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WC MN | Rotation on an annual basis? Technically no. HOWEVER, mother nature isn't exactly producing 200 bushels/acre big bluestem or 20 tons of biomass in CRP. Also, oak wilt, emerald ash borer, dutch elm disease are decent examples of what happens in a mono culture environment. Pretty much all the native elms are wiped out on a macro scale. I have 3 at my farm that made it because they are intermixed with oak. I have one that is 5 feet thick so it's been there a while. Anyways, molds, fungus, insects are all common in the native prairies and we like to call that biodiversity. But again, we aren't relying on the "native" areas to be big producers of a grain or some forage.
There is that progression here from prairie to softwood to hard wood to conifer. The forest edge always has the crap softwood trees and the oaks are inside. The oaks slowly take over. So on a macro scale, yes, there is rotation, just not on an annual basis. Look back to aerial imagery in our county and it's startling how many more trees we have now than in 1945. 30% wouldn't be too out of line for a guess.
FWIW, I grow continuous corn on some fields. I don't kid myself that I can get by without rotating chemistry or cultural practices. I don't expect VT3 to be a good first line of defense after 8 years of continuous corn. | |
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Landlord would like to know that roundup is safe
