NORTHAMPTON — Don’t fret if you spot a low-flying helicopter maneuvering from local cropland to cropland in coming weeks. This is no police or military operation.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service, which is an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is providing financial and technical assistance to farms across the state, including here in Hampshire County at select farms in Amherst, Cummington, Hadley, Hatfield, Northampton, South Hadley, Southampton, Westhampton and Worthington, as well as Deerfield and Sunderland.
Participation for the farms is voluntary.
From Aug. 10 through mid-September, helicopters will drop winter rye grass seed across crops in an effort to aid soil health, Diane Petit, a USDA spokeswoman said. A more specific timeline of operations in Hampshire County has not yet been determined. The helicopter also uses GPS to closely monitor where the seed is being dropped.
Petit said USDA funded the process last year as well. And the process is an important one considering the seeds will ultimately keep the soil from eroding and from running into rivers and streams, she added.
“And then another benefit would be next year’s crop would be more productive because the health of the soil has been improved,” Petit said.
The practice involves a helicopter flying over cornfields and releasing the seed from a hopper, according to a USDA release.
It’s all about timing. When inter-seeding the rye into crops such as corn, the cover crop is already established when the corn is harvested. If the cover crop is applied too late in the season, it may also be too late for the crop to reap any benefits, according to USDA.
Petit assures the areas near the participating farms that the process involves minimal noise and only lasts 10 to 15 minutes.
“To a bystander, it might look unusual to see a helicopter flying low over neighboring farms. We’d like residents to know that they needn’t be concerned and understand that their farm neighbors are caring for the land by participating in this project,” Rita Thibodeau, NRCS district conservationist, said in the release.
Thibodeau is coordinating the statewide effort.
“One of the big principles of soil health is to keep something growing on the surface of the ground at all times. The cover crop will keep the ground covered in the fall, winter and spring.”
Recorder staff writer Andy Castillo contributed to this report.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.