Cover Crops

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Diverse Cropping Improves No-Till System

South Dakota no-tiller raises 11 different crops, grazes livestock on cover crops.
When the owners of Cronin Farms near Gettysburg, S.D., compared input costs to net profits in 1989, it was clear there was room for improvement in their farming process. Together with their farm manager of 41 years, Dan Forgey, and the rest of the farm’s employees, they began investigating the benefits of no-till.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

30 Years Of Cover Crops Anchor No-Till System

Sharp increases in organic matter and vasity reduced fertilizer cost are just a couple of the benefits that David Brandt has realized on his Ohio farm.
When I planted my first cover crop — cereal rye — in 1978 to control erosion on poorly drained, hilly clay soils, I had no idea what the full ramifications of that decision would be. Since then, cover crops have become the anchor of a diverse crop rotation in our continuous no-till system.
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No-Tilling With A Sense Of Determination

Changes to manure handling, cover crops and planter modifications have Pennsylvania no-tillers finding success in shallow clay shale soils.
When it comes to no-tilling around Gettysburg, Pa., it’s quite a battle for Ed and Dan Wilkinson. While some of the land these no-tillers farm is where the most famous battle of the Civil War was fought, the battle for the Wilkinsons is taming the soils that make the transition to no-till tough.
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Cereal Rye Before Soybeans Helps Balance Moisture

Southern Illinois no-tiller successfully drills soybeans into cereal rye standing more than 5 feet tall.’
It may seem improbable and even Terry Dahmer admits his neighbors have thought it a bit unusual, but each spring you’ll find the Marion, Ill., no-tiller pulling a soybean drill through fields of cereal rye about 5 feet tall.
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Build Organic Matter With Diverse Cropping Rotations

Continuous no-till, along with winter wheat, field peas, proso millet and a CANULA cover crop, raised organic-matter levels and led to better water infiltration for this Nebraska no-tiller.
Randy Rink used to have the typical Midwestern crop operation. He rotated corn and soybeans. With this 2-year rotation, Rink would disc corn stalks once in the fall, and plant soybeans in the spring. The next year, he would no-till corn into soybean residue.
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