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Recent rains welcome for cover crops

Recent rains across the Midwest are a welcome sight for farmers that have seeded cover crops.

Northern Illinois farmer Norm Deets tells Brownfield the dry fall has challenged crop establishment.

“One of the things that we’ll probably see if the weather does turn cold, we’ll have some good roots establishment, but we probably won’t see a whole lot of growth on top until maybe next spring, which is a little unusual,” he says.

He says that root establishment to break compaction is just one of several benefits he’s seen from longtime use of the practice.

“I keep my soil in place.”  He says, “I’ve grown my organic matter over 1%, even higher in some of the areas, and I think that’s really helped my productivity.”

Deets says his no-till and cover crop system also seems to hold on to moisture longer in dry seasons.

AUDIO: Norm Deets – Illinois farmer