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March 1, 2018DES MOINES, Iowa | By: INS
A new research project is underway to explore how Iowa farmers could use cover crops to prevent soil, nitrogen and phosphorus from leaving farm fields. The group Practical Farmers of Iowa says cover crops such as cereal rye can be planted in the fall and then terminated in the spring by using a mechanical roller-crimper, avoiding the use of chemicals or the need for tiling. Tim Sieren farms 350 acres of corn and soybeans in southeast Iowa and says he's a conventional, not organic farmer but wanted to try it because it's important to think outside the box.
Cover crops grew on only 2.6 percent of Iowa's nearly 23 million acres of corn and soybeans in 2016. In contrast, cover crops were planted on more than 7 percent of the 11 million acres of corn and soybean in Indiana during the same period.
Sieren notes that the roller-crimper method is dependent on a large amount of cover-crop growth and the cover crop reaching the flowering stage in late May before crimping. He says if he can perfect using the system in soybeans and still maintain yields, he could drastically reduce herbicide use.
Practical Farmers says research shows farmers could save thousands of dollars on herbicides each year by adopting innovative techniques such as the roller-crimper. Herbicides can cost from $25-55 per acre, depending on the crop.
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