Do Cover Crops Use Too Much Moisture?
Written by Sophie Waechter-Cass |
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Seventeen years ago, before Green Cover began as a small, on-farm business, Keith and Brian Berns had to find the answer to an important question, “will cover crops use up all of my moisture?”
The brothers were interested in cover cropping because they knew they were losing top soil to wind erosion on their family’s farm in Nebraska. But they were not willing to grow a cover crop if it meant robbing their cash crop of crucial moisture.
Following an experiment they heard about from Gabe Brown, Keith and Brian set out to test moisture usage of different cover crop species to really understand just how much moisture they needed to grow.
Putting Cover Crops to the Test
After receiving a SARE grant, the brothers set up moisture sensing equipment in 18 different plots after wheat harvest. 15 of these strips were single species, 3 of them were cover crop mixes and they also monitored wheat stubble on its own as a control. Sensors were placed at 1ft, 2ft and 3ft depths to measure just how much moisture was being pulled from the soil profile.
Their biggest takeaway?
Cover crop mixes are far more efficient at using moisture than single species monocultures.
Their findings were validated by the studies done on Gabe Brown’s farm. In a very dry year where only an inch of rainfall was received during experimentation, Gabe’s experiments demonstrated that cover crop mixes use water much more efficiently and can produce a lot of biomass with minimal rainfall.
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Then for Brian and Keith’s experiments which took place in a relatively wet year, they observed that the rainfall received actually replaced the moisture used by the cover crop mix at the end of the experiment.
You can learn more about these experiments, see data and additional photos in this short video where Keith describes their methodology and their findings.
Manage Your Moisture
When it comes to planting a cover crop in a very dry year, knowing the best time to terminate is crucial for optimal moisture management. Check out this article to learn more about managing your cover crop for optimal moisture usage in both wet and dry conditions.
If you’d like to talk through your goals and context when it comes to planting a cover crop mix this summer or fall, give our team a call at 402-469-6784 or head to our website to shop our ready to order Post-Wheat mix. |
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Missed our previous newsletters? Read our recent articles:
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Green Cover Workshops: Growing Profitability with Cover Crops
Join us this summer for one of five Green Cover Workshops focused on growing profitability with cover crops. Attend one of these events for the opportunity to learn, share and connect with our team and other local farmers. In these half-day workshops we’ll start out with a keynote discussion, followed by a farmer panel and plenty of time for questions. All events are free to attend with lunch provided!
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Grain Place Foundation Field Day on July 12th
Listen to renowned soil health expert Ray Archuleta and get a tour of the Grain Place, a legacy organic and regenerative farm in Marquette, Nebraska! The Grain Place and the Vetter family are well known for their 70 years of dedicated on-farm research and innovation in organic farming. This event will be a great opportunity to learn from the legends, network with like-minded individuals plus enjoy a farm-to-table lunch. Learn more and register. |
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Nexus in the Field with Nicole Masters
Last week a group of some of the top regenerative thinkers and practitioners came together to learn, network, and share, leaving the event inspired to make positive change on their own land. We had the real pleasure of hosting Nicole Masters and Laura Kavanaugh at this two day event, here are some key takeaways:
- Farmers can minimize input costs by utilizing biological or mineral amendments, many of which can be made on the farm.
- All weeds have something to tell us. Our ability to manage them is directly related to our capacity to listen to what they're saying.
- Agriculture can be a solution to problems such as high disease rates, dysfunctional water cycles, and soil loss, or it can contribute to these problems. Our management systems dictate whether we are problem solvers or problem creators.
- Farmers across the world are changing the way they farm and seeing massive improvements to their land and their pocketbooks.
It's safe to say that everyone walked away with at least one new idea and one new connection. We hope you'll join us next year! For now, save the date for our Soil Health Field Days on August 12th and 15th.
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Green Cover Podcast Episode #8: Dale Strickler
In this episode of the Green Cover Podcast, we dive into the important topics of prussic acid and nitrate poisoning when grazing cover crop forages. Our guest, Dale Strickler, a former Green Cover team member and renowned author and agronomist, shares his expertise on recognizing and managing these issues. Learn about the conditions that lead to prussic acid and nitrate toxicity, effective management strategies, and the importance of soil fertility and cover crops.
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Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Meeting
June 24-25 | Lincoln, NE
The Nebraska Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society will begin its 2025
annual meeting on East Campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 24th. These meetings will include presentations on urban agriculture, biochar and soil function, soil assessment at a large scale and soil health research and much more! All are welcome and membership is not required.
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