Spring has sprung…

With temperatures over the weekend in the 70's it is certainly feeling more and more like spring. Additionally, all of the small grains, cover crops and perennial forages have taken off. With a little more moisture today things are definitely ready to grow. Now is a great time to be top dressing your small grain fields as well as putting spring nitrogen on pastures and hay fields. Obviously you want to make sure you fields are fit for traffic and haven't gotten too wet lately.

This time of year is also a great time to take an estimate of weed pressure in your winter grain and perennial stands. Make sure you scout not only for weed pressure but types of weeds as well so you can make the best herbicide selection possible.

On another note you can see how my test plots are coming where we are looking into inter cropping rye and radish to allow corn planting in between the rye rows. This will hopefully allow early planting of corn into this live cover crop. If this works the theory is that some of our corn pests such as slugs may be more willing to feed on the rye undercover then venture into the sun to injure the corn. I'll keep you up to date on this as well as the other research I have a going on around the county.

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow…

The postal service isn't the only one who keeps going through it all. The local cover crop plot is looking good. The varieties that will winter kill (oats and radish) have for the most part died, however some of the later planting is amazingly still going. I suppose this may have to do with insulation from the snow we have had. Additionally, the radish has be dead for about three weeks now but it seems to be breaking down a lot slower this winter. With a little bit of a break from the cold we will see what comes as far as decomposition. As a reminder there are still signs and information at the plots so feel free to stop by and take a look.

As a side note I have had two in depth conversations with folks not associated with farms while I have been taking pictures and sampling with the plots. This has been a great catalyst for conversations about how farmers are conservation minded and desire to be good stewards.

Still Going?

Even with the cold temperatures as of late the cover crop plot is still going… well, kind of. This past Sunday we had a descent ice storm that not only shut things down for most of the a.m. it also was a little hard on the radishes and oats. It seems the larger they are the harder they fall. However I was expecting to see more dead and decaying leaves then what I found. Another important note is almost all of the late plantings (September 22^nd)are very dense. These plantings do not have anywhere close to the biomass of the early planting; however they are certainly providing adequate cover for soil conservation. Overall things are still chugging along, however for some, the end is near. Also a quick reminder that signs are still up at the plots so feel free to have a look for yourself!

First Major Frost

This morning the thermometer dropped to 28 at my house just before sunrise. This will be the first attempt at a hard frost (below 28 degrees for a few hours) but not successful at least at my house. It does appear we may have a general warming trend over the next few days as high pressure builds in and the trough in the jet stream moves over us. Overall I think we will see some damage on sensitive plants in areas but at this point it appears we have another week of growing season left.

Cover Crops Growing Well!

The cover crop plots around the county are growing well. It has been amazing with these warm afternoons how much growth some of these species have put on. With a ten day forecast showing warmer temperatures and no sign of frost it will be interesting to see what kind of growth we get out of our later plantings. Their will be a cover crop walk on Friday October 23rd from 10-noon for any interested.

Up and running

Just about a week after planting the rye/radish mixture is getting to the point you can 'see' my thought process. As you will notice the rye is coming on well and the radish isn't far behind. Typically I have observed the radish to be a little slow in germination but a vigorous grower once germinated. Again the rows of radish will winter kill while the rye will remain. This should allow direct planting of corn in the early spring between the rows of rye.

A new cover crop?

As some may have noticed I have been spending less time on my blog lately. This is because I have been out planting a cover crop trial to test a new method of using cover crops. I'm planing a mixture of rye with tillage radish, which obviously has been done before, however with a slightly different twist. I have alternating double rows of rye and radish (see illustration) that will hopefully allow for corn to be directly planted into the winter killed radish rows in the spring.

So the question may be why do this? Here are a few reasons we are looking into.

We have all heard the benefits of letting cover crops grow to increase soil carbon as well as add a mulch to conserve moisture. However, this practice means you have to give up an early planting date to receive the benefit of the crop. With the alternating rows the rye can continue to grow along with the corn for a short time. Another issue we see often is residue from most cover crops holds moisture and keeps soils cool. Radish leaves little to no residue by spring so the strip they are in should heat up and dry out a little quicker. Lastly pests are often an issue in fields where we have had cover crops. This is the area that this will either perform as desired or be a disaster. Hopefully the corn will grow with little residue immediately around it so slugs will not be an issue. Additionally some observations from last year have made me think that we may be able to get the pests to feed on something other then the corn by having a living crop in the field with the corn.

Some of this may be a stretch but we feel it is worth looking into. I will have more on how this is going in the near future.

Cover Crop Time

So here we are with August gone and September under way. Silage harvest is in full swing, finally, and hopefully you are finding the yields you expected for this above average year. As those silage fields get finished off keep in mind this is a great time to plant cover crops. Even for your fields that have little to no slope or are not in close proximity to water cover cropping is an excellent practice. Cover crops not only protect your soil from erosion from water and wind they also help to enhance the soil carbon and add to soil structure through root growth. We also see a better over wintering of mycorrhiza when a similar species is planted as a cover crop (for instance corn to rye to corn is all a grass). The benefits to cover crops are numerous, however try to best fit the cover crop with your rotation. Here are some examples.

For those fields that are bare now and may be some of your last plantings in the spring you may consider utilizing a legume like crimson clover. This can give you some 'free' nitrogen while helping to retain soil over the winter. Crimson clover, like most legumes, need a long growing time to get the most out of the plant, as far as nitrogen production. Don't plant legumes where you are going to want to get a quick start to the planting season.

For those fields that may get a winter or early spring application of manure you should look to utilize a winter small grain. Rye seems to have the best root structure to hold our heavy equipment and grows well over winter. This would also be a good match for those fields you will want to get into earlier in the spring.

Just a reminder we have a cover crop plot here in the county and I'll be holding a fall and a spring walk where we will look at different species and discuss where they may fit. As always feel free to call in with any specific question you have about cover crop selection or benefits and drawbacks of specific species. Have a great weekend!

Cover Crop Plot Planted in Franklin County

Today we planted the cover crop plot in Franklin County. This year we have 19 species and mixtures in the plot. It will be interesting to see how each performs. The plants include grasses, legumes and some non leguminous forbs. I will be keeping you up to date on the growth as well as winter hardiness of each species. I will also hold two field days at the plot, one this fall and one in the spring. Until then you can feel free to stop by the plot and see what is happening. It is located on Walker Rd. just east of Chambersburg. I want to say a special thanks to Ron Hoover of Penn State for helping establish the plot and Stanley Burkholder for the use of the land.