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Early seeding cover crops into corn

A field crop educator says now is a good time to consider investing in conservation practices like cover crops given the current economic climate for farmers.

James DeDecker is with Michigan State University Extension.  “You may not have a lot of opportunity for profitability with some of the other crops you normally have in rotation, so take that opportunity to instead make a little bit of an investment in conservation that hopefully will have long term benefits.”

He tells Brownfield on-farm research in 2016 compared interseeding different cover crops into corn two to three weeks after plants emerged.  “We found that interseeding with ground-based equipment is much less expensive, you’re talking more like $12-15 per acre for the seeding, than the aerial seeding that we’ve done which is $20-30 per acre.”

DeDecker says even though last year’s dry weather limited germination, this spring farmers are starting to see more cover crops than expected.

He says interseedings of oilseed radish and annual rye grass were more successful than crimson clover overall.

AUDIO: Interview with James DeDecker