Plant Cover Crops

Learning about the benefits of planting cover crops.

Field Days

Cover Crops- It is Amazing how much interest there is these days!

It is amazing how much interest there is in cover cropping these days!

Sarah Carlson from Practical Farmers of Iowa and I were discussing this fact in Omaha, NE earlier this week.  To think that there would be a conference like we attended in Omaha was almost a “dream” when we were attending some of the first Midwest Cover Crop Council Meetings less than 10 years ago.  Many thanks to Eileen Kladivko, Dale Mutch, Dean Baas, Tom Kaspar, Anne Verhallen, Alan Sundermeier, and others who set the pace and path and vision for sharing and researching the benefits of cover cropping.

Dave Robison
I had the privilege of speaking to over 1,000 farmers at the National No-Till Conference in Springfield, IL in January 2014. Being a long-time no-tiller; this was a highlight of my career.

So, where am I these days?  (kind of like “Where’s Waldo?)  Over the past seven weeks I have  spoken in many states (NY, OH, WI, NE, MI, etc…) and at Ridgetown, Ontario.  I have spoken to well over 2,000 producers these past 50 days.  I keep telling my wife I’ll check in as often as possible and I try to keep the kids aware of where I am and where I am going (I use this as great geography lessons!).  The interest in cover cropping is astounding.  I am excited to see so many producers that are using cover crops are excited about what they are doing…I am 100% confident this is NOT a fad.

I have a few more cover crop meetings to add that you might find very interesting.

On March 5 at 10AM I am speaking at the Yahara Pride Farms 2014 Watershed-Wide Conference: Building on our Progress at  Lake Windsor Golf Club  4628 Golf Road, Windsor, WI 53598  For more information contact: rachel@yaharapridefarms.org; 608-255-6329 ;  www.yaharapridefarms.org.

Starting on March 6 the American Society of Agronomy is conducting a number of Cover Crop webinars.  The speakers on the presentations are among the “who’s-who” in cover cropping research and practice.  Please register and watch these free webinars!

On March 13 I will be speaking at the Bay County  Soil Conservation District’s Soil Health and Cover Crop Meeting in Pinconning, MI.  This meeting involves some excellent speakers on soil health and also on local cover crop research.

Also in Wisconsin I am speaking at three Legacy Seeds Cover Crop Seminars.  Please contact the folks at Legacy Seeds at karen@legacyseeds.com to preregister.  Registrations starts at 9:30 and the meetings start at 10 AM.  Early order “discounts” will be available.  Lunch will be served at each location.

March 18 at  Jakes Northwoods 1132 Angelo Rd. Sparta, WI  608-269-5010

March 19 at the Eagles Club 2588 hwy. 53 Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 715-723-0172

March 20 at  Cobblestone Creek Dining and Banquet Center 740 West Ryan St. Brillion, WI 54110 920-756-3214

On April 1 Winnebago Soil & Water Conservation District and AgTech are sponsoring a Cover Crop Workshop in Durand, IL.  I am honored to speak at this event.  There is an optional field tour after lunch.  Preregister by 3-25-14.

On May 9 There is a Soil Health Field Day – Sponsored by Catawba SWCD in Newton, North Carolina.  I will not be attending this meeting but it sure sounds like a great day!   Thanks to Russell Hedrick for passing this along.

Also, sometime in April – Robison Farms (my brother Don and I along with mom and dad) hope to host a field day at our Greenwood, IN farm where we have 5 acres of replicated cover crop research.  More details will follow soon on this.

These are exciting times in Agriculture.  Remember to be thankful for those who have come before us and for those who share their knowledge and vision with us.  More importantly share your vision and knowledge with others.  Most importantly, be thankful to the God of Creation who gives us the responsibility to care for His creation.

 

Dave

 

 

More Fall Cover Crop Field Days Coming

This fall there are more cover crop field days to attend in Iowa and Wisconsin.

 

For those in Iowa see http://practicalfarmers.org/blog/2013/fall-2013-cover-crop-field-days-scheduled

In Wisconsin there are two field days:

There will be opportunities to look in soil pits in Northern climates to see just what is going on beneath the surface of the soil.
There will be opportunities to look in soil pits in Northern climates to see just what is going on beneath the surface of the soil.

October 21, 2013 – 10:30am – Cover Crop Plot Tour
Hosted by Legacy Seeds’ Kris Tessar and Ag Ventures Shawano
Located at the farm of Paul McClone on Cty BE in Bonduel, WI
Dave Robison will be speaking – Lunch will follow the tour
RSVP to Ag Ventures at 715-524-8812
October 22, 2013 – 10:30am – Cover Crop Plot Tour
Hosted by Legacy Seeds’ Kris Tessar and ADM
Located at the farm of Ken Huber at 3848 Cty P in Oxford, WI
Dave Robison will be speaking – Lunch will follow the tour
RSVP to ADM (Perry or Sue) at 800-367-4057

I hope to see you there!  Dave

 

Badger Plot Cover Crop Research Site – Producer Day Schedule Announced

Join me with Wisconsin NRCS at the Badger Plot Cover Crop Research Site on October 2, 2013 @ Jeff and Jerry Kreuziger Farms near Clyman, WI.  Sessions will run from 9:30-Noon or 1:00-3:30 CST.  This looks to be a great day to learn more about cover crops and soil health in southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois regions.

 

For more information see Badger Plot Research-Producer Day.

Damon Reabe from Reabe Spraying Services - Waupun, WI plays a big role in applying cover crops in SE WI. Damon provided this photo.
Damon Reabe from Reabe Spraying Services – Waupun, WI plays a big role in applying cover crops in SE WI. Damon provided this photo.

 

Cover Crop and Forage Meeting Aug 14, 2013

On August 14, 2013 the University of Wisconsin is holding an Agronomy Field Day at the Marshfield Ag Research Station.   The line-up of speakers looks outstanding and CEU credits are available for Certified Crop Advisers.

I will be speaking out at the cover crop plots looking at how we can use cover crops as forages and benefit the soil at the same time.

KY Forages April 2011 041
An Annual Ryegrass cover crop can make excellent dairy quality baleage/silage in the fall if planting after wheat. It also is a fabulous scavenger of N and P with deep roots.

For past blog posts on using cover crops for forages looks here and here.

Cover Crop Field Day July 22-23, 2013

This looks like a Fantastic Field Day in Emporia, Kansas.  Gail Fuller sent me the info and I believe this will be well worth the time and investment to attend if at all possible.  There is a great line-up of speakers!

Here is the note from Gail about the event held last year…

Last year I had organic producers, long and short term No-tillers, conventional tillers, ranchers and agency people from 10 states and 2 country’s, so it will be a very diverse crowd. It will center around “farming in natures image” or eco-farming with sessions focused on symbiotic relationships within the system. Plant to plant, microbe to plant, insect to plant, etc. Livestock will be included as they are an important part of a system. It will all be tied to healthier food, and healthier living.  
 
Thanks Again!
Gail  

Cover Crops Planted After Wheat in a Dry Year

Can you still gain value in a cover crop when it is planted after wheat in a dry year?

During the week of October 15, 2012 I traveled a wide swath of Wisconsin looking at cover crops.  In the eastern half of the state the cover crops looked very good.  In the western half the cover crops looked desperately poor.   The difference?  Moisture.

Northwestern Wisconsin – Terribly Dry

While on farms near Osceola, WI (right along the St. Croix River – the river that forms the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota in that part of the state), I observed a sad sight.  Cover crops that had been in the ground for 6 weeks were either not germinated  or had little growth.  While the early part of the growing season had more than adequate rainfall and corn yields were near 200 bu/acre, the last 7-8 weeks has seen less than 1/2″ and the cover crops look…well, they look horrible.

Central Sands Region – Dry But with Some Promise

Near Hancock, in the Central Sands Region of Wisconsin, there is a mixed bag of results.

Where farmers used irrigation to “water -up” the cover crops, there are nice stands with adequate growth to have a “successful” cover crop to achieve many benefits.  Unfortunately, where there was no irrigation used there was much less “success.”

Again, it was dry for several weeks before and after the cover crops were planted after the wheat crop had been harvested.  A few days before my cover crop field day there was a 4 inch rain.  The farmer and dealer present said that the plot “changed overnight” as it had grown so much since there was some moisture.

The beautiful thing about the cover crops in the central sands is that they established and actually looked amazingly good compared to what I envisioned they would. The winter cereal rye was tillered nicely and the oats were 5-6 inches tall.  The radishes, oats,and rye all drilled through the compaction zone that we found at 3-4 inches deep.

What was not apparently impressive was the crimson clover or Austrian winter peas – at least not for coverage or height. The crimson clover was only about 1 inch tall and the peas were 3-4 inches tall.  However, what was surprising was how many nodules were on the clover and peas and that the roots were 4-5″ deep and through the compaction zone as well!

Northeastern Wisconsin – What a Difference Moisture Makes

The crimson clover was not at all impressive even though the seed was planted 7 weeks previous to this photo being taken. However, with virtually no rainfall it is amazing there was any clover established at all in the Central Sands Region of WI.
Seven or eight weeks of dry weather did not help cover crops in this field near Osceola, WI emerge very quickly in 2012. Will there be any value to this cover crop? Sadly, no.  Note how small the radishes and turnips are.  These cannot be declared valuable to this farmer.  Thankfully the winter Rye should survive the winter.

 

 

 

With less than 1/2″ of rain since planting into dry soil, this cover crop field in western Wisconsin near Osceola never had a chance to achieve the goals the farmer had for it improving the soil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the test plot in the Central Sands Region.  From Right to left; Radishes, Oats, Winter Rye, and various mixes. Are these cover crops valuable? I believe so because they are through the compaction zone and the rye and many of the mixes will have components that survive the winter.

 

 

If you enlarge this photo you will be amazed how many nodules are on this tiny crimson clover plant. The roots were over 5″ deep which was through the compaction zone at the Hancock, WI plot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Crop Root Pits Reveal Plenty

During the first week of April I was in several root pits in northwest Indiana and boy did we find plenty of interesting factoids! I was assisted by Eileen Kladivko from Purdue University on one day and Barry Fisher, Indiana NRCS State Agronomist, on another day.

What We Found in the Cover Crop Root Pits

We found several night crawlers and smaller worms as well in each pit we were in
  • Earthworms galore, especially where we had radishes and/or crimson clover. But the earthworms were plentiful in all cover crop species.
  • Earthworm channels 48″ deep in a field that had been long term no-till with one year of cover crop annual ryegrass/radish mix (planted after soybeans).
  • Roots from two different  crops in the same root zone/earthworm channel (soybeans and cover crop roots) over 30″ deep.
  • Earthworm eggs where radishes had decayed.
  • Soybean nodules 26″ deep on roots that went 44″ deep (long term no-till field – 10 years).
  • Annual ryegrass roots that were not as deep following corn as they were following soybeans (less N available for them to grow as vigorously).
  • Canola or oilseed rape in fields where bin run oats had been planted instead of seed oats.
  • Continued evidence of compaction. One year of cover crops does not eliminate all compaction issues (though roots from cover crops did penetrate through the compaction).
  • Radish and radish roots that were 34″ deep last fall were found at 40″ deep this spring (though dead).
  • Living radishes. Several radishes survived the Indiana winter (very mild winter), especially where they were protected by crimson clover and annual ryegrass.
  • 20 earthworm channels and 5 earthworms in an area 8″ by 8″ square at 6 inches deep (in a mixture of annual ryegrass, crimson clover, and cover crop radishes).
  • 700 acres of oats and radishes looking very different in the spring than it did in the fall!  (Click the links to see the different videos)

Miscellaneous Notes from the Cover Crop Root Pits

The farmer from our first cover crop root pit dig on April 4th reported that he saw less visible drought stress where they had long term no-till and cover crops, attributing the healthier plants to increased root depth.

We saw several fields of cereal rye after corn stalks being grazed by beef cattle.

Barry Fisher encouraged everyone to “expand your farm vertically.” In other words, don’t just keep buying/renting more land. Instead, put cover crop roots down deeper to create better land where you farm – and get more yield.

Be sure to control your annual ryegrass instead of waiting on the crimson clover to grow taller.  Much of the ryegrass was 10-12″ tall with the crimson clover at 6-8″ tall.

Farmers are becoming more creative with cover crop applications and types, and they are finding success – not surprising!

 

Other than the "extra goodies" from the VNS oats, this field was ready to plant without herbicide in the spring.
We saw several fields where cattle were grazing cereal rye planted into corn stalks.
Cereal rye in one row and crimson clover and Appin turnips in the other row (mixed together).

 

One of the joys of working with farmers is the excitement I see on their faces when they "get it" about soil health. There were several excited farmers again this spring.
We found several earthworm eggs around the decayed radish holes.
We found roots from soybeans and annual ryegrass in the same root zone/earthworm channel.

Cover Crop Field Day Set at Robison Farms

CISCO Seeds, Robison Farms, and Dougherty Fertilizer are sponsoring a Cover Crop Field Day and Root Dig at the Greenwood, Indiana farm. If you’ve not had an opportunity to see cover crops in a real life farm setting, this will be a great meeting for you . There will be multiple species available to look at and expert agronomists on hand to answer questions.

 

When:

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 from 2-4 P.M.

Location:

Corner of Five Point Road (300 East) and Main Street (Rocklane Road) east of Greenwood, IN

Contact:

If you have questions or need further information contact  Don Robison at donrobison@ciscoseeds.com or 317-357-7013

  • Rain or shine we will have a gathering (call if the weather is bad for “plan B”)

 

Cover Crop Field Day Highlights

Come see ten different mixes and/or species of cover crops in a large plot setting.
  • 1100’ lineal feet of cover crop plots
  • 10 different mixes or straight species shown
  • guaranteed weather! (not saying what kind)
  • working with NRCS, SWCD, and Dougherty Fertilizer
  • root digs (weather contingent)
  • Cover Crop Agronomists on hand for tours and Q/A sessions
  • See over 150 acres of various Cover Crops withing 1/2 mile of plots

 

Purpose of the cover crop field day

To see different species of cover crops in a real to life situation. This was a soybean field that had the cover crops applied over the top of the standing crop at roughly 50% leaf drop.

 

Species You Will See

 

  • Radishes
  • Turnips
  • Crimson Clover
  • Oats
  • Winter Rye
  • Annual Ryegrass
  • Austrian Winter Peas
  • Several Mixes including the above species

 

 

 

Directions:

From Indianapolis

  • Take I-65 South to Exit 99. Turn Left at end of ramp and travel 1.5 miles east to the plots

From Louisville

  • Take I-65 North to Exit 99. Turn Right at end of ramp and travel 1.5 miles east to the plots

From Columbus, OH

  • Take I-70 West to Indianapolis, follow 465 South to I-65 South to Exit 99. Turn Left at end of ramp and travel 1.5 miles east to the plots

From Terre Haute

  • Take I-70 East to Indianapolis, follow 465 South to I-65 South to Exit 99. Turn Left at end of ramp and travel 1.5 miles east to the plots

 

Just down the road we plan on digging another pit where Annual Ryegrass and Appin Turnips were applied after hog manure was knifed in after wheat.

Cover Crops underground…I was not disappointed, I was a bit surprised!

The Crimson clover had dense roots and we found a number of them at over 40″ deep.

At cover crop field days over the past few weeks many interesting aspects of cover crops were revealed. 

One reminder about cover crops; it is NOT what is above ground that is the best indicator of success. 

Please take a shovel with you when you evaluate cover crops and dig up some roots so you get the real story.

The radish tops were still quite eveident and some of the holes had yet to fill in completely. This field at Four L Farms had tremendous growth from the radishes and crimson clover last fall. The clover survived the winter beautifully.

First, we found deep roots from multiple species. While we expect to find deep roots from annual ryegrass we continue to be amazed at how deep other species are penetrating.  At Four L Farms near Francesville, IN we may have set a “world record” by finding 40+” deep roots from crimson clover.  We also found cover crop radish roots 40″ deep and annual ryegrass roots 54″ deep (as deep as the pit was dug).

When the pit walls collapsed I was quite surprised to see many root channels deep into the soil. I had never seen anything quite like this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we found earthworms in some fields and not in others. I think that this was a function of soil temperature and moisture.  (The soil temperature averaged 47 degrees at a 4″ depth).  However, I’m not sure that is correct.  We found a pretty good number of worms where we had more manure applied at Four L Farms on the annual ryegrass.  Typically crimson clover and radishes will have more earthworms around their roots than annual ryegrass…but this spring that was not entirely the case.  While we found worms around the radishes we found less than I expected around the crimson clover roots (again, no manure was applied in that field).

I always get a rush of excitement when we start digging pits so we can see what God did over the winter with our cover crops!

In the fields in Lake County, Indiana we were looking at fields that had never had cover crops in them before.  The producer is following corn and going to soybeans on most of the 900 acres he had flown on.  The mixture of cereal rye, annual ryegrass, and GroundHog Radish has looked good since last fall.  We were pleasantly surprised by what we saw there.  Nearly 20 producers came to the field day and saw root channels along the side walls of the pit.  Actually the pit collapsed and revealed an awesome display of root channels like I had never seen before.

I probably enjoy looking at cover crops way too much.  With the response from the producers looking at the root pits, I think most of them are getting excited too.

We’re digging root pits!

We are digging root pits to see what happened last fall and over the winter with cover crops.

On March 30 we were at Mike Werling’s farm south of Ft. Wayne, IN.  We held two cover crop field days at Mike’s over the summer.  We looked at the fields that had oats, radishes and peas in them (these were planted in 15″ rows).  The oats and radish roots were 34″ deep. Considering how exceptionally dry it was in the summer/fall of 2010, this is an impressive depth. 

The Crimson Clover looks great at Four L Farms in March 2011 at the Francesville, IN area. This was planted after corn silage in the fall of 2010.

On April 6 we will be in western Pulaski county Indiana at the Leman farms.  I posted about their farm last fall.  I hope we can dig 70+ inches deep (without filling the hole with water…or burying me in the process).  Last fall we aleady had roots 40 inches deep.  For info on the field day click Four L Farms Cover Crop Field Day April 2011.  Four L Farms plants their cover crops after corn silage in 15″ rows.  We’ll see crimson clover, annual ryegrass, and the vestiges of cover crop radishes. This is on a farm that applies dairy manure.

On April 7 we’re going to have another field day in Newton/Lake counties (Indiana).  We will be visiting Churchill Farms where they had nearly 900 acres aerial applied into standing corn last September (2010).  On this farm we will see annual ryegrass, winter cereal rye, and the vestiges of cover crop radishes.  For more information on this field day click Churchill Farms Cover Crop Field Day April 2011.

I hope you can all come!  These are great learning opportunities!  These events are co-sponsored by CISCO Seeds and local SWCD offices.