Most of the farmers I’ve met this week at the Pennsylvania No-Till training are in the dairy business, even though some are getting out due to the low price of milk the last couple years. Some are putting in row crops, which would change a lot of management practices.
According to folks from Penn State, the [...]
Continue reading about Pennsylvania No-Till Farmers Consider Cover Crops
Continuous No-Till and Cover Crops – Boosting Soil Organic Matter, Carbon, and Crop Yields
Since 1969, select farm plots at the University of Illinois have been in continuous no-till. In that time, the measure of organic matter has been boosted three-fold – from about 1 percent to 3.2 percent, without use of cover crops. In the [...]
Mark Trumm, a Wisconsin farmer asked: Was thinking of putting annual rye grass in a field that we usually have corn but floods out every year. It would be a field that we would graze beef cow/calves or yearlings on. Any advice on annual rye grass would be greatly appreciated.
Here’s what I answered…but am seeking [...]
Continue reading about Wisconsin Farmer Asks about Annual Ryegrass for Summer Pasture
Annual ryegrass was featured in a cover story in this week’s Indiana Prairie Farmer. The story was essentially about the new Indiana Cover Cropping Systems Initiative, a three year project funded by the following partners:
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Indiana State Dept. of Ag
Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
The project - which grew out [...]
Continue reading about Indiana Prairie Farmer Article on Cover Cropping System Initiative
Over the past few years, severe Midwest winters (deep freeze with no snow; freeze/thaw/freeze cycles, etc.) have created problems for lots of cover crops, since most are not immune to winterkill.
During a “normal” winter - one with moderate temps and snowfall - almost ANY annual ryegrass seed will germinate in the fall and be ready [...]
Continue reading about Annual Ryegrass Variety Trial to Test Winter Hardiness
The Farm Progress Show in Decatur, IL, on Sept 1 - 3 was well attended again…perhaps 300,000 this year. I’m wondering whether the good weather and late harvest had something to do with it.
Interest in annual ryegrass and other cover crops continues to grow. I talked to growers from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri [...]
Continue reading about Annual Ryegrass Use Continues to Expand
