News

Cover crops flourishing

Cover crops are flourishing in many parts of the Midwest thanks to early season warmth and moisture.

Rebecca Vittetoe is an extension agronomist in eastern Iowa for Iowa State University.

“Cover crops are looking really good here this spring. A lot of the cover crop fields that I’ve seen (are) at least 6 to 8 inches tall even though we may not have seen much growth out of them last fall.”

She tells Brownfield many farmers looking to start planting will begin terminating cover crops soon.

“But if you’re a livestock producer and are needing some additional forage this year, especially if you’re short from the drought the last couple of years, the cover crops are going to be a nice opportunity for some additional forage this year for those people who might need it.”

Vittetoe says weeds have also taken advantage of mild conditions with winter annuals growing quickly and even some summer annuals beginning to germinate.