Local producers are adapting strategies to benefit from cover crops in our region and on their farms. Marc Bercier, Warren Schneckenburger, Mike Schouten & Matt Taylor

1. Cover Crop Realists
Michael Schouten

2. Indroduction
• Farming with my father and two brothers
• Milking 480 Cows
• Cropping 2800 acres
• Strip-till 95% acres for 6 years
• Experimenting with cover crops for 5 years

3. Cover Crops In Our Operation
• Use of cover crops was triggered by our change to strip-till
• Started with spinning on annual ryegrass inter-seeded into Corn on
manure acres only
• Moved to boom spreader along with multi species blends.
• Goal is to have all corn acres with inter-seeded cover crop
• Still working on soybeans

4. Cover crops Used
• Annual Ryegrass (10,12, and 15 lbs/acre)
• 50/50 Annual Ryegrass/Tillage Radish (10 lbs/ acre)
• 70/20/10 Ryegrass/Crimson Clover/Radish (12-15 lbs/acre)
• 45/55 Crimson Clover/Radish (12 lbs/acre)
• 60/20/20 Oats/Radish/clover (15-20 lbs/acre)
• Goal being to spend 15-20 dollars per acre

5. Inter-seeding
• Boom spreader to get accurate spread pattern
• Goal is to go at V6-V8 corn
• Inject cover crop into air stream while side dressing N

6. July 19th 2015, 15 lbs annual ryegrass

7. December 10th 2015, 15lbs annual
ryegrass

8. August 26th 2016, 20 lbs 60/20/20 Oats,
Radish, Clover

9. August 20th 2017, 12lbs
70/20/10 Ryegrass,
Clover, Radish

10. June 28th 2017

12. September
26th 2017

13. 12 lbs 45/55 Clover/Radish Into Soybeans,
November 3rd 2017

14. Questions?