1. Effective Cover Crops for No- Till Tillage Systems By Michael W. Benefield Cook County Young Farmers Copyright, 1996 © Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc.

2. Introduction No-Till has been gaining popularity with row crop farmers in the Southeast. Many of these farmers have seen the cost effectiveness of using this cropping system on their farms. Profit margins for traditional row crops have been shrinking over the past several years and No-Till systems helps the farmers by saving them time and money.

3. Common cover crops used 4 Winter Weeds. 4 Rye 4 Wheat 4 Oats 4 Crimson Clover 4 AU Vetch

4. Benefits of Cover Crops 4 Provide effective ground cover to prevent soil erosion from rain or wind 4 Builds soil organic matter 4 Increase soil aeration or tilth 4 More rain water is absorbed into the soil during heavy rains 4 Good ground cover helps prevent weeds from emerging

5. Winter Weeds 4 Provides some cover to protect from erosion 4 Better than nothing 4 Some winter weeds are hard to kill prior to planting crop 4 Weeds are producing seeds that will be around a long time 4 Weeds are using soil moisture and nutrients to grow.

6. Rye 4 Number 1 choice for cover crop 4 Seed is readily available and cheap 4 Provides a good cover 4 Should be killed early to prevent planting difficulties 4 Seeding rate-1 1/2 bushels per acre 4 Drilling into stubble is preferred over harrowing

7. Wheat 4 Very similar to rye 4 Provides a good cover 4 Not as likely to get too big and cause planting difficulties 4 Seeding rate- 1 1/2 bushels per acre 4 Drilling into existing crop stubble is preferred over harrowing TIP As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, e-mail, internet

8. Crimson Clover 4 Provides excellent cover 4 Easy to plant into- does not get very tall 4 Will reseed itself for the fall 4 Seeding rate- 15 pounds per acre 4 A legume which produces its own nitrogen 4 Nitrogen produced by clover can be utilized by the following crop

9. AU Vetch 4 Provides an excellent cover 4 Does not get very tall and easy to plant into 4 A legume which produces it’s own nitrogen 4 Nitrogen produced can be used by the following crop 4 Seeding rate- 15 pounds per acre 4 Will reseed itself in the fall

10. Summary 4 No-Till provides many benefits to the farmer and the soil 4 Choosing an effective cover crop is a very important decision 4 Choosing a cover crop which reseeds itself and provides nitrogen fixation is an important tool which can save you money 4 Full benefits of no-till are reached after four years of continuous no-till. NO HARROWING!!!!!!!!!!!