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Cover crop research project continues in Wisconsin

Researchers are studying several cover crop varieties and how farmers are using them.

Dan Marzu with the University of Wisconsin Extension tells Brownfield the study is in collaboration with the Michael Fields Institute, The Nature Conservancy, and the USDA Dairy Forage Research Center. “We send out an extensive survey to these participating farmers. They fill out all kinds of information regarding what they’re planting, why they’re planting, and their viewpoints on cover crops and what it means for how it fits into the rotation and what they’re expecting out of them.”

Marzu says after the survey, farmers receive a kit to take a two-foot by two-foot sample of the cover crop for analysis, whether it’s just cereal rye or a mixture of twenty different species. “So what we’re looking at is nutrient uptake into those covers, both in the fall and the spring, and also forage analysis, so a lot of interest in feeding these covers to animals whether they’re grazing them or mechanically harvesting them.”

Marzu says data is still being gathered, but they’ve been able to see a few trends developing.  One of those trends is that despite the shorter growing season, northern and southern Wisconsin are still able to generate about the same amount of biomass from cover crops.  He says early forage analysis tests also show very high nutritional values for livestock.

Marzu says more than half of the farmers surveyed are planting a multi-species cover crop.  He says there is also work being done with the state’s Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program to develop solid recommendations for cover crop usage.

Marzu spoke to Brownfield during Wisconsin Farm Technology Days.

AUDIO: Dan Marzu discusses the cover crop research with Brownfield’s Larry Lee