Q: What are the benefits of cover crops?
A: Cover crops can improve:
soil health
hard pan breakup
nitrogen fixation
water infiltration
organic matter content
erosion control
weed suppression
crop diversity
provide an additional grazing opportunity
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Q: Won't cover crops steal moisture from my field?
A: What benefit is rainfall when it cannot move down into the soil profile? Compaction and plow-pans "steal" just as much of our precious moisture. Including brassicas into a simple, water efficient cover crop mix can greatly increase soil structure and water infiltration.
Q:
Which species are right for me?
A:
Determining the type of species to include in your cover crops begins with well-defined goals.
1. Nutrient recycling
2. Nitrogen Fixation
3. Improve Soil Structure / Water Infiltration
4. Weed Suppression
5. Grazing/Hay
Knowing and understanding your specific needs and goals is crucial to formulating a cover crop mix that will benefit your operation.
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Legumes
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Build Soil Structure Increase Organic Matter Grazing/Hay Weed Suppression Mulch Cover |
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Nutrient Recycling Highly Palatable Weed Suppression Reduce Compaction Infiltration Improvement Reduce Nematode Pop. |
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Warm Season Mix vs Cool Season Mix
| Plant when soil temperature is 65+°F Suggested planting rate: 34 lbs/acre 25# Cowpeas 5# Grazex III Sorghum/Sudangrass 2# Tillage Radish 1# Forage Turnip 1# Forage Rape Alternative Species: German R Millet, Sunflowers, Sunn Hemp |
. | . | . | . | Fall Cropper T Mix Plant August 1-15 for Optimum Biomass Triticale frequently overwinters to provide Spring grazing Suggested planting rate: 67 lbs/acre 40# Triticale 3# Grazex III Sorghum/Sudangrass 20# Forage Peas 2# Grazing Radish 1# Forage Turnip 1# Forage Rape Alternative Species: Austrian Winter Peas, Oats, Barley, Rye, Vetch |
Contact us to develop your next cover crop mix today!
Call 620-398-2231 or email
sales@sharpseed.com to get started!
