Does it work to plant green into cover crops for corn? Five unique Ontario fields in 2023.

A planter operating in a field with tall vegetation.

Planting corn directly into a living cover crop before it is killed by herbicide or tillage is not something that would have been considered 30 years ago. However, with advances in planter technology, herbicide options, and a greater awareness of cover crop benefits to soil health, more growers are doing it. According to the 2022-2023 […]

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Achieving success with cover crops after winter wheat

field of short plants with blue sky in background

With winter wheat harvest beginning in parts of the province, cover crop seeding will be close on its heels. Adoption of cover crops has increased in Ontario over the last number of years, and for good reason – they help improve water infiltration, compete with weeds, and capture left-over nutrients. In this article, I’ll share […]

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When do cover crops, with and without manure applied, release nitrogen that can be used for my corn crop?

Cover crops can produce nitrogen. We looked at when different species release nitrogen and the impact that adding manure has on the timing and release of nitrogen. The simple answer Predicting nitrogen (N) availability from cover crops is complicated. Cold and wet conditions in the spring negativelyimpact soil microbial activity and can result in significant […]

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Fall cover crop termination vs. planting green on a clay soil: Trial results

field of young corn

This article shares the findings from a 2021 on-farm trial that compared fall cover crop termination with planting green. It was conducted near Hagersville, Ontario, as part of an Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association Tier Two project. Highlights To watch a short video with in-season footage from the trial, click below: Background Information on […]

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Making Cover Crops Pay Webinar Series

The Making Cover Crops Pay series (available on YouTube and linked below) includes three practical webinars that have discussions and presentations by technical specialists and experienced farmers. This series is presented by Soils at Guelph, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Soil Team, Grain Farmers of Ontario, and the Ontario Soil […]

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When More Isn’t Better: Thoughts from the world’s #1 management thinker on farm resilience

By Paige Kennedy (view original post on Soils at Guelph website here) “I have a view worth hearing, but I might be missing something.” This is the attitude of an innovator described by top business mind, Roger L. Martin, at the virtual Midwest Cover Crops Council Conference on February 24. Roger Martin is professor emeritus […]

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To plant green or to plant brown? Rye cover crop termination timing before soybeans (summary of 2017-2020 data)

Figure 1. Rye seeded after corn silage

Jake Munroe, Mike Cowbrough and Sebastian Belliard (OMAFRA) Cereal rye (Secale cereal) has several strengths as a cover crop option. It’s relatively inexpensive and easy to kill. Rye improves soil structure, builds organic matter and helps protect against water and wind erosion. It can suppress weeds as discussed here (see Figure 1). It’s also very […]

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