The video below shows the value of Crimson Clover in a cover crop setting. Crimson clover has been tested and shown to produce as much as 140#/N after it has been planted after wheat. The plots in this video were planted around July 29, 2010 by the Jasper and Newton County SWCD folks (Thanks Dan […]
Big Radish fed by Crimson Clover Read More »
I was in western Pulaski County of Indiana again yesterday afternoon (11/16/2010) at the Leman farm. This is the third year that the Leman’s have used cover crops. Curt Leman dug some pits for us so we could see what kind of rooting depth we have achieved since the annual ryegrass was planted on Sept
Annual Ryegrass Roots Video – 40″ deep in 2 1/2 months! Read More »
Puny, they just look puny this year! Those Austrian Winter Peas are supposed to be 30″ tall like 2009…well, with less than 2″ of rain in NW Ohio since mid-July, I guess they look pretty good…but still puny. THAT is why I take a shovel with me…I want to see what they are really doing
Video of Austrian Winter Pea Roots 11/11/2010 Read More »
Dr. Tim Harrigan from Michigan State has been working on slurry seeding cover crops the past few years with very good success. I’ve included his video to let him tell you how he’s doing it!
Cover Crop Slurry Seeding Video Read More »
During my past five years with the Midwest Cover Crops Council, I have heard cover crop experts say that “the farmer who has access to manure is the perfect candidate to use cover crops.” I witnessed this truth up-close and personal this fall when visiting the Leman farm in NW Indiana. The Leman family has
Cover Crops and Manure are a Great Combination Read More »
While in northwest Ohio in the Fall of 2010 for a manure management field day, some area farmers told me that wheat producers are adding 2-4# of cover crop radishes per acre to the wheat in the drill…and experiencing excellent results. Some reported gaining 5-7 bushels per acre by adding the radishes. Others even reduced their nitrogen application by 20%
After talking to hundreds of row crop producers about cover crops, I was reminded of how much crimson clover offers to the corn farmer. Not only will crimson clover produce somewhere between 70-140 units of N (with approximately 1/2 of that being available for the next crop…the other percentage goes to building soil organic matter), it also
Crimson Clover…Great Cover Crop for Corn Producers Read More »
Hairy Vetch is a terrific nitrogen producing cover crop species. For Hairy Vetch to produce significant Nitrogen it needs to be established in adequate time to have good growth before going dormant in winter. Hairy Vetch must also be inoculated to be productive. One challenge with using Hairy Vetch is that it contains significant amounts
Hairy Vetch- a Top Nitrogen Producer Read More »