Keith Berns Green Cover Seed -...

Cover Crop Species and Selection

Keith BernsGreen Cover Seed

Selection

• We are somewhat unique in our approach to selling cover crops

• 10 million pounds of cover crop seed mixed (last 3 years)

• Majority in diverse mixes (more than 5 species – with over 65 species to choose from)

• 100% custom mixed per customer order

Selection

• Farm 2500 acres in Nebraska

• 2/3 dryland 1/3 irrigated

• Corn, soybeans, cereals (rye, triticale, oats, barley), hairy vetch, chicklingvetch, spring peas, buckwheat, sunflowers

My Most Important Crop

Cover Crop Species

•Cowpeas – (Blackeye Peas)•Red Ripper•Chinese Red•Iron and Clay •Excellent heat and

drought tolerance•Excellent nitrogen fixers •Can be hayed or grazed•“Peanut” type inoculant

Legumes – Warm Season

•Mung Beans•Have been hard to find – used for sprouting•Smaller seed size than cowpeas (8-10 k/lb)

•Excellent heat and drought tolerance•Excellent nitrogen fixers •Can be hayed or grazed•“Peanut” type inoculant


•Guar (cluster bean)•Hard to find – used in food industry & industrial fracking•Smaller seed size (15,000/lb)

•Excellent heat and drought tolerance•Good nitrogen fixers •Can be grazed•MicroNOC inoculant


•Soybeans•Non-GMO•Go with at least 2 maturity groups longer than local production so they do not go reproductive

•Excellent nitrogen fixers •Can be hayed or grazed•Some rhizobia in the soil if soybeans in the rotation


•Sunn Hemp – Crotelaria Juncea•Tropical plant - Very fast growing•Expensive but smaller seed and low seeding rate•Some domestic production now – can be grazed•Needs to be managed “Peanut” inoculant


Legumes – Cool Season

•Hairy Vetch•Winter annual – best winter hardiness of any•Need to manage – hard dormant seeds (depends on variety)

•Expensive seed but smallest size for vetch•Need for more domestic production


•Common Vetch•Spring annual – grow till low teens•Very little hard dormant seed•Cheapest seed for vetch, but larger seed size


•“Lana” Woolly Pod Vetch•Spring annual – grow till single digits•Deepest rooted and fastest growing vetch•More expensive and harder to find seed


•AC Greenfix Chickling Vetch (Grass Pea)•Spring annual – grow till low teens•Developed specifically to produce nitrogen•Higher diversity of root exudates than most plants•Most upright growing vetch – more like a pea•Large seed – controlled production

Legumes – Cool Season•Lentils

•Spring annual – grow till low teens•Small seeded•More drought tolerant but not as aggressive as vetch•Good to eat also!

Legumes – Cool Season•Peas – Winter and Spring

•Winter peas – moderate overwintering ability (plant deep)

•Grow into early winter when late summer planted•Spring peas – good for N fixing, grazing, and hay•Large seed (smaller size for winter &“forage” varieties)


•Faba Beans (Fava or Bell or Broad)•Only cool season true bean•Fast growing and tremendous root system•Good for N fixing, grazing, and hay•Large seed – currently hard to find


•Desi Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans)•Better drought and heat tolerance than peas (less cold)•Excellent for human consumption•Good for N fixing, grazing, and hay•Seed size like peas– harder to find


•Crimson Clover•Most widely used cover crop clover•Fastest growing clover•Better heat tolerance than most clovers•Deep rooted• Some winter hardiness (I70 and south)


•Other Annual Clovers•Arrowleaf – cheaper and good drought tolerance•Subterranean – best growing in the shade•Berseem and Persian – Mediterranean types•Small seed – need inoculant


•Perennial Clovers•Red– best winter hardiness•White Ladino– good for grazing/pastures•Yellow Sweet Clover - biannual•Small seed – need inoculant

Grasses– Warm Season

•Sorghum X Sudan hybrid•Fast growing and excellent tonnage•BMR for better digestibility and palatability•Photoperiod sensitive for longer growth•Hay or grazing - Prussic acid concerns (esp at first frost)


•Sudan Grass•Finer stemmed – higher quality forage•Shorter than sorghum hybrids•Newer hybrids – better production•Hay or grazing - Prussic acid concerns


•Forage Sorghum•Most tonnage potential – larger stem•BMR for better digestibility and palatability•Photoperiod sensitive for longer growth•Hay, silage or grazing - Prussic acid concerns•Brachytic dwarf trait


•Millet•Small seed and fine stemmed•Pearl – hybrid, taller and longer season•German/Browntop – short season, good for hay•Proso – short season – can seed out•No prussic acid concerns

Grasses– Cool Season•Cereal Rye•King of cover crops!•Extremely deep rooted, resilient, and winter hardy•Outstanding nitrogen scavenger•Widest planting window – fastest spring growth•Will germinate at 32 degree soil temp•Can be grazed or hayed but not as good as triticale

Grasses– Cool Season•Triticale

•Cross between rye and wheat•Characteristics of both•Very tall and very leafy•Wide planting window – fast spring growth•Can be grazed or hayed or harvested for grain

Grasses– Cool Season•Annual Ryegrass

•Light, fluffy seed and very deep rooted•Winter hardy if established soon enough•Can be good grazing – good regrowth•Can be challenging to manage in the spring•Need the right weather conditions when spraying

Grasses– Cool Season•Oats

•Widely used in both spring and late summer•Excellent for forage or hay•Mixes well with other species•August planted, Winter grazed•Can easily be grown forseed production over a wide area•Oats futures right noware higher than corn

Grasses– Cool Season•Winter Oats

•Will over-winter in more moderate zones•Not as winter hardy as winter barley or wheat or rye•Grows longer in fall than spring oats •Excellent for forage or hay•“Bob”•“Cosaque”

Grasses– Cool Season•Black Oats

•“Soil Saver” – Brazilian genetics•Winter hardy only in PHZ 8 or higher•Tend to be taller than white oats•Grain yield about half •Seed about 2X cost (lower seeding rates)•Can be excellent forage•Tillers well and excellent weed suppression•“Cosaque” variety – more winter hardy (Russian origins)

Grasses– Cool Season•Barley

•Use forage varieties for best grazing•Excellent for forage or hay•Mixes well with other species•August planted, Winter grazed•Can be grown for seed

Brassicas•Radish•Very deep rooted•Excellent N scavenger and cycler•Can be grazed later in season – better varieties for graze•Winter kill at about 15 degrees•Decompose quickly•Large seed (25k/lb) for brassica

Brassicas•Turnips

•Excellent N scavenger – not as deep rooted as radish•Excellent grazing – potential choking hazard reported•Winter kill at about 10 degrees – some spring regrowth•Small seeds (120-150 k/lb)

Brassicas•Rapeseed

•Buckbuster/Dwarf Essex - canola•Deep rooted but not tuber forming•Very cold tolerant brassica–some spring regrowth•Small seeds (120-150 K) and inexpensive•Decent grazing but on lower end of brassicas

Brassicas•Impact Forage Collards

•Georgia Southern Collard hybrid•Deep rooted but not tuber forming•Cold tolerant brassica–spring regrowth•Highest quality forage value•Small seeds (120-150 K)

Brassicas•Ethiopian Cabbage

•Tall growing•Very slow decomposing – high C:N•Good snow catcher•Not great grazing (but that’s OK)

Brassicas•Mustards

•Fastest growing brassicas – earliest blooming•Excellent weed suppression•Not the best grazing (but that’s OK)•Nematode suppression and control

Brassicas•Hybrids

•Hunter – very fast growing and leafy (turnip x leaf veg)•Winfred – very cold tolerant (turnip x kale)•Bayou – excellent growth and graze (rape x kale)•All small seeded but more expensive

Other Broadleaf Plants•Sunflowers•Warm season•Deep rooted and fast growing•Good grazing when small•Inexpensive seed•Can seed out if planted

too early (but that’s OK)•Cash Crop option withinter-cropping possibilty

Other Broadleaf Plants•Safflower

•Cool season and drought tolerant•Deep rooted•Inexpensive seed•Good in a spring planted mix•Not great grazing (but that’s OK)

Other Broadleaf Plants•Buckwheat•Very short season crop – bloom in 30 days (indeterminate)•It will make seed (but that’s OK)•Excellent attractor for pollinators•Frees up phosphorus in the soil•Good for weed control•Not frost tolerant

Other Broadleaf Plants•Phacelia

•Excellent attractor for pollinators•Small seed – can be difficult to establish•Best as a spring planted crop (soil temps between 40 and 70)

•Can late summer plant in warmer zones•Very fine fibrous root system

Other Broadleaf Plants•Flax

•Very long lasting residue, Stands very well•High C:N ratio•Not great grazing (but that’s OK)•Cool season crop

Other Broadleaf Plants•Plantain

•Mineral rich, perennial grazing herb•Few pests and diseases•Plantain is effective at transferring soil minerals to plant tissue and then to the grazing animal.•Expensive seed, but small and perennial

Other Broadleaf Plants•Chicory

•Biennial/perennial•Mineral rich forage•Deep taproot – drought tolerant•Mostly spring and summer growth•Expensive seed, but small and perennial

Other Plants we are looking at•Egyptian Wheat•Pigeon Peas•Sugar Beets•Kenaf•Kale

•Lupines•Sesbania•Velvet beans•Lab Lab•Hairy Indigo•Rice•New selections of species

Cover Crop Mixes

I’ve Learned That I Am Not Smarter Then God!

How did God create plant communities and ecosystems?

• Great diversity of plants, roots and animals


• The soil is always covered and rarely disturbed…


• Something is always alive and/or growing…


• Plant cooperation, not competition

How to Design Cover Crop Mixes for Improving Soil Health

Keith Berns

Why Diverse Cover Crop Mixes?

1. If Soil Health is the goal, Crop Diversity cannot be ignored or overstated

2. Plants were created to grow in diverse ecosystems

3. Resilience comes from Diversity4. Balanced “diet” for soil biology5. Balance: because even good things

(legumes, brassicas) when not used in moderated balance can be harmful

Get 4 Things Right

1. The Right Species2. The Right Inoculants3. The Right Seeding Rates4. The Right Seeding Time

Answer 4 Main Questions

1. What Are The Goals/Concerns?2. What Are The Environmentals?3. What Is The Timeframe?4. What Is The Budget?

What are your Goals/Resource Concerns?

1. Soil health – biological life2. Supplemental grazing3. Increased fertility/organic matter4. Nitrogen capture/cycling5. Additional lasting residue/cover6. Weed suppression/disease cycle7. Erosion control8. Compaction breaking/deep roots

What are your environmentals?

1. Rainfall or irrigation2. Evapo-Transpiration (ET)3. Growing season4. Soil type and condition5. Seeding method6. Previous crop and next crop7. Previous herbicides

What is your timeframe?

1. Spring - fallow ground or prior to a spring crop (chemical/mechanical termination)(Check crop insurance implications!)

2. Early Summer - Right after wheat harvest(frost or chemical/mech. termination)

3. Late Summer – Delay after wheat harvest (frost termination)

4. Fall - After fall crops(frost termination or over-wintering)

What is your budget?

1. Low (less than $20/acre)(Low seeding rates – very few legumes)

2. Medium ($20 - $30/acre)(Average seeding rates – some legumes)

3. High ($30 - $40/acre)(High seeding rates – high legume %)

4. Higher ($40 - $60/acre)(special use: organic N production, nematode control, perennials, etc…)

What are your goals/resource concerns?

Generally speaking….

1. The more specific your goals/concerns, the less diverse your mixes will typically be.

2. The tighter your planting windows, the fewer species will work and thus the less diverse your mixes will be.

How to Design Cover Crop Mixes

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