Clean Farm Families (CFF), Ozaukee County Demonstration Farm Network (OCDFN), and Ozaukee County partnered with Michigan State University Extension this past summer and fall for a course called Cover Crop Essentials!
Ozaukee County employee and CFF collaborator, Sarah Jaeger, applied for this course in early summer and received acceptance in July. Over the course of four months, she not only learned all things cover crops, but had the opportunity to partner with Clean Farm Families to install a cover crop plot at their Highway 57 Soil Health Demonstration Plot.
She and OCDFN project manager, Ted Hoffmann, worked together to plan the cover crop mix varieties and plant them at the plot on August 14, 2024. The mixes decided on were as follows:
Buckwheat, Crimson clover, Cowpea, Red Clover, Hairy Vetch, Tillage Radish
Buckwheat, Cowpea, White Mustard
Oats and Cereal rye
Sunn hemp and Sorghum sudan
Red clover and Annual Rye
Red clover, Crimson clover, and Hairy vetch
These mixes were created based on both previous mixes that have showed positive results together, but also as a research method to see how each would fare against the others in mixes not typically seen together. Now, WITHOUT CHEATING AND SCROLLING BELOW, what are your estimates on which of these mixtures would yield the most biomass? How about the highest percentage of ground cover? These were some of the questions we were hoping to answer by completing this research plot.
Now for the plot details.
Each plot was 2 square meters, 1 meter by 2 meter in size. These plots were planted into this year's no-till winter wheat plot after the winter wheat had been harvested. The plot also had red clover frost seeded early this spring so that was sprayed off in our plot areas after planting the cover crop seeds. Since we were going to be seeding the cover crop seeds by hand into a no-till plot, we opted to use the County's no-till drill to make a few passes over the ground to provide for a proper seed bed. Each plot was hand seeded via broadcasting and then was raked over. Then came the waiting game!
Here are some photos of the plots are time progressed:
The plots were then harvested just over a week later on 10/17/2024 and here were the results:
Some interesting facts to point out:
Plot 1, that had the most number of species in the mixture, had the highest biomass (almost double the next highest yielder, plot 4!).
Of this highest biomass, 84% of its total was due to the tillage radish!
Plot 6 just barely snuck by at having the highest percentage of ground cover at 86%.
Hairy Vetch had just over half (51%) of the accounted ground cover in this mix.
Plot 5 was at a close second for highest ground cover, whose majority of the cover was due to the Annual ryegrass (62%).
This was also the cheapest mixture! May be a good option if looking for weed suppression or reduction of soil loss??
Plot 4 was the most expensive mixture which yielded the lowest percentage of ground cover and the 3rd lowest for biomass.
Overall, this course provided a great opportunity to get updates on cover crop research, get hands on experience evaluating cover crop plots, and network with ag professionals from across the Midwest. Thank you to Michigan State University Extension for providing this invaluable opportunity for all parties involved!
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