Plant Cover Crops

Learning about the benefits of planting cover crops.

Aerial Application

New articles out on Cover Crops in the Upper Midwest

During the week of March 18-21 I spoke at the Legacy Seeds Cover Crop Meetings to over 150 people in three Wisconsin towns

Appin Turnips make an outstanding cover crop and forage crop too!
Appin Turnips make an outstanding cover crop and forage crop too.

about cover crops.  During each meeting I showed why folks should consider using cover crops (erosion control, nutrient management, compaction reduction, aeration/infiltration, etc…).  I also implored producers to be creative about applying cover crops (aerial application, Hi-boy type spreaders, maybe interseeding into short corn, etc…).  Lastly I showed how many farmers are reporting increased profitability by using  cover crops.

Many farmers attending the meetings had at least some experience with cover crops and those that talked to me personally had very good experiences.  It was fun to talk to farmers that are excited about both soil health and profitability.

At the meeting in Sparta, Agri-View Newspaper Crops Editor, Jane Fyksen was present and taking notes for a story she was writing for the publication.  Jane did a great job in her reporting of what I said.  I want to share those articles with you.  The first article is entitled “Finding a cover crop mix to fit every need” and the second one is entitled “Aerial and overseeding of cover crops: Making it work“.

I have conducted over 40 cover crop talks this year from Omaha to Ontario and from Syracuse, NY to Chippewa Falls, WI.  I am amazed how far this cover cropping idea has come.  I am also very excited to see what will happen in another 8-10 years.

I cannot wait for warmer temperatures so we can see what cover crops survived this past record setting-cold winter.
I cannot wait for warmer temperatures so we can see what cover crops survived this past record setting-cold winter.

 

 

 

 

Cover Crop Stand Evaluation Taken to a New Level

This handy tool is a great way to tell producers about the agronomics of their crops.

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 Dave’s blog posts and had to send him an email after a recent one about aerial seeding success this fall.  We work with several great farmers that use cover crops as part of their no-till crop plan and noticed more than just a few beautiful stands this fall.  One of these stands I had the good fortune of mapping with a new tool in our business, called the Greenseeker NDVI sensor.  This tool allows us to quickly map the “green-ness,” for lack of a better word, of any plant material.

On Nov 18, 2011 I ran an ATV over this field of annual ryegrass that was flown into standing corn in central Indiana.  Our hope is that mapping of cover crops will help us predict the nitrogen release of various areas of the field so that we can adjust for future cash crops.   Of course we will map the actual crops too, but sometimes a map of an actively rooting cover crop might tell us more about the soil profile than a very young corn plant.  At least that is what we hope to compare next spring!

One of the most interesting things about this map is that the soils don’t necessarily match up exactly to the cover crop lushness. From driving it there were certainly areas that the airplane intentionally missed, like the far east side border…trying to keep it off the neighbor.  Then, I noticed only a couple areas that were accidentally missed… actually less than 1 acre in a whole 130 acre field like this.  Then, I could see how sometimes the low ground had a great stand because of thin corn stands due to spring ponding and more light (see Dave’s post on this topic).

And then there were hill tops with good stands because of what I would guess was earlier plant death because of summer drought (again, check out Dave’s post). I don’t know that this exactly correlates with nitrogen but I can tell you that early death or thinner stands would take up less nitrogen, so it might.

Either way this map gives us something else to help understand the crop responsiveness to additional nitrogen while a map of the actual crop would tell us more exactly.  It certainly is more variable than what appeared to be a beautiful and perfectly even stand from the road.

Keep sharing your experiences, Dave!

 

Daryl Starr, President

Advanced Ag Solutions

This map shows how well the cover crop was established when it was flown into standing corn in 2011. Daryl will also use it in 2012 to evaluate the cash crop when it is growing.

1405 Fairfax Drive

Lafayette, IN 47909

Toll Free: 888-512-4890

Mobile: 765-265-6767

Email: Daryl@AdvancedAgSolutions.com

www.AdvancedAgSolutions.com

 

When to apply 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 to 50% leaf drop.  The main goal from both viewpoints is sunlight reaching the soil to benefit the young seedlings.

To plant at 50% yellow leaf stage usually gains a farmer an extra 7-10 days of cover crop growth.  However, applying at 50% leaf drop assures better exposure to the sunlight for the seedlings.  I think that both options are excellent choices because I have seen both work very well. One thing we know for sure on the timing is that if the soybeans are still green over much of the field then the producer will have to wait for the beans to mature more.

This field was aerial applied on September 16. It was approximately 50% yellow leaf. The beans were planted in 7" rows. The cover crops in this field look very good.

 

Is it ever too early to apply when the soybeans are at 50% yellow leaf? Possibly – but when?

  • When planting into narrow rows (7-8″ rows) it seems that we might want to wait until the soybeans are more mature.
  • When there is great variation in the field.  It’s not uncommon to find “pockets” in the field that are still quite green when the rest of the field is more yellow.  When this happens I’d suggest waiting to apply until the vast majority of the field is yellowing. In the area where the soybeans are green there will be considerably less cover crop established.
  • If the soybeans are maturing earlier  and you are waiting for moisture (like in 2010) then waiting seems to make economic and agronomic sense. If it stays dry up until harvest then consider waiting until after harvest and incorporate the cover crops into the soil (by drilling or using a light “vertical tillage” after the cover crops have been spread).

 

Patience is often very rewarding.  Being patient to aerial apply cover crops into soybeans most often gives great rewards!

 

 

The left half of the photo above had been in 30" soybean rows. The right half had been beans in 7" rows. When aerial applying into soybeans planted in 7" rows be sure that the soybeans are around 75% yellow leaf and possibly at 50% leaf drop stage for the best establishment success.

 

This field needs to be more mature before aerial applying cover crops. In this situation the cover crop would be less likely to establish well.

The Importance of Sunshine in Cover Crop Establishment

On October 18, 2011 the cover crops are looking quite different in one section of the field than the other...the main reasons? The maturity of the soybean variety planted and row width.

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 Ohio looking at aerial applied cover crops.

Four things I have noticed so far:

1) Aerial applicators seem to be doing a much better job in 2011 than in years past.

2) Correct timing of aerial application into cash crops is vital (that the crops are mature enough for cover crop success).

3) Corn and soybean variety maturity differences can change “success” rates.

4) It appears that row spacing in soybeans makes a big difference, especially in establishing crimson clover.

I was in a soybean field in Jasper County, IN, with Dan Perkins, SWCD Watershed and Conservation Program Specialist. It looked as though about one-half of the field had been harvested a week or so earlier than the other half because the cover crops were considerably taller and more dense in the earlier bean maturity area than in the later bean maturity part of the field.

But I was wrong about the harvest date…there was only 1 day harvest difference between the two areas.  One difference was the genetic maturity of the varieties of soybeans.  One variety was a 3.0 maturity and the other was a 3.4 maturity. Incidentally, the farmer reported that the two varieties yielded virtually the same.

Another key observation was made with differences in row spacing, particularly with crimson clover.  In the 15″ and 30″ rows the crimson clover looked very good with an even stand and good growth. But in the fields with 7″ rows the stand did not look quite as good. In fact, in some fields with 7″ rows, the crimson clover was hard to find.  The annual ryegrass and the cover crop radishes had a better stand than the crimson clover in the 7″ spaced rows, yet even they had considerably less growth than in the wider spaced rows.

Why does this matter?  It matters because P-H-O-T-O-S-Y-N-T-H-E-S-I-S matters.

In many eastern corn belt soybean fields that the cover crops were aerial applied in are quite varied this year.  Overall there has been very good moisture and adequate time for the cover crops to germinate and grow, but the rate of growth has varied considerably based on how mature the soybeans were at planting date. While the soybeans have been off for over a month as of this posting you can look at the photo taken on November 22 and still see a difference in cover crop “coverage” and growth.

The stands have been good over all but the amount of growth from that stand seems to vary a bit more than in past years.

The take-home message is that we need to make sure that crops are mature enough when applying cover crops.  And if planting into fields with 7″ rows, maybe wait until 75% leaf yellowing to assure more sunlight hitting the ground when the seed is germinating.  Sunlight really is important…just like my 9th grade biology teacher said it was.

This photo, taken November 22, 2011, shows cover crops flown into corn, a 3.4 maturity soybean that was drilled in 7" rows (center), and a 3.0 maturity soybean planted in 30" rows (top). The same cover crop was flown into all three sections on the same passes of the plane. The difference...Sunlight getting to the soil.

 

Cover Crops aerial applied into soybeans and corn…any difference in emergence time?

Difficulty establishing cover crops is viewed by some farmers as one of the reasons of why NOT to plant cover crops.  Aerial application has been viewed as “guess-work flying” by some producers because of some poor application jobs in previous years.

However, since the 2011 crop was planted late because of record setting rain in the Eastern Corn Belt, aerial application of cover crops makes the most sense for producers.

In previous posts we have seen how aerial applicators have had opportunities for better training so the “guess work” will be replaced by “art-work” when applying the cover crops.  I’m confident the need for application accuracy has reached the ears of the pilots.  I recently saw corn and soybean fields in northwestern Indiana where the cover crops were flown on beautifully.

Many of the cover crop radishes were just starting to germinate after 14 days in the soybean field.

However, I did notice emergence differences in the fields.  The cover crop mixture of annual ryegrass, crimson clover, and radish was aerially applied on September 12.

The mix was coming up much faster and more evenly in the corn field than in the soybean field.  It was very easy to see the radishes and ryegrass in the corn field. The corn was “dry up to the ear” at application, and the cover crop looked great.

In the soybean field we had to look for a while before we found anything other than radishes emerging.  I understand that the soybeans were at least 50% yellow leaf, and since all of the leaves are off now, that makes sense.

Since applying the cover crops the farm had received over 4 inches of rain in numerous rain events.

The cover crop radishes and annual ryegrass are "finally" coming up some in the soybeans, though not nearly as thick as in the corn seeded the same day.

So, what did I take from this farm visit?

  • Be patient with emergence of cover crops in drilled or 15″ row soybeans – even if they are applied at the correct time.
  • Always apply the cover crops at the right stage of growth if interseeding into a cash crop.
  • Cover crop radishes germinate at least as fast as annual ryegrass and both are faster to germinate than crimson clover when aerial applied (seen over multiple fields in multiple years).
  • The myth that you cannot aerially apply radishes or crimson clover is not true – it’s a myth!

    The cover crop mixture was coming up far more consistently in the corn field than in the soybean field that was planted the same day.