Annual Ryegrass and Other Cover Crops Boost Yield in Dry Years

Two Midwest farmers had a common soil problem – compaction – and they discovered how annual ryegrass could remedy that problem permanently, with no more “heavy iron” involved.

Read the whole story of how using annual ryegrass, and other, cover crops have led to new appreciation for having something green growing in your soil year-round. Besides breaking up compaction, cover crops build organic matter, prevent erosion and leaching of field nutrients into nearby streams and rivers.

The biggest discovery, however, was that because of its deep rooting, annual ryegrass helps summer crops sustain their health through sustained months of dryness. The difference in yields on harvests from cover crop acres – from those on conventional tilled land, or even straight no-till – is astonishing.

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