Blog - Plant Cover Crops

Cover Crops in the Great Plains – a view from a long time cover crop user- Part 2

AC Greenfix, Austrian Winter Peas, Chickling Vetch, cover crops, Cover Crops in the Great Plains, establishing cover crops, field peas, Hairy Vetch, nitrogen production, nitrogen production from cover crops, vegetables

In this cover crop post I again quote Paul Conway from Kansas, who is giving his input on cover crops in the Great Plains. In this article, Paul shares his experience with Austrian winter peas, field peas, chickling vetch, and hairy vetch. Dave, Austrian Winter Peas: I have limited and disappointing experience with Austrian Winter […]

Cover Crops in the Great Plains – a view from a long time cover crop user- Part 2 Read More »

Cover Crops in the Great Plains – a view from a long time cover crop user- Part 1

corn, cover crops, Cover Crops in the Great Plains, fertilizer, grazing cover crops, manure management, manure management with cover crops, row crops, soybeans, sustainable agriculture, vegetables

I’ve had the privilege of meeting a gentleman from Kansas named Paul Conway. Paul is an avid “cover cropper” and he has been for nearly 20 years! Paul reminds me of my father, who was an early pioneer of no-till (over 40 years of no-tilling on our farms). I have asked Paul to give a

Cover Crops in the Great Plains – a view from a long time cover crop user- Part 1 Read More »

Cover Crop Stand Evaluation Taken to a New Level

aerial application of cover crops, Annual Ryegrass, corn, cover crop stand evaluation, cover crops, Greenseeker NDVI, soybeans

I have learned so much about cover crops since I started this blog in 2010. One of my hopes has been that I could have guest bloggers that would occasionally share with everyone what their experiences have been. The following post is from Daryl Starr of Advanced Ag Solutions in Indiana. I really appreciate reading

Cover Crop Stand Evaluation Taken to a New Level Read More »

Hallelujah – New RMA ruling provides a BIG boost for cover crop users and Agriculture

cover crops, risk management, RMA

The Risk Management Agency ruled today to change their policy on cover crop usage and cash crops that follow cover crops. In a previous post I reported some limitations that the RMA had on following cover crops (cover crops could not be headed out, could not be harvested before planting cash crop, etc…). This good

Hallelujah – New RMA ruling provides a BIG boost for cover crop users and Agriculture Read More »

When to apply cover crops into soybeans

aerial application of cover crops, aerial application of cover crops into soybeans, cover crops, when to fly cover crops into soybeans

For some time I have promoted aerial applying cover crops into standing cash crops. We have a pretty definitive maturity set for corn when it comes to aerial application. But there is some question of when to fly cover crops into soybeans. The range of discussion on this topic usually goes from 50% yellow leaf

When to apply cover crops into soybeans Read More »

Short Cover Crops Put Down Deep Roots

cover crop roots, cover crops, late planted cover crops, timing of planting cover crops

Many cover crops were planted in September and even into early October in much of the Midwest in 2011. Some of those cover crops are not very advanced in their growth by mid-November. Does this mean that they are useless or worthless? As I often say in meetings or at field days…”always take a shovel

Short Cover Crops Put Down Deep Roots Read More »

The Importance of Sunshine in Cover Crop Establishment

aerial application of cover crops, cover crops, effect of sunlight on cover crops, flying cover crops into beans, flying cover crops into corn, timing of planting cover crops

In previous posts I have shared about the importance of applying cover crops at the correct time. I also looked at the difference in how cover crops emerged in corn and soybean fields when aerial applied in the fall of 2011. In the past several weeks I have traveled over much of Indiana and northwestern

The Importance of Sunshine in Cover Crop Establishment Read More »

Nutrient Scavenging Cover Crops – How much good are they doing? It depends.

Austrian Winter Peas, cover crop radishes, cover crop scavengers, cover crops, cover crops and manure, Crimson Clover, Groundhog radish, nutrient scavenging, Tillage Radish, turnips

Meet the Cover Crop Scavengers Over the years I have worked with cover crops I have recommended that producers use “scavengers” like Annual Ryegrass, turnips, cereal rye, winter barley, oats, and cover crop radishes. These cover crops do a very good job of capturing excess nitrogen and other nutrients and keeping them from reaching the

Nutrient Scavenging Cover Crops – How much good are they doing? It depends. Read More »