Integrating livestock into crop production is a must on the Taylor Farm near Bouton, in central Iowa. By adding cover crops, father-and-son team Dan and Noah Taylor have increased cow numbers and have seen multiple benefits, including nearly year-round grazing and soil-health enhancements.

"We are using livestock to add income to our crop ground, and when Noah wanted to return to the farm, we knew the cover crops were a big part of why we could have another family here," Dan Taylor points out. He says cover crops boosted income -- without too much added expense -- because they were able to add more cattle thanks to a longer grazing period.

A Cautious Start

The Taylors began using cover crops in 2016. They started cautiously, aerial-seeding rye into corn and hoping it would grow and provide some feed for cows. Through the years, they have learned better practices, such as switching to a drill for planting cover crops to ensure greater success.

From the beginning, they have used the cover crop cost-share program through Practical Farmers of Iowa. Dan says in 2024, the program pays $10 or $15 per acre, depending on documentation provided. An unlimited number of acres qualifies for each participant, and the program is stackable with any publicly funded cost-share program.

Grazing cover crops requires prior planning since Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate, stresses Iowa State University (ISU) Extension beef specialist Denise Schwab. Flexibility is key for successful grazing and may require an adjustment to planting timing, the species planted and the method of planting based on weather conditions. She recommends producers start small and expand acres once they know what works on their farm.

The Taylors started with two fields. Today, they use cover crops on 900 acres across their farm. They plant pearl millet or sorghum sudangrass right after oat harvest in July to get the forage well-established during the warm summer months. In the fall, even if the cover crop is standing, they interseed rye to increase forage availability into the spring.

"The key to the system is the flexibility based on forage availability and needs," Noah explains. "Not every year is the same. We have to look at cost of seed and risk for each field. We will use millet in fields where cattle might need to graze during the freeze period to avoid prussic acid poisoning." Odds of prussic acid poisoning are greatest for a week to 10 days following a freeze. Once the plant is killed, cattle can safely graze the fields.

The cover crop/grazing system's flexibility is really what makes it work for the Taylors, including being able to harvest the actual cover crops for stored feed when there is extra growth. The sorghum sudangrass, for example, has been both round-baled and chopped for silage in late summer prior to grain harvest.

Fall Grazing

Corn stubble is grazed after corn harvest in September or October, and after rye is drilled. The fields will continue to be grazed as rye emerges through the winter months. "We did have to build some fence and be sure there was water in each pasture where the cows would be," Dan says.

Besides their cow herd, the Taylors feed out about 200 head of calves each year. In the fall, the feedlot cattle graze nearby fields and are fed a silage mix daily. Dan says the grazing enhances their diet, but the cattle will return to the feedlot for their normal ration.

The cow herd is the primary beneficiary of cover crop grazing. Following harvest, cows are turned into the cornstalks. Noah says if corn harvest extends into November, and time is short to plant the rye cover crop, they will switch from drilling to broadcast spreading. The fields where sorghum sudangrass is growing won't be grazed until after a killing freeze.

Temporary electric fence is set up, and cows are allowed to graze long strips of the field. The fence is moved about every four days throughout the winter months. Dan says the cows will graze the cover crop forage down to the ground. The root system stays in place, helping build soil organic matter levels.

ISU's Schwab recommends producers start grazing cover crops in the fall when the forage is only about 6 inches tall or as soon as the forage is rooted enough to prevent pulling out when grazed.

The Taylors feed corn silage to cows during the coldest Iowa winter months of January and February to maintain good body condition, when the cows' nutritional needs are high prior to calving. Dan says the cows quit eating the silage once the rye starts growing, and they start grazing again, usually in March. These fields are grazed during calving and up until it's time to plant corn and soybeans. Cows are then moved to nearby pasture.

Willing to Change

Noah says cover crop seeding rates can vary from year to year depending on cover crop production expectations. They usually plant sorghum sudangrass at 25 pounds per acre; rye is higher, at about 60 pounds per acre. When using something new in the cover crop mix, they rely on the seeding rate recommendations from an agronomic specialist. "If we know there will be a lot of foot traffic in a certain field, we will bump the seeding rate higher," he says. "We want to be able to graze the cover crops as long as possible."

Dan says it's important to stay economically competitive within their corn and soybean rotation when deciding what grazing crop to plant. "We have to find the right combination to make it work in our operation all around -- for the grain crop and for the grazing crop."

Prior to planting corn and soybeans in May, the Taylors devise a plan to terminate the cover crops. Noah says Roundup is usually their herbicide of choice. Ideally, they spray fields to be planted to corn two weeks prior to planting. Fields planted to soybeans have more flexibility, but they usually terminate the cover crops after planting.

Cover Crop Benefits

Schwab says cover crops benefit both the cattle operation and grain production. They are a proven tool to reduce feed costs while protecting soil, reduce erosion, improve water quality and enhance soil quality.

The biggest benefit the Taylors see for the cow herd is the longer grazing period and the need for less stored feed. Grazing cows also minimizes labor needs because less time is spent making and feeding stored feedstuffs.

They have also seen a boost in herd health from the cows calving on pasture or forage fields. "We have fewer input costs when it comes to calving and raising those calves, because they are healthier from the beginning," Noah adds. "Really, cover crops are a win all around for us."

Dan agrees. Cover crops add organic matter and provide other soil improvements, helping to improve crop yields. "I've told people, it is important to look at improvements over a long period of time. You won't see the improvements overnight," he says. "We have to attribute some of the increase in yields over the years to improved genetics, but taking care of the land is always beneficial."

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

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