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Turning to cover crops to withstand weather anomalies

Farmers are turning to cover crops to help withstand weather anomalies.  Chad Watts is program director for the Conservation Technology Information Center and says with potential prevented plant acres in parts of the Corn Belt, cover crops are a nice alternative.

“There’s a great opportunity there for some weed control.”

He tells Brownfield that typically with cover crops, the farmer won’t get the full benefit of the plant reaching full maturity.

“If you think about planting a legume cover crop or something that’s going to return some Nitrogen to the soil, now is a great opportunity to do that because if you get a really good mix that includes some legumes out there, you’re not only suppressing the weeds, you’re building soil health and organic matter.”

Watts says farmers will have a much wider window to experiment with cover crops if forced into a prevent-plant situation this summer.