Taking Cover With No-Till Profits

Sometimes the best way to increase the bottom line is to start from the ground up.

With all of the talk about modifying no-till planters and adjusting fertilizer rates to increase profits, some believe that one of the best kept secrets to a successful no-till operation lies in the ability to keep plants in the soil as long as you can.

Of course, we’re talking about cover crops. It’s a prime subject for Frank Martin and Pat Sheridan Jr., two of no-till’s biggest advocates of the benefits of cover crops and how they fit perfectly into the fundamentals of no-till.

Martin’s Message

Martin, of Hallsville, Mo., explains that he was motivated by soil conservation. “A couple of years ago, I decided I didn’t want to settle for minimal soil loss,” he says. “I wanted no soil loss. A neighbor told me that the only way this was possible was to plant into sod. That’s basically what I’m doing with cover crops.”

Like many no-tillers, Martin believed that to use a cover crop effectively, he needed to burn it down a week or two prior to planting. This, he says, is a mistake.

“Two years ago I sprayed the rye in the latter half of April, but there were patches as big as a car or bigger where I didn’t get a good kill,” he says. “Then I realized the voles had migrated to those areas and eaten the beans as they came up, so I grew weeds instead of beans in those patches.

Try Again

Martin used a different approach the next year. He still planted…

To view the content, please subscribe or login.
 Premium content is for our Digital-only and Premium subscribers. A Print-only subscription doesn't qualify. Please purchase/upgrade a subscription with the Digital product to get access to all No-Till Farmer content and archives online. Learn more about the different versions and what is included.

Top Articles

Current Issue

Cover_NTF_October_2024.jpg

No-Till Farmer

Get full access NOW to the most comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use online resource for no-tillage practices. Just one good idea will pay for your subscription hundreds of times over.

Subscribe Now

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More
Top Directory Listings