News

Putting pencil to paper on cover crops

An extension educator recommends putting pencil to paper when making cover crop decisions for 2019.

Liz Stahl with the University of Minnesota says with another year of tight margins on the horizon, farmers should do their best to figure out the value of soil health.

“And there are a lot of people who are working on trying to put that dollar amount to soil fertility and productivity because you may not see that make a return in one year, and you’ve got to look at that long-term.”

For cover crops, she tells Brownfield there are a few key factors to consider.

“What mix do you want to put out there? What has the highest chance of having a good take? What is the research showing us right now? Do we need to have this multi-species mix with 10 different types of cover crops in there, or should we go with the standard that performs well that we know is going to have a good take and isn’t that expensive?”

Stahl says seeding rates and termination practices also contribute to the overall cost of cover crops.