Almond Facts, May-June 2021

CULTIVATING SUSTAINABILITY cover crops after that meeting to learn more about the pros and cons of using them with almonds. I also went to a cover crop field demonstration day at the NRCS facility in Lockeford to see first-hand what the cover crops look like and ask questions with the staff. At that point, it became clear to me that cover crops can play an integral role in improving the conditions in our orchard in several ways, particularly with bee health and better pollination. BS: Is the Seeds for Bees program easy to utilize? If so, why, and if not, what was difficult? CR: The Seeds for Bees program was very easy for me to use. First, the application process is simple and quick. If I recall correctly, the application took about 10 minutes to complete. Billy also helped answer any questions I had about the program. Second, they provide the seed mixes for us which takes away the guesswork of me trying to figure out what varieties to plant. Third, they deliver the seeds to our orchard, saving us the time and expense of picking them up at the seed company. Finally, the cost of the seeds and shipping were both covered by Seeds for Bees. Therefore, my only out-of-pocket cost was to hire someone to plant the seeds. We have just finished our third year using the Seeds for Bees program and I highly recommend it. For those that would like to try it out, I suggest starting with a section of the orchard the first year. After the first year, it will be easier to scale it up if desired. BS: Have you seen any soil benefits since planting cover crops? If so, what are you seeing? Are you doing any testing or sampling to verify what you are seeing? CR: Besides bee health, another primary motivation for me to use cover crops was to reverse soil compaction. I have noticed some improvement already with compaction and I’m hopeful that the continued use of cover crops in the future will yield even better results. There is also a lot more evidence of earthworm activity near the trees which is a good sign of improved soil health. As far as testing, there has been a slight increase in organic matter reported. BS: How else does planting cover crops help you reach your sustainability goals? CR: A major component of the sustainability movement is reducing the carbon footprint of businesses. Planting a cover crop in the orchard rows can help accomplish this by drawing down carbon from the atmosphere and placing it in the soil (where it belongs). Additionally, some of the cover crop varieties we plant are nitrogen fixers. That naturally produced carbon and nitrogen improves the health of our soil and thereby over time should decrease the amount of inputs we will need to grow our crop. BS: What are some challenges related to growing cover crop in orchards? How did you overcome those? CR: The only challenge I can think of was finding someone who can plant the cover crop for us in our initial year and Daikon radish, canola, and pea feeding pollinators after the almond bloom dries up. Photo courtesy of Billy Synk. 3 0 A L M O N D F A C T S