Make Cover Crops & Manure Pay: coach farmers to success Sarah Carlson Practical Farmers of Iowa Strategic Initiatives Director [email protected] 515-232-5661
Make Cover Crops & Manure Pay: coach farmers to success
Sarah CarlsonPractical Farmers of Iowa
Strategic Initiatives [email protected]
515-232-5661
ALL TOO COMMON….
WHO IS
PRACTICAL FARMERS
OF IOWA?
Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and
communities.
Member-led, non-profit organization~3,400 members
Outputs•51 farmers conducted•71 projects
Farmer-Led Research
Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
Farmer-Led
Learning
Outputs•54 PFI farmer members and staff•99 learning opportunities •6980 attendance
Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
Barriers
to reaching
goals
WHY ARE
COVER CROPS A MUST?
Soil Nitrate Production vs. Crop Nitrate Uptake
In the shaded areas, the soil produces nitrate, but there is no crop to use it.
As a result, some nitrate is lost to waterways.
March February
Rate of soil nitrate production from native soil organic matter
Rate of corn or soybean nitrate uptakeThe majority of nitrate used by corn and soybean comes from soil nitrate production. Corn gets the difference from fertilizer while soybean gets the difference from legume fixation of atmospheric nitrogen.
Regional Research Projects (*SI)
488,626 A
591,880A
794,724ARecent Projects•Mapping Cover Crops ‘15 – ’16•Economics of Cover Crops•ASA Cover Crops for CCAs
Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
Land OwnershipCover Crop Adoption
Rye cover crop spring 2013(?)Van Horne
High disturbance vs.Low disturbance
COACH COVER CROP
RECOMMENDATIONS
TO SUCCESS
1.Control Seed Costs2.Control Herbicide Costs3.Avoid Cover Crop Establishment Failures4.Avoid Redundant Expenses5.Avoid Corn Yield Drag6.Realize Soybean Yield Gains7.Feed Cover Crops
Make Cover Crops Pay
Oats: $8/AMix: $32/A Mix: $14.25/A
Rye: $10/A
1. Control Seed Costs
• 49 cover crop entries• 10-16 locations• 5 years
GRASS:Cereal Rye
BRASSICAS:Rapeseed
LEGUMES:Hairy Vetch
Cover Crop Variety Trial
2. Control Herbicide Costs
Early~10 days prior to planting soybeans
Latewithin 1 day of planting soybeans
$30+$10+
Early termination $/ac Late termination $/ac
Glyphosate (40 oz/ac) 5.16 Glyphosate (32 oz/ac) 4.13
Class Act adjuvant 3.76 Class Act 3.76
Application 7.35 Application 7.35
Glyphosate (32 oz/ac) 4.13 Flexstar GT (3.5 pt/ac) 13.76
Class Act 3.76 AMS 0.60
Application 7.35 Destiny 0.80
Flexstar GT (3.5 pt/ac) 13.76 Application 7.35
AMS 0.60
Destiny adjuvant 0.80
Application 7.35
Mech. cultivation 13.50
TOTAL 67.52 TOTAL 37.75
Diff. = $29.77
Herbicide carryover into fall• Cereal rye only affected by 2x Dual II Magnum (Halex GT
anecdotally)
• Vetch, lentil, and radish affected by:
– Balance Flexx, Corvus, & Hornet
• Atrazine, Callisto, & Laudis caused no injury
3.Avoid Cover Crop Failure
Armstrong, et al., Illinois State University
4.Avoid Redundant Expenses
• Fall+cc -70% fall DAP & anhydrous + 30% sidedressanhydrous
• Fall-70% fall DAP & anhydrous + 30% sidedress anhydrous• Spring + cc-20% fall DAP + 80% anhydrous• Spring-20% fall DAP + 80% anhydrous• Zero control: no N & no cc
5.Avoid Corn Yield Drag
12 participating farmers from 2008 – 2017 (5 remaining)
Corn yields, Cover vs. No cover
-50
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
bush
els
per a
cre
Yield advantage
Yield drag*
*+
*
*
*
* P ≤ 0.05+ P < 0.10
Camelina showed no increased Pythium incidence
Cover crop terminated
May 3
Cover crop terminated
Apr. 17
QUESTION: When should I terminate cereal rye cover crop before planting soybeans?
CC herbicide terminated 21 & 3 days before planting 5/8/2017
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
Corn Soybean Soybean
Sloan Sieren
poun
ds p
er a
cre
Farm and Previous Crop
Cover crop biomass Apr. 17 termination
May 5 termination
6.Realize Soybean Yield Gain
7.Feed Cover Crops
Cover Crop Decision Tree
If we want to turn this….into this
1.Control Seed Costs2.Control Herbicide Costs3.Avoid Cover Crop Establishment Failures4.Avoid Redundant Expenses5.Avoid Corn Yield Drag6.Realize Soybean Yield Gains7.Feed Cover Crops
Make Cover Crops Pay
Sarah CarlsonPractical Farmers of Iowa
Strategic Initiatives [email protected] 515-232-5661
Take home messages
WHO is Practical Farmers of Iowa?
WHY are cover crops a must?
IMPROVE Cover Crops Recommendations
Sarah CarlsonPractical Farmers of Iowa
Strategic Initiatives Director
[email protected] 515-232-5661
“$30-$35/A cover crop cost
protects a $5000-$10,000/A
asset”
Iowa farmer new to cover crops
QUESTION: How does a cereal rye cover crop
affect corn and soybean yields?
First strips established in Fall 2008 at six
commercial farms.
Corn yields, Cover vs. No Cover
*
*
-25-20-15-10-505
10152025
Holstein Jefferson Plainfield WestChester
NewMarket
CoonRapids
Jefferson
2015 2016 2017
bush
els
per a
cre
Yield advantage
Yield drag
* P ≤ 0.05
Cover crop terminated
May 3
Cover crop terminated
Apr. 17
QUESTION: When should I terminate cereal rye cover crop before planting soybeans?
Corn-on-Corn Corn following Soybean
Low High Low High
76#N FallManure
76#N FallManure
15#N Before Planting
15#N Before Planting
35#N @ planting
35#N @ planting
35#N @ planting
35#N @ planting
70#N @ side-dress
90#N @ side-dress
100#N @ side-dress
120#N @ side-dress
181#N Total 201#N Total 150#N Total 170#N Total
Early vs. Late Killed Cereal Rye & Nitrogen Rate Effect on Corn
CC herbicide terminated 21 & 3 days before planting 5/8/2017Cover Crop:15 W. Barley, 50 W. Wheat; 20 Oats; 5 Rapeseed
Cover Crop:20 W. Barley, 50 W. Wheat; 20 Cereal Rye
Corn-on-Corn Corn following Soybean
Low High Low High
76#N FallManure
76#N FallManure
15#N Before Planting
15#N Before Planting
35#N @ planting
35#N @ planting
35#N @ planting
35#N @ planting
70#N @ side-dress
90#N @ side-dress
100#N @ side-dress
120#N @ side-dress
181#N Total 201#N Total 150#N Total 170#N Total
Early vs. Late Killed Cereal Rye & Nitrogen Rate Effect on Corn
CC herbicide terminated 21 & 3 days before planting 5/8/2017Cover Crop:15 W. Barley, 50 W. Wheat; 20 Oats; 5 Rapeseed
Cover Crop:20 W. Barley, 50 W. Wheat; 20 Cereal Rye
Early Termination (19DBP) Late Termination (1DBP)
70#N as UAN @ planting
70#N as NH3 @ strip-till
35#N UAN as herbicide carrier
70#N as NH3 @ strip-till
70#N as UAN @ side-dress
70#N as UAN @ side-dress
105#N as UAN @ side-dress
35#N UAN as herbicide carrier
35#N UAN as side-dress
140#N Total 140#N Total 140#N Total 140#N Total
Cover Crop:97#/A Cereal Rye
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
Corn Soybean Soybean
Sloan Sieren
poun
ds p
er a
cre
Farm and Previous Crop
Cover crop biomass Apr. 17 termination
May 5 termination
1.CC 21 DBP = 1000 lbs/A CC 3 DBP = 3000 lbs/A2.CC 21 DBP = 1200 lbs/A CC 3 DBP = 5000 lbs/A3.CC 21 DBP = 2000 lbs/A CC 3 DBP = 4000 lbs/A
1.
2.3.
1.
2.
3.
2.
1.
“$30-$35/A cover crop cost
protects a $5000-$10,000/A
asset”
Iowa farmer new to cover crops