This is an excerpt from a podcast 2022 podcast featuring the late Dave Brandt on lessons he learned in his 45 years of using cover crops.

“If we pick up a farm that's been conventionally farmed, we like to get some cover crop in there such as a buckwheat," said David Brandt. "We know that buckwheat has a fibrous root system that goes four or five inches deep. And when you terminate buckwheat, it actually releases an enzyme from the roots that will help break down unavailable phosphorus, and make it available. So, we can add about 12 to 15 pounds of phosphorus to our soil samples by adding buckwheat.

“And with that fine root system on the surface, we have eliminated some of the surface compaction so we get a little bit more water infiltration. Then in the fall, after we take the corn crop off on a new farm, we'll probably put oats and flax because oats and flax are the best host for mycorrhiza. And since it's been tilled, there's very little mycorrhiza in the soil. So, we're trying to build that because the mycorrhiza is what actually the bacteria and the nematodes eat. And it gives off the nutrients that the corn, or beans, or the wheat plant needs to feed it.

To hear more about what Brandt learned through his long career with cover crops, check out “Dave Brandt on Lessons Learned from 45 Years of Cover Cropping”, an episode of Cover Crop Strategies Podcast, on Cover Crop Strategies.