Plant Cover Crops https://plantcovercrops.com Learning about the benefits of planting cover crops. Mon, 30 Jun 2025 11:26:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://plantcovercrops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cropped-IMG_2903-scaled-1-32x32.jpg Plant Cover Crops https://plantcovercrops.com 32 32 Avoid Fallow Period with Cover Crops https://plantcovercrops.com/avoid-fallow-period-with-cover-crops/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=avoid-fallow-period-with-cover-crops Mon, 30 Jun 2025 11:13:36 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=5608 Are there fields that you were unable to plant by the last insurable planting date? Considering allowing the field to go fallow this year? Crops planted after a fallow period often struggle to yield, an effect referred to as “Fallow Syndrome.” The problem is the result of breaking critical relationships between plants, microorganisms, and nutrient […]

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]]> Hooyman Spreader Test https://plantcovercrops.com/hooyman-spreader-test/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hooyman-spreader-test Mon, 17 Mar 2025 20:57:01 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=5595 I tried out the new Hooyman 24V electric chest spreader yesterday frost seeding Gallant Red Clover into a Stamina White Clover/ Jumbo Ladino Clover mix at the MWZ plots. I spread about 2 acres of narrow (15ft) paths with the chest spreader and 5 acres of large plots using the 125 lb Vehicle Spreader on […]

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]]> Deer Plot Seed Research https://plantcovercrops.com/deer-plot-seed-research/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=deer-plot-seed-research Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:47:05 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=5530 Midwestern Wildlife Zone – The Beginning A little over 10 years ago, CISCO Seeds started the Midwestern Wildlife Zone line of products with a couple of mixes. Since then, we’ve kept adding until we reached our current 10 mixes. All we had at our disposal were some on-farm and food plot testimonials, so we determined […]

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]]> Forage Blend for Soil Cover and High Tonnage https://plantcovercrops.com/forage-blend-for-soil-cover-and-high-tonnage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=forage-blend-for-soil-cover-and-high-tonnage Fri, 10 Jan 2025 19:53:27 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=5519 One of the many great things about cover crops is that they not only cover and build the soil, they can also be used to feed livestock. That’s an outstanding two-for-one benefit. Our team received this question from a dealer looking for a dairy forage blend for one of his customers to seed once spring […]

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]]> My Favorite Cover Crop After Wheat https://plantcovercrops.com/my-favorite-cover-crop-after-wheat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-favorite-cover-crop-after-wheat Fri, 06 Dec 2024 18:34:14 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=4603 I’m often asked what my favorite cover crop is after wheat and why. That’s a hard question because there is sufficient growing season after wheat to grow just about anything in the book! Planting cover crops after wheat is a big opportunity to improve the soil, protect it from erosion, grow organic matter and natural […]

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]]> Cover Crops vs. Soybean Cyst Nematode https://plantcovercrops.com/cover-crops-vs-soybean-cyst-nematode/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cover-crops-vs-soybean-cyst-nematode Sat, 23 Nov 2024 13:51:59 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=5200 Soybean Cyst Nematode is the number one pest of soybeans across the US causing more yield loss than the next five diseases combined.

Studies have shown that cover crops such as red clover, sunn hemp, crimson clover, cereal rye, oats, daikon radish, or ryegrass reduce the number of eggs in the soil and/or reduce the number of female SCN on soybeans in the following season.

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]]> Virtual Cover Crop Tour – Spring 2024 https://plantcovercrops.com/virtual-cover-crop-tour-spring-2024/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=virtual-cover-crop-tour-spring-2024 Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:43:04 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=4622 Opinion Alert - From here on the lines between accepted agronomic best practices and the flavor of crazy that I prefer get blurry. Farming is an art as well as a science, so keep an open mind.

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]]> Calibrating Seeder for Multi-Species Cover Crop Mix https://plantcovercrops.com/calibrating-seeder-for-multi-species-cover-crop-mix/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=calibrating-seeder-for-multi-species-cover-crop-mix Fri, 28 Oct 2022 18:31:15 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=4589 Calibrating your seeder for a multi-species cover crop mix can be tricky business. In this video, Dustin Johnson shows how he's set up his system for success.

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]]> Late Planted Cover Crop Evaluation https://plantcovercrops.com/late-planted-cover-crop-evaluation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=late-planted-cover-crop-evaluation Thu, 23 Dec 2021 23:04:02 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=4577  I toured my fields on Friday, December 17, to document the results of cover crops planted in rather desperate conditions back in the fall. The purpose of the video is to show that even late, poorly planted cover crops are doing some good if one takes the time to look at ground level. My […]

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]]> Buckwheat as Nurse Crop for Clover https://plantcovercrops.com/buckwheat-nurse-crop-for-clover/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=buckwheat-nurse-crop-for-clover Mon, 08 Nov 2021 18:45:48 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=4565   If I were to make a list of underutilized crops in American agriculture, buckwheat would be near the top. Buckwheat is a short-season broadleaf grain crop that is very easy to grow and can thrive in hot and dry conditions. As a cover crop, it is renowned for its ability to mineralize phosphorus from […]

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]]> Benefits of a Pure Stand of Cover Crop Red Clover https://plantcovercrops.com/benefits-of-a-pure-stand-of-cover-crop-red-clover/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=benefits-of-a-pure-stand-of-cover-crop-red-clover Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:54:17 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=4519 This was my first experience growing a pure stand of red clover. The main goal for the stand was nitrogen fixation for next year’s organic corn crop.

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]]> An Excellent Cover Crop Mix Ahead of Corn https://plantcovercrops.com/excellent-cover-crop-before-corn/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=excellent-cover-crop-before-corn Tue, 03 Nov 2020 13:13:13 +0000 https://plantcovercrops.com/?p=4503 Planting corn next spring? Choose the right cover crop in the fall to give your crop the maximum opportunity for high yields.

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