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Sustainable agriculture: cover crops save soil and harvests!
Roman Loidl from Moosach relies on catch crops to combat soil erosion and ensure harvest quality.
Sustainable agriculture: cover crops save soil and harvests!
In Moosach, a small town in the Ebersberg district, farmer Roman Loidl uses innovative techniques to ensure soil quality and maximize the yields of his dairy cows. With over 70 hectares of cultivated land, sustainable use of the soil plays a central role in its agriculture. Mercury reports that Loidl primarily relies on catch crops to preserve nutrients in the soil and counteract erosion.
Current practice involves growing various crops on approximately 10 hectares, including grass, turnip, sunflower, sweet pea, deep radish and clover. Each of these cover crops has a specific benefit: turnips help hold the soil together, while radishes loosen the subsoil and thus improve the soil structure. Such measures are crucial because erosion not only reduces soil fertility, but also has a negative impact on agriculture as a whole, as an overview by Agriculture.de shows.
The fight against soil erosion
Soil erosion occurs naturally by wind and water, but can be greatly accelerated by human activities, particularly during intensive agricultural use. Between 1.4 and 3.2 tons of soil per hectare are lost in Germany every year, which has serious consequences for fertility and water quality. A third of arable land is at medium to high risk of water erosion. However, by planting cover crops and applying minimal tillage, this worrying trend can be mitigated Biofield explained.
A key aspect of combating erosion is maintaining good soil structure, which is crucial for the healthy growth of plants. Cover crops not only help to stabilize the soil structure, but also contribute to improving soil fertility by, among other things, fixing nitrogen. This reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers and lowers costs for farmers.
Loidl optimizes sowing, the selection of catch crop varieties and soil cultivation every year, always with the aim of achieving maximum soil quality. With foresight, he follows a strict crop rotation: silage maize, winter wheat, winter barley - and always the valuable catch crops. His recipe for success could soon become a model in other regions, especially if erosion and its consequences in agriculture continue to be discussed so critically.
The combination of environmentally friendly practices and conscious soil management ensures that yields remain sustainable. The future belongs to farmers who really get involved and find smart solutions - in the spirit of responsible agriculture.