Curiosity had gotten the best of Delaware County farmer Joe Hamilton. 

Year after year, he had been tilling less and less until by 2017 he wasn’t tilling at all on his 2,500-acre operation. Never one to stop tinkering, Hamilton began to look for a new opportunity to shake things up on the farm, to test variables and inputs and optimize outcomes. So, he began experimenting with cover crops. 

“I’m an outlier in my area,” Hamilton said. “People drive by and probably wonder what I’m doing. But it works for me.” 

The benefits of cover crops are numerous. They suppress weeds, improve water infiltration for cash crops, break up compacted soil and introduce more organic matter into the earth. For the farmer, this means having soils that actually improve over time, with less investment in fertilizer and herbicide. 

Cover crop proponents report that their businesses are more stable, more self-sufficient, and better insulated against wild fluctuations in weather and markets. 

Additionally, there is a peace-of-mind element to knowing you are limiting your impact on the environment.

Like any new endeavor, diving into cover crops requires farmers to think differently and reconsider old ways that have generations of inertia. It’s a challenge, but like all challenges, it’s also rewarding. And, Hamilton and others are more than willing to share their advice on how to get started.

Get Connected

If you are considering joining the fellowship of cover crop farmers, there’s good news. The cover crop community is as welcoming to new folks as a country church potluck. 

No matter where you are, there are likely to be workshops, conferences, field days, and more. Hamilton suggests the National No-Tillage Conference, which takes place every year in January, as a great place to start.

Another Delaware County farmer, Jeremy Russell, got started in cover crops after attending a field day at the pioneering Dave Brandt farm in Ohio. Brandt has been planting cover crops since the 1970s. 

“There are a lot of other guys across the corn belt who are experimenting,” Russell said. “There is a network of people who you can bounce ideas off each other. Everyone is very encouraging.” 

The best places to learn about these opportunities are your local Soil & Water Conservation District, your Extension Office, and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

In addition to being a resource of technical know- how, the NRCS offers financial support as well through cost-share programs like EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program). 

You can also talk to your neighbors near and far in online forums such as the Facebook Group “Everything Cover Crops,” listen to podcasts such as “Cover Crop Strategies” and read books by farmer/authors such as Gabe Brown.

Start Small and Simple 

Like any new venture, your chances of failure are highest in your first year and reduce each year as you gain more experience and knowledge. 

With that in mind, Hamilton suggests not risking a whole lot in year one. In his first year with cover crops, he planted just 100 acres, and picked a field that had average productivity, with the idea that an average field made for a good baseline. 

Nonetheless, you could start just about anywhere, as long as you start small. 

“Five-percent of your operation is a good target,” Hamilton said. “If you don’t risk a lot, you won’t be too upset if it fails. That goes with about anything new as a farmer.” 

Hamilton also suggest keeping your cover crop strategy simple at first. 

One good option is planting cereal rye after corn and before soybeans using a no-till drill. Cereal rye is perhaps the most forgiving of all cover crops because it is so hardy. You can plant it all the way through the end of November. Freezing temps won’t kill it, and it will continue to grow on days where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

When it comes to all cover crops, cereal rye included, the earlier you can plant it the better. 

“Every day in September is worth five days in October,” Hamilton said. “The later in the year you plant the less growth you get.” 

Strong growth is critical in allowing the cover crops to do their work. 

Because cereal rye over-winters, you’ll have to spray it to terminate growth before planting your cash crop. If spraying is not an option for you, an alternative is to plant oats and radishes, which will die on their own before the cash-crop-planting season. Oats and radishes, however, should be planted by September 15 to allow growth before a killing frost. 

And, finally, if no-till drilling is not a good option for you, an alternative is to have your seed broadcast from above by airplane, which costs about $15 an acre plus seed, Hamilton said. 

One advantage of aerial broadcast application is that you can conduct it earlier in the season, before harvest of your cash crops. 

“If you are happy with that first year, then explore more species and grow your acreage,” Hamilton said.

Set a goal 

Cover crops are a big science experiment with plenty of variables. 

“Everything is so regionalized. What works for a grower 60 miles from here may not work well here,” Jeremy Russell said. 

Like any science experiment, you need a hypothesis to test, or a goal to strive toward. Having a hypothesis or goal gives you the incentive you need to tweak operations when things aren’t going well. 

Russell’s long-term hypothesis is that the organic matter in his soil will improve over time with cover crops. He hopes to achieve about 5.5 percent organic matter. His soils are trending in the right direction, although he knows achieving his goal will take years. 

“If you never start down that road, you’ll never get there,” he said. “It’s a long slow grind that picks up speed.”

While long-term goals are important, having a short- term goal as well can help build momentum and keep you energized. They satisfy the human desire for instant or near-instant gratification.

“The easiest one is probably weed pressure,” Hamilton said. “The first year you’ll see a reduction in weed pressure. If you have a dense cover crop growing you won’ see as many weeds coming up.” Within 2-3 years, you should be seeing better nutrient availability which should allow you to begin dialing down your fertilizer applications. 

Take the first step 

Even within the framework laid out in this article, there are many ways to tailor cover crops to your specific operation. 

No matter how you decide to tackle cover crops, the most important thing, according to Hamilton and Russell, is to just do it. “Get your feet wet and let your experiences guide you,” Russell said. 

If you’d like to get your feet wet in cover crops, a good first step is to learn more about the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation’s First Steps program. See information below and contact our office for more information.