Sustainable Agriculture

Growing agronomic crops sustainably means using methods that have a minimal effect on the environment, and finding a good balance between the need for food production and the preservation of the ecological system within the environment. Find information on sustainable agriculture of agronomic crops, including crop rotation and conservation tillage, soil health and conservation practices, extending the grazing season and interseeding.

Crop Planning in Sustainable Agriculture

Crop planning is essential for any agronomic producers. Optimizing agronomic crop production while also minimizing the effect of production methods on the environment requires careful planning. Penn State Extension’s Farming for Success workshops feature a wide range of crop production topics. These include disease, weed, and insect management, nutrient management, crops management, and alternative crops.

No-Till/Conservation Tillage for Agronomic Crops

No-till and conservation tillage are both production methods that are a fundamental part of sustainable agronomic crop production. They both provide several benefits such as soil conservation, reductions in crop establishment time and energy use, improved water retention, retention of soil organic matter, and improvement of soil quality at the soil surface.

Crop Rotation, Double Cropping, and Cover Crops

It’s possible to enhance many of the benefits of no-till and conservation tillage by planting cover crops, adopting crop rotation, and double cropping. However, complications can arise when trying to integrate all these systems. Three years of research by Penn State experts has provided answers to many of the pain points associated with sustainable agronomic production practices, such as planting green with corn and soybeans.

Crop rotation increases yields because they help to improve soil conditions and reduce weed and insect populations. A crop rotation system can also help producers successfully adopt conservation tillage.

Soil Health and Conservation Practices

Improving soil health is crucial for maximum agronomic crop yields. Soil compaction, in particular, can negatively affect soil productivity and environmental quality. It’s an issue that can be reduced or avoided by following sustainable agricultural practices such as no-till and conservation tillage.

Soil health also has an important part to play in water hydrology. If soil is compacted, for example, it can lead to compaction infiltration. This is one topic that’s covered in the Penn State Extension Agronomy Now: Soil Sampling, Compaction, and Water Hydrology workshop. More resources on soil fertility and health are available in the dedicated section.