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% […]
Today, August 3, 2010 I visited some fields in Whitley County Indiana to look at fields where annual ryegrass was not killed quite perfectly this spring. Even though the soybeans look awesome there is a problem lurking under the bean canopy. That problem is a fairly thick stand of annual ryegrass. I found ryegrass in
Is Annual Ryegrass a weed – part 2 Read More »
It’s been 10 1/2 weeks since I planted my Radish test plot in my garden. I have recorded photos and reports in previous posts and now this is the “FINAL JUDGMENT” of the different varieties that were included this spring. I’ll report mainly via photos and captions. Just a reminder, about 5 weeks ago I
May planted Radish Plot final results 8/4/2010 Read More »
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 »
In my cover crop radish plot I have thinned some rows to 4″ between plants and in two rows I have left them thick (I figure I’m at the 12-15#/acre range). After 6 weeks there are some pretty telling signs that 12-15#/acre is too thick and possibly a waste of money. Most of the varieties
Cover Crop Radish – Rate Per Acre Read More »
My cover crop radish plot was planted on May 29, 2010 and now 6 weeks later we can see some characteristics even different from 2 weeks ago. A variety that was 8-9″ deep 2 weeks ago still appears to have that same depth. Another that I called “Stubby” is now looking quite interesting! Yet another
Cover Crop Radish Plot from July 10, 2010 Read More »
One of the most popular cover crops is winter cereal rye. It is a very versatile cover crop that has few disadvantages. While it does not have the deep, nor fibrous root system that annual ryegrass has, it reportedly has had 45″ deep roots found in north-central Indiana in May. Winter cereal rye can be
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
Grazing Cover Crops in the Winter Read More »