Plant Cover Crops

Learning about the benefits of planting cover crops.

Annual Ryegrass

An Excellent Cover Crop Mix Ahead of Corn

The mix pictured above is Nutribuilder Mix. It’s a three way mix of annual ryegrass, clover, and radishes.

This field was planted on August 18 at 25 pounds per acre. The included pictures were taken on October 30. The plan is to plant this field into corn next year.

The growth in this field shows the importance of a timely planting date. This is especially important for the radishes, since they will winterkill – and the farmer will want maximum benefit from them before they die.

Benefits

Each component in this mix will enhance the performance of the soil and improve the productivity of the following year’s crop. And of course, the long-term benefits associated with the ongoing use of cover crops are hard to quantify.

But what are some specific things to expect from each of these components?

Annual ryegrass

Annual ryegrass provides one of the best cost-to-benefit ratios of any cover crop, maybe the best. It’s inexpensive, versatile in application (aerial, broadcast, drill), and provides tremendous value to the soil. Annual ryegrass breaks up compaction, allowing better water infiltration. The depth of the roots provide access to parts of the soil previously unavailable to the cash crop. The fibrous root system near the soil surface helps prevent erosion. Annual ryegrass is an excellent scavenger of leftover nutrients, holding them for use later in the growing season.

Crimson clover

Crimson clover is an excellent choice for building nutrition into the soil. If you’re looking to build nitrogen for your cash crop, crimson clover provides that service. Since it will survive the winter, it will provide biomass as well. The crimson clover will also help the annual ryegrass and radishes to grow bigger and provide more benefit to the soil as well, as demonstrated by this video.

Radish

Cover crop radishes have been the super stars of the cover crop world. Their benefits have been noted over the years. They:

  • scavenge nutrients from the soil (especially nitrogen).
  • penetrate the soil, therefore reducing compaction.
  • enhance soil percolation and aeration.
  • provide an excellent environment for earthworms.
  • provide deer and cattle an excellent wintertime feed.
  • die in the winter.

Conclusion

Taking all of this information into consideration, this type of mix is an excellent choice to plant in the fall before planting corn the following spring. Keep in mind that only the radish will winterkill, so you will need a plan to terminate both the annual ryegrass and the crimson clover.

Root Pit Reveals 40″ Cereal Rye Roots

Rye Pit

I am blessed to hear from farmers around the world about their cover cropping adventures.  One young man, Brian Scott, from Carroll County, Indiana has generously shared his information with me again this spring.  This post is Brian’s report from early May, 2013.  To see Brian’s photographs, click here.

We dug a few pits in our field today that has about 40 acres of cereal rye and another 40 of annual ryegrass. The cereal rye had a pretty good stand, but the ryegrass didn’t do so well over the winter.  Looks like we may not be the only farm with that problem this year?

Anyway I was pretty excited for our first year cover cropping that we found cereal rye roots down to 40″ today!  And we hit the water table below that since everything is still relatively wet from all the rain.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see more roots if we could have dug down deeper.  That was on pretty good soil that used to have manure applied every year until about 7 years ago when we got out of the hog business.

The ryegrass was on ground with much more clay near the surface, but I was glad to see we had roots down 2 feet where we did get a decent stand.

Both covers were sprayed today.  I think I would have liked to keep the cereal rye a bit longer, but with rain in the forecast we didn’t want it getting out of control if we got soaked again and couldn’t spray.  These were all seeded into standing corn on 9/19/2012.  In all we had about 200 acres of cover this year and have plans to seed at least 400 in the fall!

Thanks Brian!  And to everyone who have been sending info…watch for it to be on the blog soon.  Thanks to all who are sharing their stories.

Cover Crops: Buy One Year, Get Another Year Free

Surprise! That's what our reaction was to the volunteer annual ryegrass growing in our fields nearly 18 months after they were sown.
Surprise! That’s what our reaction was to the volunteer annual ryegrass growing in our fields nearly 18 months after they were sown.

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.

What about the surprise cover crops?

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.)

So what does this matter?

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.

What do we do now?

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.

 

This volunteer annual ryegrass was terminated before heading out but it was jointed and would have made a great forage plant.
This volunteer annual ryegrass was terminated before heading out but it was jointed and would have made a great forage crop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volunteer Winter Cereal Rye was also growing in the old plot area. The cover crop was terminated well before the corn will be planted.
Volunteer Winter Cereal Rye was also growing in the old plot area. The cover crop was terminated well before the corn will be planted.

 

Part 3- Do Cover Crops Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring?

Fact or Fiction? Cover Crops that Survive the Winter Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring than Fall-Tilled Soil – Part 3

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.

April 5-12, 2013 weather data

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.

Soil temperatures increased dramatically 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.

Improved water infiltration may be showing springtime benefits

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.

What are you finding on your farm?

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

The soil temperature in the long term no-till soils on 4-12-2013. Note how waterlogged the soil looks.
The soil temperature in the long-term no-till soils on 4-12-2013. Note how waterlogged the soil looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soil temperature in the long-term no-till soil with a cover crop. Note that the soil looks drier and it is also the warmest reading this week.
The soil temperature in the long-term no-till soil with a cover crop. Note that the soil looks drier and it is also the warmest reading this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soil temperature in the fall-tilled soil on 4-12-2013. The soil doe not look as wet as the no-tilled soils. Maybe the water went down the cracks!
The soil temperature in the fall-tilled soil on 4-12-2013. The soil does not look as wet as the no-tilled soils. Maybe because the water went down the cracks…

Part 2- Do Cover Crops Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring?

Fact or Fiction? Cover Crops that Survive the Winter Keep the Soil Colder in the Spring than Fall-Tilled Soil – Part 2

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.

April 2013 is off to a chilly start in central Indiana

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.

Soil temperatures did increase during the week

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.

Don’s observations

  • The long-term No-till area had the most surface soil moisture (not wet but definitely quite moist)
  • The fall tilled soil was crusted over and had cracks in the soil
  • The soil covered with Annual Ryegrass was not “wet” and it had no cracks in the soil
  • Don told me that he heard from Barry Fisher at a recent cover crop field day that soil biology starts becoming active at around 38 degrees soil temperature.  Each of the soils are well above that temperature.
  • During the next testing session Don will also be testing for soil moisture and taking some earthworm counts in each of the soils.

 

 

Soil temperature in the fall tilled soil 4-5-2013
Soil temperature in the fall tilled soil 4-5-2013

Soil Temperature in the long term no-till plot (check plot) 4-5-2013
Soil Temperature in the long term no-till plot (check plot) 4-5-2013

Soil temperature in the Annual Ryegrass cover crop plot 4-5-2013
Soil temperature in the Annual Ryegrass cover crop plot 4-5-2013