“It’s a bird no it’s a plane,” courtesy of the North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development’s (“North Jersey RC&D”) initiative of sending low-flying planes to blanket 4,200 acres of New Jersey cropland in cover crops: an all-natural mixture of grass and clover seeds, starting Sept. 2 through Sept. 15.
Supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (“NRCS-EQIP”), two low-flying planes will begin seeding 4,200 acres of cropland across northern and central New Jersey farms across four counties with a natural mix of winter rye, annual ryegrass and crimson clover.
Cover crops protect water quality and sequester soil carbon. Rather than being harvested, the disbursed mixture will protect and enrich the soil through the winter. Raritan Township is one of the eleven (11) townships in Hunterdon County that will see its croplands treated during the aerial seeding initiative. Residents are informed that the planes flying low are part of normal farming operations conducted over the next two weeks, weather permitting.
“Planting from the air is efficient, timely, and eases the workload on farmers,” said Laura Tessieri, North Jersey RC&D Executive Director. “It builds healthy soils and protects water quality.”
Source : raritantwpnj.gov