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Oats

May 30 2013

Prevented Planting Row Crop Acres – Which Cover Crops Can Help?

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.

More rain tonight on already flooded fields create a tough situation for many Midwestern farmers.
More rain tonight on already flooded fields create a tough situation for many Midwestern farmers.

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 wet spots in fields there are many good options like these cover crop radishes that were planted later in the season in a field of sweet corn.

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.

Oats

Advantages

  1. Provides erosion control
  2. Scavenges nitrogen
  3. Grows a deep and fibrous root mass
  4. Promotes mycorrhiza growth
  5. Quick to establish
  6. Relatively inexpensive
  7. Can be broadcast and lightly tilled in
  8. Can be added to other cover crops to add additional value
  9. Can spray with broadleaf herbicides if necessary to control weeds

Disadvantages

  1. While they provide cover and decent root growth they do not provide additional nitrogen to the soil (at the most it would be very minimal)
  2. Best to use seed oats vs. bin run oats for optimum value
  3. If planting wheat after oats there may be some “grass after grass” issues (I’m not confident this will be a problem and would welcome comments)

 

Field Peas or Austrian Winter Peas

Austrian Winter Peas and cover crop radishes were planted into prevented planting acres in Michigan in 2010. These peas were producing nitrogen for the 2011 crop while fields that were sprayed or tilled for weed control had no such benefit.

Advantages

  1. Can provide 60-120 # nitrogen/acre (excellent if following with wheat in the fall)
  2. Can be broadcast and lightly tilled in (1″ or deeper)
  3. Can be added to other cover crops to add additional value (add to oats)
  4. Can spray with broadleaf herbicides if necessary to control weeds

Disadvantages

  1. Slower to establish than oats
  2. More costly than straight oats
  3. Seed MUST be inoculated at the time of planting

 

Crimson Clover

Advantages

  1. Can produce up to 150# N/acre within 100 days (great option if following with fall planted wheat or Winter Barley)
  2. Fairly quick to establish
  3. Relatively inexpensive
  4. Can be broadcast and lightly tilled in (1/4-1/2 inch deep)
  5. Can be added to other cover crops to add additional value (add oats at 1 bu/acre)
  6. Can spray with broadleaf herbicides if necessary to control weeds (This article is for seed production in the northwestern part of the USA)

Disadvantages

  1. More costly than straight oats
  2. Slower to establish than straight oats
  3. Seed MUST be inoculated (it may be purchased pre-inoculated)

 

Cowpea

Advantages

  1. Can produce 60-150# nitrogen/acre
  2. Can be broadcast and lightly tilled in (1″ or deeper)
  3. Can be added to other cover crops to add additional value (add to oats)
  4. Can spray with broadleaf herbicides if necessary to control weeds

Disadvantages

  1. Cost and availability of seed
  2. Slower to establish than oats
  3. Seed MUST be inoculated

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.

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Austrian Winter Peas, Cover Crop Benefits, Cover Crop Challenges, Cowpeas, Crimson Clover, Oats, Prevented planting · Tagged: Austrian Winter Peas, Berseem Clover, cover crops, cowpeas, Crimson Clover, field peas, nitrogen production, Oats, prevented planting, wet fields

Jun 06 2011

Photo diary- Corn after a cover crop (after corn)

“Planting this corn field was like planting into a garden” said my friend Dave.   He has been a ‘cover cropper” for six years now.  This year Dave no-tilled approximately 50% of his acres.  Dave is one of the most innovative guys I know…but he’s also “cautious”; he does not want to lose money!  That’s why Dave loves cover crops…using cover crops he has improved his profitability.  In this photo diary we will look at photos from April, May and June where Dave had a cover crop consisting of Oats/GroundHog Cover Crop Radish/AU Robin Crimson Clover.  The previous crop was corn.

An April view of the field with the AU Robin Crimson clover that over wintered. The oats and GroundHog Radishes had died out over the winter as expected.

 

A May photo of Crimson Clover that could not be killed yet because the field (and all other fields in the area) was too wet to spray. Normally by the date the photo was taken the Crimson Clover would have been dead and the corn would have been planted.

 

No-Till Corn on Corn planted into Oats and AU Robin Crimmson Clover

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Chemical Use and Cover Crops, Cover Crop Benefits, Crimson Clover, Delayed Spring Planting, Higher Yields, Improved Varieties, Nitrogen from Cover Crops, Oats, Radishes · Tagged: corn after cover crops, cover crop radishes, cover crops, Crimson Clover, killing cover crops

Jul 03 2010

Grazing Cover Crops in the Winter

Over the past 9 years I have worked with Ed Ballard from the University of Illinois on grazing cattle over the winter.

During the first 4-5 years I was much more concerned about the “above ground” aspect of the cover crop and weight gain by the animals.

However, these past 4-5 years have shown me the dual benefit of this amazing plan.  The mix I use is 1-1/2 to 2 bushel per acre of oats, 1 bushel of winter rye and 5# of Appin Turnips.

This mix works well flown into standing corn or drilled right after the corn harvest.  I have attached a You Tube video to show the wonderful benefits cattle producers can get using this cover crop.

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Grazing Cover Crops, Oats, Turnips, YouTube Videos · Tagged: cover crops, grazing corn stalks, grazing cover crops, Oats, oats and turnips

Jun 26 2010

Oats…a wonderful and versatile cover crop

Oats and Radishes
Oats and Oilseed Radishes with hog manure. Planted after wheat. This makes for a great combination.
Oats and Oilseed Radish Mar 16 2010 - 4566 (4)
The Oats and Oilseed Radishes in the spring of the year. These photos are from the same field.

Oats are one of the more versatile cover crops as they can be planted various times of the season and used as an excellent cover and an excellent forage crop.  Oats work well alone, but especially well in mixes with oilseed radishes, turnips, Berseem and Crimson Clovers, and Austrian Winter Peas, etc…  Oats work well for erosion control and are very good nutrient scavengers.  Oats (and mixes with radishes or turnips) work very well for manure nutrient management.

Advantages of Oats

  • Scavenges N
  • Deep and fibrous root mass
  • Works well with aerial application
  • Excellent for forage
  • Winterkills
  • Oats work very well with other cover crops in mixes

Disadvantages of Oats

  • Bin run oats will have weed seed in them
  • Winterkills

Plant Oats at 1 ½- 2 bushels/acre for cover/grain; 3 bushels/acre for cover/baleage

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Oats, Radishes · Tagged: cover crops, Oats, oats and radish, oilseed radishes, Radishes

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