Cover Crop Seed Innovation - La Crosse Seed - Reed

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CONNECTING COVER CROPS TO NEW GROWERS

Patrick Reed, National Sales Director

La Crosse Seed

SUCCESS… FROM THE GROUND UP

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La Crosse Seed

• La Crosse Seed has been distributing forage, turf, and cover crop seed, since 1947. We cover a large geography that forces us to respond to a wide variety of customer needs and challenges

• We work primarily with ag retailers and input suppliers• Training them to become cover crop “experts” is a focus

• That channel forces us to offer not only products that meet specific characteristics, but also it enables us to provide agronomic solutions that will work in the various cropping systems farmers are utilizing today


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COVER CROPS – Where Do I Get Information?

• Be careful; there is a great deal of information out there on cover crops! Some of it is agronomically sound, where some is not

• New information is coming out every day

• Rely on people that have the best interests of your farm in mind for information

• Look to proven and established cover crop providers for the most recent and accurate information

• As you venture into cover cropping, keep it simple!

• Always make sure that the information you utilize is a good fit for your farm


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COVER CROPS – Current Status

• Increased awareness in nutrient management & water quality


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• Cost share $$ continue to be driver for 1st time use

• Government involvement; crop insurance ties


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• Greater access to cover crop seed & information


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• Greater access to cover crop seed & information

• Cover crop use driven more by time than anything else

• Still need to PLAN!


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For the Farmer….

COVER CROPS – Yet another decision?• It’s not adding another input, it’s changing the cropping system

• Different than other inputs that are “added to the existing rotation”

• Like fungicides, inoculants, etc.

• Benefit is only 1 or 2 years

• Cover Crops provide benefits now & in following years


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For the Farmer….

3 Important Questions Farmers Need to Ask• What is my goal and/or what am I trying to accomplish?

• Can I plant something given my current cropping system (and when is my current planting window)?

• Am I willing to make the changes necessary (a real COMMITMENT) in order to succeed?


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Your Message For the Farmer….

• Systems Approach is best…… Plan Early

•Be upfront about the expectations and the risks

•But….getting seed planted TIMELY can still be a real challenge


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FROM 2014 SARE STUDY….

• Time/Labor required is challenge #1• Over 1900 farmers surveyed


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To Summarize….

KEY MESSAGE- PLAN AHEAD!• Procure Seed

• Allocate Labor

• Get Equipment Ready

• Make Contingency Plans

• Plan even earlier next year

• Crop Rotations

• Herbicides Rotations

• Consider Hybrid & Variety Maturities


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Coverage & Focus

• Covering a large geography such as the Midwest presents a wide array of challenges and varied farming practices

• These challenges require constant change and innovation to make cover crops successful• Products

• Timing

• Management


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GRASSES

• Examples: annual ryegrass, small grains

• Provide the longest residue cover

• Improve snow catch

• Reduce wind erosion

• Add organic matter above the soil (forage and other benefits)

• Add organic matter below the soil (fibrous roots build soil stability near the surface)

• Ideal for weed suppression

• Capture excess nutrients left from cash crop systems


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DIFFERENCES in Annual Ryegrass

• Over 200 varieties of ryegrass available to the market

• Major differences between varieties of ARG• Winter-hardiness

• Root mass & penetration into soil

• Feed value

• Ease of spring control

• Look at seed tag & purity!

• Blends might be questionable

3 different varieties w/different maturities


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Cleanliness & Quality Seed

• Evolution of small seed industry has lead to several channels of seed distribution

• New opportunities for the industry = potential shortcuts• Species Blending

• Variety Grouping

• Seed Coatings

• Inoculants

• For every transaction done in good faith with good standards in place, there’s a horror story

• Look for more updates to the seed trade industry to clean up these potential disasters


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GUARDIAN FALL RYE

• Screened for purity & cleanliness• Weed free

• Sclerotinia free

• Excellent germination & early season vigor (allows for later fall seedings)

• Strong winter-hardiness

• Differentiated by La Crosse to fit cover crop-specific systems• Prevents soil erosion

• Ability to serve as emergency forage

• Builds organic soil matter

• Aids in weed suppression

• Captures residual nitrogen


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BROADLEAVES

• Examples: radish, turnips, and other brassicas, clovers, other legumes,

• Deeper tap roots penetrate and open up tight soils, improving infiltration

• Break up compaction

• Scavenge/Sequester nutrients

• Shade out winter annuals

• Produces massive amounts of bio-mass

• Low C/N ratio = Rapid decay in spring

• Improves water and air filtration deep in the soil


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Tillage Radish Image Radish


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Coverage & Focus



• Timing

• Management


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The calendar & climate plays a

huge role!


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Coverage & Focus



• Timing

• Management


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Management Considerations

Inoculants – so much misinformation• What do I use?

• When do I apply it?

• Does it make a difference and will it help?


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Management Considerations

Herbicide Interactions• Planting cover crops in the fall requires producers to keep in mind the

‘rotational restriction’ of the herbicides that were applied in the previous crop.• Most herbicide labels do not list the species used for cover crops (like radish or

cereal rye) and thus fall under the “OTHER CROPS” section on the label.• Still a lot to learn in identifying the appropriate rotational restrictions for many

popular cover crops used today and commonly used corn and soybean herbicides.

FROM WISCONSIN:

http://wcws.cals.wisc.edu/new-fact-sheet-herbicide-rotation-restrictions-in-forage-and-cover-cropping-systems/

FROM PURDUE, PENN STATE, & MISSOURI TOO

Still a big piece of the

puzzle

http://wcws.cals.wisc.edu/new-fact-sheet-herbicide-rotation-restrictions-in-forage-and-cover-cropping-systems/


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DATA & RESEARCH

• Industry still needs more data• It’s coming, but still regionalized• Good information is out there but overridden by anecdotal wins & losses

• What is La Crosse Seed doing?• Partnering with SWCS, Soil Health Partnership, ISA On-Farm Network, and

always looking for more where it makes sense• Teaming up with large ag, providing them seed, seeding recommendations,

and termination instruction for numerous plots across the Midwest• Semi-replicated NFI plots in the Midwest• Numerous trials across many farms looking at how various cover crops

germinate, overwinter, and react to termination treatments• ASTA Working Group (Cover Crops / Pollinators)


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WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON

• Smart Phone App• Identify products and management practices

• Cover crop management guides

• Monthly cover crop e-newsletter “The Dirt”

• Working with different seed coatings and growth promoters• Can we speed up germination in the fall?• Can we improve ballistics and seed-to-soil contact?

• More, more, and more management info• From Montana to Pennsylvania, guys need more help• New technologies lead to more questions• At the end of the day…. “What does it do & can I make it work on my farm”


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THANK YOU!La Crosse Seed

[email protected]

Cover Crop Seed Innovation - La Crosse Seed - Reed

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