Plant Cover Crops

Learning about the benefits of planting cover crops.

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Cover Crops: Buy One Year, Get Another Year Free

Surprise! That's what our reaction was to the volunteer annual ryegrass growing in our fields nearly 18 months after they were sown.
Surprise! That’s what our reaction was to the volunteer annual ryegrass growing in our fields nearly 18 months after they were sown.

Almost two years to the day I posted an article about Killing Tall Annual Ryegrass.

The problem of a wet and chilly 2011 has resurfaced an ugly head to be a wet and COLD spring of 2013. But over the past week or so temperatures have warmed into the 70’s and 80’s with cover crop annual ryegrass and winter cereal rye having grown tall in some areas of the Midwest. Producers need to kill their cover crops as soon as possible to comply with RMA regulations.

What about the surprise cover crops?

In a previous post I wrote about dormant seed in cover crop species on our home farm.

I showed how radishes were present in soybean fields and how annual ryegrass was coming up even after there was residual herbicide and burndown herbicide applied.

Now here we are in the spring and we have a few new surprises.  Fall 2011 planted annual ryegrass and even fall planted winter cereal rye are now growing in the spring of 2013.  These cover crops were fully terminated in the spring and summer of 2012; there was effective weed control.  So dormant seed has germinated and now grown a full 15-18 months after it was seeded.  So yes, cover crops can become weeds.

(But remember, cover crops also suppress weeds.)

So what does this matter?

We have the benefit of a “thin” cover crop and we did not have to pay seed cost or application cost for the second year.  In our farming situation it is not a big deal.  We terminated all of our cover crops and weeds with a “hot” chemical mix.  It is a mix similar to what we used in our no-till fields prior to glyphosate coming on the market.  However, if we were growing wheat or oats or barley for grain and straw it could be a problem.  Thankfully there are now chemicals to use in cereal crops to eliminate annual ryegrass.  I hear reports that Jamie Scott from northern Indiana has seen excellent results with this practice.

We have less winter annual weeds where we have the “volunteer” cover crops and I’m confident our soil health is better where we have the cover crops.

What do we do now?

We enjoy the benefit that we have from the cover crop (even though it is a sparse stand) and we watch to make sure we do not have any cover crops coming back before harvest. The cover crops are now dead and a residual herbicide is applied.  Now we wait to plant the corn and soybeans and scout for any additional dormant seed to germinate and grow.  A clean harvest is important to all producers.  Our goal is to use the information from our own farm to make sure that farmers understand the rewards that cover crops bring and also the risk that comes with the reward.  The risk is not huge and it is manageable, but it is risk none-the-less.

 

This volunteer annual ryegrass was terminated before heading out but it was jointed and would have made a great forage plant.
This volunteer annual ryegrass was terminated before heading out but it was jointed and would have made a great forage crop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volunteer Winter Cereal Rye was also growing in the old plot area. The cover crop was terminated well before the corn will be planted.
Volunteer Winter Cereal Rye was also growing in the old plot area. The cover crop was terminated well before the corn will be planted.

 

Cover Crops and Crop Insurance – Spring Reminders

UPDATE FROM RMA–Haying and Grazing of a Cover Crop – FINAL – 5-8-13

Cover Crops and Crop Insurance on Collision Course again?

Cover Crops and Crop Insurance issues seem to be heading to a collision course again this spring in much of the Midwest.  In the Corn Belt wet fields have prevented planting with less than 10% of the corn planted by May 5 across the major corn producing states.  In the Upper Midwest and even into Oklahoma and Arkansas 2-19″ of snow fell the first week of May.  Dairy farmers are desperate for forage and up to 75% of the alfalfa in Wisconsin and Minnesota winterkilled.  Many of those dairy farmers planted cover crop Winter Cereal Rye with hopes of harvesting Ryelage this spring to get some emergency feed after the devastating drought of 2012.

The cold, wet spring of 2013 is causing problems

But the cold wet spring (coldest on record in USA since 1975) may have farmers in a pinch with RMA again despite the Special Provisions for cover crops to the common crop insurance policy for the 2013 cropping year.  As of May 8, 2013 the Rye is only around 10″ tall in most of Wisconsin…certainly not ready for harvest by the May 10 RMA cut-off for harvesting and still attaining crop insurance.  Even in Indiana the cover crops are ‘exploding” into head after an exceptionally slow start to spring.  The fact that these fields are not full of winter annuals that are headed out like neighboring fields should be applauded…so should fields with cover crops be penalized?  It appears that farmers in the Upper Midwest have to choose between feed and crop insurance.  In much of the Corn Belt the fields are still plenty wet.  It is interesting that in some states the fields full of weeds qualify for crop insurance…yet fields with cover crops that have seed heads (instead of weeds with seed heads) do not qualify for cover crops.  Go figure.

Please check with your crop insurance agent to see what regulations apply to you.

 

This field of Winter Cereal rye grew tremendously in very late April and early May. Now it is headed out. Doed this field qualify for crop insurance?
This field of Winter Cereal rye grew tremendously in very late April and early May. Now it is headed out. Does this field qualify for crop insurance?

Should farmers be penalized in a wet and cold year for growing a cover crop instead of having a field of winter annual weeds? Common sense says that a cover crop is better for agriculture than weeds.

Should farmers be penalized in a wet and cold year for growing a cover crop instead of having a field of winter annual weeds?  Common sense says that a cover crop is better for agriculture than weeds.

 

 

Part 3- Do Cover Crops Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring?

Fact or Fiction? Cover Crops that Survive the Winter Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring than Fall-Tilled Soil – Part 3

As of today (April 17, 2013) there is 0% corn planted in Iowa and Indiana with 1% in Illinois and Ohio.  It is now wet and cold…not just cold.  As my brother Don takes soil temperature readings in no-till soils with cover crops, no-till with out cover crops, and fall tilled soils, we are trying to get an idea if no-till soils and or no-till soils with cover crops keep the soil colder than fall tilled soils. These trials are being conducted in central Indiana and should be a pretty good measurement for much of the Eastern Corn Belt.  I am in northern Wisconsin today where there are snow covered fields with 6-8″ more snow coming in the next 36 hours.  The readings from central Indiana don’t mean much in Minnesota and Wisconsin…but, I believe they are still instructive.

April 5-12, 2013 weather data

The temperatures at the local weather station showed that the actual average high for the week was 70.6° (historic average is 61°) and the actual nighttime average was 49.9° (historic average is 40.3°).  This was the first week in the past several weeks that have been warmer than average.  There was nearly 1 inch of rain during the week.

Soil temperatures increased dramatically during the week

Warm weather really helped increase the soil temperature, almost 10° in some of our trials.  It is interesting to see that the no-till soil without a cover crop was the coolest by 1°.  It was also the wettest soil last week and certainly appears to be the same on 4-12.  The warmest soil was the no-till with cover crop.  Not by much but it is warmer than the fall tilled soil by ~0.5°.

With heavy rains in the area this week it will be interesting to see what happens in each soil.  We hope to get an idea of what kind of earthworm activity we can find, but that might be difficult in the muddy sites.

Improved water infiltration may be showing springtime benefits

As you look at the photos notice the moisture content on the surface of the soil.  There are two observations or reminders that we should consider.  When we took compaction readings last summer (2012) we saw a significant benefit where we had cover crops compared to the no cover crop check.  These soil temperature tests are taken from those same plots.  Another observation is that I have found improved aeration and percolation where we have had cover crops (long-term no-till with cover crop) verses long-term no-till without a cover crops and a spring tilled soil.  I believe we are seeing that the cover crop is giving benefit again this spring in these areas.

What are you finding on your farm?

Readers would be interested in knowing what is going on in your area and on your farm.  Please comment below and share what you are finding.  Thanks,  Dave

The soil temperature in the long term no-till soils on 4-12-2013. Note how waterlogged the soil looks.
The soil temperature in the long-term no-till soils on 4-12-2013. Note how waterlogged the soil looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soil temperature in the long-term no-till soil with a cover crop. Note that the soil looks drier and it is also the warmest reading this week.
The soil temperature in the long-term no-till soil with a cover crop. Note that the soil looks drier and it is also the warmest reading this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soil temperature in the fall-tilled soil on 4-12-2013. The soil doe not look as wet as the no-tilled soils. Maybe the water went down the cracks!
The soil temperature in the fall-tilled soil on 4-12-2013. The soil does not look as wet as the no-tilled soils. Maybe because the water went down the cracks…

Part 2- Do Cover Crops Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring?

Fact or Fiction? Cover Crops that Survive the Winter Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring than Fall-Tilled Soil – Part 2

On Friday April 5, 2013 my brother Don recorded the temperatures in soils on our home farm near Greenwood, IN (central Indiana).  The previous week Don took soil temperatures coming out of a colder than normal March.  The results showed very similar temperatures in soils at approximately 4″ deep in fall tilled soil, long term no-till soil, and soil covered with an annual ryegrass cover crop.

April 2013 is off to a chilly start in central Indiana

The first week of April saw chilly day and nighttime temperatures in the area.  The average daytime temperature was 53.5 degrees (normal is 58.71 degrees) and the nighttime temperatures were 30.8 (average 38.29 degrees).  The soil temperatures gained a few degrees in each area.

Soil temperatures did increase during the week

While the soils are not warm enough to plant corn in yet they are getting closer.  No one in the area has started any planting yet but the soil temperature readings show that all of the soils tested are getting close to being warm enough to make sure the planter is ready and seed is in the shed ready to go to the fields.

Don’s observations

  • The long-term No-till area had the most surface soil moisture (not wet but definitely quite moist)
  • The fall tilled soil was crusted over and had cracks in the soil
  • The soil covered with Annual Ryegrass was not “wet” and it had no cracks in the soil
  • Don told me that he heard from Barry Fisher at a recent cover crop field day that soil biology starts becoming active at around 38 degrees soil temperature.  Each of the soils are well above that temperature.
  • During the next testing session Don will also be testing for soil moisture and taking some earthworm counts in each of the soils.

 

 

Soil temperature in the fall tilled soil 4-5-2013
Soil temperature in the fall tilled soil 4-5-2013
Soil Temperature in the long term no-till plot (check plot) 4-5-2013
Soil Temperature in the long term no-till plot (check plot) 4-5-2013
Soil temperature in the Annual Ryegrass cover crop plot 4-5-2013
Soil temperature in the Annual Ryegrass cover crop plot 4-5-2013

Do Cover Crops Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring?

Fact or Fiction? Cover Crops that Survive the Winter Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring than Fall-Tilled Soil

This is a question I get over and over again.  And most of the time it’s not really a question. It’s actually someone stating to me why they are not going to plant cover crops. But is it really true that a surviving cover crop will keep my soil colder than a conventionally tilled soil?

Several years ago in March I stopped at a cover crop test plot on the Indiana/Ohio border.  While I was there I checked the soil temperature where cover crops had survived (Annual Ryegrass and Winter Cereal Rye) to see if it was indeed colder than the tilled soil that surrounded the plot.

Surprising Results

What I found was a bit surprising considering the conventional “widsom” I commonly heard.  The soil temperature at 4″ depth was warmer by 1-2 degrees where we had a surviving cover crop than in moldboard plowed dark soil.  I sampled on a sunny day when the temperatures were in the 40’s.

Since then I have taken comparative soil temperatures in many locations where no-till was done, where there was no-till with cover crops, and where there was fall tilled soil.  In nearly every instance the area where there was a cover crop the soil temperatures were equal to or above the fall tilled soil temperatures.  Each of these samples were just taken one time – a snapshot test in time.

More Testing

This spring my brother Don Robison is taking soil temperatures and photos of a soil thermometer from our home farm near Greenwood, IN. He started taking these photos on March 29, 2013.  The plan is that Don will take soil temperatures for four or five consecutive Fridays – in annual ryegrass, in no-till soil (that has some winter annuals present), and in fall tilled soil.  And since March of 2013 has been quite cold when compared to recent years, the results should be interesting.

Results Will Be Recorded

Each week I will post the temperatures as Don send them to me.  Below you can see the temperatures from March 29.  Be sure to check back weekly for the results.

Do Your Own Experiment

Send me temperature readings and photos (phone camera quality is fine) and I’ll compile some data from different parts of the country (world) and pass the data along.  Please let me know your soil types and general weather conditions when you send in your reports.

The soil temperature on March 29, 2013 at approximately 4 inches in fall tilled soil.
The soil temperature on March 29, 2013 at approximately 4 inches in fall tilled soil.
The soil temperature on March 29, 2013 at approximately 4 inches in an annual ryegrass cover crop.
The soil temperature on March 29, 2013 at approximately 4 inches in an annual ryegrass cover crop.
Soil temperature reading on March 29, 2013 in no-till soil.
The soil temperature reading on March 29, 2013 at approximately 4 inches in no-till soil.

Cover Crops are Working in Iowa

Cover crops are working in Iowa!

While that may not mean much to my eastern corn belt friends it means a lot in Iowa and the upper Midwest.

Working with Sarah Carlson from Practical Farmers of Iowa and Tom Kaspar from ARS at Ames, Iowa, we’ve been attempting to identify what cover crops will be most compatible with common Iowa farming practices – in particular the use of longer season corn hybrids and soybean varieties, as well as an abundance of corn after corn (CAC) management strategies. Establishing cover crops like radishes and annual ryegrass into these situations hasn’t proved to be easy.

Aerial application of cover crops (annual ryegrass, crimson clover, radishes, etc.) into corn in Ohio and Indiana has been very successful. However, in Iowa it has not worked with quite as much success.  Cereal rye may actually be the best alternative. While it may seem a bit “simple” to plant mainly cereal rye most years, there are significant benefits to using cover crop rye in a corn after corn scenario, mainly because it has been shown to reduce Goss’s wilt.

September 5, 2011 planted Annual Ryegrass compared to Winter Cereal Rye in central Iowa in April 2012. Note the dramatic difference in winterhardiness.
September 5, 2011 planted Annual Ryegrass compared to Winter Cereal Rye in central Iowa in April 2012. Note the dramatic difference in winterhardiness even after a very mild winter.

Sarah commented that besides using more winterhardy species for greater success, it is also very important to not interseed the cover crops into green corn or green soybeans.  She says, “Pushing radishes with aerial seeding into a dense, dark corn or soybean canopy is unsuccessful.”

But if the right cover crop is used in Iowa and managed well then covers work very well!  Rod Swoboda from Wallaces Farmer published an article written by Sarah Carlson reflecting work that was overseen in Iowa by PFI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can Cover Crops Become Weeds?

In a previous post I wrote that cover crops can suppress weeds.  And many farmers are planting them with that primary benefit in mind.

But, can cover crops become weeds?

Unfortunately, the answer is “yes, they can.”  Obviously we never want this to happen on our farm.  And with good management practices, we can lessen the possibility that it will.

Two species that require precise management are annual ryegrass and radishes. Both annual ryegrass  and radishes benefit the soil tremendously and have been shown to increase profit per acre, but both must be carefully managed as well. Specifically, there must be a comprehensive plan for terminating annual ryegrass. If you are not absolutely clear on how you are going to do this, you should not plant it. Likewise, with cover crop radishes, you need to be absolutely clear on what you are buying and when the seed should be planted.

It only takes a few annual ryegrass plants that produce seed to create a weed problem - especially if wheat is in the rotation.
It only takes a few annual ryegrass plants that produce seed to create a weed problem – especially if wheat is in the rotation.

This is why Hans Kok, from the Indiana Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative often tells farmers that are trying cover crops for the first time to start with a few acres of oats and radishes as a cover crop.  His thinking is that because both oats and radishes die over the winter that farmers will not have to worry about terminating the cover crop in the spring.  And I agree with Hans on this.

However, cover crops are becoming more popular and many producers are convinced that they are excellent at killing weeds and cover crops.  While Ag Chemical companies have shied away from making too many recommendations on killing cover crops, farmers are confident in their abilities to “figure it out” and make cover crops work on their farm.  Why use “boring” oats and radish?  Let’s use Annual Ryegrass!

Don’t get me wrong, Annual Ryegrass is a fabulous cover crop with tremendous value as a cover crop and forage.  But, it does take more management than many other cover crops.  Annual Ryegrass provides high reward with some additional risk.  On our home farm we sprayed our soybeans three times to make sure all annual ryegrass was killed.

Planting Radishes too early or planting the wrong Radish can create a problem with seed production on the radishes...and you don't want that!
Planting Radishes too early or planting the wrong Radish can create a problem with seed production on the radishes…and you don’t want that!

I’d love to hear your “formula” for annual ryegrass control. Have you noticed any difference with terminating annual ryegrass on different soil types? Different temperatures? Different additives? Different times of the day?

 

Cover Crop Meetings Scheduled February-March 2013

There are Cover Crop meetings and conferences going on across the country like never before.  Here is a list of those I am aware of that are coming up in February and March 2013.  Please look below in the comments section for several more meetings.

I will be speaking again this year at the MCCC Meeting in Ontario
I will be speaking again this year at the MCCC Meeting in Ontario

February 19         Cover Crops: How Your Soils Benefit TH Agri-Chemical, Kimberly, Wisconsin

February 20        Legacy Seeds, Inc – Cover Crop Meetings – Rochester, Minnesota

February 27        Cover Crops: Do They Make Me Money? Newton and Jasper Counties, IN

February 28-March 1  Midwest Cover Crop Council Annual Meeting, London, Ontario, Canada

March 5-6            Conservation Tillage Conference, Ada, Ohio

March 5 and 7     Reabe Spraying Services, Waupun, Wisconsin (Contact Damon Reabe for more              information at 920-324-3519)

March 6                Ag-Tech – Stockton, IL 10AM- NOON  Contact Shane Johnson at 815-947-3248 for more information

If you know of other cover crop meetings please add them in the comments section so all can see where else there are meetings!

 

Cover Crops Help Suppress Weeds

In the summer of 2011 I was contacted by Martha Mintz , a contributing editor for No-Till Farmer Magazine (some of my favorite farm reading!) about helping her with an article on how cover crops help provide improved weed suppression.  Martha interviewed me along with Mike Plumer, Ray McCormick, Bill Mason, and Bill Curran.  She wrote an excellent article entitled: A Cover Crop Bonus-Weed Suppression.

Here are some highlights of the article:No-Till Farmer logo

  • “The right cover crop, managed in the right way, can control well over 90% of winter annuals and even some spring perennials…”
  • “Cover crops suppress weeds in a number of ways: Through competition; by allelopathy — exuding a chemical that interferes with germination or growth of another plant; and as mulch after they’re been burned down.”
  • “…having good, healthy soil can reduce the length of spring weed control from a winterkilled cover crop as soil life will start devouring the biomass.”
  •  “Two years ago, it was a very wet spring. A lot of people were late with burndowns and marestail got out of control. Marestail was tiny or nonexistent in my fields that had a cereal rye-mix cover. It held weeds back until I was able to get in the field.” – Ray McCormick, Vincennes, IN
  • “About 30% of the time, I’ve found no need for a herbicide treatment in no-till soybeans following burndown of a good cereal rye cover…” – Mike Plumer

    A mixture of Annual Ryegrass, Crimson Clover, and Radishes provided a very clean corn field.
    A properly terminated mixture of Annual Ryegrass, Crimson Clover, and Radishes provided a very clean corn field.

In mid-July 2011 I posted an article with many photos and testimony of very clean soybean fields that had been planted into tall winter cereal rye.

While cover crops might not control 100% of winter annual weeds as chemicals may, they certainly add additional benefits that chemicals never will.

Watch the following video for a  summer “visual” view on this very topic and this video for a late fall view after aerial application of cover crops.

What has been your experience? Have you noticed less weed pressure where you’ve planted cover crops? Please share your thoughts below in the comment section.

 

“So God Made a Farmer”

I’m sure you have already seen the Super Bowl commercial from Dodge Ram trucks.

But just in case you haven’t, I have posted the video here for your enjoyment!  By the way, it is okay to be PROUD and even tear-up if you want to.  I am proud and I did cry a bit too.