The value of cover crops…well, they used to say the value was inestimable. That’s not true anymore, as thousands of farmers discover that no-till and cover crops are as good for the bank account as they are for the soil.
When you plant annual ryegrass in the fall, early rains get the seed established and roots immediately head south into the soil. By the time of the first frost, the top growth may be no higher than a few inches. Below ground, however, there’s a whole other story happening. Grass seed roots, by the end of winter, will penetrate into the soil up to 60 inches, through all kinds of compacted soil.
The benefits, over the winter are evident in the lack of erosion in fields with cover crops. Having a cover crop allows liberal application of livestock manure as well, without worry about leaching into nearby water sources.
The benefits over time are even more pronounced: improvement of soil, more nutrient supply and moisture for crops, and more crop productivity. In dry years, farmers that were part of field trials showed an increase in both corn and soybean yields. In the case of corn, the difference between fields conventionally tilled and those in no-till and annual ryegrass for 6 years was more than 100 bushels difference per acre: with the conventional field yielding about 65 bu./acare and the one in long-term annual ryegrass at more than 200 bu/acre.
Tags: all cover crops, Annual ryegrass, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, deep rooting, erosion control, No-Till, No-Till corn and soybean, No-Till farming, ryegrass cover crop, soil compaction, water infiltration
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