Twin-row corn is becoming more of an attractive production practice for growers across the Midwest, but the jury is still out in Ohio on its yield potential, according to Ohio State University Extension research.

a recent summary of the available research has shown that red clover established in wheat or oats and then left to grow as a cover crop until the next season can contribute between 45 and 155 pounds of nitrogen per acre to the next corn crop.

David Brandt switched to no-till in 1971 and started experimenting with cover crops in 1979. Using a three-crop rotation with corn, soybeans and wheat, Brandt incorporates cover crops into the wheat stubble. Cover crops are used to retain the soil, increase the tilth of the soil and to provide nutrients, especially nitrogen for the next crop, usually corn.

Farmers who still have crops in their fields are acting quick to access land and complete harvest operations. However, they must do so in a careful manner and be mindful of their conservation credo, according to Illinois State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Bill Gradle.

Since 1969, select farm plots at the University of Illinois have been in continuous no-till. In that time, the measure of organic matter has been boosted three-fold – from about 1 percent to 3.2 percent, without use of cover crops. In the same period, rotating between corn and soybean crops, the stored carbon in that soil has risen from 25,200 lbs per acre to 99,300 lbs.