Conservationist promotes cover crops

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — Agronomist Nick Guilette is an advocate for cover crops. A certified crop advisor since 2004, Guilette sees the value in using cover crops to mitigate a variety of challenges — from erosion to compaction.

Discussing how cover crops can help producers manage soil and water quality was the focus of Guilette’s presentation at the Wisconsin Water and Soil Health Conference last month in Wisconsin Dells.

Guilette, who was the winner of the 2019 Certified Crop Advisor Conservationist of the Year Award, works for Ebert Enterprises LLC, a sixth-generation dairy near Algoma, where he leads innovation and conservation practices. Guilette works specifically to improve efficiency and produce cow rations.

Cover crops can be a dual-purpose plant, Guilette said. They cover the soil, reduce erosion, suppress weeds and promote biodiversity.

“If a field drains poorly, one strategy to improve that would be to plant a cover crop with a living root,” Guilette said. “That living plant helps to utilize that excess water.”

Through these practices, the ability of soil to absorb water is improved, thus limiting runoff and keeping the soil and nutrients where they belong.

“We’re in the animal business, and all of us know animals produce manure,” Guilette said. “It’s our responsibility to use manure as a positive and keep the environment clean. Cover crops help with that aspect of agriculture.”

Cover crops provide plant diversity in the crop rotation and, if using a legume species, can produce nitrogen. They can also be used to produce a forage for harvest. Planting something that can be harvested can help improve the soil, while also improving feed quality for dairy cattle.

One of the crops that Guilette has implemented at Ebert Enterprises is winter rye.

“Winter rye is its own animal,” Guilette said. “It’s a resilient plant that can germinate near freezing. In 2023, we planted rye in mid-November and by the end of March, we had 1- to 2-inch plants out of the ground. The important thing was getting seeds planted. Even though it was late in the fall, they could still achieve more soil health benefits in the spring.”

Having rye in the ground during the winter gives the plant a chance to continue to improve the soil, which benefits the corn the following spring.

“The rye contributes to soil health,” Guilette said. “Earthworms can feed on it all season long. It scavenges nutrients from all around it, relaying those nutrients to the next spring for the corn crop.”

Soil compaction is another challenge that is presented to farmers. Guilette provided some practices to overcome those challenges.

“Occasional tillage helps alleviate compaction,” Guilette said. “But another could be a living cover crop. A living cover crop fractures the soil to keep it open. …. The important thing is to really know your fields. Each one could use a different practice for optimization.”

Another practice that Guilette discussed was planting green. This practice involves planting a corn crop into a cover crop that is still living.
Shortly after planting the corn, the cover crop is terminated. When the cover crop dies, it forms a compost that later can feed the corn until harvest. By using this practice, in addition to years of not tilling the same field, there will be a change in the water infiltration rate. When rain falls on the field, more water will make it into the soil.

This practice helps reduce runoff. The fields begin to drain differently, allowing the soil to better absorb nutrients.

Guilette did warn however that the living cover crop could attract army worm moths, something that can be addressed by additional scouting and integrated pest management practices.

Use dictates which cover crop should be planted with corn. Farmers could plant a lower quality feed for higher tonnages for heifers, or a higher quality feed for the milking herd.

“You need to be as realistic as possible for what the use of your cover crops will be,” Guilette said. “That needs to be communicated with everyone involved; the nutritionist, the crop consultant, everyone. There are some people who are reluctant to use cover crops in the ration for dairy cattle, so being on the same page from the beginning is vital.”

Guilette also provided advice for those farmers who might be new to the cover crop business.

“Use a certified crop advisor and make sure they stay involved,” Guilette said. “Really hold their feet to the fire if you need to. You also really need to be on top of your game and (be) ready to go. When rye is growing, it can get away from you quickly.”

Continuing to learn and grow through the process is an important element of these practices.

“Never forget your successes when working on cover crops,” Guilette said. “Learning from your mistakes and attempting to limit your variables as much as possible will help you to learn and improve what you’ve done.”

Guilette said those who have experience working with different cover crops should help those with less experience.

Guilette also shared how to get started without completely revamping a crop strategy for those apprehensive about cover cropping.

“It can be the very back 10 acres of your farm, but starting somewhere is what’s important,” Guilette said. “You’ll see the results in the smaller fields and see how you can adapt and adjust to fields all over the farm.”