Noticing .......

[Bowsnbucks]

I've noticed on recent rides through local farm country here in SE Pa., that lots of farmers that cover-cropped over winter have sprayed & burned-down those covers and drilled corn & soybeans where the cover crops were. Not many heavily-cultivated fields like there used to be. Some here & there, but no-till / little-till seems to be ruling the day around here. Beans are about 2" tall as of Memorial Day. I can see the beans coming up in the duff left after burn-down.

Not deer plots - regular AG - but the trend seems clear.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

The opposite seems to be happening here. Spring came late this year, then it was cold temps, then it was rain. The farmers have turned their fields into powder.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

The opposite seems to be happening here. Spring came late this year, then it was cold temps, then it was rain. The farmers have turned their fields into powder.

Yeah, I drove to MO this weekend from MN and was blown away by all of the tillage I saw still happening on southern MN.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I used to be more in the know on some ag related things, but at one time, there were several big players that felt like more money would be available for cover crop seed in the next farm bill. There are definitely starting to be more incentives for farmers to be using cover crops.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I'm definitely noticing more cover crops lately but I never paid attention before the last couple years. The giant majority I see around home and during the hr drive between home and the land is heavy tillage. Kind of surprised I don't see more strip tillage after reading more about it.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I'm definitely noticing more cover crops lately but I never paid attention before the last couple years. The giant majority I see around home and during the hr drive between home and the land is heavy tillage. Kind of surprised I don't see more strip tillage after reading more about it.

If the equipment wasn't so steep, it would be more of a thing. I think it is super intriguing and only a matter of time before they are more common.

 

[gunther89]

My FIL is still using a chisel plow to do fields. Now alot of his ground is irrigated but I asked him awhile back why he doesn't do no till. His response was when I'm average 300 bushel an acre, why change it. The guy isn't wrong lol

 

[Tree Spud]

You would have to explain what an ag land cover crop is. Here, farmers fall plant WW & WR and harvest those plants in spring. I don't see any other cover crop planting.

I drive through 5 counties of primarily ag land to and from our place every weekend. Corn is predominant crop and land is either tilled under in late fall or spring.

 

[Native Hunter]

I've seen nothing but no till farming around here for at least the last 10 years. People religiously rotate between corn and soybeans every year. However, this year I was surprised to see one farmer had tilled his fields. When I asked around I found out that he had leased to a new person, and that person was going to grow tobacco.

 

[SD51555]

Yeah, I drove to MO this weekend from MN and was blown away by all of the tillage I saw still happening on southern MN.

Those flat land counties in southern MN have many feet of heavy black topsoil. They can let it blow away for another 100 years before they have to worry about conservation.


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[Howboutthemdawgs]

My farmer no tills but right before he planted corn the other day he had another tractor run through with what looked like a disc and smoothed everything out. Well we got 7” of rain over the course of a couple days and it blew the fields out. Made a mess of all my downhill roads and he ended up replanting half the field this weekend. I’m letting him do beans next year and then crops are done

 

[FarmerDan]

The two words "cover-crop" said aloud can have different meanings to different people.

Thinking out loud, I think we are beginning to realize the value of cover crops to not only reduce soil erosion but to also lower the cost of production of many crops. But this change in strategy requires more and better management. It's not for everyone - yet.

The other reason for the majority of the cover crops you see is the amount of public money available to incentivize farmers to plant cover crops. The last two years, 2021 & 2022, producers who have planted and reported planting cover crops to FSA have received a $5/acre reduction in their crop insurance premium. There ae many other state, federal, and local programs subsidizing the planting of cover crops.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed extending from upstate NY into much of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and much of Virginia is a priority conservation area.

The definition of cover crop is wide ranging. For USDA (farm bill) program purposes, to put it simply, cover crops are planted for conservation purposes and must be terminated without harvest. While planting winter wheat intended for harvest might serve many of the same useful purposes as a cover crop it is not considered one - for program (payment) purposes. While it might seem unfair on the surface, crops like winter wheat are eligible for other payments like crop insurance indemnities and other price assistance payment programs like ARC-PLC.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I have no idea if this is just in NY and I honestly only know the jist of the law, not the particulars, but here in NY you have to plant a cover crop after you harvest your cash crop in the fall to avoid runoff. They say, algae blooms are caused by nitrogen from fertilizers (manure in particular but also man made fertilizers) spread on fields that runoff into streams and rivers that feed lakes which is where blooms are occurring. My common sense tingle says we have been spreading manure on fields for hundreds of years, if not thousands, so why has algae blooms just become a problem recently? Please don't go there with Climate Change.

I see the farmers around me sprayed what looks like a Winter Wheat cover a couple weeks ago when it was only 8-10 inches tall and tilled it under. They planted right after and have noticeable green rows showing already so the cover crops couldn't get harvested for extra money because farmers would have to wait too long to plant their cash crop. I think Farmer Dan was well to point out that they might just be able to claim it as crop damage/loss and still get something for it.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I think a big part of it up here is by the time a lot of beans and definitely corn get taken off some years, there's minimal growing season to get a cover crop in. I could see it more after cereals get harvested but they don't seem as common in lots of places now.

Then in the spring as soon as the field is dry enough they often want to get to planting rather than worry about terminating a cover crop. A good buddy has a big farm in ND and I know occasionally he cant get corn off until winter or even after the snow melts enough to let him. It's a treat when harvest is done by the early Nov rifle opener for him.

 

[Tree Spud]

I have no idea if this is just in NY and I honestly only know the jist of the law, not the particulars, but here in NY you have to plant a cover crop after you harvest your cash crop in the fall to avoid runoff. They say, algae blooms are caused by nitrogen from fertilizers (manure in particular but also man made fertilizers) spread on fields that runoff into streams and rivers that feed lakes which is where blooms are occurring. My common sense tingle says we have been spreading manure on fields for hundreds of years, if not thousands, so why has algae blooms just become a problem recently? Please don't go there with Climate Change.

I see the farmers around me sprayed what looks like a Winter Wheat cover a couple weeks ago when it was only 8-10 inches tall and tilled it under. They planted right after and have noticeable green rows showing already so the cover crops couldn't get harvested for extra money because farmers would have to wait too long to plant their cash crop. I think Farmer Dan was well to point out that they might just be able to claim it as crop damage/loss and still get something for it.

Farmers & conservation

Farmers & Govt $$ subsidiaries

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I have no idea if this is just in NY and I honestly only know the jist of the law, not the particulars, but here in NY you have to plant a cover crop after you harvest your cash crop in the fall to avoid runoff. They say, algae blooms are caused by nitrogen from fertilizers (manure in particular but also man made fertilizers) spread on fields that runoff into streams and rivers that feed lakes which is where blooms are occurring. My common sense tingle says we have been spreading manure on fields for hundreds of years, if not thousands, so why has algae blooms just become a problem recently? Please don't go there with Climate Change.

I don't have the answer but I'll throw an internet guess post out there:
- I doubt we've ever had as much human created drainage from fields via drain tile and other means as we have now
- We probably have less natural filtering means from wetlands and natural vegetation and soil than in prior times

I've been binging the AGphd podcast the last week or so and there is a common theme advising that when a guy gets new farm ground he should immediately look to improve drainage via tiling if it's not already done. Drainage and pouring the fertilizer to it are the first two steps these guys are always recommending. From my uneducated view, it seems that advice corresponds pretty well with the algae bloom issues.

 

[TenPoint]

I have no idea if this is just in NY and I honestly only know the jist of the law, not the particulars, but here in NY you have to plant a cover crop after you harvest your cash crop in the fall to avoid runoff. They say, algae blooms are caused by nitrogen from fertilizers (manure in particular but also man made fertilizers) spread on fields that runoff into streams and rivers that feed lakes which is where blooms are occurring. My common sense tingle says we have been spreading manure on fields for hundreds of years, if not thousands, so why has algae blooms just become a problem recently? Please don't go there with Climate Change.

I see the farmers around me sprayed what looks like a Winter Wheat cover a couple weeks ago when it was only 8-10 inches tall and tilled it under. They planted right after and have noticeable green rows showing already so the cover crops couldn't get harvested for extra money because farmers would have to wait too long to plant their cash crop. I think Farmer Dan was well to point out that they might just be able to claim it as crop damage/loss and still get something for it.

Last year I noticed a farmer doing some weird shit like this. Kept replanting/spraying stuff. I think they were working the system. I couldn't figure out what they were trying to do. This year they sprayed the rye cover crop at about 12" and planted corn. This makes sense. Last year did not. They also had 85 ag damage tags last year. Like I said, I think they were working the system.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I don't have the answer but I'll throw an internet guess post out there:
- I doubt we've ever had as much human created drainage from fields via drain tile and other means as we have now
- We probably have less natural filtering means from wetlands and natural vegetation and soil than in prior times

I've been binging the AGphd podcast the last week or so and there is a common theme advising that when a guy gets new farm ground he should immediately look to improve drainage via tiling if it's not already done. Drainage and pouring the fertilizer to it are the first two steps these guys are always recommending. From my uneducated view, it seems that advice corresponds pretty well with the algae bloom issues.

I would think that installing drain tile would exacerbate the more natural filtration system as opposed to helping it. Kind of streamlining all rainwater to the creeks and rivers instead of just surface runoff but I am no expert in any of this bud.

We have less farms, at least in my area, which means less farm land so using less manure and fertilizer and have installed barriers like drain tile and planting cover crops yet we still have algae blooms. It just doesn't make common sense to me, but again, I am no expert in any of this, just thinking out loud.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I would think that installing drain tile would exacerbate the more natural filtration system as opposed to helping it. Kind of streamlining all rainwater to the creeks and rivers instead of just surface runoff but I am no expert in any of this bud.

We have less farms, at least in my area, which means less farm land so using less manure and fertilizer and have installed barriers like drain tile and planting cover crops yet we still have algae blooms. It just doesn't make common sense to me, but again, I am no expert in any of this, just thinking out loud.

Drain tile is the opposite of a barrier. It moves water off fields faster so it doesn't have to travel through soil that has traditionally helped filter it.

 

[Tree Spud]

Drain tile is the opposite of a barrier. It moves water off fields faster so it doesn't have to travel through soil that has traditionally helped filter it.

Drain tile is used to moved water from areas that won't or poorly drain that prohibit farmers from planting. As drain tile does reduce surface run-off, it does promote through soil filtering.