COVER CROP FIELD DAY
RYEGRASS vs. CEREAL RYE
March 30TH – 10 a.m.
Steve Berger Farm, 1267 Elm Ave., Wellman, IA
Field plot site is one-half mile North at Elm Ave & 120th St.
Topics: Benefits of Cover Crops – Reduce erosion – Nitrogen credit for next crop – Build organic matter
Earlier this week, more than 900 attendees at the annual Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference (Ada, OH) heard from more than 60 presenters on an exhaustive array of topic dealing with improving soil, reducing nutrient leaching and improving harvest yields.
Dan Towery and Jamie Scott presented in separate workshops in a day-long intensive on cover crops. Towery, together with Nick Bowers (an Oregon seed grower), Clem Bowman and Matt VanTilburg (no-till farmers) talked about managing annual ryegrass. While some still imagine this cover crop to be difficult to kill, VanTilburg dispelled that notion. According to Towery, VanTilburg said: “I never spray annual ryegrass (for a burndown in the spring) when the nighttime temperature falls below 50 degrees.” That’s a simple solution, Towery added, but not everybody will have ideal temperatures leading up to corn planting. For more information on management tips for controlling annual ryegrass, visit the annual ryegrass site by clicking here.
Jamie Scott, a Pierceton, IN farmer and cover crop innovator, was on a cover crop panel earlier in the afternoon and then presented later on his strategy for planting 35,000 acres of cover crops each year. Most of that acreage is in annual ryegrass, and all of it is aerial seeded by plane. Towery said that, based on comments by farmers in the northern corn belt, aerial seeding by plane or with high-clearance equipment is preferable simply because of the timing. It’s important to get good fall growth with annual ryegrass to give it the vigor needed to withstand winter temperatures. Planting after harvest is risky because early frost could then lead to the cover crop doing poorly.
Two recent developments, one by Archer Daniels Midland and the other by New Holland, will likely spur the need for cover crops, according to Dan Towery, an Indiana agronomist and cover crop specialist.
The first development: adding hydrated lime (calcium oxide) to corn stover renders the plant material sufficiently digestible (after aging in ag bags), according to studies at Iowa State and the Univ. of Nebraska. The stover is then combined with “wet distillers grains and solubles” (WDGS), a by-product of corn ethanol production. ADM is a leading supplier of distillers grains to the livestock industry. The company is hoping to speed adoption by cattle feeders.
According to an ADM news release, over a six-month period at Iowa State University, 210 steers received the WDGS treated solution mixed with the aged stove. This allowed researchers to cut the percentage of grain in animals’ rations by half—from 70 to 35 percent—without impacting the animals’ growth or development.
The other development is a piece of equipment that attaches to the head of a corn combine during harvest, grinding up corn stover and putting into windrows for easy collection.See more on the hardware by clicking here.
Dan Towery said if this practice becomes popular, it will effectively remove tons of corn stalk residue from fields, thus reducing organic matter important for soil building. Simultaneously, it will leave crop acreage barren and subject to severe erosion, unless farmers plant cover crops. Cover crops like annual ryegrass, crimson clover, cereal rye and radish will keep something growing in the ground, while also preventing erosion, providing organic matter and important soil nutrients as the cover crops decay.
Annual ryegrass, in particular, sucks up the available nitrogen and makes it available to the following corn crop. Likewise, it also breaks up compaction by sending roots deep into the soil (more than 5 feet deep over winter).For more information about annual ryegrass, visit this site.
Modern technology, Careful Management and Cover Crops are Key
Cover crops continue to gain in popularity, although statistics would say that most Midwest farmers are still engaged in conventional tillage practices. National and regional conferences and field day demonstrations are changing that dynamic quickly.
Indiana-based Cameron Mills is among the early converts, having converted to no-till and cover crops years ago. While annual ryegrass has been a standard cover crop in his corn/soybean rotation, he’s now trying cover crop mixes and likes what he sees from mixing annual ryegrass with crimson clover.
Modern navigational aids on equipment is making Cameron’s work more precise and thus more efficient. He tests his soil regularly and knows which areas are high producers and which are not. And with GPS equipment engaged, he can fertilize based on the needs. “We’re gaining maximum profits out of the nutrients we’re putting on,” he said.
Cameron has an all-steer fertilizer cart behind his corn planter. While planting corn, he lays down a band of nitrogen (28% by weight), in a furrow 2 inches from the seed drop and 2 inches deep (see diagram below). His initial rate of application is 30lb of nitrogen/acre. Cameron comes back later with a side-dress of nitrogen 28.
Information from soil tests and crop production also allow him to increase or reduce inputs. In recent years, he said he’s been able to reduce application of phosphorus and potassium (P & K) largely because of his use of cover crops. “I’ve also begun to lower the rate of nitrogen, too, but I’m being very careful about how much and where. Farmers are increasingly using labs in the Midwest to test corn stalks for residual nutrients, principally nitrogen. Comparing that data with input data allows farmers to adjust inputs accordingly.
“I’m more able to build up the fertility in low production areas and saving by reduce fertilizer in areas that don’t give you any added response,” he continued.
When rotating soybeans and corn, Cameron said he’s seen a five bushel increase in soybean yield after having annual ryegrass as his cover crop. “Annual ryegrass seems to break the disease cycle of the soybean cyst nematode,” he added.
Last year, he began trying a mix of cover crops. “I’m not talking eight or 10 or 12 different cover crops; rather, I’ve mixed annual ryegrass and clover and they seem to do very well together.” For one thing, clover is a nitrogen provider and annual ryegrass is able to store a lot of nitrogen. In the spring, weeks after the cover crop has been sprayed out, the annual ryegrass residue is decaying and releases nitrogen just as the corn plant is needing a boost. “Cover crops are a win-win proposition in that respect,” Cameron said.
“I’ve been going non-stop with cover crop meetings all winter,” Mike said in late January. From Missouri to the Wisconsin border and throughout Indiana and Illinois, he has come before a diverse audience to share current information about cover crops. Because of his 3-decades of experience with cover crop management, Mike is seen as an independent, respected resource.
“I’ve talked to more than 3300 people in the last three weeks,” he added, saying also that his work days are longer now than when he was working full time for the University of Illinois Extension.
It still surprises me,” Mike said, “but one of the biggest misconceptions still out there is the confusion between annual ryegrass and cereal rye.” He points out that comparing the seed side-by-side makes the distinction easier. Annual ryegrass is much smaller and lighter: about 24 lbs/bushel versus 56 lbs/bu. for cereal rye. “Cereal rye grows more like wheat,” Mike added, “and some varieties can get to six feet tall if you let it go.” Annual ryegrass, on the other hand, grows only to about two feet, though he emphasized that burndown in the spring must occur before joint stage – when the plant is six to 12 inches. For more on the comparison of these cover crops, see: http://tinyurl.com/89rzvb4.
In addition to being a full time educator and crop consultant, Mike continues his field trial work on cover crops. With two Illinois farmers – both long-time cover crop advocates – he is monitoring test plots that will look at winter hardiness, burndown strategies and cover crop mixes. “In one case, I’m also testing annual ryegrass on its effectiveness against soybean cyst nematodes,” he said. In past years, Mike has reached the conclusion after researching literature and in field trials that annual ryegrass has the ability to suppress crop-destroying nematodes. An enzyme in annual ryegrass roots triggers a nematode egg hatch in the fall and spring Upon hatching, nematodes find ryegrass roots are not a food source and they die, he theorized.
Beyond his work with individuals, Mike is also very active with local, regional and national organizations. His work has helped the NRCS to fully appreciate the benefits of cover crops, and the cost-sharing efforts in place are attracting thousands of newcomers to cover cropping practices annually. Likewise, he has worked with the EPA on use of cover crops to manage nutrients on farmland, a national effort to reduce hypoxia in watersheds, rivers and the Gulf of Mexico. “There’s new cooperation between regulatory, ag-related, and environmental groups,” he said. In that respect, besides NRCS and EPA, he has worked closely with Soil and Water Conservation districts, the American Farmland Trust, the Conservation Technology Information Center, and many agriculture organizations and businesses.
At the recent National No-Till Conference (NNTC) in St. Louis, MO, cover crops seemed to be on nearly everyone’s minds. Record numbers of attendees (900+….350 of which were 1st timers) saw dozens of presentations and informal “round table” discussions where cover cropping was featured.
Ray McCormick, the No-Till Innovator award-winner from last year, talked about his novel cover crop seeding technique….attaching a Gandy Orbit Air seeder to his combine! The Vincennes, IN, farmer uses annual ryegrass.
“Most popular speaker award” winner from last year, Jamie Scott, was again at the NNTC and talked about seeding annual ryegrass on more than 30,000 acres near his farm in Pierceton, IN. He and his father act as brokers for the seeding service, contracting with air operators to apply the seed before harvest.
Terry Taylor, Geff, IL, won the No-Till Innovator award this year, and he talked about the value of cover crop mixes, including annual ryegrass, crimson clover and oilseed radish. Jamie Scott says he thinks the annual ryegrass and clover mix is mutually beneficial, as the clover has tons of nitrogen and annual ryegrass is a scavenger of N.
Ohio crop consultant Joe Nestor spoke about the value of cover crops in getting into the field early in the spring. Where acres were covered in cover crops, snow melt occurred two days ahead of nearby frozen ground. The cover crops contribute to more worm activity and soil biology…and that’s why snow melts off it sooner.