Why Cover Crops?

Muddy runoff to the left from a plowed field. Water from the right running clear from our cover crop field.

Part of our commitment to soil quality is the use of cover crops.  These are crops we plant, either alone are as part of a multi-species mix, that we do not harvest. 

Their purpose in our rotation is to reduce soil erosion by keeping the soil covered while their roots help bind the soil. They improve soil structure, cycle nutrients, and add organic matter to our land. 

Ultimately, we are able to improve the water holding capacity of our fields and increase crop yields because cover crops make their nutrients available to our cash crops. Plus, their soil binding benefits reduce the nutrient load of drainage water that exits our land.

As we get better at growing cover crops we may be able to reduce fertilizer inputs and use fewer crop protection products to combat weeds, diseases, and insects.

Our Successes

• Seeding cover crops with strip-till
• Seeding cover crops between strips
• Interseeding into standing corn (the earlier the better)
• White beans planted into cereal rye + hairy vetch
• Manure
• Multiple species
• Anytime there is bare ground - keep soil covered!
  

Mistakes We've Made

• Planting into wheat stubble when volunteer wheat was already germinated (out-competes cover crop)
• Aerial seeding into corn or soybeans before leaves turn colour
• Not enough sunlight
• Plant green or brown, not in between
• Not growing cover crops

Interseeding is the practice of planting a cover crop into an already established cash crop. Our focus here on seeding annual rye grass, or a multi-species blend, into a growing corn crop.  We typically seed when the corn is small - about 3-4 leaf - which is a little earlier than most farmers who practice this. Our twin rows canopy sooner than standard 30" rows, so planting earlier provides the cover crops a chance to become established before the corn canopy fully develops.