LIKE MANY FARMERS, Carter Morgan relies on crimping to terminate his cover crops. However, unlike some of his peers, Morgan has stopped purchasing variety not stated (VNS) cover crops and has instead embraced the specificity of using the exact variety of cereal rye that meets his needs.
Cover crops can be used for different reasons, such as to provide soil erosion protection, alleviate compaction, control weeds, fix atmospheric nitrogen for the next crop, harvest for hay, and as a grazing resource. The reason for using a cover crop will determine which species or mixture of species you choose, as well as how you manage it.
Kevin Shelley, from the University of Wisconsin’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program, tours multiple cover crop demonstration plots and provides a fundamental overview of crop benefits, with growth expectations, timing, challenges and costs.
One in four growers cite problems with poor germination, contamination or other issues, mostly due to lax rules enforcement and supply-and-demand challenges seen in a young industry.
One in four growers cite problems with poor germination, contamination or other issues, mostly due to lax rules enforcement and supply-and-demand challenges seen in a young industry.
Following harvest of winter wheat or other small grains, fields are often left fallow. But with more than 40% of the growing season remaining, planting a cover crop may be a good option, says University of Wisconsin Extension.
To get a sense of which herbicides can be used before a specific cover crop species and which can’t, Purdue University weed scientist Bryan Young compiled research from the University of Wisconsin, Purdue University, University of Missouri and Penn State University, as well as commercial research conducted by retired University of Illinois Extension agronomist Mike Plumer.
Cereal rye and cover crop mixes, along with controlled traffic, are helping Tim and Carey Waltz improve their lake bed soils while increasing corn, soybean and wheat yields.
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.
Discover 2-days of cutting-edge ideas, techniques and strategies in Coralville, Iowa., July 28-29. Join the most innovative, forward-thinking minds in strip-till to raise your level of strip-till profitability, efficiency and efficacy.
Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.
The Andersons grows enduring relationships through extraordinary service, a deep knowledge of the market, and a knack for finding new ways to add value as we have done for nearly 70 years.