Cover Crops

Camelina: A New Cover Crop Option After Corn Silage?

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 20:47:32 GMT

After corn silage comes off, dairy farmers will often consider seeding fields to winter rye as a cover crop. It’s an easy, familiar option that establishes reliably in the fall and helps take up residual nitrogen from the soil.

However, that heavy nitrogen uptake can sometimes contribute to a yield drag in the following corn crop. This limitation has prompted growing interest in a lesser-known alternative. Camelina sativa, also sometimes referred to as false flax, is an oilseed researchers are evaluating as a cover crop that could bring added flexibility to dairy rotations.

While much of the crop’s earlier production has occurred in western dryland regions, winter camelina is now generating interest in the upper Midwest as an overwintering cover crop that can fit into rotations with corn and soybeans. And for dairy producers who are working with a continuous corn, camelina could be a useful option after corn silage to help with disease, weeds and nutrient loss.

A Smart Choice for Corn-Heavy Fields

Camelina belongs to the Brassicaceae family, like canola and mustard, which makes it different from grasses such as corn and rye. Because it’s not a grass, camelina can fit into rotations in ways that help break pest and disease cycles. Agronomists say this also means it can provide many of the same environmental benefits as rye, like reducing nitrate loss and protecting soil, without some of rye’s potential drawbacks.

“A lot of people are concerned with using rye because it might cause yield drag,” says Anastasia Kurth, a University of Wisconsin Extension agronomist and educator. “Rye takes up a lot of nitrogen, which is great for reducing nitrates in our groundwater. But if you’re planting corn silage afterward and really want high tonnage, camelina might be a better option.”

Kurth notes camelina also generally produces less biomass than rye, which can make spring management simpler.

“I would say it’s a pretty easy entry cover crop,” Kurth adds. “There’s little-to-no yield effect on the corn following the cover crop.”

Termination is also straightforward.

“It’s very easy to kill,” Kurth notes. “With rye or winter wheat, you often have a lot of biomass that’s hard to manage and can make planting difficult. Camelina doesn’t have that issue, so I’d call it a low-risk entry cover crop for someone looking to try something new.”

However, camelina doesn’t have to replace rye entirely. For farms that rely on rye for spring forage, the two crops can potentially be grown together.

“It definitely could be [a sweet spot], because if you want to take that rye for any forage, that could be an option as well,” Kurth says. “I think that could be a really great mix for folks.”

Recommended rates in a mixed stand include roughly 30 lb. per acre of rye with 3 lb. to 5 lb. per acre of camelina.

A Natural Fit After Corn Silage

According to Kurth, corn silage harvest provides one of the best opportunities for getting camelina established.

“Silage gives us a great opportunity to get the crop in,” she says. “It comes off earlier than grain corn, which provides plenty of time for establishment.”

In Wisconsin and other northern states with similar climates, camelina is typically planted from September through early October. The crop establishes quickly and forms a small rosette before going dormant over the winter.

Kurth says silage harvest also leaves conditions that favor camelina establishment.

“Silage removes more of the residue, and camelina really likes good seed-to-soil contact,” Kurth says. “So, when there’s a little less residue left after a silage harvest, it’s more beneficial for establishing the crop.”

Seed size is also an important consideration. Camelina seed is extremely small, with roughly 400,000 seeds per pound, meaning proper seeding depth and seed-to-soil contact are essential. Kurth notes drilling is generally recommended at about 6 lb. to 8 lb. per acre, though broadcasting can also work with slightly higher seeding rates.

A Natural Option for Managing Weeds

Another reason camelina is drawing interest is its potential role in weed suppression.

“Leaving corn silage ground bare is obviously a risk for weeds popping up,” Kurth says.

As a brassica crop, camelina produces compounds called glucosinolates. Kurth notes these compounds are known for their biofumigant properties and may help suppress certain weed species.

“Just that chemical compound being in the soil reduces some of those smaller seeded weeds,” she adds.

Early field observations hint that the effect could be meaningful in some situations.

“Some farmers struggle with heavy waterhemp pressure in their fields,” Kurth says. “But in fields planted with camelina, they didn’t see any waterhemp emerge — only large ragweed. It looks like camelina may be helping suppress the waterhemp.”

A Cover Crop Ready for Its Turn in the Field

While still in the early adoption phase, camelina is steadily moving from research plots into real farm rotations. As more dairy producers look for ways to reduce nutrient loss, manage weeds and protect soil without sacrificing corn silage yield, the ancient oilseed may offer a practical new option. For many farms, the next step may simply be trying camelina on a few acres after silage and seeing how it performs in their own system.

Inside the Room: What Farmers Heard as USDA Rolled Out Its $700M Regenerative Ag Plan

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 20:54:33 GMT

When USDA quietly selected a small group of farmers to help roll out a new $700 million regenerative agriculture pilot program, most producers never knew the meetings were happening. Missouri farmers Jon and Brittany Hemme did, because they were invited into the room, sitting face-to-face with two cabinet secretaries and hearing firsthand how Washington plans to reshape soil health policy.

“We are very average farmers,” Hemme says. “It was a very humbling experience that we were chosen. My biggest takeaway is that I truly believe they’re trying to do the right things, bringing better health options to people through the way food is produced.”

Reinventing a Small Dairy to Stay Viable

Jon is one of three Hemme brothers continuing a dairy operation their father started 30 years ago. Today, the Hemmes operate the only dairy left in Saline County. Survival hasn’t come easily. As small dairies disappeared, the Hemmes reinvented their business model, adding on-farm processing and direct-to-consumer sales.

“That’s where our direct market part of our business came in, the creamery,” Hemme says. “Being able to go to processing and then direct market that end product has made us a viable operation yet as a small dairy.”

Their Hemme Brothers cheeses are now sold throughout Kansas City and central Missouri, but what also caught the attention of USDA was how they manage their land.

“We started planting cover crops the first time in 2017, got really aggressive by 2018 to where we tried to have all of our acres covered in one way or another,” Hemme says.

That shift began at the request of a landlord nearly a decade ago. Hemme says it pushed him to learn what regenerative agriculture really meant and how it could pencil out.

“We initially started just looking to try to reduce inputs to where we could keep a little more of our income,” he says. “For quite a few years we managed them that way trying to reduce our herbicide and we were successful, but that takes a lot of time and management. Here recently we’ve kind of mainstreamed it to where the main reason for them is erosion control.”

A Text Message From USDA

That work that started nearly a decade ago led to an unexpected invitation from Washington.

“We got a text message on Dec. 8 saying: ‘Would you and Jon want to come to USDA and be a part of Secretary Rollins’ announcement?’” Brittany Hemme says. “Thought it was a joke maybe at first, because it was so random. But we were on a plane the next morning and then with them in D.C. on Dec. 10.”

In the midst of the madness of the holiday season and school activities for their kids, the Hemmes went ahead and said yes, knowing this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A First-of-its-Kind $700 Million Pilot Program

Not knowing exactly what USDA was going to unveil, at the event, USDA and HHS announced what they call a first-of-its-kind, $700-million Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program, administered through NRCS. The goal is to test a farmer-first model that improves soil health while maintaining long-term farm viability.

“We’re doing things a little bit differently than typical Washington, D.C.,” said U.S Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins during the announcement at USDA. “We have encouraged the states to think differently and creatively as our laboratories of innovation about how to solve the many health issues facing America ... but really today is about the next step in making America healthy again, and that is talking about regenerative agriculture.”

During thee announcement, Rollins said the focus of USDA and HHS for the new pilot program was on protecting soil and is critical for farm productivity and longevity.

“Protecting and improving the health of our soil is critical not only for the future viability of farmland, but to the future success of American farmers,” she said. “We must protect our top soil from unnecessary erosion and boost the microbiome of the soil.”

But it wasn’t just USDA unveiling the new program. Rollins was standing beside Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who called the program a milestone tied to promises outlined in the MAHA Report.

“Among the recommendations of the report was the promise to make it easier for farmers in this country, farmers who are dependent on chemical and fertilizer inputs, to give them an off-ramp,” Kennedy said in December. “An off-ramp where they can transition to a model that emphasizes soil health. And with soil health comes nutrient density.”

An ‘Off Ramp’ for Farmers

When “U.S. Farm Report” recently caught up with the Hemmes to get their reaction, Jon says one of the key takeaways from the announcement is the structure of the pilot program and why that matters.

“It’s a five-year program, a five-year contract,” he says. “You can address multiple things in the same contract that you want to address. The farmer gets to pick his goal. They’ll develop a plan to help them achieve that goal, and then they’re going to quantify it with a soil test up front and one at the end.”

Along with the announcement, the Hemmes then had the chance to take part in a closed-door roundtable discussion with Rollins, Kennedy and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who serves as administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under Kennedy.

“They notified us that we would be in a roundtable discussion with Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Rollins and Dr. Oz; that made us pretty nervous,” says Jon, laughing.

Brittany says one word stood out during that discussion.

“He said ‘off-ramp’ several times,” she says. “I really appreciated that, because this is voluntary. There’s nobody forcing anyone to do this program. It’s not all or nothing. You can work with USDA NRCS and come up with a plan that is going to work for you on your farm, in your context.”

With no cameras in the room, Hemme says the conversation felt genuine.

“They wanted some feedback from farmers,” he says. “They allowed us to each go down the line and explain our operations, our motivations behind using regenerative agriculture, and then they followed it up with some really good questions.”

Those questions included market access and how long the transition takes.

“You could see him, the wheels turning,” Hemme says of Kennedy.

What Was (And Wasn’t) Discussed

Before Kennedy joined the cabinet, some farmers worried his focus would be on restricting tools like glyphosate. The Hemmes say that never came up.

“It’s been more voluntary, putting something out there instead of coming in with a stick,” Jon says.

“There was mention of tools in the toolbox, and there was no mention of taking any of those tools away,” Brittany adds.

As Brittany has watched Jon’s regenerative journey on their own farm, she says regenerative agriculture is often misunderstood.

“Some of the negative connotation has come in from an all-or-nothing mindset,” she says. “They demonize certain tools in the toolbox, and that’s unfortunate. True regeneration is what works in your context.”

Lessons From Their Nearly Decade-Long Journey in Regenerative Ag

For Jon, this really isn’t unconventional or something new. He says regenerative ag, to him, all comes back to building resilience in your soil.

“It is conservation, but it’s also trying to build resilience into your soil,” he says. “If you follow the soil health principles, minimize disturbance, keep residue on the surface, a living root in the soil, you will start to build carbon. You’ll hold more water, perform better in dry conditions, and handle weather shifts.”

But in the nearly 10 years of diving into regenerative ag, Jon says that journey didn’t come without mistakes.

“I was very aggressive when I started out, and I kind of set myself back,” Hemme says. “If I were to give any advice, it would be to start slow and safe.”

He points specifically to cover crops. He says by trying to put cover crops on every acre at the start, he learned the hard way that if you let those cover crops get too tall, it can actually negatively impact crop production.

“If you’re too aggressive up front, you almost constipate your soil,” he says. “Eventually that residue has to leave.”

As the Hemmes say, they still want to pinch themselves over a trip that seemed like a dream, it was those direct conversations with President Donald Trump’s cabinet members that made them believe USDA’s support of regenerative ag will be a practical approach and one any farmer can try or do.

What else should you expect when it comes to regenerative ag? That’s exactly what “AgriTalk” Host Chip Flory asked Richard Fordyce, USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, just last week.

Digging into Soil Health

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 22:14:48 GMT

One hundred years after the Dust Bowl blew away topsoil from nearly 200 million acres of American farmland, farmers and ranchers are slowly entering into a new relationship with the soils beneath their boots.

But is change happening quickly enough to make an impact on the future of our soil? Some experts are concerned.

Certainly the nomenclature “soil health” is more commonplace now across farm management plans and in everyday farm-gate conversations.

“In the early 2000s ‘soil health’ was a term hotly debated among scientists as a replacement for ‘soil quality’,” says Dr. Bianca Moebius-Clune, climate and soil health director of American Farmland Trust’s Climate and Soil Health Initiative.

More than 20 years later, Moebius-Clune says that “significant strides” have been made in normalizing the concept of soil health across the research and agricultural community.

But that normalization may not be translating to soil health practices on the ground fast enough.

“We need to scale up the drivers of adoption, because we don’t, as of yet, have a New Conventional Agriculture where soil health management systems are the new normal,” she says.

“Depending on which data we look at, no-till or reduced-till are in use on about half the acres at this point, and possibly still slowly growing, while cover crops increased from 10M acres in 2012 to about 15M acres in 2017 to about 18M acres in 2022 per the Ag Census, that’s 6% of today’s about 300M cropland acres,” she says.

“That’s progress, but not enough progress!”

(America’s Conservation Ag Movement)

Soil Health Principles

Moebius-Clune says that principles that promote healthy soil ecosystems are broadly applicable, but they need to be carefully adapted for success in a production system.

She points to four globally accepted principles that, together, can achieve an optimal soil health system:

- Maximize biodiversity
- Maximize living roots
- Maximize soil cover
- Minimize disturbance

Putting these into place on farms and ranches is to commit to stewarding what Moebius-Clune calls an “underground herd of livestock” or living organisms that contribute to a vibrant soil ecosystem and, therefore, high-functioning soils.

Beyond well-known practices like reduced tillage and cover cropping, those baseline principles can yield additional opportunities for farmers to invest in the health of their soil, including diversification of crop rotations, integrating livestock into cropping systems and precisely managing inputs. One innovative soil health tactic— biochar --has recently been included by USDA-NRCS through Soil Carbon Amendment Conservation Practice Standard 336, meaning financial and technical assistance is now available to help growers with implementation.

Soil Health Drivers

If the baseline principles are basic enough, why aren’t more farmers and ranchers jumping ahead in implementation?

Moebius-Clune says that adoption thus far has largely been driven by innovators, early adopters, researchers, NRCS and organizations like American Farmland Trust that have put time and effort into education, outreach and training. But, that work, she says, is not sufficient to take soil health adoption to the next level.

“We need to address the still significant social, financial and technical barriers to adoption,” she says.

American Farmland Trust is working in collaboration with partners across the value chain, including America’s Conservation Ag Movement , to break down those barriers through initiatives that develop farmer networks, science-and-practice grounded technical resources, decision-support tools and policy solutions to improve farmer access to resources.

Soil Health Benefits

Those soil health early adopters are seeing tangible benefits on farms and ranches, especially as climate extremes are becoming more prevalent.

“Healthier soils provide more resilience in extreme conditions,” says Moebius-Clune.

Moebius-Clune credits the “stable aggregates” of healthy soils for keeping pores open during periods of heavy rainfall events, allowing rainfall to infiltrate into the soil and store rather than washing topsoil downstream.

“This prepares systems to be more resilient during droughts when stored water in a deeper root zone remains available for longer,” she says, adding that diverse production systems are more likely to produce some crops that maintain yield when others fail.

The diversity of ecosystems in healthy soils can protect crops from pests and pathogens as well.

“There is even evidence in social science literature that farmers who manage for healthy soils may experience less stress and more inspiration, autonomy, confidence, freedom, flexibility and happiness,” she says.

Soil Health + Bottom Line

While soil health practices could lead to enhanced opportunities for farmers and ranchers looking to cash in on the carbon marketplace , Moebius-Clune cautions that there is still confusion and uncertainty holding many back.

But, even without that opportunity, American Farmland Trust has been putting soil health to the economic test by highlighting case studies where soil health penciled out in the bottom line.

“Our case studies show potential for return on investment through increased yields, decreased input costs, decreased long-term production system risk during extreme weather events and decreased maintenance needs and also quantify environmental benefits such as decreased erosion, nutrient and sediment pollution and increased carbon sequestration,” Moebius-Clune says.

“We know that farmers who successfully adopt these systems experience real economic returns on their soil health investments that can be quantified.”

America’s Conservation Ag Movement is a public/private collaborative that meets growers across the country where they are on their conservation journey and empowers their next step with technical assistance from USDA-NRCS and innovation solutions and resources from agriculture’s leading providers. Learn more at americasconservationagmovement.com .

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10 Reasons Why You Should Love Winter Rye

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 21:41:36 GMT

When it comes to forage and cover crops, winter rye offers rock-star versatility that makes it easy to love. Agronomy experts at the University of Vermont , North Dakota State University and the University of Wisconsin offer these reasons why:

1. It’s a nitrogen scavenger – Rye has the ability to take up excess soil nitrate from a previous crop or fall-applied manure, decreasing the risk of run-off and overwinter leaching. Fall-planted rye has been shown to take up and hold as much as 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre until spring, with 25-50 pounds being more common. In addition, it’s also an efficient utilizer of phosphorus. Agronomists estimate about 18 pounds of P are removed per ton of dry matter harvested.

2. Soil stays put – As a ground cover, rye effectively holds soil in place and reduces wind and water erosion. Its extensive root system also can improve soil tilth and reverse compaction damage.

3. Planting is flexible – As long as soil contact is available, winter rye likely will grow. It’s a cold soldier, and has been shown to grow at temperatures as low as 33°F. In fact, for winter rye to flower, it has a “vernalization requirement” of about 30 days of soil temperatures below 45°F. Spring seeding also is possible, although most of the crop will remain strictly vegetative and will not head out.

4. Two crops are better than one – Following a spring rye forage harvest, dual cropping with corn, soybeans or alfalfa is possible in most climates. If the rye crop is taken all the way to seed harvest, options become more limited, but still include sorghum-sudangrass, millet, or a new alfalfa stand. In between, it also creates a valuable summer window of freed-up acres for manure application.

5. It’s a dry matter maker – Compared to other cereal grains, rye grows faster in the fall and produces the most dry matter the following spring – up to 10,000 pounds per acre, depending how long it is allowed to grow.

6. Feeding options abound – Early fall-planted rye can be grazed in the fall or spring. Spring or early summer cuttings can be taken for hay or silage. As dry matter increases, protein goes down and fiber content goes up – both rather quickly. So, if intended for lactating rations, harvesting at or before early boot stage is recommended. Stands harvested at head-emergence stage can produce reliable heifer and dry-cow feed. Rye straw from seed-harvested crops also makes beautiful bedding, and can be chopped into dry-cow and heifer rations.

7. Weed-fighting capabilities – Rye’s aggressive growth means it competes well with small-seeded, light-sensitive weeds like lambs quarters, some pigweeds, foxtail, velvetleaf. It also has been shown to provide natural, allelopathic suppression of kochia, horseweed, marestail, ragweed, that can reduce the need for herbicide application to the next crop.

8. It’s not picky about soil type – Heavy clay, sandy, highly acetic, low-fertility and roughly prepared soils – it appears winter rye can handle them all. Rye can withstand a range of soil types and conditions where other cereal grains may fail. Optimal soil pH for rye is 5.0-7.0, but it will tolerate a range of 4.5-8.0.

9. Moisture may vary – Because of its prolific root system, winter rye also is more drought-tolerant than other cereal grains. At the same time, it is a helpful crop to have in place during wet conditions, as it will utilize excess soil moisture and return it to a more ideal condition for the next crop.

10. It plays nicely with others – Winter rye is an ideal partner to seed together with legumes like hairy vetch and/or clovers. It will initially grow faster than the legume seed, protecting the soil, scavenging nitrogen, and acting as a nurse crop to the legume(s). In the spring, it provides structural support for the climbing legumes. The high-nitrogen legumes reduce the overall carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of the forage mix, and increase the nitrogen available to the following crop. A rye/legume mix also typically produces a larger dry-matter yield compared to a pure rye stand.

Winter Weather: Find Out What's in Store for Agriculture

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 18:52:06 GMT

The upcoming winter is shaping up to look a bit different than the past several years. The shift to a different weather pattern, El Nino, is in the works – resulting in a very strong subtropical jet stream and a weakened polar jet stream.

Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist, shares the predictable changes to North American weather those involved in the agriculture industry should be on the lookout for.

Northern Weather Will Be Drier
One of the common changes Rippey shares is unusually mild weather across the northern tier of the U.S. The mild weather is a result of the weak polar jet stream and affects areas stretching all the way from the Pacific Northwest to New England.

“That of course has implications for winter crops,” Rippey says. You don’t get as much establishment of a snow cover, but at the same time, you don’t have a whole lot of cold weather to deal with and there’s less concern for winter kill. So, it’s kind of a tradeoff there.”

(Farm Journal)

Along with the milder temperatures, northern states are also predicted to see drier conditions this winter.

An outlook published by NOAA in late September shows between a 33 to 50% chance of below average precipitation for a portion of the northern U.S between November and March. The areas NOAA expects the largest impact are the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes region.

(Farm Journal)

The dry, warm conditions have the potential to make this planting season an early one.

“It all depends on how the snow falls, but generally speaking, soil temperatures will likely not be as cold as they were in the spring of 2023,” Rippey says. “Given the mild, dry forecast, there may be a fairly quick planting season in the north for spring 2024.”

The Story for Southern States is Much Different
“The enhanced subtropical jet stream tends to bring stronger storms across the southern tier of the United States,” Rippey says. “Sometimes that affects Southern California but it’s more likely along the Gulf Coast and southern Atlantic coast.”

NOAA’s predication maps show the highest probability of above average rainfall – 50 to 60% – for states along the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts.

The increased precipitation in those areas is something Rippey says could help with low water levels from the summer’s drought.

“As we get deeper into autumn and the heart of winter, the odds most definitely increase we will see wetter conditions in places like Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi where we’ve got not only low water levels impacting navigation, but also the saltwater intrusion from the Gulf,” he says. “It may take a while but eventually as the winter proceeds, we should see relief especially in the southern part of the basin.”

The Wild Card to Watch For
A less clear aspect for this winter’s forecast could be due to elevated oceanic temperatures, which have the potential to keep global temperatures high through the winter and into 2024.

The high oceanic temperatures produce blocking high pressure systems, which Rippey says can be blamed for Canada’s wildfire season and recent heat waves and fires in Europe.

“If some of the oceanic temperatures continue to induce weird blocking patterns, that can lead to extremes like heat, cold, droughts and floods that’s generally independent from El Nino,” he says.

Effects on South American Production
El Nino has different implications for growers in South America.

Key production agriculture areas such as southern Brazil and Argentina are just moving into their spring growing season and the El Nino weather patterns are expected to create more favorable conditions for their crops than La Nina.

“From a crop production standpoint, I would expect improving conditions in some of the areas that have been impacted by drought over the last few years,” Rippey says. “As you move northward into the Amazon basin, El Nino can trigger drought. That’s a concern from an ecological standpoint and that drought often extends into places like Mexico and the Caribbean for as long as El Nino persists.”

Consider Planting These Cover Crops After Silage Harvest

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 20:56:40 GMT

Throughout the spring and summer, corn silage has steadily been growing across the country to help feed the nation’s 9.4 million head of dairy cattle. But in the coming weeks, those fields will be harvested, leaving a blank canvas for farmers to plant a variety of cover crops.

According to Sjoerd Willem Duiker, professor of soil management and applied soil physics at Penn State University, planting cover crops after corn silage harvest is important for a variety of reasons. Not only do they help protect the soil from erosion, but they remediate soil compaction, help the soil resist manure spreading traffic later, provide weed control and can even be used for forage or grazing purposes later on. However, to help ensure cover crop success, timeliness is key.

“You should have the cover crop seed on hand and the drill ready to go with an operator in the seat when you start your [silage] harvest,” Duiker says. “It gives a lot of satisfaction to see the drill in a field immediately after harvest!”

Cover Crops to Consider

Before heading out to harvest, it’s important to know what cover crop seeds you plan to sow. Duiker notes that there are a variety of cool season species to choose from.

“Right now there is time to plant annual ryegrass, crimson clover, hairy vetch and rape – cover crops meant to survive the winter,” he says. “Oats and radish can also be planted for substantial benefit, although they winterkill.”

Other cover crop options include:

Barley
Wheat
Triticale
Cereal rye

To maximize success, Duiker recommends planting mixtures of cover crops.

“Mixing grass – legume – broadleaf cover crops is recommended to combine the benefits from each one such as longevity of residue cover next year, nitrogen fixation, fine roots to promote soil aggregation, tap roots to improve macroporosity, nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrient uptake from sub- as well as topsoil,” he says.

As silage harvest season is underway, don’t let your fall cover crop plans fall to the wayside. Taking steps now to ensure good soil health in the future could lead to an even better crop next silage season.

For more on cover crops, read:

Using Cover Crops for Feed Production

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 19:27:59 GMT

It’s no secret that cover crops have surged in popularity over the years. Traditionally, these crops have been planted as a conservation effort to help improve soil health, reduce rain runoff and prevent invasive weed species from taking root. While all of these environmental benefits still hold true, some farmers have started to grow cover crops for a different beneficial reason: feed production

“There are plants that we’ve considered as nothing more than a cover crop that we’re actually finding feeds really, really well for dairy cattle,” says Brendon Blank, a Certified Forage Specialist with Byron Seed. “I think there is a lot that has been overlooked when it comes to feeding cover crops because we have our tunnel vision focused on corn silage and alfalfa.”

Tough growing conditions wreaked havoc on traditional feed sources during the summer of 2019, leaving many farmers with poor feed quality and reduced yield. However, some producers were able to take advantage of prevent plant acers to help make up for some of the forage that was lost.

“A lot of people planted cover crops last year because there was basically a forage crisis,” Blank says. “And a lot of times, for people to try something new there has to be a crisis that requires you to try something else. I believe that last year’s crisis is going to change the way that farmers feed their cows for a long time because people were forced to try something different and a lot of people saw a really good response from it.”

According to Frank Wardynski, a ruminant extension educator for Michigan State University, cover crops have assisted crop farmers for years by helping to capture soil nutrients, preserve moisture and generally improve soil health. Typically, these crops are grown during fallow time between the main cash crops grown on the farm. Livestock producers can reap these same conservation benefits while capturing forage nutrients by grazing or harvesting as hay/silage, he explains.

As more producers share their success stories of growing cover crops to feed their cattle, other producers have been willing to dip their toes into feeding cover crops for forage production as well. If you remain on the cover crop fence, here are few things to consider:

Environmental Benefits

“There are a lot of environmental benefits centered around cover crops, even if you are going to harvest it for feed,” Blank says.

Some of these benefits include suppressing invasive weeds, increasing organic matter along with improving the infiltration and retention of water and nutrients.

“Monoculture legumes such as soybeans and alfalfa can cause your soil to become extremely dense,” Blank says. “If you can interseed your alfalfa with a cover crop variety, such as red clover or a good cool season grass, the cover crop will assist the alfalfa by infiltrating rainwater much, much faster than a monoculture alfalfa field will. This can dramatically reduce rainfall runoff and can help soak up more of that rain into the soil.”

Additionally, the use of cover crops can help minimize the chance of runoff occurring when manure is spread.

“If you build your forage system around using cover crops, you can diversify your manure spreading window,” Blank says. “Typically, there are only certain times of the year when you can spread manure. But if you can spread manure over a green growing cover crop, that is an excellent way for the plant to absorb nutrients.”

Other cover crops may be planted with intentions of improving soil structure in no-till systems, according to Wardynski. This can be especially useful on clay soils. Crops such as oilseed radish, turnips, soybeans and field peas have the ability to break compaction and prepare the soil for a more favorable seed bed in no-till systems.

Nutritional Benefits

Along with a slew of environmental benefits, cover crops offer up some impressive nutritional benefits as well.

“Over the last number of years, growing a good stand of alfalfa has become more of a challenge, and that has gotten a lot of people to look at some of these alternative forage crops,” Blank says. “Today, many varieties of cover crops have better fiber digestibility than alfalfa does.”

Grazing or harvesting cover crops offers livestock producers the opportunity to capture highly digestible nutrients, Wardynski explains.

“Harvesting winter rye as hay or silage allows high quality feed resources to be captured and is more beneficial to soil health than leaving the field lay fallow through the winter months,” he says.

Additionally, using a variety of cover crop species on the land not only helps to improve forage yield, but it can also have a very positive effect on the soil system, according to Blank. Different plants will attract different microbes to the soil, adding more diversity and improving the soil’s biology. This is similar to a cow’s rumen. The more variety provided to an animal, the more efficient and stable the rumen and biological system becomes.

“If you look at what the dairy industry was 20 to 30 years ago compared to what it is now, it’s dramatically different,” Blank says. “The way we feed cows, the way we house our cows, the way we milk our cows and treat our cows, is all very different. Yet we’re still growing corn and alfalfa very similar to what we were 30 years ago. Yes, there have been genetic improvements, but the system as a whole is somewhat stagnant. It’s time for an overhaul and I think we are right on the forefront of starting that.”

Getting Started

When it comes time to put cover crop seed in the ground, there are a few things one should consider before diving head first into the ‘cover crop for feed production world.’

“My biggest caution would be saying ‘I think I want to try this,’ but then not having a long-term plan as to how you will rotate and diversify your crops,” Blank says. “You need to be making plans now for what you will grow next season.”

Another big factor when feeding cover crops is figuring out what group of animals you are going to feed them to. Will it be fed to the lactating herd? The dry cows? Or are you going to use it for heifer feed?

Different varieties of cover crops have different harvest windows, and when you harvest can drastically affect their fiber digestibility, according to Blank. He recommends working with your seed provider and nutritionist to help formulate a cover crop nutrition plan for the animals you plan to feed this forage to.

Diversify Your Fields

While growing cover crops for feed production may not be in the best interest for every dairy producer, it’s growth in popularity and impressive results have made it a tempting option for those who would like to diversify their business.

“You hear talk about how you need to have your farm diversified. How you need to raise dairy, beef, do custom work and have all of these different income streams,” Blank says. “Well, that gets to be difficult. The way I look at it, you can still do just dairy but have diversity in your cropping system. That’s going to bring a lot more stability and resiliency to your operation then a standard cropping system would.”

Instead of putting all of your eggs into one basket, Blank recommends looking at growing cover crops to help expand your nutrition program and to minimize the risk of other forage crops not performing well.

“If you’re making a living off the stock market, you’re not going to invest everything into one or two items. You’re going to be well diversified,” Blank says. “We have a lot of farms that are making their living off of very, very little diversity. They usually only have two crops that they’re 100% dependent on to make their living, and that’s just not stable. Last year showed us how fragile that can be.”

There’s Still Time to Plant Cool-season Forages

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 20:19:04 GMT

It’s not too late to double-crop a cool-season forage seeding onto available land to capture some more feed tonnage and/or establish a winter cover crop.

Daniel Olson, Founder of Forage Innovations , Lena, Wis., advises seeding cool-season annuals 30-45 days before the anticipated first frost date. “So, if you typically have your first frost in the first week of October, you’re looking at seeding in the second half of August,” Olson suggested.

With today’s high grain prices and tight forage supply, Olson said a fall forage seeding is one way to stretch feed stocks following harvest of wheat, seed corn and even corn silage. He suggested late-summer planting is actually preferrable for cool-season forages, because too-warm conditions will encourage them to channel their resources to reproduction. “We want to be heading into cooler conditions when we plant these forages, so they build sugars and plant mass instead of seed heads,” explained Olson.

The choice and variety of fall forage will depend on the type of feed desired, and the goal for the crop. “What you don’t want to do is make a lot of feed that you can’t use,” Olson said. Options for the Midwest and Northeast include oats, wheat, triticale, barley, cereal rye and dwarf brassicas (turnips, radishes, kale).

According to a University of Nebraska agronomy bulletin , fall forage yields for small-grain forages are negatively correlated with winter hardiness. So, if the goal is to take a fall cutting or create a small fall grazing window, growers would be best-served planting oats or spring varieties of triticale, wheat or barley.

When the calendar flips to September, forage seeding still is possible, but the Nebraska experts suggest switching to winter-hardy species for spring harvest or no-till applications. They cited research indicating that 1,000 growing degree days (base 32°F) following fall planting will maximize spring yield potential of either winter triticale or cereal rye. Using Nebraska climate data, that would suggest a planting date no later than September 16.

Olson noted it is possible to seed fall forages even later, but at the expense of spring yield. “Winter rye literally can be seeded until the ground freezes, even in December,” he said. “But because it will have little time to establish root tillering, it cannot be expected to have yields equivalent to those of a stand planted earlier in the fall.” He added spring yields of all forages are dependent on their degree of tillering, and that most tillering occurs in the fall.

Cereal rye matures faster than winter triticale or wheat. For all of these species, feed quality is highly influenced by maturity. As dry matter and tonnage go up, nutritional quality goes down. Total digestible nutrients (TDN) of small-grain forages at boot stage is about 70-80%. But by early dough stage, the TDN drops to 50-60%.

Finally, growth performance of double-cropped forages is dependent on nitrogen availability. If the previous crop did not leave adequate nitrogen stores, biomass yield will be improved with nitrogen fertilization. The Nebraska experts suggest forages will significantly respond to the first 30-50 lb. N/acre under normal growing conditions.

Utilizing Cover Crops as a Forage Resource for Heifers

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 15:41:35 GMT

The popularity of cover crops has grown significantly over the past few years. The benefits cover crops provide to improve soil health are well documented. Additionally, cover crops can benefit dairy producers as a forage source for young stock by saving higher quality forages for lactating cows. To optimize the use of cover crops, dairy producers should consider grazing, harvesting, and feeding techniques.

Grazing

Though grazing has benefits, it may not fit every system. Most row crop fields are not fenced, meaning temporary fencing can be used on the interior of field. However, cattle temperament must be considered if using temporary fencing for the field’s perimeter. Heifers can cause soil compaction and muddy areas during the wet times of the year. Producers should take into account the soil conditions of the field. Allowing heifers to graze cover crops in the late fall or early spring could lengthen the grazing season and help farmers save on additional hay costs.

Harvesting

Harvesting cover crops at the optimal time can be challenging due to weather and the potential overlap with hay harvest. The optimal harvesting window depends on the chosen cover crop. For example, rye has a narrow harvest window for high quality forage. Triticale has a longer harvest window with better feed quality.

Harvested cover crops should be treated as any other forage on the farm. A forage analysis should be completed to help determine the feed value. Forages harvested at early maturity (boot stage) tend to be higher quality than those harvested at a later stage (dough stage). However, harvesting the cover crops too early may lead to low forage yields. Monitoring the stage at harvesting and completing forage analyses can determine which group of heifers are best suited for that crop.

Feeding groups

Feeding the cover crop based on forage quality can impact growth rates of the heifers. To reach an age at first calving goal of 22 to 24 months, heifers should be approximately 55% of their mature body weight and 90% of their structural growth by 13 to 15 months. To help reach growth goals, higher quality cover crop forages should be fed to pre-bred heifers. Cover crops harvested at a later stage should be reserved for bred heifers to avoid over conditioning. Limit or avoid the feeding of cover crops to dry cows due to the risk of high potassium. Producers should work closely with their nutritionist to optimize the use of cover crop forages in the heifer diets.

USDA Confirms Silage Corn Can Be Planted On Prevent Plant Acres

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:01:47 GMT

This week, farmers in much of the eastern Corn Belt will be eligible to plant cover crops as the late-plant period on prevent plant acres ends there on June 26. Following last week’s announcement about the potential to harvest cover crops on September 1 instead of November 1 many farmers, particularly in the upper Midwest, started to wonder if silage corn would be eligible. According to Richard Flournoy, deputy administrator of product management for the USDA-Risk Management Agency (RMA), silage corn can be eligible for planting on prevent plant acres.

“A cover crop for crop insurance purposes, we have a broad definition, and it’s generally many things that any crop that can be planted for erosion control, soil improvement, or any other type of conservation practice,” he told AgriTalk host Chip Flory.

If producers have questions about what could be considered a cover crop in their state, Flournoy suggests a visit to the local National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) office. Individual states can have a list of what crops can be considered cover crops.

Additionally, he says an “ag expert” can deem a crop eligible by determining the prospective crop meets all the cover crop definitions.

“We have on our website a link to all the folks who can be considered an expert,” he said. “A certified crop advisor is [someone] that could say in your area, corn for silage could be a cover crop. One key distinction there is it can’t be corn for grain or seed, as long as it’s for silage it meets that cover crop definition.”