Protecting Soils & Fall Cover Crop Grazing Concerns

December 4, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

I’ve heard many farmers express frustration with late-summer or fall planted cover crops that didn’t take off as expected. Of course, the main reason we witnessed slow fall growth in much of the state was lack of moisture, a stark comparison from many areas last year! Read more in this article from the Brookings Register (Brookings, SD).

Killing the Most Popular Cover Crops — The Right Way

Effective termination of cover crops is essential if no-tillers are to get the best results from their seeding and establishment efforts.

By Mark Parker posted on February 1, 2014 | Posted in Termination

Your cover crop has protected the soil, contributed nutrients and helped enhance soil health. But it has to die for the following crop to reap the benefits.

Cover Crop Options after Corn or Soybean Harvest

October 3, 2012 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: By: Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Engineer

With this years drought conditions there is less residue than normal in many fields. In some, the crop was harvested as a forage or cut as silage, leaving very little residue at all. Without residue to absorb the energy of raindrop impact and keep the wind off the soil surface, soil erosion will be greater and surface crusting could be a problem. Also, without the water-conserving residue mulch, soil moisture losses by evaporation will be much higher.

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Cover Cropping in Integrated Farming Systems

Last week we had boots on the ground at the Big Soil Health Event in Cedar Falls, Iowa where agronomist David Kleinschmidt emphasized the importance of considering Carbon to Nitrogen ratios of cover crops and residues.

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