Dear No-Till Farmer,
You’ve likely heard about the benefits of adding cover crops to your no-till system. But with so many species to choose from, it’s hard to know which ones will work best in your situation and why the wrong pick may bring more harm than good.
Incorporating cover crops into your no-till rotation is going to take some trial and error, but if you know your soils, climate and the goals you’d like to achieve with cover crops, you’ll have a better idea of what species will work best for your operation.
To help you determine which species is the right — or wrong — fit for your operation, we’ve compiled an eGuide download on the pros and cons of the nine most popular cover crop species — and we’ve made it absolutely FREE to get it into the hands of as many no-tillers as possible to help you make cover crops a success on your no-till farm.
Crucial information on the most popular cover crop options, compiled by the most trusted name in no-till farming.
This 28-page eGuide, valued at $11.95, details what you need to know about each cover crop species, all in one reader-friendly eGuide. It includes the specific features of each species, the advantages they offer and how to establish and terminate them. It’s the kind of eGuide you will turn to again and again as you choose and grow cover crops in your no-till operation. Keep it handy as a primer before heading into your cover-cropped fields!
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The Pluses and Minuses of Today’s Most Popular Cover Crops is a practical, actionable reference to using the most popular cover crop species and maximizing their benefits. It's simple, comprehensive and informative. In fact, this eGuide is designed to help you…
- Choose which of 9 popular cover crop species, including cereal rye, annual ryegrass, radishes and clovers, would be a perfect fit for your no-till operation
- Learn how to manage each of the 9 species, including effective establishment and termination
- Avoid common and costly mistakes that may hurt your cover crop’s success and the crops that follow after it
- Understand the features of each cover crop species and the benefits they offer
- Get started with cover crops and watch your no-till performance skyrocket.
Of course, we know farmers are some of the busiest, hardest-working people on the planet, and cover crops take added time and expense. But we also know that cover crops are an integral part of building a healthy, profitable no-till operation. Learning about cover crops and then putting them to work is critical for keeping the farm going another generation and longer. Consider this:
- Growers who use cover crops consistently see higher corn and soybean yields the following year
- Without the protection of cover crops, soil is more susceptible to erosion, which can cost growers 2.3 pounds of nitrogen and 1 pound of phosphorus alone per ton of soil loss
We know time is money. But if you did nothing more than pick one or two cover crops to learn about in this FREE eGuide, you’d be significantly ahead.
No-Till Farmer is dedicated entirely to helping no-tillers understand their options when it comes to cover crops and how to successfully integrate them into their no-till system. Our editors make it their job to know the score, and to help progressive growers improve their operations. Did you know…
10 Benefits of the Most Popular Cover Crops
Would you be surprised to know that certain cover crop species can fix up to 100 pounds of nitrogen for the following cash crop? Here are some other benefits no-tillers can gain from the most popular cover crops:
- Cereal rye produces approximately 4,000 pounds of residue per acre
- Clovers can fix significant levels of nitrogen — more than 100 pounds
- Hairy vetch’s long vines effectively smother weeds
- Radishes can increase no-till corn yields by 12 bushels and soybean yields by 8 bushels
- When interseeded into soybeans, oats can reduce rill erosion by 65%
- Cowpeas can contribute up to 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre
- Sorghum-sudangrass is capable of producing up to 5,000 pounds of biomass per acre
- Buckwheat is very effective in suppressing summer weeds
- Winter wheat can scavenge and hold phosphorus and potassium for the next crop
- Barley tillers more than oats for excellent weed suppression
To realize these benefits on your own farm, read our FREE eGuide, The Pluses and Minuses of Today’s Most Popular Cover Crops.
Management tips and strategies straight from cover crop experts
This eGuide covers all the essentials of using these popular cover crop species, as seasoned no-tillers and cover crop researchers deliver the keys for success and the costly pitfalls to avoid. The eGuide also shares what conditions and rotations a species best performs in. Keep it handy for your cover crop planning.
That’s the kind of actionable information you get throughout this FREE eGuide — presented in clear, straightforward language, with easy to follow management instructions.
But you also get more than just strategies and tips; you’ll gain insight about the specifics of each cover crop species and how they perform under certain conditions. You’ll get answers to these vital factors:
- Drought tolerance
- Whether a cover crop will winterkill or thrive under cold temperatures
- Which popular cover crop species work best together
- Biomass and root sizes
- Time of year when a species can be seeded
For every question you and your farming team consider, you’ll find the cover crops that best fit your operation, while learning how to get the most out of them.
Takeaways to develop your cover crop program — and incorporate new species
In addition to the wealth of information this in-depth eGuide delivers, it also provides actionable takeaways that you and your farm team can use today:
- Keep using annual ryegrass — the more years you grow it, the deeper its roots will go.
- The earlier you seed cereal rye, the lower the seeding rate is needed since there’s more time for tillering.
- If clover hasn’t been grown on a field in the last 2 years, inoculate the seed to improve nitrogen fixation and overall plant growth and health.
These are just some of the takeaways you’ll find by downloading this free eGuide and reviewing it with your morning coffee.
Here’s a few more...
- Hairy vetch should be seeded earlier, likely after small grains, as it doesn’t start fixing nitrogen until 3 to 4 weeks after planting.
- Most no-tillers won’t have to worry about terminating radishes as this cover crop will usually winterkill — once temperatures consistently drop to the teens — in most climates.
- Austrian winter peas and Canadian field peas are often confused and interchanged, but Austrian winter peas will not survive the winter, while Canadian field peas will with adequate snowfall.
- If applying a large amount of manure, choose a grass or oilseed radish to hold the nitrogen.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Keep some of the findings in this eGuide at the top of your mind and you’ll be ready for your next cover crop seeding.
By now I’m sure you see the value of this carefully prepared eGuide and what this knowledge can do for your no-till farm. No one who wants to be a progressive no-tiller should overlook it! And because you’ve taken the time to read this, you’re clearly a person who values how to protect, and grow, your no-till operation.
That means you’re exactly the kind of person we hope to reach with The Pluses and Minuses of Today’s Most Popular Cover Crops. The kind of “in-the-know” farmer who plans on enhancing and improving their soils and crops for years to come.
If you’re a cover crop veteran, you know how valuable eGuide like this are to expand your no-till knowledge, expose you to new ideas and encourage you to try new things in your operation. If you’re brand-new to cover crops, you’re eager for the foundation and new ideas to increase your success. Either way, what better way to move forward than from reading this comprehensive, authoritative — FREE — eGuide?
- Do you want to be one step ahead of your no-till peers?
- Are you prepared to adapt your operation for potential regulatory changes and climate variables?
- Do you know how to choose the right cover crops to get the most out of your farm?
Then download this free eGuide right now and get started. The minute you do, you start the momentum toward greater profits.
Get this eGuide for Free with a Free Account!
New members, click "Sign Up" for free account. Or, regular members click "Go In".
Yours for better no-tilling,
Laura Barrera
Managing Editor
Laura is the Managing Editor of No-Till Farmer and Conservation Tillage Guide magazines.
PS: What are the keys to growing the most popular cover crop species on your farm? Find out by downloading The Pluses and Minuses of Today’s Most Popular Cover Crops right now.
PSS: There are many options for getting started with cover crops. You can start the path of a more sustainable, profitable no-till operation by reading this free eGuide now.
What new insights did you gain from this eGuide? What jumped out at you?
Share your observations by posting a comment below.