53 Drainage Directory | August 2024 Advertising Section | All content supplied by LICO behind the berms allow for soil to settle out and improve water quality, and it allows for a smaller tile that won’t plug from the sediment. It protects the low areas below the berm from washouts and means that the field can be safely farmed straight through. The berms were smoothed and seeded with a creeping red fescue that McQueen regularly mows to keep them functioning properly. He also sprays the berms to control for broadleaf weeds and takes care spraying grass herbicides around the berms. There was annual ryegrass in the seed blend, however, that has been a big regret for McQueen as it is herbicide resistant and has made its way into the fields. (This is something he – along with our own Peter Johnson - recommends all farmers and seed companies stop using.) The field has six berms installed and the goal for 2024 is to install three more, with two diversion swales across the width of the field. When Laidlaw pitched the idea of the swales to McQueen, he laughed because they Annual ryegrass defies tillage, herbicides and should not be included in a cover crop or grass mix.
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