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Cover crops: understand your needs

An ag engineer says farmers need to assess the needs of their field before planning to use cover crops.  University of Nebraska’s Paul Jasa says farmers who intend to plant a cover crop need to evaluate what their field needs.

“If I want to grow more residue out there to absorb the rate of impact I’m going to look at something like cereal rye or rye grass. If I want to cut back on my fertilizer bill I’m going to look at a legume so I’ll plant harry veg or winter peas. And if I want a broad stroke of everything, I’ll just mix everything together,” says Jasa.

He tells Brownfield though planting ANY kind of cover crop can provide benefits.

“Mother Nature hates a bare soil. If I don’t do something out there Mother Nature will plant something for me. We usually call them weeds. When you have a good cover crop out there protecting the soil that feeds the soil and Mother Nature doesn’t get the weeds started so again, Do Something,” says Jasa.

Jasa said crop needs can differ all across the Midwest so understanding the needs of a particular field is critical to planning and executing an effective cover crop plan.

Brownfield spoke with Jasa at the Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference at Ohio Northern University in Ada Ohio.

Audio: Paul Jasa, Ag Engineering, University of Nebraska