6 minute read
Investing in the Land
Investing in the Land
Cover crops lead to better soil and water
By Joseph Hopper
The end of fall harvest doesn’t always mean an end to growing crops in Iowa farm fields. There are crops seeded right after harvest or even later, which are typically grown until right before spring planting. These are called cover crops. Unlike cash crops, such as soybeans and corn, cover crops are grown for their significant benefits to the land and water.
“We plant cover crops to have something growing year-round that holds the soil and nutrients in place,” says Cassie Cannon, who farms with her husband near Prairie City. “On an empty field without cover crops, the soil will shift when it rains and the wind blows. Over time, the soil will leave that field.”
Why Farmers Plant Cover Crops
What do a Swiss Army Knife, a blanket and clothing have in common? They are all analogies used to explain what cover crops can do for the soil. There is a vast array of different cover crops farmers can select.
“Water quality is probably our number one benefit from cover crops,” says Chuck White, who farms near Spencer. “Cover crops sequester nutrients, especially nitrogen, and keep that nitrogen from moving through the soil and into streams and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. We don’t want to lose nitrogen because it’s vital for crops like corn and soybeans.”
Cover crops can make a big difference in combating two challenges farmers face each year: weeds and pests.
Rye, wheat, barley and oats are known as nutrient scavengers, holding onto the essential nutrients farmers need when it's time to grow next year's primary crop.
Cover Crops provide measurable benefits including supporting water filtration, soil aeration, sequestering carbon and supporting livestock grazing crops.
"I always stress that soil is soil; it's not dirt. Dirt is something that gets on your boots, and you scrape off. Soil is a healthy, living part of our world. An increased number of organisms within the soil improves soil health. Soil health is essential for every good crop." - Chuck White
Making Soils Sponge-Like
Cannon explains how she teaches the benefits of cover crops to young schoolchildren, using a brick, a sponge and a little bit of water.
“The brick is hard, like soil that has been worked and compacted year after year,” Cannon says. “The sponge acts like soil with root holes and wormholes. When you pour water on a brick and sponge, the water rolls off the brick – that’s similar to how water and soil can move off a field during a heavy rain. The sponge absorbs most of the water, keeping the soil in place and holding the moisture for when the crops need it. We’re trying to get our soils more sponge-like.”
“I’m happy we plant cover crops, and I appreciate anybody willing to do their part for conservation, whether it’s building terraces, adding prairie strips or planting cover crops. All these things help to keep the soil and nutrients in place.” - Cassie Cannon
How Farmers Plant Cover Crops
Although cover crops provide great benefits, adopting them in a farming operation can pose challenges. Cover crop seeds can be planted by aerial application – with an airplane or unmanned aerial vehicle – but rainfall is necessary after planting to germinate. Seeds can also be planted more traditionally by a planter or drill but often require farmers to adjust existing equipment and purchase or build new equipment to get the job done.
“It’s taken a lot of trial and error and experimentation,” Cannon says. “We are currently using a rolling harrow, which scatters the seed in a special row. The rolling harrow then comes and picks up the debris from harvest and covers the seed with the debris. Over the past decade, we’ve had to invest in something different to see what works better.”
To implement cover crops, they must be planted in the middle of a very busy harvest season. It takes extra labor, more fuel, different equipment and purchasing seed, plus doing these extra things before the ground freezes. There are a lot of incentives for cover crops, but it also takes another commodity – time.
Although cover crops provide great benefits, adopting them in a farming operation can pose challenges.
Cover crop seeds can be planted by aerial application – with an airplane or unmanned aerial vehicle – but rainfall is necessary after planting to germinate.
“It’s like college; to apply for a scholarship, you must fit into specific parameters and a timeline,” Cannon explains. “The same is true with cover crops. There have been many years where we’re planting at midnight, trying to get them in by a certain date so we can qualify for incentives to offset the extra costs for planting. In addition, there is a lot of data to measure, including water quality and the soil composition.”
Continuing to Grow
Incorporating cover crops onto the farm is becoming more accessible each year with new research, information and assistance, thanks in part to the work of pioneering early adopters like White and Cannon. The total number of Iowa acres with cover crops is growing, and both farmers say it’s a reason to be optimistic.
“I’m happy we plant cover crops, and I appreciate anybody willing to do their part for conservation, whether it’s building terraces, adding prairie strips or planting cover crops. All these things help to keep the soil and nutrients in place,” Cannon says. “I want the same soil to be here when my sons are farming this land, and one day, when my grandkids farm it.”
White adds, “As a farmer, I believe that we need to continually work to improve our soils and leave them better for the future farmers of America and American consumers.”
Key Cooperative adds equipment
Agriculture cooperatives have a long history of using their member-pooled resources to purchase specialized equipment to keep farmers profitable while achieving environmental stewardship goals. Key Cooperative’s newest purchase is a Crustbuster 4740 Drill, which allows them to offer custom cover crop planting for farmers.
“More of our member growers and owners are asking for this service,” says Brent Deppe, Key Cooperative agronomy manager. “As cover crops continue to gain popularity because of the soil benefits, we want to provide this offering as a full-service retail ag co-op.”
Deppe says his team did a fair amount of research to select the equipment and a few special technologies to ensure the best service. Since introducing the service in the fall, he says it’s been a great experience.
