School me on cover crops

[T-Nason]

I do a typical soybean/ corn rotation currently. I would like to implement a cover crop into my rotation as a way to build soil organic matter. Im up in northwest ohio. What all are you guys doing that seems to work? Have you had any issues with pest population increases? Id like to plant by Ariel broadcast if possible.

 

[IHRedRules]

I would suggest talking to your local NRCS office. You can find good information on the Midwest cover crop council website. With just soybeans and corn in rotation, it can be a bit challenging to find good mixes, but you have a little longer season in OH, so that is working in your favor. Honestly, I havent seen any flown on cover crop that I would say looked exceptional. Cereal rye is the one species that usually does ok if flown on. In a perfect world, you would have some small grain in the rotation and you would have many more options.
Midwest Cover Crop Council

 

[Bruce from Can.]

We no-till winter wheat into Soybean stubble. Some guys burn it off with Roundup in the spring, while others let it grow and harvest the wheat crop. Many that let the wheat grow will go out in the spring and broadcast red clover on the wheat before the frost comes out. After the wheat is harvested in July, the red clover will take off and grow. The red clover fixes nitrogen in the soil naturally. Most will burn down the red clover late in October. The plants and roots hold the soil, and corn is planted in the next spring.

 

[560Dennis]

I like Gabe Brown videos to get started . But there are others

 

[Alvin 41]

I drill cereal rye as soon as possible after soybean and corn harvest and plant no-till in to it in the spring.You can get more even growth drilling and have more growing time in fall than we do in SWI.

 

[caterpillar guy]

MI most of them are planting rye not sure what version it is but rye. Some also plant those radishes clover and some other stuff in the concoction.

 

[4520BW]

the thing i hate about flying the seed on is it ends up in others fields. My wheat was a mess last year and had to spray it with roundup to kill off the cover crop that landed in my fields before i could combine it, at my expense of coarse!

 

[Traditional Farmer]

In the county I have a couple rental houses the farm across the road air seeded Crimson Clover into standing corn in Sept then combined in October.Crimson Clover was blooming everywhere in the area the following Spring.

 

[Tgrasher]

Years ago sweet clover was sowed in the fall and plowed under in the spring. Still remember the Case plows turning two foot tall plants under with just a top here and ther still exposed.

 

[tomnwoh]

I was doing a lot of covers. Went well until the voles showed up. I have stopped covers and the voles are gone .