If you have cover crops that live through the winter and also take out Federal crop insurance there are some documents that are important to review. Most of us have some level of understanding or experience that using cover crops is a sound agronomic practice that helps our farms become more profitable. Most of you […]
Federal Crop Insurance and cover crops that live through the winter Read More »
Frost seeding clover into wheat has been a standard practice for many years. Many producers have used “60/40 Plowdown Clover” in their wheat…but in many areas that practice has stopped as double crop soybean plantings have pushed further into northern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. If double crop soybeans are not an option (or not desired)
Medium Red Clover as a cover crop Read More »
Across much of the Corn Belt there has been pretty good snow cover since the beginning of 2011. On February 12, 2011 it was not snowing in my hometown of Winona Lake, IN so I decided to take out the snow shovel and dig in my cover crop plots to see what was going on. On
Cover Crops Under the Snow – What’s Happening? Read More »
Folks, I feel like a proud papa! Well sort of – maybe a proud brother. Several people from Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan have worked countless hours to provide a Cover Crop Decision Making Tool. I was privileged to be a part of the Indiana and Ohio teams. This tool will guide producers in making wise decisions on
Cover Crop Decision Making Tool – Now Online! Read More »
As I look at the forecast for Valentines week I see mid-4o’s on the way! Hallelujah! With many areas from Colorado to Virginia under ice or snow this will be a very welcomed relief. But with warmer temperatures on the way I think it’s important to “be a good neighbor”. We want our neighbors to
Cover Crop Radishes…be a good neighbor! Read More »
Watch your mailbox for an invitation from your local SWCD, NRCS, or extension office for dates for cover crop meetings! Over the next 6 weeks I am speaking at a number of meetings on cover crops. One of the highlights includes the CTC meetings in Ada, OH on February 24-25. The “cover crop emphasis day”
Cover Crop Meetings Galore! Read More »
As I take phone calls and conduct meetings I ask producers if they want to have the cover crop they are choosing to overwinter or die during the winter. I’d guess that the answer as split 50/50. The biggest reason for wanting the cover crop to die is that producers don’t want to have “to
What if a cover crop dies over the winter…was it still valuable? Read More »
This question keeps coming up on a regular basis in cover crop meetings….”where is my nitrogen?”
There are a number of things we know:
* Legumes produce N and some of that N is available for the next crop.
“Where is my nitrogen?” Read More »