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
In the next month, all that lush annual ryegrass will become history…as you’ll have to terminate the cover crop to make way for soybean and corn seeds. But “history” is a relative term…in fact, the residue of the grass will quickly decompose, giving the precious nitrogen it has stored up to the new plants.
Here’s a website with specific data about the proper way to burndown annual ryegrass.
While the dead foliage provides nitrogen for the corn and soybean sprouts during critical times in the late spring and early summer months, the roots produced by the ryegrass will also play an important role, in two ways. First, as the roots decay, they’ll provide organic matter for the soil, and nutrition for the bacteria, microbes and earthworms that help create healthy soil. Secondly, and nearly as important: the channels created deep into the subsoil by the annual ryegrass roots allows corn roots to sink equally deep, thus giving the crop a summer-long supply of moisture and nutrients deeper in the soil profile.
Especially in dry years, annual ryegrass cover crops will give your corn harvest a huge boost. Growers regularly find that cover crop acreage outperforms no-till and conventional tillage acreage by as much as 100 bu/ac!
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.
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Feb 23, 2012
The following text came from an article. Click here to see the entire article. The secret to bringing down annual ryegrass in a timely manner is understanding the plant and the chemicals you are applying to kill it, says Mike Plumer, a former University of Illinois agronomist who has researched cover crops for decades. Most people use glyphosate. To work glyphosate must be translocated in to the roots of the plant. These applications are often made during cool weather in the spring. Glyphosate doesn’t work as well when it is cool because it doesn’t translocate as well. This is not a place where you want to cut herbicide rates. Plumer says that you can control the crop, and that you shouldn’t be afraid of it. Instead, determine that you are going to manage it and move forward. Plumer’s decades of experience with no-till and cover crops on his own farm in southern Illinois add to his credibility as someone who knows what they’re talking about when it comes to the benefits and challenges of cover crops. The biggest tip Plumer offers is to pick the warmest day you can find that features lots of sunshine. Don’t spray before 8:30 t0 9 a.m. in the morning. The most crucial part is when you stop spraying annual ryegrass. He suggests that you shut down applying glyphosate by 1 p.m. |
“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.
No-till is no longer enough to conserve soil and produce good yields. Experts at the Pennsylvania No-till Day held Jan. 31 in West Middlesex, Pa., say it takes the combination of no-till and cover crops.
Read the whole article in Farm and Dairy Magazine
Here are excerpts:
Charlie White, a member of the crop management extension team for Penn State University, also spoke at the meeting, about making the most of cover crops.
He said a farmer must first decide what the needs are in the fields.Does he need to alleviate soil compaction, improve the soil structure, improve nitrogen fixation or nitrogen retention?
He suggested farmers mix different species with complementary growth periods and different architecture. Some suggestions he gave were radishes and turnips with the Austrian winter pea. He also suggested annual rye grass with a crimson clover or a blend of sorghum, sudangrass, soybeans and red clover.
Todd Mooberry, Lowpoint, IL, planted annual ryegrass and crimson clover this past fall for the first time. He had the seed flown onto 600 acres of standing corn, which he later strip-tilled. See the video here:http://www.no-tillfarmer.com/pages/Web-Exclusive-Cover-Crops-at-Todd-Mooberrys-Farm-in-Fall-2011-Lowpoint,-Ill-Video.php
Iowa Grower Builds Soil, Stabilizes Organic Matter Losses with Cover Crops
Going to No-till in the late ’70 helped reduce loss of organic matter,” said Iowa grower Steve Berger, “but adding cover crops in the past decade has really made a difference. “The organic matter present in the fence rows is between 5% and 6% but less than 4% in the fields. With cover crops, we have stabilized the losses we continued to see in our soybean rotation.”
Boosting organic matter is important, but Berger says these other things are more easily accomplished and witnessed:
Berger has used cereal rye as a cover crop pretty consistently but tried annual ryegrass about five years ago because of its deeper rooting and its ability to soak up and store nitrogen for use during the next crop season. “That’s important, especially in wet years,” he said, “because annual ryegrass will cycle nutrients and keep them from being flushed out of the field through the tiles.”