For unseeded fields, the key benefits of cover crops are weed suppression, soil protection from sun and rain, and building organic matter. They can also be source of forage and bedding. When selecting a cover crop consider the cropping system needs, herbicide or fertilizer previously applied and resources that are readily available. For example, carrying […]
This article discusses cereal rye cover crop management in the spring prior to planting soybeans. For the most up-to-date information on this project, click below: Organic no-till soybean production: making it work in Ontario When should I spray my cereal rye cover crop before soybeans? Achieving sufficient biomass from cover crops is essential to reaping […]
Feature Image Photo Credit: Doug Rogers. We all know about the many benefits that cover crops can provide, from erosion control to forage production and overall increased soil health. But there are limited opportunities to establish cover crops in typical Ontario field crop rotations. There is simply not enough time, temperature, or sunlight to get […]
Go here for the updated version of this article. Cereal rye 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 also competes with weeds, as Mike Cowbrough has written here (see Figure 1). […]
With fall now officially here, thoughts are turning to harvest. And with each acre harvested, there is potential for a cover crop to be seeded. At this point in the season, the main cover crop option left is cereal rye. Not to be confused with annual ryegrass, rye is a cereal that is competitive, winter […]
Red Clover is known to have many benefits in crop rotations both for soil health and fixing nitrogen for the following crop. Long-term rotation trials by Drs. Hooker and Deen, University of Guelph, have shown significantly improved yields to both the corn and soybean crop from the inclusion of wheat in rotation and the added […]
Cover crops are well proven to help reduce soil erosion and improve soil structure. They can also have nutrient benefits. Whether you have been growing cover crops for decades or are just getting started, it is helpful to know what specific cover crops can (and cannot) do from a soil fertility standpoint. There are three […]
Hosted by OMAFRA & Ridgetown Campus – University of Guelph Wednesday September 14th, 2016 Gosnell Line and Ridgetown Campus • No cost • No preregistration required Join the plot tour either in the afternoon or evening Join us to celebrate and examine what has been learned from, 9 years of Continuous Cover Crop in Rotation […]
by: Dr. Darren Robinson (University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus) and Mike Cowbrough (OMAFRA) There is interest in inter-seeding annual ryegrass and clover into corn (Figure 1). Research studies have been done in the United States and Canada to determine the tolerance of cover crops to various soil applied corn herbicides. This article provides an overview […]
Co-authored by Anne Verhallen, Soil Management Specialist, OMAFRA After a wet spring and a number of heavy rains there are fields with drowned crop or in some cases fields that have not been planted. Rather than let the weeds grow this offers an opportunity for soil improvement with cover crops. Wet holes or depressional areas […]
There are many opportunities to include cover crops in the rotation. The goal is to keep the soil covered with at least 30% crop, cover crop or residue, 100% of the time. A second goal is to have living roots in the soil as much as possible. Research at University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus has […]
What is the best cover crop species to use following wheat and other crops harvested in late summer? Cover crops can help improve soil structure, protect the soil from erosion, feed soil life, suppress weeds, cycle nutrients, provide feed for livestock and much more. Cover crops are not a magic solution for your soil problems, but when […]
Red Clover underseeded in spring wheat paid up to an extra $100 an acre in Grain Corn! A four year study at the Winchester Research Farm started in 2009 was initiated to look at the effect of underseeding red clover in spring wheat at different growth stages and its impact on spring wheat yield and the […]
A beautiful stand of red clover can provide as much as 75 kg of nitrogen per hectare (when at 40 cm tall) for next years corn crop. However, if the clover crop is not “killed off” in the fall, then preparing a suitable seedbed to plant next years crop in is often significantly delayed resulting […]
