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Success with cover crops in Upper Midwest

Farmers in the Upper Midwest are finding success with cover crops.

Ashley Kohls, director of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association, says the benefits are two-fold for cattle producers.

“They can extend their grazing season (and) take some pressure off their grass if they need to let some of their pastures rest.  But also that soil health benefit that a lot of us are looking for.”

She tells Brownfield a lot of cover crop experimentation is happening in Minnesota, and there seems to be a learning curve.

“There are a lot of folks who are new to inter-seeding with cover crops, so a lot of questions about different herbicide residuals and what you can and cannot plant.  People who plant multiple species of cover crops (are) having more success than somebody who plants just a single species.”

She says farmers in the state are figuring out which cover crops are most effective in a part of the U.S. where growing seasons are typically shorter.

Brownfield interviewed Kohls at the Minnesota Summer Beef Tour near Starbuck Tuesday.