We’re headed to the great state of Ohio this week to catch up with Dusty Sonnenberg, owner and operator of Sonnenberg Farms and Jay Calf Ranch in Henry County.
Not only is Dusty a huge Buckeyes fan, but the Ohio State grad is also a big fan of cover crops. On this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Dusty shares how cereal rye, canola, rapeseed and oats are paying off big time in his operation, especially when it comes to dealing with dry spells in Northwest Ohio.
When Dusty’s not farming, you'll probably find him talking with farmers as a broadcaster and writer for Ohio Ag Net. We’ll get his thoughts and observations on the latest cover cropping trends.
The Cover Crop Strategies podcast series is brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences.
At Verdesian Life Sciences, we believe that supplying healthy water and soil for the next generation is just as important as supplying efficient nutrients for every crop farmers grow. For us, sustainability and profitability go hand in hand. That’s why we call ourselves The Nutrient Use Efficiency People. We have dedicated ourselves to providing prescriptive nutrient use efficiency solutions that improve plant uptake and reduce fertilizer losses, helping preserve the environment and make the most of your investment. Learn more at vlsci.com or talk to your ag retailer today about Verdesian products.
Full Transcript
Noah Newman:
Great to have you with us today on the Cover Crop Strategies podcast. I'm your host, Noah Newman, Associate Editor. Got some great stuff coming your way.
Noah Newman:
Before we get started though, let's share a message from our sponsor, Verdesian Life Sciences. At Verdesian Life Sciences, we believe that supplying healthy water and soil for the next generation is just as important as supplying efficient nutrients for every crop farmers grow. For us, sustainability and profitability go hand in hand. That's why we call ourselves the nutrient use efficiency people. We have dedicated ourselves to providing prescriptive nutrient use efficiency solutions that improve plant uptake and reduce fertilizer losses, helping preserve the environment and make the most of your investment. Learn more at vlsci.com or talk to your ag retailer today about Verdesian products.
Noah Newman:
All right. This week, we're headed to the great state of Ohio to catch up with Dusty Sonnenberg, owner and operator of Sonnenberg Farms and Jay Calf Ranch in Henry County. Not only is Dusty a huge Buckeyes fan, but the Ohio State grad is also a big fan of cover crops. On this episode of the podcast, Dusty shares how cereal rye, canola, rapeseed, and oats are paying off big time in his operation, especially when it comes to dealing with those dry spells in northwest Ohio. When Dusty's not farming, he's talking to farmers as a broadcaster and writer for Ohio Ag Net. We'll get his thoughts and observations on the latest cover cropping trends. Without further ado, here's Dusty.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
My name is Dusty Sonnenberg, and I'm a farmer in Henry County, which is northwest Ohio. We raise corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa. We also have a replacement dairy heifer operation and raise dairy steers for freezer beef. Grew up on the family farm that actually was originally purchased back in 1882 by my great, great grandfather.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
I tell people that I am first generation farmer on a fifth generation farm. I grew up on the farm, but my parents actually sold the building site, the homestead, and moved off the farm when I was in junior high, going into high school. About 20 years later after college and working in the agriculture industry, I was able to purchase that property back, and we have since continued the farming operation. Grandpa retains some of the farm ground, but we now have it all back together and are running full steam.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
We've been doing no till actually for probably since the late '80s. My grandfather started initially experimenting with it in rotation with some conventional tillage and other things. When I came back to the farm in the... I guess it was probably the early to mid 2000s when I first took over the operation. We went all no till except for our corn.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
We do no till soybeans, we no till on the wheat obviously and to the beans, and then we'll do strip tillage when we plant corn. Those strips, if the fertilizer, or soil test recommendations call for it, we will apply fertilizer down about eight inches when we're initially making that strip in the fall and then come back in the spring and plant the corn into that. Obviously, to get the alfalfa started, that required some tillage. But otherwise, then it's no activity for the next four to five years as that crop goes through its tenure.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
We've been no tilling for quite a while, and then probably it's been... I would have to say six or seven years ago when we started experimenting a little bit with cover crops and started just with rye, and actually did it sort of as a hybrid cover. Obviously we would plant that in the fall, and it went over winter. Then worked with a neighbor who has a straw business. He would actually come in and allow that to just after pollination come in and cut it so that it's at its peak height and brightness for the straw market that he had.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Then we would go through, as soon as that was off in mid to late June, add no till soybeans into it. We did that for a while. Now we've adapted more to with the other crops and going with a true cover crop rotation using cereal rye. We've also used some canola or rapeseed in some mixes, as well as oats, which gives us both... The oats would be a crop that winter kills, but the rapeseed or the canola, it would be an over-wintering crop. That gives us some different activity going on, more so in the fall but also then over winter and into the spring. We've liked the results we've seen.
Noah Newman:
Yeah. Talking about those results a little bit. What are some of the most noticeable benefits you've seen since you started using cover crops?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Well, I think we farm clay, basically. It's Hoytville clay with sort of a knoll that runs through the farm, which is Nappanee, which is an even heavier clay. What we've seen is the water capacity of that soil increase, I think as a combination of using livestock manure, using no till, and then just the third part of that trifecta is with the cover crops, we've increased the infiltration of some of those tight soils when we have the oats, and we have the wheat, and we have the rye in the rotation. Those grass crops, those small but shallow roots really seem to do a nice job helping with that top surface layer of soil. Then with some of the other cover crops and other crops that we raise, I think those penetrate a little bit deeper with the root systems and also help open that soil up.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
The other thing we found is using both cover crops and no till is we've really increased our earthworm population and the number of night crawlers out there. Just about any time of year, but especially in the spring and fall, it seems like we find it more. If you go out with a spade, about anywhere you stick it in the ground and pull up a spade full of dirt, you'll find at least one to two night crawlers or earthworms in that. That tells us that we know we've got a lot of biological activity going on. We've got soil life, soil health there. That water gets into the soil and does what we need it to, rather than running off and carrying some of the nutrients away with it.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
We found, too, that really water management has become very important on our farm, both because of the heavy clays... Previous to a lot of the work we had done, the main goal was getting rid of water. We're systematically pattern tiled every 30 feet across the farm with water control structures installed a couple places on that. The idea is get as much of that water off as timely as possible when we have that growing crop, especially in the spring, so we can get that crop planted.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
But then we found especially probably the last five to seven years, the weather patterns have shifted a little bit in our immediate area that we seem to be typically catching a drought from about mid-June through mid-August. So finding a way to get rid of that water right away in the spring so we can dry out and get the crop in the ground, but then as soon as we do, shutting that tile system down, holding back any water we get after that to retain it to help those plants make it through the hot, dry summer, has been a key. So I think that soil health we've seen improve as well as water management with those control structures has definitely made a difference.
Noah Newman:
Yeah, it seems like they're really paying off for you. I paid you a visit last week, and you were telling me how dry you were there. It seems like weather is always a big challenge in Ohio. How would weather affect the planning dates for cover crops? Does it differ every year, or is there usually a target date where you want to get your cover crops in?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Well, it really varies by the crop, at least in this part of the world. Now, fortunately, the sooner you can plant your cover crops, the wider window you have of different types of crops you can put into a mix. Around here, a lot of folks that do cover crops and do cover crop mixes like to get those in shortly after the wheat is harvested, just to be able to have more opportunity for a variety of crops to be able to germinate and get established before they would kill off in the winter months.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
One of our concerns going into the last couple weeks was it was excessively dry. We went from a very wet spring to virtually no water coming down in the month of June. That was really concerning. We got through that, and actually since the week... Well, I guess Friday, we started, the rain sprinkles came through. We've had about an inch and a half since then on our farm, which is just ideal for the guys that got the wheat off early and got some of those cover crops in.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
The other big question this year, obviously with the prices, is double-cropping beans. We're far enough north, we typically don't see a lot of that go on. But with the market incentives that are out there, as well as an earlier than normal wheat harvest for us, that has led some guys to double-crop beans, and now this moisture will definitely help that.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
The other thing that plays in is technically the soybeans can count as a cover crop for some of the government programs that are out there, and so even if those beans get planted late and for some reason they aren't able to mature proper, if they can't necessarily harvest them for the cash crop, there may be some incentives there to do it anyways just from a cover cropping standpoint.
Noah Newman:
In our neck of the woods here in Wisconsin, we're seeing several people are taking on the practice of planting green. I know you told me you haven't done that yet, but you're thinking about possibly doing it. I remember you telling me that some of your neighbors have planted green. What kind of success have they had with it, and what potential benefits do you see from planting green?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
You said it exactly. I've looked at it. I've observed it from afar and from close, I just haven't pulled the trigger yet. I have a neighbor right next to me, and honestly, he probably has the best looking field of soybeans in the country right now. That was a field that was planted green. He's done it with corn also. He's been, I would say, one of the... Not pioneers, but much longer term working with no till and cover crops than most of the guys in the area.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
He's been a bit of a risk taker too. He's had some years where maybe it hasn't worked as well. He's gone through the struggles that a lot of folks do with trying to get the equipment set up right so you don't get wrapping and some of the tangling when you plant when it is still green. That concern of, when do you terminate? When's it going to become a weed versus an asset? He's worked through that, and he's done very well. Now he's definitely had his ups and down.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Like I said, there have been some years that have been more challenging than others, but I think the advantage is in the spring, that cover crop, instead of being germinated, is still pulling a little bit of that excess moisture out of the soil so that ground may be fit just a little bit sooner. It's providing weed control or suppressing some of the weeds from emerging. Then when it comes to terminating it, he'll wait until that crop is just about to emerge, or maybe even depending on what he's used as a cover, once that cash crop has emerged, he'll come in with his burn down and burn it back off, and had a lot of success, both in terms of weed control and suppression.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Also, like I said, getting out there maybe a little sooner to get that planted. Then just conserving moisture, really, once that cover crop lays down and creates almost like a mulch form. So a lot of good things that I've seen with it.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
There are some guys in the area that have had issues. We've had issues with slugs. Some guys have had issues with voles when those crops are left out there too long. But in general, most of the guys local, if they can fight through the initial challenges of figuring out how to get their equipment set up to manage all that residue, for lack of better terms, it's been pretty successful.
Noah Newman:
More from Dusty in just a second, but once again, let's take some time to thank our sponsor, Verdesian Life Sciences. They have a special message for you. At Verdesian Life Sciences, we believe that supplying healthy water and soil for the next generation is just as important as supplying efficient nutrients for every crop farmers grow. For us, sustainability and profitability go hand in hand. That's why we call ourselves the nutrient use efficiency people. We have dedicated ourselves to providing prescriptive, nutrient use efficiency solutions that improve plant uptake and reduce fertilizer losses, helping preserve the environment and make the most of your investment. Learn more at vlsci.com or talk to your ag retailer today about Verdesian products. Now, back to the podcast.
Noah Newman:
A lot of our listeners are obviously interested in equipment. They like hearing what kind of equipment people are using in their operations. I'll ask you, what kind of equipment do you use?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Ours is sort of a low capital or not very capital intense operation. We have a 15 foot Tye no till drill, and that's what we use for 90% of what we do. We can use that to obviously plant our soybeans. We use it to plant our wheat. If we're doing cover crops, whether it's the rye or the oats or we're doing a mix, we use that for those as well. That's sort of a multi-purpose tool.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
The only other one then when we plant corn, I just contract with a neighbor who does a little bit of custom work, and he'll come in and do the custom strip till for us. He'll also come in and custom plant. He has a corn planter that he has tripped out pretty well with all the latest technology, and so that is nice, being able to allow him to utilize that on a few more acres. It helps out what we do as well. Most of what we do from the cover cropping and regular cropping standpoint all runs through that 15 foot tye drill.
Noah Newman:
Got you. I know you talk to a lot of people. On top of being a farmer, you're also a broadcaster. I'm sure people could probably tell just by hearing your voice. You have that broadcast voice. But just in talking to people in Ohio about their experiences using cover crops, what have you learned in recent years, would you say? Is there anything that sticks out in terms of just maybe new trends with cover crops or a new species or anything off the top of your head you could think of?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Sure. From an adoption rate, patience is probably the key. I think one of the frustrations that some maybe long term cover croppers have is they'll see a government program come out that incentivizes folks to do cover crops, and there's cost share or maybe some other assistance available, and folks will jump in and try it for a year, maybe two years if the payments are still there. Then as soon as those payments dry up, they're back to their conventional tillage or whatever else they may be doing. In some cases, it may just be that the cover cropping or the no till wasn't the right fit for operations. It is unique to every farm and every field how those are managed.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
But for a lot of them, I think to truly see the benefits, you have to be committed, and it takes more than a year or two to see a big difference. Now, there are probably rare exceptions where it's a unique environment or whether you're something else where that's just the year that, boy, cover crops were the home run. But all in all, to see that total shift in the environment of your soil, the microbes, the soil health, the biological activity, all the benefits that actually come long term from no till and cover cropping, it just takes time and patience.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
There is that little bit of a dip in the curve. You may see a slight decline for a short term in yields or some other challenges. Hopefully, some of that maybe is being offset by the reduced cost of not having the tillage and maybe not having to have as much equipment for tillage and bigger equipment like that, as you would.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
On the flip side, I know for some folks, just the cost of the seed has been a deterrent. Cover crop seed is sometimes difficult to find. It's in short supply if the demand is high, and it's not cheap. So it's sometimes hard to swallow that pill that I'm paying for seed to put out there that I know I am not going to get an immediate return on that investment. Those are some of the challenges that I think folks have seen.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
But all in all, it seems like it's segmented. Different parts of Ohio, there's a lot more of it that goes on that other parts. I think, again, some of that is due to the unique climate and environmental conditions to that area. Some of it is just due to the nature and philosophy of the farmers that are in that area. Some is due to just having that guy that's willing to think outside the box and take that risk and maybe have some success with it, and others see that and then slowly look at adopting it as well. It's really a combination.
Noah Newman:
Yeah, it seems like there's a lot of factors to consider. What might work for one operation might not work for another. Anyways, I was doing some research for a product I'm working on, and I saw that the most recent agriculture census, it showed that the total amount of cover cropping acres went up by 50%, a considerable jump from 2012 to 2017. When the next census comes out, would you expect that number to jump even higher?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
I do. I do think it will be higher. At least locally, I'm sure it will be. I think in Ohio, I would guess state-wide it will be. Again, a combination of factors do that. Depending on where your listeners are at, some may have heard or not, Ohio has had a big push when it comes to water quality and nutrient management type subjects, with Lake Erie and the western Lake Erie base and having an algal bloom issue. So there have been literally millions of dollars thrown at this problem and thrown at agriculture to find different practices to try and reduce that.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Cover crops has been a huge part of that, and so there have been a lot of cost sharing incentives for folks to try and manage the resources better with that. In 18 to 20, I think it's 20+ counties now that are a part of that watershed area that they consider and have additional funding, that has definitely shown an increase in the adoption rates of using cover crops. It's really a total systems approach, from the soil testing creating nutrient management plans, planning your cropping rotations, and then as you do that, looking at where are the benefits of adding cover crops and different practices. So I think it's that total systems approach that is going to make a positive difference for those concerns.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
When it comes, though, to adoption beyond that footprint, I think it's, again, as more... Cover crop seed companies are out there promoting their products. As more farmers are having success, more programs like your podcast and the articles you write share the story or share the message, if you will, that does a lot of good things. I'm a part of a program that the Nature Conservancy hosts called Farmer Advocates for Conservation. In it, we take a look, 360 degrees, if you will, at what it takes for soil health and improving the environment around that. No till, conservation tillage practices, and cover crops have been a huge part of that, and I've had the opportunity through that program to meet a number of farmers across the state of Ohio, primarily in the northwest corner where I'm at, but some from further away, and really learn from their experiences.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
It's sort of exciting to see some of the things going on out there. 15, 16, 17 way cover crop mixes, meaning that many different species, all in the same blend that are being planted, and going out and visiting those farms and looking across the field, and it's interesting to see that [inaudible 00:19:33] mix of different crops that have emerged at different stages. Then digging them up and looking at what those different root systems look like and what they're doing to the soil, what the biological activity is around them. Then as they go through in the spring and plant into that, just seeing the texture of that soil and how some of the farms have really changed and improved. It's really neat, and I think it's things like that that have encouraged other folks to take a look and adopt.
Noah Newman:
Yeah, that's very interesting. Wow, 15 to 16 species in a mix. That's a lot. I know you said you started with cereal rye, and you've kind of evolved to using multiple species now. Is there anything new you're looking to try in the near future? Maybe add a new species or try something new?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Yeah, there are some different things out there. I haven't exactly put my thumb on which direction I want to go, but the more I read and the more I talk to folks that are doing multi-species mixes, there's a lot of good things that are coming out of them. The biggest concern, and it's one that I would share with most farmers, is what if there is a issue with terminating it or if it gets beyond where I can't get a chemical application? Annual rye grass is one, early on, that always concerned folks that they'd let it go a little bit too long, and then it really became difficult to control. Then it became more of a weed and a competitor in the field.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
So learning how to manage around that and getting out there early to terminate that cover crop and do it in a way that you're taking it serious. Year-end cutting rates was what a lot of guys finally came to, and I think everybody has to get their different comfort levels especially if you add different crops into that cover crop mix. Each one's got to terminate a little bit differently, and so what does it take to do that?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Then unfortunately, again, that's another, if it's not a winter kill type cover crop, it's an additional expense with chemistries, and we all know that those are, in some cases, in short supply and expensive to get. So figuring out how you do that. Now on the plus side or the flip side to that, a lot of folks are claiming they see a lot more suppression of weeds, so maybe what your chemistry mix is to terminate the cover crops is cheaper than what you would have to use to a burn down and terminate whatever your wheat pressure is.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
So a lot of different things there, but I've really early on leaned towards those with winter kill, just to avoid that situation. But the problem is then you don't have something out there early spring still working for you and the soil because it terminated with the killing frost that we see in late November and end of December.
Noah Newman:
Well, Dusty, this has been a great conversation. Anything else you'd like to add before we let you go?
Dusty Sonnenberg:
I would just say that if anybody is considering looking at cover crops, that it really does have to be a total analysis of your operation before you jump into it. What is it that you really want to accomplish with them before you take that plunge? From the soil test on up. What does your soils have? What needs changed? Probably the one piece of advice that I was given that I think is the most beneficial is if you're going to plant cover crops, you need to be as serious about it as you do with your cash crops. Just throwing some seed out there and hoping that it have a change in your soil structure, that's probably not the best way to go about it.
Dusty Sonnenberg:
Those guys that are serious about it are retrofitting their equipment to do it in a way that they can effectively get that seed placed, have good seed to soil contact. They're trying to plant it in a timely fashion that it will have the most likelihood of success and getting established and getting that root system out there. Then they're managing it accordingly on both ends. So I think that's an important thing is if you're going to do it, make sure you understand why you're doing it, be committed to it, and then do it right. Be patient because, as we all know, a lot of things in agriculture take a lot of patience.
Noah Newman:
Once again, thanks to Dusty Sonnenberg for joining us on this edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences. Once again, let's share their message. At Verdesian Life Sciences, we believe that supplying healthy water and soil for the next generation is just as important as supplying efficient nutrients for every crop farmers grow. For us, sustainability and profitability go hand in hand. That's why we call ourselves the nutrient use efficiency people. We have dedicated ourselves to providing prescriptive nutrient use efficiency solutions that improve plant uptake and reduce fertilizer losses, helping preserve the environment and make the most of your investment. Learn more at vlsci.com or talk to your ag retailer today about Verdesian products.
Noah Newman:
Thanks again for joining us on this week's edition of Cover Crop Strategies. I'm your host, Noah Newman, Associate Editor, and remember, until next time, for all things cover crops, head to covercropstrategies.com.
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