A grower from Kentucky wrote recently about his use of annual ryegrass as a cover crop:
I think one of the keys to winter survival of Ryegrass is to NOT put nitrogen on it in the fall. Nitrogen causes a plant to take on a lot of water. What happens when water freezes? It expands and [...]
Continue reading about Nitrogen Use with Annual Ryegrass in the Fall - To do or Not to do?
Dormant seeding, or “frost seeding,” - a cover crop is much less common than seeding in late summer, after harvest. But Michigan grower Larry Bonnell shared his dormant seeding success with No-Till Farmer magazine this week. He is talking about annual ryegrass. Here’s an excerpt, which you can access by logging on to No-Till Farmer.
“I [...]
Continue reading about Michigan Farmers Talks Success With Dormant Seeding of Annual Ryegrass
Last fall, me and a couple of others planted annual ryegrass as a cover crop in small, no-till test plots about 40 miles NW of Indianapolis, with the idea of testing, this spring, what the Nitrogen content would be in the top growth, as well as the Nitrogen/carbon ratio. The idea is to quantify how much [...]
Continue reading about Testing Annual Ryegrass for Uptake of Nitrogen and Impact on Soil Carbon
Jamie and Jim Scott, of J.A. Scott Farms in Pierceton, IN, have been recognized as innovators and it has paid off in soil health, crop productivity and new business for them. (The American Soybean Association, in 2008, awarded them the Conservationist of the Year for their use of no-till with cover crops and a variety [...]
Continue reading about On-farm Research - Getting Info to Aid in Good Cover Crop Production
Next Saturday, two Soil & Water Conservation Districts and a local college will sponsor a field day in Pierceton, IN - a “show and tell” about the use and benefits of cover crops.
I’ll be among those presenting information, on annual ryegrass particularly but touching on the use of other cover crops too.
Jamie and Jim Scott [...]
Continue reading about Field Day April 3 - Cover Crops, including Annual Ryegrass, in S. Illinois
The Midwest Cover Crop Council’s conference last week - where 120 people from 13 states came to talk about cover crops - is the latest indication of the growing excitement in reducing conventional tillage in favor of no-till and cover crops. Cover crops save money (in fact, there are financial incentives available) and boost crop [...]
Continue reading about Bumper Crop of New Interest in Cover Crops - including Annual Ryegrass

