Seeding annual ryegrass this year should be a piece of cake, compared to last, when many farmers flew on the seed or bagged the idea of doing a cover crop entirely, simply because the harvest came off the fields so late.
This year’s a different story. Many are already well into harvest activities and so there’s plenty of time left to plant annual ryegrass any way you’d like: drill, broadcast or flown on.
By combining cover crop seeding as part of a fall application of manure, farmers can cut costs while giving the cover crop a boost of nutrients for hardy fall growth. Annual ryegrass soaks up the available nitrogen and stores it over the winter. Next spring, after killing the cover crop, the stored nitrogen is available for the new corn or soybean crop, saving on added costs of fertilizer and application.
Here’s a short video of this new, one-pass cover crop seeding and manure spreading operation. Take a look:
Tags: Aerial seeding, all cover crops, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, manure slurry seeding, nitrogen-friendly cover crop help reduce the cost for fertilizer., No-Till, No-Till farming, seeding with manure slurry, sequesters available nitrogen
Check out the detailed videos on YouTube to learn more about planting and managing annual ryegrass. It will build soil while saving money on fertilizer inputs. And it will boost crop yield as the soil returns to its normal health.
Tags: Add new tag, all cover crops, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, annual ryegrass videos, No-Till, No-Till corn and soybean, No-Till farming
Annual ryegrass is an ally when it comes to converting to no-till practices. The cool-season grass soaks up available nitrogen from the soil in its vegetation and roots. When killed in the spring, the stored N is released, made available to the corn or soybeans planted afterward.
The trick however, is that the cover crop can only take up the nitrogen that’s available. Often, in conventional tillage, N is depleted from the soil and has to be added back in large quantities to give crops that growth boost they need. So, when you convert to no-till, there’s a drop in crop yield and one must continue to feed the cover crop and the soil of N until such time as the soil’s chemical balance is restored.
Annual ryegrass cuts down on the time of yield loss by 50%. After three to five years, the yields will be returned to normal and in the years after that, most no-tillers say that crop production increases due to improved soil health. At the same time, the annual ryegrass cover crop will reduce the amount of N you need to add. Annual ryegrass gives back up to 80% of the N it sequesters over the winter, and that’s good news for those who used to see it wash off the field with eroded soil, before they switched to cover cropping and no-till.
A good article on the subject appeared today in No-Till Farmer’s E-Tip magazine online. You can see the article by clicking on this link.
Tags: all cover crops, Annual ryegrass, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, capturing nitrogen, nitrogen-friendly cover crop help reduce the cost for fertilizer., No-Till corn and soybean, sequesters available nitrogen
A story today in Indiana Prairie Farmer, on an upcoming cover crop informational field day.
The Indiana Farm Management Tour was held in central Indiana, in Hendricks County, where soils tend to be flat and wet. But Jack Maloney and other hosts sang the praises of cover crops. They’ve become an important part of their operation.
Roger Wenning, Decatur County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor, has become so enthralled with cover crops that he’s trying to infect anyone he can with the cover crop bug. He’s been conducting cover crop trials on his farm east of Greensburg for roughly three years now, holding numerous field days.
His next field day is next week, on Tuesday, August 17. It’s slated to run between 9:30 am and noon, EDT. The farm is located at 1512 N, Co Rd 80 East, Greensburg. You can call the Decatur County SWCD for more specific information and directions at 812-663-8685, ext 3.
Lunch will be sponsored after the field day discussion by local businesses.
For count purposes, you’re asked to reply by this Friday, August 13, if you plan to attend. However, don’t expect anyone to be turned away at the farm drive. Wenning is all about promoting cover crops to whomever has time to listen.
This particular field day features Hans Kok, of the Conservation Cropping Initiative underway in Indiana, discussing where cover crops fit in conservation tillage systems. Ron Althoff of Bio-Till, Scott Jones of MidWest Grass and Dave Robison of Cisco, another seed provider, are scheduled to speak. Dan Towery, an independent consultant with Ag Conservation Services, also involved in the Conservation Cropping Initiative, will round out the discussion.
Expect this to be a nuts and bolts session, since seeding season is just around the corner. Most of the cover crops that will be discussed, including wheat, rye and annual ryegrass, do best if seeded early in the fall. That often means in September. The results are often better if the cover crops are aerially applied into standing corps. However, the potential for early harvest of corn and soybeans this year may open up opportunities for establishing cover crops by more traditional methods.
Bring your questions and come on out to Wenning Farms on Tuesday, August 17.
Tags: Aerial seeding, all cover crops, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, Dan Towery, deep rooting, drill seeding, erosion control, Indiana Prairie Farmer, No-Till, No-Till corn and soybean, No-Till farming
In a recent Forage Legume Management Guide, Texas A & M University recommended annual ryegrass as part of a desirable mix to overseed warm-season perennial grass in pasture.
Part of the mix recommended is legume, like clover, because of its nutritive value, its ability to fix nitrogen and also for it being a good for controlling spring weed growth.
They then recommend mixing 15 to 20 pounds of annual ryegrass to the seed mix. Here’s what they say about the benefit of annual ryegrass:
Annual ryegrass provides earlier grazing, reduces the chance of bloat, can act as a carrier for clover seed in a planter not equipped with a small seedbox, and the clover seeding rate is reduced by a third.
The researchers recommend testing soil before planting to ensure the proper pH for the grass/legume crop. Likewise, they suggest applying about 60 lbs. of N/acre at Thanksgiving to give the annual ryegrass a boost.
In another recent development, Cisco Company has begun to direct-market “N-Vest” cover crops, an extensive menu of seeds available including annual ryegrass. On their website, a photo of a dense root mass of annual ryegrass in the fall, extending down into the soil more than three feet. Here’s what they say about that product, called “Soil Builder”:
Soil Builder Annual Ryegrass Blend produces both excellent forage and dense, deep roots!
Cover Crops can also provide superior forage for production animals. Many cover crops provide opportunity for production livestock producers. Cover Crops such as brassicas, cereal grains, clovers, and annual ryegrass produce excellent forage for grazing and/or chopping.
Tags: all cover crops, Annual ryegrass, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, capturing nitrogen, deep rooting, nitrogen-friendly cover crop help reduce the cost for fertilizer., No-Till, sequesters available nitrogen
Seeding date: The ideal time to plant annual ryegrass is from the middle of August to the end of September, after harvest - unless you plan to aerial seed it (see below for more on that.)
Seeding rate: 15 - 20 lb/ac.
Seeding up to mid October is possible but more weather dependent, especially the further north you are. Annual ryegrass will germinate in 7-10 days with sufficient soil moisture. Dry soil conditions will delay germination. Ideally annual ryegrass needs 60 days of growth before a hard killing frost.
There are several ways to plant annual ryegrass:
Drilling seed after harvest. The preferred method to seed annual ryegrass is with a no-till drill (main box works fine) about ¼ to 3/8 inch deep. This provides optimal seed to soil contact.
Broadcasting. Mix seed with fertilizer and use an airflow truck. Running a fluffing harrow (like a Phillips or Phoenix harrow) after the airflow will throw some residue and soil over the seed, improving the seedbed and increasing the likelihoood of germination.
Seeding Annual Ryegrass with a Rolling Harrow.
Mixing annual ryegrass seed with fertilizer and broadcasting it using a spinner truck or buggy is an option, but annual ryegrass seed is lighter than fertilizer and will not spread as far with a spinner. To avoid skips and gaps, split the middles to get more uniform application.
Some farmers have tried coated annual ryegrass with success. Though the price is higher for seed, the grower can save by using fewer pounds of seed per acre.
Seed application with manure slurry. Farmers with livestock are increasingly seeding annual ryegrass along with manure in the fall. In some cases, grazing in the fall and spring can cut feed costs while improving livestock health and soil quality.
Aerial Seeding Ryegrass with Aircraft. Aerial seeding into a standing crop just prior to leaf drop is an option, especially in years when harvest is delayed well into the fall. Applying with fixed wing aircrafts is preferrable to helicopters, especially when the airport is close to the farm. Helicopters have some advantages but the application is not as consistent, due to prop wash.
With aerial seeding, annual ryegrass will germinate even in the shade of a crop, presuming the seed gets the needed moisture to sprout. After harvest, the annual ryegrass will grow vigorously until the first heavy frost. Advanced planting dates will lessen the chances of the cover crop being killed by severe temperatures, wind chill and frost heaves. Snow cover will generally protect annual ryegrass from winterkill.
If applying seed aerially, it’s important to find a pilot with experience because air speed and altitude need to be precicely calibrated to the application rate and the type of diffuser used.
Tags: Aerial seeding, all cover crops, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, methods of planting annual ryegrass as a cover crop, No-Till
