Cover Crops
We offer many cover crop species and mixtures including oats, peas, spring barley, winter barley, cereal rye and forage oats. Cover crops are fundamental to improving field productivity, protecting water quality, reducing soil erosion, recycling nutrients, providing weed control and conserving soil moisture.
Oats (Avena Sativa)
- Fast growing annual grass
- Fibrous root system that helps bind soil ti improve structure and protect against soil erosion
- Excellent organic matter/soil builder
- Quickly establishes in mid to late summer, typically after winter wheat, corn silage, and vegetable crops
Cereal Rye (Secale Cereal)
- The hardiest of cereals, can be seeded later in the fall compared to other crops
- Rye generally outperforms other cover crops on poorly prepared land and low soil fertility situations
- Regarded as the most efficient/effective cereal for absorbing unused nitrogen
- Aggressive fibrous root system renders it as an excellent nitrogen scavenger, excellent soil stature builder, contributes to soil organic, and competitor to weeds
Mixed Oats/Peas (Field)
- Combines soil building/nitrogen fixing benefits of both species
- Competes with weeds (cereal), deep fibrous root system for soil structure building, reduces erosion potential
- Typically available in 50/50 and 70/30 mixes (by weight)
Winter Barley (Hordeum Vulgare)
- Grows a deep fibrous rooting system that can reach over 6” into the soil profile
- Supports mycorrhizal fungi colonies which helps reclaim overworked, poor, eroded soils
- Has a relatively low water usage as compared to other cover crop species
- Produces carbohydrates in the soil called monosaccharides important in microbial activity
Forage Pea (Pisum Sativum)
- Produces large amounts of biomass in the fall
- Fixes large amounts of atmospheric nitrogen
- Has a moderate fibrous root system to improve soil structure
- Germinates quickly, fairly fast growth rate, grows tall and therefore benefits from a cereal companion crop
Field Pea (Pisum Arcense)
- Fixes large amounts of atmospheric nitrogen
- Has a deep fibrous root system to improve soil structure
- Does not produce as much biomass as forage peas; lower level of growth
- Easy to terminate and is less tolerant to freezing and low temperatures