Soil Conservation District presents essay contest awards

The Adams County Soil Conservation District awarded three Washtucna students with awards for their essays about cover crops after selecting the students from an annual essay contest.

The awards were presented to the sixth grade students during the annual meeting of the district on Jan. 26 in Ritzville.

Students from across Adams County entered essays into the contest, with the three Washtucna students’ essays being selected from the group.

The three winners presented their essays to those in attendance at the annual meeting in the American Legion Hall in Ritzville.

By Lindsey Knudson, First Place

Have you ever thought about what a cover crop is? A farmer may plan a cover crop when they do not have a cash crop seeded. Three benefits of a cover crop are reducing pests, and the needs for herbicides, decreasing soil erosion and protecting our water quality.

Cover crops will help reduce insect damage. They keep weeds to a minimum and will decrease unwanted insects in the soil and plants. A cover crop can be wind strips, which act like a physical barrier to pests. Natural compounds from the cover crop can help reduce pest population, which improves the soil for the cash crop.

Soil erosion is very prevalent in East Adams County. The top growth of the plants, shade the soil while roots help bind and keep the soil in place. Cover crops may be planted on hilltops or sides of hills to stop wind erosion or on low areas down of the field for water erosion. It is possible for a cover crop to cover and protect the soil from the heat of the sun, drying it out and exposing it to wind erosion.

Protecting water quality is an important aspect for cover crops. Pollution can be caused by agricultural chemicals getting into the soil or run off which cover crops help reduce. If farmers don’t protect the water quality then we may not have clean water to drink. Erosion is a way to carry the top soil off of the field and eventually to a stream or a river. Farmers need that topsoil in place, not being carried downstream, mudding up rivers reducing navigable waterways.

In Adams County, cover crops are mostly used on the West side of the county. On our side, organic matter such as stubble is used in the same manner. There are so many things cover crops can provide such as reducing insect damage, preventing soil erosion, and protecting water quality. Our cash crops can benefit when farmers use natural methods to preserve soil and moisture.

By Mark Knudson, Second Place

Did you know cover crops are important? Maybe you don’t even know what a cover crop is. A cover crop is a crop that farmers plant when they’re not growing their cash crop. Three benefits of a cover crop are increased moisture, more organic matter in the soil and it provides a habitat for bears and almost all species of animals.

Moisture that is saved by the cover crop helps the soil become healthier and therefore provides the cash crop with more moisture and a higher yield. Cover crops reduce evaporation resulting in less moisture stress during a drought. Another benefit of a cover crop is that it adds organic matter to the soil, which is important for the nutrient activity. They help maintain soil life simply by shading the soil from the sun and building minerals to make sure it keeps the soil nutrient rich.

Cover crops even provide a habitat, which is good for bees, insects, birds and animals. We need bees to pollinate all crops. These habitats help keep our wildlife in balance. The cover crop also provides a pretty safe environment for the insects and birds that need food and safety from predators.

I have shared three cover crop benefits that are important to soil health: moisture that helps the crop grow, the need for fresh organic matter and cover crops provide a habitat for wildlife. Farming is the core of our economy and heritage in Adams County. All farming practices such as cover crops, help sustain the farming that is so important to us.

By Nate Hille, Third Place

What is a cover crop? A cover crop is a crop that farmers plant instead of a primary cash crop. A primary cash crop is the main crop that farmers make their income off of in this area. The three topics that I’m going to address as benefits are: protecting water quality, improving crop yield and providing animal habitats.

The first benefit of planting a cover crop is improving water quality. Water quality can depend upon soil erosion. If you have a hill that’s been seeded with a crop and snow or rain falls on it, the soil could slide producing runoff and ruin your cover crop or cash crop because it can’t absorb water. So if you try to plant a cash crop there, it won’t grow or it could wash away because the soil nutrients and soil integrity has been lost to the runoff. Soil will filter the impurities out of the water making it healthy for animals and humans. The filtration process is important, which allows water to seep to a ground water aquifer rather than create ditches and muddy runoff.

Cash crop yields are what keep Adams County viable. By increasing soil moisture and plating the cover crop in irrigated areas or leaving stubble as organic matter in a dryland field, improves the cash crop yields simply because the soil is healthier. Yields depend upon nutrients, water and reduced erosion.

The last benefit of the three is cover crops provide habitats. By growing cover crops insects, birds and animals are protected from weather and predators and provides water and food year round. Which in some cases is a good thing because bugs like bees are providers, through pollination and we get more honey as a by-product. These habitats also create cover for deer, pheasants and other animals that reside in Adams County. These areas are rich in animals that many like to hunt.

Cover crops are a great natural plan to help keep soil from eroding, provide habitats for all kinds of wildlife and builds soil health for higher crop yields. Farmers always consider what practices are best suited for their soil type and crop choice. Cash crops can be part of this plan.