Conservation Districts are locally organized self-governing bodies chartered by the State. Through voluntary action and cooperation of landowners (and other stake holders), the District works to conserve land, water, forest, wildlife and other related resources for the benefit of all.
Cover Crops Offer Many Benefits
With wheat harvest started, it is time to begin thinking about fall cover crops. Whether you have utilized cover crops in the past or if you are new to the idea, the period after wheat harvest provides several beneficial opportunities to utilize cover crops. The big advantage to planting cover crops at this time is that there is plenty of growing season remaining to utilize the cover crop in some fashion, either haying or grazing, while still getting sufficient re-growth to provide the beneficial cover over winter. The additional "crop" is an added benefit that can directly improve your bottom line.
These advantages are further enhanced if you are attempting to scavenge crop nutrients, especially following manure applications. Local test plots using oats to scavenge manure nutrients indicated that for each ton of yield, 70 lbs. of Nitrogen, 9 lbs of Phosphate and 80 lbs of Potash were absorbed. A sizable portion of the soluble nutrients
– primarily Nitrogen – would likely have been lost without a cover crop. While release of nitrogen for the next crop is variable, these nutrients are still retained in the soil. With the quadrupling of fertilizer prices in the last few years, the economics of cover crops are rapidly improving.Cover crops also have subtle influences that may not be seen directly, such as improved soil structure or tilth, reduced compaction, improved drainage, reduced erosion, weed suppression and improved eye appeal on the farm. As with many other aspects of modern agriculture, cover crops must be managed in order to achieve their maximum benefit. If you are planning to try cover crops, allow yourself time to select the best specie and manage them properly and they will perform. Producers who are willing to plan their cover cropping and perform some management can reap the benefits cover cropping offers.
Incentive payments are available for producers and landowners interested in planting cover crops on their farm. Producers or landowners in the Brokensword watershed can receive $20/ac for cover crops and $64/ac for grass/hayland plantings thanks to a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. The EQIP program also offers incentive payments to producers countywide who are interested in implementing cover crops on their farms.
If you would like more information on cover crops in general or if you are interested in participating in either of these incentive programs, contact the Crawford SWCD/NRCS office at 419-562-8280 or 419-562-2203 ext. 3
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