I took a new management position in May of 2012 with Wisconsin based Legacy Seeds, Inc. While my main responsibility lies in working with alfalfa and forages I also was pleased to find out that there were several folks in Wisconsin that were using cover crops! Well, you would figure that I’d get involved more […]
Cover Crops in Wisconsin – Full Speed Ahead! Read More »
Sarah Carlson from Practical Farmers of Iowa reminded me that cover cropping north of I-80 is different than cover cropping in northern Indiana. She’s right. But how different is it, and why is it different? Sarah is quoted in a very good article in Corn and Soybean Digest that helps explain the differences. Several farmers
Cover Cropping North of I-80 After Corn & Soybeans – A Whole New World? Read More »
University of Illinois Extension weed scientist Aaron Hager has published a couple of newsletter articles on the topic of herbicide carryover. He will be publishing additional results in the future. Be Aware of the Potential for Herbicide Carryover and Considerations for Fall-Seeded Small Grains Thanks to Fred Iutzi, Manager, Value-Added Sustainable Development Center, Illinois Institute
Cover Crops and Herbicide Carryover Read More »
Have you ever wished you could get some “one on one” time with cover crop experts, two whom also happen to be plant or soil scientists? Consider yourself fortunate because you can now have a “fireside chat” with John Meisinger from Maryland and Tom Kaspar from Iowa, and me. After the CropLife Webinar – Dealing
Cover Crop Q/A on Sequestering N from Drought Stricken Corn Crop Read More »
All of what is reported below was accomplished after only one year of cover crops. This work was inspired by a conversation Don and I had last winter with Dr. Eileen Kladivko from Purdue University. As I say in cover crop meetings, Don’t expect a miracle the first year – but look for one. Over
Cover Crops Provide Improved Corn Yields in On-Farm Trial Read More »
Several farmers have asked me why they need to spend an “extra” 4-6 cents per pound to inoculate the legume seed they are planting for producing nitrogen with their cover crops. I get asked this especially about Austrian Winter Peas and Cowpea. However, if you are planting Crimson Clover, Berseem Clover, Kura Clover, Alsike, Hairy
Inoculating Cover Crop Legumes Pays Off Read More »
My brother, Don Robison, from Robison Farms in central Indiana, has been doing a significant amount of research in our fields where we had our cover crop test plot in 2011-12. One part of the research that Don conducted was comparing compaction ratings in each different plot area and also in a check area. In
On-Farm Research Reveals Cover Crops Reduce Compaction Read More »
The drought of 2012 has forced many Midwest growers to make the difficult decision to give up on the crop and prepare the land for next year. The consequence? Significant amounts of unused nitrogen remain in the soil. Planting a cover crop makes it possible to secure nitrogen in the field, reduce runoff, and recycle