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
Annual Ryegrass used as a cover crop adds organic matter in no-till operations. Why? The massive root structure left behind increases organic matter as it decays. Having something growing in the ground year-round allows earthworms and healthy bacteria to keep working, building nutrients, building carbon.
Each time the soil organic matter is improved by 1%, one [...]
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
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 [...]
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
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 [...]
Continue reading about Annual Ryegrass - The Story You Can’t See
