Tag Archives: cover crops

“Keep Up the Progressive Effort” on Cover Crops and No-Till, Says Dobberstein

John Dobberstein is managing editor of No–Till Farmer and the Conservation Tillage Guide.

Today, in the magazine’s E-Tip newsletter, he tipped his hat to those no-till and cover crop innovators for helping to change the face of agriculture…perhaps globally!

While some farmers have no-tilled and planted cover crops for decades, the practice has only taken serious root in the past eight to 10 years. The Oregon Ryegrass Commission has played a strategic role in that effort. With long time cooperation between Oregon annual ryegrass seed growers and University Extension agents like Mike Plumer and crop consultants like Dan Towery, a decade of trials attracted a lot of followers. Quickly, innovative farmers showed their neighbors, and conservation tillage was launched.

The Ryegrass Commission also sponsored early conferences on no-till and cover crop management, because they wanted to keep errors at a minimum. The last thing one wants is a bad experience to spoil the potential for growth.

So, here’s Dobberstein’s comments about the growth of no-till and cover crops, and his hearty encouragement to keep up the good effort. Click here for the full newsletter:

In the last month, while listening to leaders in both the private sector and federal government, no-till continues to be talked about on a national and global scale as a way to ease environmental and food-production challenges. Here’s what I’ve seen:

• Early in June, BASF held its Agricultural Solutions Media Summit (check out our Tweets) and tackled the issue of sustainability in food systems. A new research tool unveiled by the company, AgBalance, showed the use of conservation tillage had increased by 13% in Iowa between 2000 and 2010, and that a variety of best-management practices and hybrid improvements boosted the overall sustainability of corn production in the state by 40% during that time.

• Just yesterday, the USDA announced another $8.4 million in funding for voluntary farming-related projects that will address water-quality issues in several states bordering the Mississippi River. No-till, precision technology and cover crops will be crucial in this effort.

“Cover crops are one of the most exciting things that we’re doing,” said NRCS chief Dave White. “When I was growing up, it was winter wheat or cereal rye that was discussed. But now we’re getting different mixes out there with many different species.”

 

Michigan State Univ. Touts Annual Ryegrass – With Stringent Managment

MSU Extension reported yesterday as popularity grows for annual ryegrass cover crops, it’s important to be aware of the optimal conditions under which to control it, burning it down in the spring before planting corn or soybeans.

MSU conducted field tests on annual ryegrass, and the results are beneficial for soil health and for achieving conservation goals (less erosion, less nutrient loss off fields, deeper rooting, more crop access to moisture in dry years, etc.)

Here is a section of their report. Click here to read the entire document and see photos.

In the last several years annual ryegrass (AR) has become a popular cover crop in the Midwest. It has most often been used in no-till farming systems in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. Michigan farmers have increased their use of annual ryegrass as new varieties have been released.

The root system for AR is massive and can grow up to three times deeper than its top growth. In other words, 10 inches of above ground growth can result in 30 inches of root growth. The fibrous root system for annual ryegrass can really enhance soil quality. When properly killed annual ryegrass is a great cover crop.

The best results for controlling annual ryegrass have been when annual ryegrass is actively growing and the air temperature is above 60° Fahrenheit.

Our study is looking at applying four different herbicide treatments at three different growth stages of annual ryegrass. These include annual ryegrass at: 6-8 inches, 10+ inches and after planting. Due to a cool spring, the best environmental conditions for controlling annual ryegrass were difficult. We actually had our best control of annual ryegrass when it was over 12 inches tall. We had better control of annual ryegrass on our higher sandier ground as compared to the lower high organic matter locations.

Successful Annual Ryegrass Burndown Recipe

Here are a few observations and comments on annual ryegrass burndown this year:

  1. ARG plants need to be actively growing for at least a week to ensure all plants are indeed actively growing
  2. To kill the annual ryegrass, I always recommend 1.25 lbs a.i./a of glyphosate
  3. Always recommend at least 1 pt 2,4-D
  4. Adding Basis , Sharpen or Canopy with the glyphosate worked well this year (some fields initially had about 95% kill with this combination  but after additional 5-7 days all annual ryegrass plants were dead). This also provide multiple modes of action. More work on timing and rates is needed.
  5. Adding atrazine or Callisto to the glyphosate (especially with cool conditions) will result in poor control of the annual ryegrass
  6. In a normal spring with cool temperatures  glyphosate doesn’t translocate well, so, the following is  recommended:
    1. Reduce carrier to 8-12 gal/ac
    2. Use AMS and also lower water pH to 4.5 to 5.5
    3. Spray on a sunny day if possible
    4. Stop spraying mid afternoon so that there is at least 5 hours of sunlight.

 

Yes, growers using annual ryegrass as a cover crop also have some additional management details to learn.  But it seems once they understand and believe these recommendations, then most of their problems also go away.

I have seen much lower broadleaf pressure on fields where growers are using cereal rye and annual ryegrass.  I have also observed these cover crops eliminating marestail (includging RR resistant marestail).

 

 

 

NW Indiana SWCD Research Report on Cover Crops including Annual Ryegrass

The Jasper/Newton Counties Soil and Water Conservation District report on cover crops (click here to see the whole report) is further proof of the efficacy of cover crops. Some highlights:

Here are the goals farmers (in their own words) are trying to accomplish:

  • Capture nitrogen
  •  Promote soil biology
  •  Improve soil quality
  •  Address compaction
  •  Reduce weed population
  •  Manure nutrient capture
  •  Prevent wind and water erosion
  •  Build organic matter
  •  Provide nitrogen credit
  •  Break hardpan layers
  •  Increase yields
  •  Reduce risk of drought
  •  Diversify rotation
  •  Be a steward

Pits dug, both in the fall after planting and again this spring, allowed a close look at how annual ryegrass and other cover crop varieties accomplished the task of breaking up compaction.Among the best, and no surprise here, was that annual ryegrass roots were found at depths of 3 to 4 feet.

Dan Perkins, the Watershed & Conservation Program Specialist who produced the report, also has some videos from the cover crop plots. Here’s one in which he shows off the fields with annual ryegrass, crimson clover and radish, and discusses the logic and process of successfully killing the cover crop in the spring.

Control of Annual Ryegrass

Problems can arise with any crop, and the problems multiply when management is lax. Cover crops are no exception.

Annual ryegrass has proven to be a valuable cover crop in numerous locations throughout the Midwest, Eastern Seaboard, Northern Plains states and even into southern reaches of Canadian provinces.

But, wherever you’re located, it’s important to follow basic management protocols when planting a cover crop.

1. Plant it at the right time (just before harvest, or just after) in the fall, when precipitation is expected. Doing so allows the cover crop sufficient time to establish before winter sets in and sends the cover crop into dormancy.

2. Kill the cover crop properly. Annual ryegrass is a vigorous plant and it takes sufficient ooomph to knock it out in the spring.

Try this recipe:1.5 quarts of glyphosate into 12 gallons of water. Use citric acid (or ammonium sulphate) to attain the optimum pH balance for the mix. Add Canopy (2.1 oz) and 2-4D (either a pint or a quart, depending on the cover crop).

3. The weather, the temperature and time of application are very important factors in management of cover crops. Overnight temperatures should consistently be above freezing. (It’s important that the annual ryegrass be completely out of dormant phase when the herbicide is applied.)

Moreover, daytime temperatures should be above 50 degrees, the weather dry, and spraying herbicides must be done early enough in the day to allow trans-location of the chemical into the plant. Best times to spray – between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

4. Scouting the acreage is part of the protocol. There are times when a second application is necessary, especially when the first application was applied when the conditions weren’t ideal.

For more information, click here

Midwest Cover Crop Council Publishes Cover Crop Manual

Producers who want to prevent soil erosion, improve nutrient cycling, sustain their soils, and protect the environment have been returning to a very old practice: planting cover crops.

Although farmers have been using cover crops for centuries, today’s producers are part of a generation that has little experience with them.  As they rediscover the role that cover crops can play in sustainable farming systems, many growers find they lack the experience and information necessary to take advantage of all the potential benefits cover crops can offer.  That inexperience can lead to costly mistakes.

This guide will help you effectively select, grow, and use cover crops in your farming systems.  While this guide isn’t the final word on cover crops, it is meant to be a useful reference.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND TO ORDER THE BOOK

http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/dtc/Pages/CoverCropsFG.aspx

 

Researchers Experimenting with Very Early Seeding of Cover Crops

Agronomy researchers in Pennsylvania and Quebec, Canada, are finding success with planting annual ryegrass and other cover crops early in the late spring, when corn is about knee high (“lay-by time”).

The more traditional time to plant annual ryegrass is either immediately after harvest or just before harvest. In both cases, cover crops are weather dependent…they need enough water to germinate and enough growing time before a killing frost to get established. More farmers are aerial seeding annual ryegrass just before harvest, which give it extra days or weeks to establish. Aerial seeding also frees up farmers during an already busy harvest time.

But few have tried seeding annual ryegrass in the late spring, thinking the shade of the corn would stifle growth and the heat of the summer would suffocate it. But over a three year trial in Quebec, the annual ryegrass established in the spring and, because it is shade tolerant, managed to stay alive throughout the summer. Then, once the corn was harvested, the fall weather gave the annual ryegrass all the daylight it needed to thrive.

In Pennsylvania, researchers are working with a new piece of equipment that will seed the cover crop, while also applying herbicide (for residual annual weeds) and fertilizer for the corn.

With a longer growing season, annual ryegrass will better survive harsh winters, sending down deeper roots.

More testing on this seeding method is necessary to prove its value elsewhere, but the results are promising.

 

Cover Crop Root Growth – Annual Ryegrass

Steve Berger did a trial of annual ryegrass this past winter. It was ideal soil, having been in no-till for 25 years. On one plot he planted cereal rye; on the other he compared the growth of four annual ryegrass varieties.

Iowa has lagged behind other Midwest states in adoption of cover crops. Berger’s farm, in SE Iowa, is an ideal place to test it out. In that respect, Berger is an early adopter for trying annual ryegrass.

The winter was unusually mild and, thus, all the annual ryegrass did well, as did the cereal rye (a grain, not a grass). The surprising thing, when he did a root depth analysis…the cereal rye roots went deeper into the soil than annual ryegrass. Usually, on poorer soils, the opposite it true: annual ryegrass roots sometimes go as deep as 60 inches over the winter, while cereal rye roots are much shallower.

Two theories. One, annual ryegrass roots seek nutrients and moisture. On the Berger farm, there was plenty of nutrients and moisture in the no-till soil, thus they didn’t need to work overtime to get nutrition. Secondly, he did the tests in early April, a couple weeks earlier than usual. Perhaps a couple more weeks of root growth would have added more root depth.

Another thing to consider in the next year…whether cover crops tend to do better after corn or soybeans. Corn is more demanding of nitrogen, and thus the amount of available nitrogen in the soil might impact the growth of a following cover crop, especially if nitrogen was not added.

 

Midwest Adoption of Cover Crops Varies From State to State

Incentives, Open Minds and Industry Integrity Are Helping Growth

In states like Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Indiana, adoption of cover crops has spread like good news. Nothing beats seeing firsthand how cover crops can cut costs, build soil, reduce pollution and boost production.

“In some states, financial incentives appear to be stimulating adoption,” said Oregon cover crop seed producer, Nick Bowers. “For example, farmers in Indiana are receiving up to $32/acre to plant cover crops,” Bowers said. “Incentives lower the risk, plain and simple.”

But in other states, cover crop adoption is slow, even stunted. “Information – sometimes too little and sometimes misleading – can impede adoption,” Bowers added. Without good information and supportive, experienced crop consultants, the transition to healthy new practices can be prolonged.

Take annual ryegrass for example. In some states, it’s the “go to” cover crop because of its low cost, deep rooting and nitrogen recycling capabilities. In other states, however, annual ryegrass is still confused with cereal rye. Others shy away because of winterkill stories or how easy it is to kill in the spring. “How can annual ryegrass succeed so well over a dozen years in one state and be so easily dismissed in others,” Bowers wondered.

Bowers is among a handful of Oregon seed growers who have committed to educating a farming public eager to learn about cover crops. The Oregon growers also help to fund research and public education. www.ryegrasscovercrop.com .  They’re joined by crop consultants like Dan Towery and Mike Plumer, who have decades of experience as educators and crop consultants in Indiana and Illinois. Likewise, Midwest growers like Jamie Scott (IN) and Terry Taylor (IL) continue to present at conferences and host field days. “These people successfully demonstrate, year after year, that growing annual ryegrass is not difficult, but as with any crop, you have to pay attention to the management details,” Bowers said.

To propagate more use of annual ryegrass in states like Iowa, Ohio and Missouri, Bowers said that they’re working with select farmers who employ cover crops already. “Word of mouth has been the most reliable way to spread the word,” he said, “and nothing sells better than success stories.” From that exposure, certain soil scientists and crop consultants will become champions, and with that comes added encouragement from organizations like NRCS and county Soil and Water Conservation District staff.

Aside from educating the public and developing distribution points for seed in the Midwest, Oregon growers continue to develop hardy varieties of annual ryegrass to withstand harsh winters. “In this respect, we’re also trying to improve the consistent supply of those pure varieties…and not inadvertently have a batch in which less winter hardy seed is mixed.” Vast quantities of annual ryegrass is sent each year to southern states that don’t need winter hardy seed. “So, it’s important to make sure that the newer, hardy varieties aren’t grown in fields where less hardy crops were grown the previous year. In that way, the customer will know that what’s printed on the tag is exactly what they’re getting in the bag,” Bowers said.

“With the increases in cost of fuel and other inputs, cover crops will increasingly become an indispensable tool for profitable agriculture, and for a healthy environment,” Bowers said.

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Burndown of Annual Ryegrass – Details are Important

A Farm Journal article spells it out plainly and simply. Here’s a few paragraphs from that article. You can read the whole article by clicking here.

One of the cover crops that does double duty to achieve all of the above benefits is annual ryegrass. It comes with a caveat: using a cover crop such as annual ryegrass “involves a learning curve,” says Dan Towery, agronomy consultant with Ag Conservation Solutions in Lafayette, Ind. With an extensive and fibrous root structure, unlike other cover crops, annual ryegrass can be a challenge if you don’t do your homework and adjust to adverse weather conditions, he cautions. “You need to know the growth pattern of annual ryegrass and use the proper system to kill it.”

The biggest challenge in getting a good ryegrass kill is working with the weather, according to Mike Plumer, farmer and consultant with Conservation Agriculture near Creal Springs, Ill. Pay attention to the maturity stage of ryegrass and the ambient air temperature, Plumer advises.

Both consultants say annual ryegrass is ideally sprayed with glyphosate once the temperature gets above 50°F (when annual ryegrass actively starts growing) and before it reaches the first joint stage, or 7″ to 10″ tall. Ryegrass is easier to kill young, but there will be less mulch left on the ground. Larger plants (less than 16″) can be controlled with warmer expected temperatures, but wait too long to spray and the plants will be entering the boot stage, with the threat of seed production. Also, the plants are producing lignin in the stem at this stage, tying up nitrogen and making it unavailable to young plants, and residue decomposition is slowed.