1. Barry Fisher, Conservation Agronomist NRCS, Indiana Email: barry.fisher@in.usda.gov Jump Start Soil Reclamation with No-Till and Cover Crops Capturing the Potential of High Soil Quality!

2. We Should Expect High Yields with High Residue Cropping Systems Managing for Soil Quality Will Be Necessary Are Initial Yields Sustainable ?

3. Reinvestments That Pay $ Drainage systems Lime Cover Crops Soil Quality!

4. Reinvestments That Pay $ Equipment Technology Buffers Yield and efficiency!

5. Poor Structure= Yield Loss

6. Soil Nutrition Management of Base Cations Becomes More Important when soil is disrupted Management of Base Cations Becomes More Important when soil is disrupted Ca- 70% Mg- 15% K- 3.5% Ca- 70% Mg- 15% K- 3.5% High Calcium Lime is preferred for no- tillHigh Calcium Lime is preferred for no- till

7. Soil Nutrition Each 1 % of O.M. contains: 10,000 lbs. of C 1000 lbs. of N 100 lbs. of P 100 lbs. of S

8. Manage and Remove Compaction  Consider cover crops →Maximize weight distribution  An in-line ripper may needed Evaluate depth and extent

9. Soil Quality = High Yield Potential Biodiversity is the fastest way to high Soil Quality Biodiversity provides-Flexibility-Resilience- Resistance Above ground diversity is a mirror for below ground diversity. Getting root diversity (deep, fibrous, tap…) Helps you tap into nutrients that are otherwise unavailable. Jill Clapperton 2008 NNTC

10. Diversify your cover Brassicas and Oats

11. Build and Maximize Biology and Vertical Structure Soybean root following previous root channel

12. Drilled on Oct. 1 at 15 lbs./ac. Roots down to 51” on April 8 Annual Ryegrass Cover Crop DeSutter Farm-Fountain Co.

13. Corn Roots down 70”+ in August

14. We can package a system of soil building practices! No-Till Nutrient Management Cover Crops Buffers

15. IN FY08 EQIP = $ 19 million Nutrient Management- –$3 million Cover Crops- –$3 million No-Till/Strip-Till- – $3.4 million Waste Utilization- –$2 million

16. EQIP Cover Crops – Acres per Year Contracted

17. IN FY09 EQIP = $ 11.4 million Cover Crops- $2 million

18. EQIP Cover Crops – % of Budget Contracted

19. Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) Section IV Seeding Tool Google- eFOTGGoogle- eFOTG March 2009March 2009 ExcelExcel

23. Create a Mix

25. SARE-Managing Cover Crops Profitably

27. Cover Crops Year-round bio- mass production should be targeted. Sequester these gains with continuous No- Till/Strip-Till Systems

28. How will you seed it? Manure plus Cover Crops Tim Harrigan, MSU- Slurry Seeded OSR, Oriental Mustard, and other CCs. Slurry seeded with dairy manure produced significantly higher total biomass

29. How will you seed it? Air Seeder on a Harrow 43’ swath at 10 mph Fast Cheap Provides a random plant spacing

30. How will you seed it? Fly it on Most flexible timing Fast $12-$16/ac Provides a random plant spacing Variable results?

31. How will you seed it? Drill it Most time consuming Slower $12-$16/ac Provides row plant spacing Surest results

32. COVER CROP Termination KILL IT EARLY! KILL IT LATE! EXPERTS AGREE IT DEPENDS!

33. COVER CROP Termination PLAN EARLY KILL TOUGH ONES EARLY Ryegrass- April 1, or before “Jointing” MAXIMIZE TRANSLOCATION Spray on Sunny Days (>55 degrees) Use AMS with Low pH Water Avoid antagonism NO TRIAZINE Use 10 Gallons of Water or Less Apply Early in the Day ( quit by 2 PM)

34. How will you Kill It? Herbicide…Avoid antagonism! Consider the modes of action % control Glyphosate 51% Plumer 2006

35. How will you Kill It? Herbicide…Avoid antagonism! Consider the modes of action % control Glyphosate 41% Plumer 2006

36. No-Till Planter set-up and maintenance is critical

37. Spread the Weight! Spread the due… Residue!

38. It’s best to use a systematic approach

39. Reduced Inner Diameter (RID) Gage Wheel Tires No-Till planter attachments

40. Reduced Inner Diameter (RID) Gage Wheel Tires- right side No-Till planter attachments Significantly reduces the weight directly over the see slot RID

41. Walking Gage Wheels

42. Seed Firmer

44. Nitrogen Management in No- Till Corn Nitrogen Management in No- Till Corn In order to manage N we must first understand the changes in Carbon and Nitrogen cycles under No Tillage

45. Wooster OH Carbon Study (0-2 inches) Continuous corn Martens et al.

46. Organic Carbon to Total Nitrogen Relationship (Silty soil, 130 years) Martens et al

47. Nitrogen/Carbon management  Building Carbon in the soil takes Nitrogen  Plants have a hard time out competing microbes for ammonium  At least 35-70# of N must be available during the 1 st 40 days

48. Nitrogen/Carbon management  When Applying Spring P & K use DAP  If you plan to apply a PP herbicide, use 15-20 gal. of 28% as carrier  Side dress as early as possible

49. Starter Placement and Content  2 X 2 is the best all around system  Pop-up may be added, or the next best where equipment is limited

50. Starter Placement and Content  Having no starter is fine as long as you can live with a 10-40 bu. yield loss  Starter should have at least 20-50 lbs. of N  Consider S & K in starter

51. Barry Fisher, State Agronomist Email: barry.fisher@in.usda.gov “…Expect Success!”

52. Cover Crop Web Links http://www.covercrops.msu.edu/http://www.sare.org/publications/http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/http://www.mccc.msu.edu/ http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/ag/ag 2.htm