Post on 21-Jul-2015
COVER CROPSRick Juchems
Farming in Butler & Bremer Counties since 1979
470 acres of corn and soybean
Finish 5,000 hogs annually
Butler County SWCD
Cedar Valley and Iowa League RC&D
North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Administrative Council
Butler County Farm Service Agency Board
Me & my farm
470 cover crop acres
Started cover crops in 2003
Other conservation practices: Grass waterways
Buffers along creeks
Terraces
CRP windbreaks
No-tillage
Terrace on rental acres
Custom farm 80 acres with CRP waterways being installed
Shallow wetland area
Conservation on my farm
What are Cover Crops?
Cereal Rye Research Strips at Juchems’ Farm
PFI
Reduces wind & water erosion
Keeps soil and nutrients out of the streams, lakes, rivers and structural conservation practices
Builds soil health: increases organic matter levels and water infiltration and storage capacity
Fixes N and can reduce fertilizer rates and costs
Cover Crop Benefits on My Farm
NRCS
Steve Berger
ISU
Additional Potential Cover Crop Benefits
NRCS
Can suppress weeds by providing competition, shading & allelopathiccharacteristics
Encourage beneficial biological activity/microbial life in soil, discourage disease
Encourage beneficial insects, prey on pests
Reduce need/cost for herbicides & pesticides
Provides opportunity for producers with livestock to graze or hay
Provides winter food and cover for birds & other wildlife
Opportunities for Iowa businesses
Additional Potential Cover Crop Benefits
PF
plantcovercrops.com
Before Soybeans:
Winter Cereal Rye – 56 lbs/ac
(1 bu/ac)
Before Corn:
Oats –38 lbs/ac (1 bu/ac)
Radishes – 3 lbs/ac
Cover Crops Used & Fall 2014 Seeding Rates
Aerial applied when beans showed first tinge of yellow and corn was almost at black layer in September
Drill during harvest
Cover Crop Application
PFI
Non overwintering cover crops:
Oats & radishes were killed with a good frost
Overwintering cover crops:
Glyphosate Herbicide for cereal rye
Tillage
Cover Crop Termination
Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) Flat rate per acre Payment varies by cover crop species used Can get it on the same acres every year for a maximum
of three consecutive years
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) 5 year contract, annual payments Payment for existing conservation system plus payment
for enhancements to existing conservation system Continuous cover crops and cover crop mixtures CSP
cover crop enhancement options
State Cost Share-varies by county Sometimes watershed project specific funding
available
Cover Crop Assistance