New research on cover crops: Seeding rates, termination timing & more

University of Minnesota Extension Educator Liz Stahl talks with the Linder Farm Network about cover crop seeding research done in conjunction with AFREC.

TRANSCRIPT

Linder Farm Network: It’s time for the AFREC Spotlight, the Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council. And joining us today, University of Minnesota Extension Educator in Crops, Liz Stahl, to talk about cover crop seeding research done in conjunction with AFREC.

Liz Stahl: We’ve also done a lot of work with seeding rates, and and here again, working with Axel Garcia y Garcia, he’s got funding through an LCCMR grant. So that’s through that Minnesota Environmental Trust Fund, you know, complementing a lot of work, of course, being funded with AFREC and everything. But we’re looking at seeding rates anywhere from, like, around 30 pounds per acre up to a 135 pounds per acre. And we’ve done this at three different locations. We’re doing it at Lamberton, Waseca, and Grand Rapids.

And interestingly, the first year of this trial, we really didn’t see any difference in the amount of biomass that was produced in the spring across all those seeding rates. So I think that’s really encouraging you know, because for one thing, seed, hey. That’s a cost. You know, we can see that a lower rate, you know, kind of the standard rate most people have been or a lot of people have been using is, 60 pounds per acre for cereal rye. You know, if we can cut that in half, you know, again, that cuts your seeding costs in half.

And so it does help make it a little more more economical.

But, we’re, you know, gonna be be continuing to look at that. One thing that we really can’t control, if you can seed right before you get rain, you know, that that is great. You know, moisture is just so key to help with that establishment in the fall. But that’s some of the work that’s been going on.

Plus also, of course, we’ve been looking at termination timing in the spring. Of course, the later you terminate, the more biomass that you accumulate with a cover crop. And again, I should note, you know, most of the cover crops we’re working with, you know, we work with cereal rye a lot just because it is so reliable at establishments, very accessible, and very economical too. Again, delaying that termination increase of biomass, but you don’t want to delay it too long.

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