What We’ve Learned About Cover Crops in Illinois
During a visit to Eric Miller’s Piatt County, Ill., farm this past summer, a visitor from Argentina mentioned they refer to cover crops as “service crops.” Now, it’s Miller’s new favorite phrase.
“They provide all kinds of services. We’ve documented significant and consistent nitrate reductions in tile water. That’s our main focus,” says Miller, an active cover crop user since 2011, and a farmer-cooperator assisting with field-scale nutrient loss research projects since 2015. “But additional benefits observed include weed control, erosion control, increased organic material and improved water infiltration.”
Farmers should look at cover crops as more than just an additional input, says Dan Schaefer, Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association nutrient stewardship director. “Planting a cover crop in the fall can help with nutrient loss reduction, but focusing on the specific details of how to manage it and still achieve your row crop goals needs to be addressed.”
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“They provide all kinds of services. We’ve documented significant and consistent nitrate reductions in tile water. That’s our main focus,” says Miller, an active cover crop user since 2011, and a farmer-cooperator assisting with field-scale nutrient loss research projects since 2015. “But additional benefits observed include weed control, erosion control, increased organic material and improved water infiltration.”
Farmers should look at cover crops as more than just an additional input, says Dan Schaefer, Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association nutrient stewardship director. “Planting a cover crop in the fall can help with nutrient loss reduction, but focusing on the specific details of how to manage it and still achieve your row crop goals needs to be addressed.”
Click Here to read more.