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Page 22 March 23, 2017
2017 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine
LINCOLN DAILY NEWS
cover crop seed and aerial application for a reduced
cost. This was to encourage us first-timers,” he said.
Thompson’s goals were to protect the soil from
erosion, scavenge residual soil nitrogen, enhance
soil structure, breakup soil compaction, and help
with weed control in the following crop.
Thompson’s fields typically have winter residue
cover – untilled corn stalks to be followed by no-
till soybeans and soybean stubble that has only had
tillage for anhydrous ammonia application.
He chose a corn field with slopes that can erode.
“I feel the higher residue of the cover crop will be
more manageable in a soybean crop following it,
rather than a corn crop,” he said.
The results
Thompson used a recommended a mix of radish and
oats and nearly all the seed grew. Radish takes just a
few days to sprout. The aerial cast seed went on in
Aug 2016. A good stand was in place before winter,
he said.
“This was a rather exceptional year, as I understand
that in many years, lack of timely rain has resulted
in a sparse cover crop stand,” he said. If soils are
dry, it is recommended that the seed be cast by
planter.
Would Thompson recommend cover cropping
as beneficial and cost effective?
Thompson noted one already evidenced
advantage of the oats/radish mix that he used,
both crops winter-kill. There is no need to
terminate the cover crop with tillage or herbicide
prior to planting the grain crop. “I’ve had a long-
term practice of no-till soybeans and strip-till corn.
I anticipate no change in this as I add cover crops to
the mix,” he said.
He says, “I have no hard data yet, but the excellent
cover crop stand this last fall was an encouragement
that success might be measured over the next couple
years on that field.
“The environmental benefits must also be
considered when measuring the return from cover
crops. They may be one step that will help us to
reduce nutrient loss and avoid greater regulation of
our farming practices.
“One of my hesitations with cover crops is that they
add some amount of management (and sometimes
risk) to your cropping system. I think that starting
slow and learning from the experiences of other
farmers is the best way to deal with these extra
burdens,” Thompson concluded.
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