Cover Crops: Why We Do Not Use Them
Back in February I wrote a post explaining How Farmers are Working to Protect the Soil. That article touched on the practice of no-till farming, a practice that we use on our own farm. But there are many other practices that farmers are using to protect the soil. Since the USDA is celebrating 2015 as the Year of the Soils, I thought that I would touch on several soil conservation practices used by farmers throughout the year.
One practice that comes up frequently at local watershed meetings is the topic of Cover Crops. A cover crop is a crop that is planted for the main purpose of reducing soil erosion. When land is flat and open, the wind can damage the soil and blow the nutrient rich topsoil away with no coverage, and in hilly wet area, water can do the same damage. To better explain, a cover crop would be a crop such as wheat, rye, barley, legumes, peas, radishes, or even a mixture of seed that would be planted after the harvest of the row crop, such as corn or soybeans. This crop would grow and hold the soil in place through the winter when there typically would be no crop on the field. This crop would then be tilled under or sprayed down come spring when the row crops need to be planted.
Planting a cover crop benefits the soil and environment in many ways. Not only does the crop decrease soil erosion, it also increases the fertility, replenishing key nutrients that row crops could deplete over time, and increasing organic matter in the soil. Cover crops can also reduce water drainage from a field, and can help with weed control.
Planting a cover crop does have its benefits, however it is not a practice that we use on our farm. If we were to plant a cover crop, the expense and time would out weigh its advantages to us. A cover crop for us would mean purchasing more seed, time and money to plant the crop and also till it under or spray it down in the spring. We would have a minimum of two more trips across each field, more fuel and twice as much wear-and-tear on the machinery. Tilling under a cover crop in the spring would also mean that we would loose all of the benefits of no-till farming our land as I talked about in my previous post.
Another BIG factor that we have to consider when deciding on planting cover crops is the weather where we live, and our climate. For example, this past fall, we were hit with a early snow storm, dumping inches of snow on crops that had not yet been harvested. Many farmers in our area were combining their crops out of the snow. The weather sometimes does not give us the option to plant a cover crop, and does the covering for us.
As farmers we do care about our environment and how farming affects the world around us. We know that if you do not take care of the land, it will not return the favor, and that is why farmers are always looking for ways to improve their farms and farming practices. We spend a lot of time weighing out the pros and cons and deciding what is best for both our farm and the environment around us. Some practices may work great for a farmer in North Dakota or even Texas, but may not be practical for our farm in Wisconsin. Farming is certainly not black and white, and we as farmers, and you as consumers need to trust that we are doing the best for the environment in which we live.
Here are a few links to some more in-depth information about Cover Crops:
