Applications of Dry-Land Farming Techniques to Fruit and Vegetable Production in Kansas

1. Applications of Dry-Land Farming Techniques to Fruit and Vegetable Production in Kansas Emily Beck

2. Potential Application To An Eastern Kansas Farm • Location: Township 10 South, Range 9 East, Section 13, East ½, Southeast ¼, Northwest ¼ • (3 miles west of Wamego, Kansas, in Pottawatomie County) • 16 acre area of the farm • 6 of the 16 acres are currently in row crop production (Soil Survey of Pottawatomie County, Kansas)

3. Potential Application To An Eastern Kansas Farm

4. Potential Application To An Eastern Kansas Farm (Mollison) • 1 acre of Wamego silt loam soil on an east-facing slope • Fruit trees would be planted on the slope. • Cover crops would be planted between trees. • The existing channel would be planted with grasses to lessen erosion from water runoff. • The dry pond would be planted with small fruits (strawberries) or vegetables. A shallow furrow planted with legumes would catch water runoff in dry pond.

5. Potential Application To An Eastern Kansas Farm • ½ acre of shallow Wamego silt loam soil with limestone underneath it (top of the hill) • Native grasses would be planted on top of the hill.

6. Potential Application To An Eastern Kansas Farm • 5 acres of Wamego silt loam soil on southeast-facing slope • Vegetables would be planted in shallow furrows in order to maximize water penetration into the soil. • Legumes would be planted between the shallow furrows. • Vegetables would also be planted on the existing terraces (60 ft. wide) with cover crops between the rows.

7. Potential Application To An Eastern Kansas Farm • 6 acres of mostly Kennebec silt loam and some Ortello fine sandy loam soil • 4 acres would be planted with small fruits and/or bush fruits (grapes and/or raspberries) with cover crops planted between the rows. • 2 acres would be planted with vegetables with cover crops planted between the rows. • Grassed water-ways in between the rows drain excess water. • Malus sp. (Crabapple trees) would be planted beside the road to be used mainly as windbreaks. They could also be used as pollinators and the fruit could be processed into jellies.

8. Potential Application To An Eastern Kansas Farm (Mollison) • 4 acres of Wamego silt loam, Kennebec silt loam, and some Morrill loam soil • Fruit trees would be planted on the west-facing slope with cover crops planted between the trees. • The visible water routes down the slope would be planted with grasses to lessen erosion from water runoff.

9. Nitrogen and Water Costs Conventional Usage: Nitrogen – suggested application of fertilizer (KSU Horticulture Publication) = 42.5 lbs/acre to 193 lbs/acre; least expensive fertilizer (30% nitrogen solutions) = $131/ton (in 2000, USDA); amount of fertilizer needed annually (30% nitrogen solutions) = 141.7 lbs/acre to 643.3 lbs/acre; cost of fertilizer = $9.28/acre to $42.14/acre annually Water – suggested amount of water from irrigation = 1310.4 gallons/acre to 1737 gallons/acre per day (in the summer); average amount of water used/month (in the summer) =31,450 gallons/acre to 41,688 gallons/acre (assuming rainfall occurs once per week on average); average cost of water/month in Pottawatomie County (Kansas Water Office, 2003) = $87.73/acre Non-Conventional Usage: Nitrogen – fixed nitrogen from legumes planted as cover crops (KSU Agronomy Publication) = 40 - 200 lbs/acre, depending on the legume; amount of nitrogen needed = 42.5 lbs/acre to 193 lbs/acre; cost savings for nitrogen fertilizer = $5 - $25 per acre, depending on the legume (KSU Agronomy Publication) Water – amount of rainfall needed (KSU Horticulture Publication) = 1.0 inch to 8.0 inches per week; average rainfall/month in Wamego, KS (in Pottawatomie County) = 34.32 inches/year (May: 4.74 inches; June: 4.91 inches; July: 4.26 inches; August: 3.56 inches) (www.weather.com)

10. More Photos Of The Farm

11. More Photos Of The Farm

12. Potential Application To A Western Kansas Farm • Location: Township 21 South, Range 18 West, Section 25, South ½ • (in Pawnee County, KS) • The farm has 320 acres of pasture and row crop production. • The following proposals are based on a 16 acre area of the farm. (Soil Survey of Pawnee County, Kansas)

13. Potential Application To A Western Kansas Farm

14. Potential Application To A Western Kansas Farm • 16 acres of Harney silt loam soil which is mostly flat. • 5 acres would be planted with fruit trees. • 5 acres would be planted with small fruits and bush fruits. • 6 acres would be planted with vegetables. • The small fruits, bush fruits and vegetables would be planted in shallow furrows lined with stone in order to keep water near the root zones. • Grassed water-ways between the rows drain excess water. • The fruit trees would be planted in small, circular depressions lined with stone in order to keep water near the root zones.

15. Nitrogen and Water Costs Conventional Usage: Nitrogen – suggested fertilizer application (KSU Horticulture Publication) = 42.5 lbs/acre to 193 lbs/acre; least expensive fertilizer (30% nitrogen solutions) = $131/ton (in 2000, USDA); amount of fertilizer needed annually (30% nitrogen solutions) = 141.7 lbs/acre to 643.3 lbs/acre; cost of fertilizer = $9.28/acre to $42.14/acre annually Water – suggested irrigation requirement = 1310.4 gallons/acre to 1737 gallons/acre daily (in the summer); average amount of water used/month (in the summer) = 31,450 gallons/acre to 41,688 gallons/acre (assuming rainfall occurs once per week on average); average cost of water/month in Pawnee County (Kansas Water Office, 2003) = $55.98/acre Non-Conventional Usage: Nitrogen - fixed nitrogen from legumes planted as cover crops = 40 – 200 lbs/acre, depending on the legume (KSU Agronomy Publication); amount of nitrogen needed = 42.5 lbs/acre to 193 lbs/acre; cost savings for nitrogen fertilizer = $5 - $25 per acre, depending on the legume (KSU Agronomy Publication) Water – amount of rainfall needed (KSU Horticulture Publication) = 1.0 inch to 8.0 inches per week; average rainfall/month in Larned, KS (in Pawnee County) = 24.75 inches/year (May: 3.29 inches, June: 3.54 inches, July: 3.71, August: 2.97) (www.weather.com)

16. Native Kansas Cover Crops Legumes:Grasses: Amorpha nana Fragrant False Indigo Agrostis hyemalis Winter Bentgrass Baptisia alba White Wild Indigo Agrostis perennans Autumn Bentgrass Baptisia australis Blue Wild Indigo Andropogon ternarius Split Beard Bluestem Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea Cream False Indigo Bothriochloa laguroides ssp. Torreyana Silver Bluestem Caesalpinia jamesii James Rush Pea Bouteloua eriopoda Black Grama Dalea aurea Golden Dalea Bouteloua gracilis Blue Grama Dalea candida White Prairie Clover Bouteloua hirsuta Hairy Grama Dalea multiflora Round-headed Dalea Brachyelytrum erectum Bearded Shorthusk Dalea nana Dwarf Dalea Bromus latiglumis Earlyleaf Brome Dalea purpurea Purple Prairie Clover Calamagrostis canadensis Bluejoint Indigofera miniata Scarlet Pea Calamagrostis stricta Slimstem Reedgrass Lespedeza capitata Round-head Lespedeza Dichanthelium linearifolium Slimleaf Panicgrass Lespedeza hirta Hairy Lespedeza Elymus hystrix Bottlebrush Grass Lespedeza stuevei Tall Lespedeza Elymus trachycaulus Slender Wheatgrass Lespedeza violacea Violet Lespedeza Eragrostis intermedia Plains Lovegrass Lupinus argenteus Silvery Lupine Koeleria macrantha Prairie Koeler’s Grass Mimosa rupertiana Eastern Sensitive Plant Leersia virginica Whitegrass Pediomelum argophyllum Silver Leaf Indian Breadroot Leptochloa dubia Green Sprangletop Pediomelum cuspidatum Tall Scurfy Pea Melica nitens Melicgrass Psoralidiumlanceolatum Lemon Scurfpea Muhlenbergia cuspidata Plains Muhly Psoralidium tenuiflorum Scurfy Pea Schizachyrium scoparium Little Bluestem (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)