Cover crops - Articles

Review Seed Contracts, Patents Before Planting Covers

October 2, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Source: Seed World

2019 has been a tough year for growers. Heavy rains and flooding throughout the Central Plains and Midwest have made planting extremely difficult, resulting in a significant increase in the number of prevented planting acres above the average. Many growers are looking to alternatives to protect their soil and possibly provide additional income, such as planting cover crops or planting for sileage. Read more in this article from Seed World.

Time Running Out to Use Cover Crops on Prevent Plant Acres

October 2, 2019 | Posted in Grazing

Source: Winchester, Indiana News Gazette

The announcement by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), enables farmers who plant cover crops on prevented plant acres to hay, graze, ensile, or chop those fields earlier than November 1. For 2019, RMA will allow farmers to make forage on prevent plant acres after Sept. 1. Find out more in this article from the News Gazette (Winchester, Indiana).

11 Keys for Successfully Planting Green

October 2, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

There are other options for growers besides letting your best soil blow away in the wind, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. Planting into a standing cover crop can be handled in a variety of ways. Groff explains why your planter should be equipped with a roller crimper, how to evaluate your comfort or experience level with planting green, using the proper seeding rate and more.

From the Web

October 1, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

Looking to learn more about building the soil? This podcast from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture & Research Education program (SARE) breaks down the basics of soil.

Sweet Potatoes Make a Surprising Cover Crop

By Sarah Hill posted on October 1, 2019

Sweet potatoes are a common vegetable crop but aren’t typically thought of in the cover crop lineup. But this low-lying, drought-resistant crop is recommended by the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as a cover crop.

[Video] Cover Crops on a Certified Organic Operation

September 30, 2019 | Posted in Termination

David Brown experimented with many cover crops before settling on annual ryegrass for his 80-acre organic farm, Mustard Seed Farms. He found it to be the easiest cover crop to manage, especially when terminating it and incorporating it into the soil in the spring, which is typically cool and wet in his region.

Test Cover Crops for Nutrient Levels Before Grazing

September 30, 2019 | Posted in Grazing

Source: The Courier (Waterloo, Iowa)

Cover crops are seen as a saving grace for soil health, and livestock is a big key to adding diversity and working cover crops into an operation. To help producers understand how cover crops play into cattle diets, South Dakota State University Extension hosted a talk on managing different forages at the Dakotafest farm show in Mitchell this summer. Find out more in this article from the Courier (Waterloo, Iowa).

It's Not Too Late to Plant Cover Crops

September 30, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Source: Capital Journal (Pierre, SD)

It has been a challenge for many producers to reduce weed production on prevent plant acres as rains continues to dampen fields this year. Kent Vlieger, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Soil Health Specialist, Huron, urges growers to forgo tillage and plant cereal crops to aid in controlling weeds this fall. Read more in this press release from NRCS.

Winter Cereals as a Forage Cover Crop

September 27, 2019 | Posted in Grazing

Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Cereals, soybeans, and silage corn are all being harvested, or will be soon! That bare ground provides an opportunity to boost forage inventories by double cropping with a winter cereal, while getting all the benefits of a cover crop in the rotation. Read more in this article from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs.

Cover Crops After Corn Need More Time

September 27, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Source: University of Nebraska Extension

Cover crops have to produce a certain amount of growth, or biomass, in order to effectively reduce erosion and soil nutrient loss, suppress weeds, and supply forage. Several studies have indicated a threshold or minimum biomass (dry matter) of 1,000 lb/ac, which is similar to 6 to 8 inches of above-ground growth, although more biomass will likely lead to better outcomes. Read more in this article from University of Nebraska Extension.