Clemson Public Service and Agriculture
Clemson soil nutrient management specialist Bhupinder Farmaha and master’s student Mitchell Rich study how utilizing cover crops and conservation tillage in cotton fields may be just what the doctor ordered for healthy soils. Three common strategies conservation tillage, diversified crop rotations and cover crops are used to improve soil health.
Earth’s population is expected to increase by more than 2 billion people by 2050 and, to help ensure there is enough food and fiber to go around, keeping soils healthy is crucial.
Bhupinder Farmaha, a soil nutrient management specialist at Clemson’s Edisto Research and Education Center, believes utilizing cover crops and conservation tillage in cotton may be just what the doctor ordered for healthy soils.
South Carolina had one of the best-yielding corn crops ever in 2020.
Apr 14, 2021
Corn and soybean prices are rising which means more South Carolina farming acres could be allocated for these commodities.
During the 2021 Clemson Extension Corn and Soybean Meeting, held via Zoom, Clemson Extension corn and soybean specialist Michael Plumblee told participants 2020 was one of the “most productive years” for corn in South Carolina. Soybean acreage and yields for 2020 also were strong.
“If prices remain high, I expect we could see acreage split about even between corn, cotton and soybeans,” said Plumblee, who was named Clemson Cooperative Extension Service corn and soybean specialist in December. “Depending on what happens with fertilizer prices, corn acres may not go up quite as high as they would have, but we’re competing with soybean acres and with $14 per bushel soybeans, a price we have not seen in more than four years. Still, I do believe acreage for both