Cover crops continue to gain in popularity, as I saw first-hand at the National No-Till Conference in Des Moines last week. Hundreds stopped by the Ryegrass Commission booth, to ask questions and share info about their experience.
One of the most gratifying things about people’s comments about annual ryegrass: 1) that growers from farther afield are using annual ryegrass with success; I talked to farmers from Kansas and Nebraska who are sold on the grass for their crop rotation. And, 2) the number of acres farmers are committing to annual ryegrass continues to grow as their experience grows. Some, who were just experimenting with it a couple years ago said they’re expanding to several THOUSAND acres!
The other buzz at the conference is a trend towards cover crop “cocktails,” blends of crops that may reduce the risks and increase benefits of solitary crops. For example, some are planting crimson clover with annual ryegrass, which combined, could deliver an amazing 135 lb./acre of fixed nitrogen. While more expensive to seed, the savings in N in the following year would make up that cost.
The drawback to this sort of “cocktail” approach to cover crops…some were talking about a mix of 6 - 12 different seeds, and that could begin to be very spendy. In general, you should aim at keeping the price/acre at about $30.
Tags: Annual ryegrass, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, cover crop blends, National No-Till Conference, No-Till
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