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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1979-3605
AccessType
Open Access Dissertation
Document Type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Plant Biology
Year Degree Awarded
2020
Month Degree Awarded
February
First Advisor
Masoud Hashemi
Subject Categories
Agronomy and Crop Sciences
Abstract
Cover crops are prized for their array of well documented and widely respected ecosystem services. Cover crops are an intrinsic part of building and sustaining soil health and thus the long term productive capacity of agricultural soils. However, effective cover crop adoption on New England dairy farms is lacking, and the benefits of traditional cover crops may be somewhat mismatched to the needs of dairy farms. Harvesting winter hardy small cereal grains for forage can provide practical incentive to farmers to incorporate effective cover crop management as well as provide an economic benefit in the form of additional on-farm forage production. In tandem, dual purpose cover crops can convey traditional ecosystem services while also helping to remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus applied in manure, thus providing enhanced nutrient cycling.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/yrj2-2k51
Recommended Citation
Glaze-Corcoran, Samantha, "Developing alternative forage production strategies for enhanced environmental and economic resilience on New England dairy farms" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations. 1827.
https://doi.org/10.7275/yrj2-2k51
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/1827