Plant Cover Crops

Learning about the benefits of planting cover crops.

cover crop plots

Cover Crop Field Day Set in Blooming Prairie, MN

PileDriver at Hagan Farms 2 33 days
This Radish was planted in late July 2013 and after 33 days has tremendous growth. This mix included oats and crimson clover and radishes.

Cover Crops will be the main topic of discussion on September 4, 2013 at a cover crop field day and meeting in Blooming Prairie, MN. I have the privilege of speaking at this event as we look at cover crops on prevented plant acres.  We will also look at what cover crops work best in the upper Midwest.  We will be on Brad Hagan’s family farm and possibly look at Dale Ramsey’s farm too.  Please note that we will be looking in root pits (where the action really is)!

I received this note from Legacy Seeds representative Andrew Heath about the field day/meeting:

“We  plan on structuring the event much like an open house with designated times where you will be able to address the crowd. We will start the event at 10 am and have you speak from 11 to 11:45 and again at 1 to 1:45. There will also be transportation to the cover crop plot and some of the field that you, TJ, Brad and I visited earlier with root pits dug. This will happen from 12 to 1 and 2 to 3.”

I have seen the plots and have added photos here on this post to entice you to come if you are in the region.

As a side note, Hagan farms will be no-tilling corn into these fields in 2014.  We’ll follow-up on these fields next spring and see how these fields compare to others that did not have a cover on them.

This prevent plant field had plenty of nitrogen from manure to capture. Hagan farms used a hybrid brassica and spring barley to secure the nitrogen and Berseem clover to produce more N and provide better soil health.
This prevent plant field had plenty of nitrogen from manure to capture. Hagan farms used a hybrid brassica and spring barley to secure the nitrogen and Berseem clover to produce more N and provide better soil health.

Fertilizing Cover Crops & Planting Legumes After Soybeans

If you spend any time at all in cover crop meetings, you may have heard that it’s a good idea to add 20-50# of Nitrogen per acre to your cover crop – if you don’t have a legume in the mix or you don’t have manure available. You also probably heard (or participated in) the grumbling that predictably starts from the crowd. Who wants to fertilize a crop that they will not harvest?

While it’s true that producers will not “harvest” the cover crops, they will have healthier cover crops which should lead to healthier soils and healthier profits.

Manure as the No-Brainer

Obviously if manure is available it is a smart move to put manure where you will have or already have cover crops.  We know from research that cover crops can hold as much as 90% of the nutrients from manure applications.

We have also know that where manure is applied without a cover crop being present (even if worked in) we can lose a significant amount of nutrients into ground water or as surface run-off.

What About Adding Commercial Fertilizer?

The Radishes on the left had manure applied and those on the right did not have any additional nitrogen applied.
The Radishes on the left had manure applied and those on the right did not have any additional nitrogen applied.

But, what if there is no manure to apply and for some reason you do not want to include a legume in your system?

Is it worth applying 50# of nitrogen to produce a cover crop?

Let’s look at what we think we know:

  • Pages 22-24 of Managing Cover Crops Profitably provide formulas to figure out the value of using cover crops as a green manure in a cover crop system –  whether with legumes, manure, or fertilized.

Look especially at the section on “Potential losses” to see that there can be nitrogen losses even in this scenario.

  • Cover crop experts say to count on 50% of the N captured or N produced by a cover crop to be available to the next cash crop.
  • It appears that adding a grass with legumes or brassicas will help “slow down” the release of the N in the spring making it more slowly released to the next crop.

 

Here is a photo of the Ingham County Michigan Cover Crop Plot. Where there was a legume in the mixture there was considerably more growth and earthworm activity
Here is a photo of the Ingham County Michigan Cover Crop Plot. Where there was a legume in the mixture there was considerably more growth and earthworm activity

What can we expect if we plant a cover crop and we don’t add more nitrogen?

How will that cover crop do?

I will utilize work that Dan Hudson did when he was an Extension educator in Ingham County Michigan in cover crop plots he planted back three or four years ago.

  • Radish tubers are considerably smaller and the roots appear to not be as deep  (I have not dug a root pit in this scenario).
  • Grasses have a more shallow root system in forage settings when fertility is lacking.
  • The cover crops were pale green.
  • The “hungry” grass cover crops had less earthworm activity than in the grass + legume mix plots.
  • “Hungry” radishes and turnips had much less tuber and top growth, thus sequestering less nutrients (one of their main functions).
  • Winterhardiness on cover crops is potentially not as good when the cover crop is undernourished.

What can we expect after soybeans?

Do we need a legume in the cover crop mix following the beans or is having a grass and/or brassica to sequester the N from the soybeans good enough?

Let’s investigate the difference between adding a legume to a cover crop mix following soybeans compared to planting scavengers only.  The charts are from our family farm trials.  The charts show the chlorophyll readings of the corn in the year following the soybeans (and then following a cover crop).

It is important to look at the “Y” axis as each chart is slightly different in how it shows the top reading.

When Austrian Winter Peas were added to a scavenger (Radishes) the chlorophyll readings were very favorable compared to the no cover crop check plot and plots with just scavengers.
When Austrian Winter Peas were added to a scavenger (Radishes) the chlorophyll readings were very favorable compared to the no cover crop check plot and plots with just scavengers.
Just like the peas gave us an advantage over the no cover crop check the crimson clover showed very favorably.
Just like the peas gave us an advantage over the no cover crop check  and scavengers, the crimson clover also showed very favorably.

 

While the Oats and Radish showed exceptionally favorable in the early part of the season the plot are "ran out of gas" as the corn was pollinating.
While the Oats and Radish showed exceptionally favorable in the early part of the season the plot “ran out of gas” as the season progressed.
Straight Winter Cereal Rye was impressive early season but also did not fare as well against the check as the mixes with legumes
Straight Winter Cereal Rye was impressive early season but also did not fare as well against the check as the mixes with legumes.

As we looked at the yield of the corn in these plots we saw a considerable difference – suggesting that even after soybeans we might want to add a legume to improve the corn yield the following year.

Yields from the different cover crop plots shown above were:

Check Plot                                    105.24 bu/ac

Winter Cereal Rye                      126.86 bu/ac

Oats and Radish                          138.79 bu/ac

Crimson Clover + Radish           153.99 bu/ac

AW Peas + Radish                        164.82 bu/ac

Conclusion

All indicators seem to point that adding manure, a legume, or additional N might very well pay off when planting a cover crop, even after soybeans.  However, adding a nitrogen source is not necessarily vital to having a successful cover crop system.  I would suggest that you try different scenarios on your own farm and in your own system and see what works best for you.

Cover Crops and Bears?

Radishes, Crimson Clover, and Bears

Walking in cover crop fields in northern Indiana is easy compared to doing it northern Wisconsin.

In northern Indiana my main issue is tripping over large radish tubers sticking out of the ground.

In northern Wisconsin my main issue was that plus watching out for bears. I’m not talking about the Chicago Bears…but real live black bears!  Although I did not see any while conducting cover crop field days near Coleman, WI on October 18, 2012, hearing the stories about the bears raising havoc while AgVentures Co-op employees were harvesting corn plots made me quite nervous.

The cover crop plot was fabulous. There were 5 different mixes to observe plus straight radishes planted at 8#/acre.  The cooperator plans on taking yield tests over each different cover crop mix in his 2013 corn crop.  If he is able to do that I’ll keep you informed of the results.

This cover crop plot near Coleman, WI had beautiful radishes with large tubers – and thankfully NO bears!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The radishes were from 1″ to 3″ in diameter and quite deeply rooted. There was manure applied after wheat harvest so the radishes were “well fed”.

 

 

 

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.

Cover Crops Under the Snow – What’s Happening?

A blanket of 12" of snow covered my cover crop plots on Feb 12, 2011. What would I find??

Across much of the Corn Belt there has been pretty good snow cover since the beginning of 2011.  On February 12, 2011 it was not snowing in my hometown of Winona Lake, IN so I decided to take out the snow shovel and dig in my cover crop plots to see what was going on.  On February 10, the real temperature was down to -11 degrees F and we’d had quite a bit of wind as well the past few weeks – so I didn’t know what to expect.  I know that snow is a great insulator but we’ve been cold the past 6 weeks.

I was VERY pleased to see green as I dug through the 12″ deep blanket.  I also took my spade out to the plots and decided I’d try to dig if the ground was not too frozen.  What a great idea!  I did not try to dig beyond 10″ but I found plenty of roots and even signs of mychorrizia growth. My plots had been planted late into exceptionally dry soil.

So was it “worth it” to get some cover crop growth?  I’d suggest the answer is “YES” as I have LIFE in my soils in February and not the typical “nothing” going on where there is no cover crop.  While the cover crops were not tall I have annual ryegrass roots at least 10″ deep.  Earlier in the fall I found radish roots 9″ deep before the early December snows came.  I found nodules from the crimson clover at 4″ deep (and living crimson clover plants).

I’m not sure why (but I have an idea)…but where I have cover crops I could get the spade in the ground.  Where I had no cover crop the ground was too hard to get the spade in!  Tell me what you think about that!

The first sign of life and death under the snow! The oats were dead, but the cereal rye was green.
The Annual Ryegrass and Crimson Clover were looking quite healthy under the snow.
Annual Ryegrass roots, Crimson Clover Roots, Mycorrizial activity...all working in Feb 2011 in northern Indiana to build my soil!
The Oats were dead but the Radish still had signs of life. That was quite a surprise!
Several Austrian Winter Peas survived under the snow as well. I believe this is because they were so small entering the winter.
Look at the roots! These made my Valentines Day all the more special! I'm not so sure that Mrs. Robison was having the same thoughts...

I’ve attached several photos with descriptions for your enjoyment!

Cover Crop plots in December-What can we tell now?

The first day of December brought the first day of snow in northern Indiana.  After the inch or so of snow and some Arctic air the cover crops are shutting down.  Over the past three weeks we received around 5″ of rain so the cover crops were actually growing fairly well heading into December.  Now the question is, what can we tell in December as the cover crops are shutting down.  My answer is “plenty”!

Now that the radish tops are wilting and the peas and annual ryegrass are falling closer to the soil surface you can see the radish tubers more easily.  From the radish tubers I believe we can now see how much nitrogen is being produced from the crimson clover and Austrian winter peas.  Now, this is NOT scientific…but it is pretty obvious that the radishes were considerably larger where there was more crimson clover.  I’ll be posting videos so you can make the observation for yourself.

For your information, the Mixes we are looking at on this post have similar species (different varieties) at different rates/species in the mix.  The first video has more annual ryegrass than the mix in the second video.  The second mix has more crimson clover and also one more pound per acre of the radishes,  So the big difference is in the amount of clover in the mixture.

Now, I’m not saying one mix is better than the other.  It really depends on what your goals are.  In mix #1 there are more deeper roots because of the annual ryegrass.  In mix #2 there appears to be quite a but more Nitrogen being produced (therefore larger radishes-even though there are more radishes to feed).  Mix #2 has approximately 10# of Bruiser annual ryegrass, 7# of AU Robin Crimson Clover, and 3# of GroundHog Radish.  Mix #1 has approximately 15# of Bounty Annual Ryegrass, 3# of crimson clover (I don’t know if it is VNS or a variety)  and 2# of Tillage Radish per acre.  Both mixes have outstanding radishes, outstanding annual ryegrass and I know mix #2 has an outstanding crimson clover.  So it’s not like one good mix and one bad mix…both are good.

So, which mix do you want?  Do you want more nitrogen?   Or do you choose less nitrogen but 5# more annual ryegrass for additional deep roots?  Let me know what you are looking for!