Joint Project with Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC) to Study Cover Cropping Systems

With support from the USDA Tribal College Research Grants Program, CRARS is partnering with Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC) in New Town, North Dakota to study cover cropping systems in the NHSC Four Sisters Community Garden. The three-year $220,000 project is led by project director Lori Nelson, Land Grant Director at NHSC, and will study the impacts of cover crop termination methods on soil quality, crop yield, weed pressure, and crop quality. CRARS will provide technical assistance and soils and nutrient density analysis to the project.

The study will explore the cost/benefit of no-till organic vegetable production systems. It will also be investigating whether improved soil characteristics have any significant influence over the nutritional value of the crops grown by measuring the protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidant content of the vegetables.

NHSC’s Agriculture Department has a commitment to produce local food in their community gardens in a safe and sustainable way that honors their traditional culture, values, and customs. They strive to integrate traditional gardening techniques alongside modern organic methods that complement their holistic ways of living while honoring the land, animals and the cycles of life.