I appreciate Mike Baise from American Farmland Trust for sending me the document NRCS Cover Crop Termination Guidelines Non-Irrigated Cropland. The document was published June 2013 and should be very helpful to everyone using cover crops.
Learning about the benefits of planting cover crops.
I appreciate Mike Baise from American Farmland Trust for sending me the document NRCS Cover Crop Termination Guidelines Non-Irrigated Cropland. The document was published June 2013 and should be very helpful to everyone using cover crops.
The following was originally posted on May 27, 2011 when the Eastern Corn Belt was suffering with severe flooding and wet conditions. In 2013 the Upper Midwest – especially Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin – is flooded and wet. Many farmers are considering taking the crop insurance for prevented planting. Even if it would stop raining – which does not appear will happen anytime soon – many farmers will not be in their fields for two weeks. While locations are different, the recommendations below still apply. Please keep the farmers in the Upper Midwest in your prayers; they need it!
For other options that might include growing cover crops for forages click here.
In 2010 there were wet spots in fields that were never planted, so some ingenious farmers planted cover crops in those spots after they dried out. Now in 2011 there are several entire fields that may not be planted to cash crops at all. I have heard from two friends in Ohio that are working on plans to help northwest Ohio farmers know what to use on their prevented acres.
Maybe this is not an issue where you live. I hope you never have to face a spring like this year in the Eastern Corn Belt, where many producers in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan are struggling to get their crops in the ground. The forecast is for many more days of rain to finish out the month of May.
For prevented planting the cover crops may not be harvested until after November 1st.
So what are the options for planting cover crops in the prevented planted fields? Below I will list the options with a few of their benefits and also some disadvantages.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Advantages
Disadvantages
Advantages
Disadvantages
Advantages
Disadvantages
Other crops to consider: Berseem Clover, Fava Beans, and others.
For further information, please read this excellent article by Barry Fisher, NRCS Agronomist from Indiana, who wrote on this very topic in 2009.
With an abundance of prevented planting acres in Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2013, there is a need for cover crops to help build soil during the soil’s “idle” time. In this post I’ll mainly focus on summer annual grasses that work well in the Midwest.
These recommendations will focus on whether feed is needed or not. These cannot be harvested until November 1 if crop insurance is taken.
If producers do not take crop insurance then there are other options mentioned below that give greater forage quality and yield. However, many of these products are in very short supply. Please call your local seed supplier to check on availability.
I would recommend a non-BMR Sorghum Sudangrass at 10-12#/acre. These should retail at $1.10-1.15/#. This choice is less expensive per acre than most summer annual options. This product is in very, very short supply for 2013.
Other cover crop options include non-BMR Sudangrass, which should be planted at a minimum of 10-20#/acre and will retail for around $1.20/#. Choices here would include Piper and Monarch V, among others. Both of these products are in very short supply for 2013.
I would also consider Hybrid Pearl Millet. Seeding rate will be 7-10#/acre. Hybrid Pearl Millet is in exceptionally short supply for 2013.
Plant each of these options at ½ -1” deep. Apply at least 25-30# of nitrogen per acre so there will be some plant health. There is very low supply on all of these items. Farmers should mow to alleviate seed production. Mow periodically and leave 6-8” tall residual so there will be continued regrowth.
If the prevented planting acres will be used for forage production, consider the following (with crop insurance taken–harvested after Nov. 1):
Take the options above and increase the seeding rates as shown below:
If the prevented planting acres will be used for forage production, consider the following (no crop insurance taken – harvested throughout the summer):
Option #1 for livestock feed I’d recommend BMR Hybrid Sudangrass at 35#/acre. BMR Sudangrass is superior to non-BMR Sudangrass for grazing, animal production, haymaking, ensiling, etc. Plant 35-37#/acre. Retail cost is around $1.75-1.80/#.
This is truly a superior product for dairy, beef, and sheep operations. It is grown on many dairy and beef farms across the Midwest, Upper Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic states. These products are in exceptionally short supply in 2013.
Option #2 is BMR Sorghum X Sudangrass. Many BMR Sorghum X Sudangrass varieties yield well and are very high in quality. It is much more palatable than non-BMR products. IF it is for dairy, plant at 50#/acre. Retail cost is around $1.45-1.50/#. Supply is exceptionally limited in 2013.
Option #3 is Teffgrass. Teffgrass needs to be planted into an alfalfa-like seedbed at 1/8-1/4” deep. Seed it at 10-12#/acre. Retail cost is $3.00-$3.25/#. Supply is fair to good.
Option # 4 is Hybrid Pearl Millet planted at a higher seeding rate. For forage, plant at 12-15#/acre. Hybrid Pearl Millet is in exceptionally short supply for 2013.
See some of these products in OSU trials at:
http://oardc.osu.edu/forage2008/table15.asp and http://oardc.osu.edu/forage2009/table11.asp
Profitability for BMR Sorghum X Sudangrass and BMR Sudangrass products is generally higher than for non-BMR products. For instance, data on BMR Sudangrass has shown a 20% increase in animal production and therefore is considerably more profitable than non-BMR Sudangrass. In a year like this I’d guess that maximizing profit will be important! Be sure to use 75#/N (actual) for these products at planting time. Follow with additional nitrogen after each harvest.
You can e-mail me at dave@plantcovercrops.com for additional recommendations, or for locations of dealers where these products are available, or for other questions.
Sometimes apparent myths prove to be true and sometimes they prove to be…myths!
In March 2013 I asked my brother Don Robison from Robison Farms to help me figure out how cover crops might effect soil temperatures. We have looked at data in previous posts trying to answer the question “Do Cover Crops that Survive the Winter Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring than Fall-Tilled Soil?”
Now I have asked Don to chart all of his data that he has taken since late March in fall-tilled soil, no-till soil, no-till soil with cover crop annual ryegrass, and a lawn. Don added a test of taking moisture readings as well because “we know” that no-till soils are “always wetter and colder than fall-tilled soils.” At least that is common “knowledge” from many farmers I talk to from Minnesota to Missouri and points eastward.
It appears that our no-till soils with cover crops has consistently been warmer or just as warm as the fall-tilled soils. I am placing the charts below for you to observe the data.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.