over the soil. Leaves will block air-born or smother soil-born weeds during the winter months, and are easier to incorporate into the soil in the spring. Cover crops usually re- quire more work to chop up and hoe into the soil, by comparison. Using leaves instead of cover crops has one obvious drawback—they blow away in autumn winds and winter storms. When you use leaves to cover a gar- den bed, cover the leaves with fishnet and weight down the corners of the fishnet with rocks. Cover crops are mowed or cut in early spring, at least 3-4 weeks before the bed is planted with the intended crop. We use a garden shears to chop the cover crop to a few inches above the soil. Once the mass is bunched on the bed, it gets chopped again with the shears. The process takes only a few minutes per be. Turning under the cut cover crop requires more ef- fort. We use a sharp hoe to chop into the stubble and to cut the root mass which surfaces during the hoeing. Some stubble and plant residue will still be visible, but this breaks down quickly. Building healthy soil is an ongo- ing project for ever y gardener. Even where topsoil is organically rich, it will become depleted within a few crop rotations. Gardeners need to revitalize the soil in garden beds regularly. Even buying "new" topsoil to develop ad- ditional growing space is no guarantee that it will contain organic matter. You may need to 'feed' the soil to get it up to gardening standards. Cover crops are ver y useful in this regard. One final obser vation about over-winter cover crops may seem trivial, but I find satisfaction in seeing something growing in the garden during winter. Even when cover crops succumb to harsh winter weather, the residue lying on the beds is a valued soil amendment. The same beds, left empty through the winter, would be gradually occupied by native weeds which need pulling in the spring. This winter you can have your garden continue to work for you and come spring you'll feel you have a head start on the season, thanks to your over-wintered cover crops! * while Supplies Last * The SWCD has for sale one pound bags of the perfect garden cover crop mix. Let our Crimson Clover, Oilseed Radish and Annual Rye mix work for you this winter and give you healthy soil for next year's crop. Bags are $5 (tax included) and will cover up to 2,000 square feet of garden. Give it a tr y and contact the office for more details. cover crops: improving your garden's soil health too! In a typical garden, we see the soil level drop about 3-4" in each bed after the vegetable crops are harvest- ed. This is a visible reminder that growing a food crop consumes considerable organic matter. Cover crops, such as fall rye, crimson clover, buckwheat and others are easy to grow. when they are digested by soil microorganisms they restore organic matter and nutrient levels in the soil.