With recent dry weather some farmers may be worried about if their crop seed they recently planted will still be viable as winter approaches. Dan Marzu, the north-central region nutrient and pest management outreach specialist with the Division of Extension, says yes.
“As long as the seed doesn’t rot and animals don’t eat the seed we should still see some pretty good cover come spring,” explains Marzu.
The seed is a hardy seed that can withstand sitting in the soil for a while without molding. As long as the state gets some moisture the crops should come up well. Marzu says that winter rye is a good option as a cover crop. This is because it can withstand soil temperatures down to 40 degrees.
Marzu explains that if farmers are worried about their seed not getting moisture for germination that liquid manure can be a good option. Another option may be to irrigate the cover crops to help them germinate before first frost.
Unfortunately there is currently no program available for a failed cover crop. This is because it would be too difficult to change the seed this close to winter. The farmers will still receive all the funding for planting a cover crop if this were to happen.
Marzu says that if you want to learn more about the cover crop program, you can find the survey at michaelfields.org/cover-crops. There you can find all the data from across the state on cover crops. He also says that after looking at the data, if you are interested in participating they have slots still open.
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