Cover Crop Strategies Podcast

Unfortunately there are some years when fields just don't get planted to a cash crop. But this can open up an opportunity to plant a wide range of species of cover crops to make soils more productive in the future, says Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

One of the easiest strategies to getting cover crops seeded earlier in fields — and getting more growth, better erosion control, more nitrogen scavenging and the like — is utilizing shorter-season corn hybrids. Improved genetics available today can provide growers more options without sacrificing too much yield.

Every grower wants to know how to make cover crops pay off on their farm but there can be myriad challenges, including climate. One approach is interseeding covers into standing corn to increase the amount of growing time and benefits rendered by covers to farm operations. Ag conservation consultant Dan Towery and Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff will talk about how to get started, equipment choices, the best time for interseeding, what cover crop species work best and issues with residual herbicides to be aware of. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

The temptation with some growers starting out with cover crops might be to start reducing nutrient application rates right away in anticipation of a bump in nitrogen fixation and improved nutrient availability. But nutrient management with cover crops can be tricky and there are some precautionary measures to follow to ensure your cash crops don’t suffer.

Planting cash crops “green” into living cover crops is a concept gaining a lot of momentum among growers. But is your planter and cover crop management up for the task? Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff shares some important insights that will get you off to a successful start planting green. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)