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Kate Brown, Program Associate in Commercial Agriculture, Burlington County
Have you heard of “planting green”? Planting green is the practice of planting your cash crop directly into a living cover crop – typically field corn or soybeans into fall-seeded cereal rye – and it’s a practice growing in popularity.
Planting green was the topic of a moderated session at the Northeast Cover Crops Council Annual Conference in early March. This research update from the University of Missouri offers a great overview of the practice, as well as some important observations. Main findings were:
- Spring biomass of cereal rye was similar regardless of fall seeding rate
- Soybeans were taller with rye, but stand counts and yield were not affected
- Planting green reduced early season density of waterhemp in 2 of 3 years
Equipment cost is a common barrier to adopting a new practice but is not necessarily the case with planting green. In a recent article from Morning Ag Clips, two farmers share their insights to planting green on a budget.
Source
Bish, Mandy, and Kevin Bradley. To terminate or not to terminate? What we’ve learned about cereal rye, planting green, and seeding rates. University of Missouri – Integrated Pest Management, 10 March 2021, ipm.missouri.edu/IPCM/2021/3/cerealRye-MB/. Accessed 12 March 2021.