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Cover Crops and Strip Till
Post At
01/24/2009 - 8:17 pm
reply from
Rob Shellhamer
I've been doing some research on the use of cover crops and like what I've learned about their benefits. I'm seriously considering the adoption this practice next year and getting away from conventional tillage on most, if not all of my northern IN corn acres. My biggest concern is cold soil temperatures at planting time. Has anyone out there tried strip tillage in a standing cover crop as a means of applying fertilizer and warming up the seed bed? Seems like a possible way of getting the benefits of a cover crop without sacrificing the soil temperature issue. Planting could also be easier if some of the fertilizer was already applied.
Any thoughts about this idea would be appreciated.
Any thoughts about this idea would be appreciated.
Reply at
01/25/2009 - 11:40 am
reply from
Ed Winkle
In northern Illinois I would think you would be challenged adopting cover crops to strip tillage. Aerial application before Labor Day would seem to be a must in my mind. There increased cost and questionable emergence is a given. If you have summer harvest acres like wheat or barley or oats it would be a cinch. The strips of Tillage Radish with Austrian Peas at Dave Brandt's farm in Lancaster, Ohio are exciting. 600 lbs of N, 20 lbs of P and 250 lbs of K and others given off is tremendous. Lots of work needs to be done. You might contact Joel Gruver at Western Illinois University for advice. There is 2 days on cover crops at the Conservation Tillage Conference in Ada Ohio Feb. 26 and 27. A google search will easily pull that up.
Reply at
03/ 6/2009 - 7:33 am
reply from
Ed Winkle
Don't be afraid to try. Maybe one field would be best to start. I know of a 2000 ac farm in ryegrass every year in Central Indiana, I don't know how he gets it done. Winterkill is a problem but you still have roots and cover. He plants right into it one pass. The radishes are the hot topic though and I think you will see more of them Any cover is better than none but hard to get it planted and most don't want to mess with it. It is the next net profit advancement in farming.
