From our side of the fence

Steph and Kevin Krohnfeldt

Lakeside Jerseys

Alexandria,

Minnesota

Douglas County

75 cows

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? In the fall of 2016, we planted a cover crop of oats. We had heard of the many benefits of cover crops, so why not give it a try? Liquid manure was applied and lightly incorporated, with tillage following wheat harvest. The oats were planted to scavenge and hold manure nutrients for release to the 2017 corn crop.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? This year, due to time restraints, our cover crop plan is to let any seeds from our 55 acres of harvested rye crop that were left out in the field germinate and grow until spring planting. In the past, we have planted cover crops with a grain drill, broadcast with a fertilizer spreader or hired an airplane to seed into standing corn. Some of the crops we have planted in other years — but not necessarily all at one time — include oats, field peas, clover, turnips, radishes, rye and annual ryegrass.

What rotation do you use? Our rotation is quite variable, but it typically is alfalfa, corn, soybeans, small grains or corn, alfalfa or corn.

What lesson have you learned since planting cover crops? Cover crops are great tools when used effectively; however, like much of farming, they do not always work exactly as planned. With our short growing season, getting a cover crop established in fall can be difficult after corn and soybeans, but is easier following small grains. Cereal rye is probably the most talked-about cover crop but since it survives the winter, it can be challenging to manage in the spring. In a dry spring, a living cover crop can quickly use the moisture needed for the cash crop and needs to be terminated early. Oats is a very economical cover crop to plant, and since it winterkills, it does not need to be managed in the spring.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? Having a living plant growing beyond the cash crop season provides a home for microbiology in the soil to thrive and become more diverse, with different plant species growing in the field. Also, the cover crop helps to scavenge nutrients from the cash crop or manure applications while protecting the soil from wind and water erosion. Harvesting cereal rye cover crops before heading in spring provides quality forage for dairy cattle while providing enough time to plant soybeans.

Tell us about your farm. Our family milks 75 Jersey cows and raises our replacement heifers while farming 350 acres using no-till practices. Much of the acreage provides the feed for our cattle, with some for cash crops.

____________________________________________________

Maurie Young

Emerald Spring Dairy

Plainview, Minnesota

Winona County

1,200 cows

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? Cover crops became a consistent part of our agronomy plan in 2009. Improving soil health and reducing erosion were key reasons we decided to learn how to use and manage cover crops.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? We planted 1,300 acres of cover crops, using a 30-foot, no-till drill, beginning Sept. 18 on fields harvested for corn silage and ending Oct. 30 on fields that were harvested for grain.

What rotation do you use? Our rotation is three years alfalfa/grass blend followed by four to five years of grain corn or corn silage. During this rotation, all corn silage acres will have multispecies cover crop drilled in after harvest. (This year we used winter rye, annual ryegrass, winter camelina and purple-top turnip.) For the corn grain acres, we try to drill winter rye into as many acres as possible, depending on weather conditions.

What lesson have you learned since planting cover crops? Timing is very critical, both when planting in the fall and terminating in the spring. The earlier you can plant, the better chance of establishing good cover crop growth prior to freezing. Terminating at the right time in the spring — especially when fields are wet or dry — may impact your subsequent crop. When planting into green cover crop, it is important that your planter can handle the increased residue. We have found that multispecies cover crops are beneficial because they provide more biodiversity and nutrient cycling, but they are hard to establish after Oct. 1 in our area due to weather. Overall, weather conditions will determine the success of your cover crops. You need to be willing to be flexible or have a back-up plan if conditions change.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? We have seen improvement in soil health with increased organic matter, biologic activity and water filtration. We use less deep tillage and have reduced soil erosion. We have been able to decrease our inputs while maintaining our yield and feed quality.

Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Rita, and our sons, Darrin and Brandon, along with a wonderful team of employees. We milk 1,200 cows and grow alfalfa, corn and occasionally soybeans on 2,100 acres.

____________________________________________________

Dan Dreyer

Ottertail, Minnesota

Otter Tail County

500 cows

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? I've been planting for 6 to 8 years. I want to control wind erosion and retain fertility, particularly nitrogen. I don’t like the corn silage fields to be open all winter.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? I planted 180 acres after corn silage harvest, Oct. 3-5. My son had 110 acres flown onto his corn field in early September that has been harvested for grain.

What rotation do you use? I have been planting oats or wheat most recently, some years with radishes and turnips if I get it flown on in August. I planted rye also but had a hard time controlling regrowth and it left a rough seedbed when I planted alfalfa that year. I don't have a set rotation, and I’m still trying to figure out what is the most effective to capture nitrogen.

What lesson have you learned since planting cover crops? It's hard to get a good cover established without flying it on because of cool temperatures and long maturity corn I plant for silage. Covers we had flown on generally were well established but sometimes are killed in the tracks of silage harvest traffic.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? I think cover crops control erosion well if well established, so I must get right out there after corn silage harvest is complete. I don’t know how much — if any — nutrient retention is accomplished because I don’t know of a way to measure it; I may need a more established cover crop to achieve that, and that varies so much from year to year, depending on fall weather. I want to keep trying to figure it out because I think there are definitely benefits to be gained.

Tell us about your farm. I farm with my son and 12 employees, milking around 430 mostly Holstein cows. We milk our cows in a double-12 parallel parlor. The cows are housed on a bedded pack and in a freestall barn. I am the third generation of Dreyers on this farm. We farm about 600 acres of sandy ground and irrigate as much of it as is feasible. We use manure to provide nearly all the nutrients for our corn and alfalfa and to reduce erosion.

____________________________________________________

Mark and Joe Wilcox

Marcus, Iowa

Cherokee County

Currently 80 cows; planning to go up to 120 cows

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? Five years ago was our first experience with a cover crop, and we did it to help with our forage program. We started slowly, with our first fall seeding of 10 acres of winter rye; the following spring, we harvested it as ryelage and then direct seeded soybeans into the stubble. We tried it again that fall and seeded about 15 acres, but it was dry enough that the rye didn’t germinate in the fall, and the emergence in the spring didn’t warrant an attempt to harvest it. I should say that we have always seeded it in ground that we take corn silage off first. So, not only did we get a forage crop off in the spring, but it also served to protect the bare corn silage ground. The last couple of years, we have planted 30 acres of rye. The seeding in the fall of 2023 looked a little rough when it emerged in 2024, so we added about 50 units of nitrogen, and it just took off after that — too much so, in fact. This last spring, we didn’t fertilize and had a lot smaller crop, but it was very good palatability. One of the things that helped us with this decision was some cost-share money from the NRCS.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? We seeded the rye this year after corn silage, about Sept. 6, and seeded rye the next day; next year, we might try triticale.

What rotation do you use? The rotation is corn, rye and soybeans, and that gives us three crops in two years.

What lesson have you learned since planting cover crops? As far as lessons learned, it is a continual learning process.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? For us, the benefits are ground cover for erosion control, additional feed source for our young stock and dry cows and an overall good feeling that we are maximizing our land use while also protecting our most valuable resource.

Tell us about your farm. Our farm is the last commercial dairy in Cherokee County, and we will continue to dairy because we are in a building phase to expand the herd through the use of robots. Next year, this farm will earn the designation of being a Heritage Farm in Iowa, which means it has been continually in the family for 150 years.

____________________________________________________

Dan Hausladen

New Germany, Minnesota

McLeod County

Custom raises 150 heifers

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? We started in 2016. The main reason we gave them a try was because we were having a lot of problems with erosion. We also like the idea of cover crops and no-till for the labor savings. We have been experimenting with it ever since.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? This year, we will plant cover crops on every acre of corn rather than plowing the corn. Then, next spring, we will no-till soybeans into the cover crops. We usually plant cover crops the last half of October because I belong to a bunch of programs to get the cover crop seed and, for the programs, I need to have the seed in the ground by Nov. 1.

What rotation do you use? Our main crops are corn and soybeans; we rotate 50/50, and we do have some alfalfa ground. We no-till the soybean seed into the cover crop, which was planted on the corn ground the year before.

What lesson have you learned since planting cover crops? Our fuel consumption was cut in half; the expenses with chisel plowing, the points and everything has dropped. The soil seems a lot looser. When we chisel plow the soybean ground, it is like taking a hot knife through butter. With cover crops, there are never two years alike, so we have learned to be flexible with each year. We had a little yield drag for the first couple of years, but now, that has rebounded and is better than ever.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? The erosion has gone down to almost zero, and the labor savings are huge. Our organic matter has gone way up. We do not do any soil testing, but you can tell from looking at the soil and chisel plowing it, it is so loose. Also, the night crawlers are everywhere now; their holes are just all over. We have less fuel consumption and less inputs, and it just overall seems to work way better. There are so many programs out there for farmers who are interested in planting cover crops. We receive carbon credits because of the cover crop and no-till practices we do. We work with Natural Resources Conservation Reserve, Soil and Water Conservation District and a few others. I highly encourage others to give it a try.

Tell us about your farm. We milked cows until 1993; then, we switched over to raising heifers. We raise heifers for 12-15 different farms. Some of farms are going through expansion and just need a place to keep their heifers temporarily, while other farms have been with us for years. Right now, we are raising about 150 heifers and have 60 beef cows. My son has joined the operation and is farming full time with me. We also bale hay for horse farms down in Florida every year.

____________________________________________________

Justin Luthens

Hutchinson, Minnesota

McLeod County

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? We switched to cover crops five years ago. The biggest reasons we started trying them was water quality, conservation and erosion control.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? We planted cover crops September through November. The majority of our silage ground went into cover crops; this year, we are going to try some after combining corn as well.

What rotation do you use? We grow corn, soybeans and rye.

What lesson have you learned since planting cover crops? Don’t be afraid to fail, and learn from your mistakes.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? Less tillage and better weed control.

Tell us about your farm. Skyview Dairy is a family owned and operated dairy. It was started by Daryl Luthens in 1968 with seven cows and has been growing ever since.

____________________________________________________

Keith Bauman

Edgar, Wisconsin

Marathon County

75 cows

When did you switch to cover crops and what was the biggest reason behind the move? We started in 2020 with no-tilling, when we started the Fenwood Creek Watershed group because of funding from the county to reduce phosphorous index,

from our SnapPlus Nutrient Management Planner, below 1; the modeled average for the Fenwood Creek Watershed is at 4.8PI. I like to fish a lot, and the Fenwood Creek runs through our property in two places. It is a tributary to the Big Eau Pleine River.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall and how many acres did you plant? We did all our corn silage ground with cereal rye. We have some corn we are just getting combined now, so that might be too late to put rye on. We usually drill it in, but with the conditions we had this year we just broadcasted it probably about three weeks ago, in mid-October. We used 100 pounds per acre of potash as a carrier and did about 20 pounds to the acre of cereal rye.

What rotation do you use? We do some corn and soybean rotation, depending on our feed needs. We do corn-on-corn for maybe three years before we seed it down. Using the cereal rye, I think you could do more years of corn because of the way the rye works on the soil. Sometimes we will harvest the cereal rye for heifer feed, or we will no-till into it and terminate after.

What lesson have you learned since planting cover crops? At times I thought I was nuts when I started no-till, but what I have learned is that cover crops and no-till have to go hand-in-hand. If you do not do cover crops with no-till, you are going to be disappointed, at least on our soil.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? The phosphorous reduction has been huge, but I think the improvement in soil health has been huge as well. The number of earthworms that you have is amazing. I think that is a tribute to the overall soil profile that they are able to move through the soil and thrive. When you look at how things have improved since we started doing cover crops and no-till, we had fields we used to not be able to get into in the spring because they were so wet, and now, they are the same as the rest of fields. You do not have the compaction, and you can get the water filtered down where it can be useful rather than making that hardpan where the water cannot get through it. The amount of fertilizer we use has been greatly reduced, plus the savings from the amount of fuel we do not use making all the passes has been great as an economic benefit.

Tell us about your farm. We milk 75 cows and farm about 320 acres. It is just my wife, Cassi, and my two sons, Korbyn and Chase, and our 2-year-old daughter, Collins. Korbyn will be taking over the farm here in the future. We ship our milk to Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company in Rudolph.

____________________________________________________

Dan Brick

Greenleaf, Wisconsin

Brown County

1,050 cows

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? We started with a few fields of cover crops in 2009 and fully integrated them into our practices by 2013. The main reason for the shift was that we had some highly erodible land and were having a lot of soil erosion and runoff from that land.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? This fall, we began planting cover crops Sept. 29 — the same day we started chopping corn silage — and finished Oct. 5. Our goal is to plant as early as possible. Our mix consists of spring barley, red clover, tillage radish and winter rye. We also planted a few fields of winter barley this year, although last year's winter barley crop did not survive the winter.

What rotation do you use? Our goal is a rotation of three years of corn, followed by four years of alfalfa.

What lessons have you learned since planting cover crops? We've learned the importance of planting as early as possible in the fall and spraying off the cover crop in the spring when it's no taller than 14 inches. The cover crop sets a lot of moisture up for our crop; therefore, we want to get it in early. Rye takes nitrogen away from the plant, which is why 14 inches is the cut-off point, as that is when it starts to take up a lot of nitrogen.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? We've observed improved soil health, better water infiltration, healthier plants and reduced soil erosion.

Tell us about your farm. We milk 1,050 cows and ship our milk with Dairy Farmers of America. We farm 1,200 acres and contract an additional 200 acres with other growers. Approximately 90% of our corn silage is brown mid-rib. We use virgin sand for bedding in a tunnel-ventilated freestall barn and milk three times per day in a double-10 parallel parlor, which is a very tight setup. We currently maintain an 82,000 somatic cell count with 109 pounds of energy-corrected milk. My wife, Melanie, and I have three boys: Sawyer, 17, and twins Ian and Eli, 14. We also have 15 full-time employees.

____________________________________________________

Jake Gehring (pictured with his daughters, Kimberly and Maggie)

Hartford, Wisconsin

Washington County

190 cows

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? We adopted cover crops on about 95% of our farm 3 years ago. We started our transition about 5 years ago. Our three big goals are erosion control, compaction mitigation and nutrient retention. Being a dairy, we drive across these fields, hauling heavy forage off and returning the manure. This can beat up the soil structure. With covers, we are now seeing our soils act more like a sponge. Yes, they yield as you drive over them, but they have the resilience to bounce back. Covers help build this and maintain it.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? We started planting covers in August after wheat; on Sept. 19 after silage; and on Oct. 8 after beans and snaplage. We just finished up seeding after shell corn on Oct. 27. We seeded 380 acres this fall. I’m working to get to 100% covers, but I still need to figure out how to establish a rotation back into hay without tillage.

What rotation do you use? It varies depending on forage needs: hay-corn-wheat-corn-beans.

What lessons have you learned since planting cover crops? This could be a 4-hour discussion. The biggest challenge is nitrogen management in corn. Precision placement and timing are critical. I feel planter fertilizer is a must if planting corn into covers. Y drops for in- season nitrogen needs have complimented the system well. The system takes time to develop. I’ve had my disbeliefs when listening to talks on covers in the past, but it's true. Trying covers for one year will leave you in frustration after implementation. The land and the farmer learn to work differently together, and the knowledge you learn builds confidence in your cropping systems while it transforms and builds.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? We have been able to reduce inputs in many aspects. Fuel, equipment, labor, fertilizer and chemical costs have been reduced mainly from not having to move all that heavy soil. Plant your fields twice a year (cash crops followed by a cover) and let the plants and Mother Nature do the work for you.

Tell us about your farm. We are a 190-cow robotic dairy, built in 2016. We farm 550 acres and ship our milk with Family Dairies USA. My wife, Molly, manages lactating cows. My dad, LeRoy, does the breeding, calf/heifer management and manure management. Our extremely helpful neighbor, Harvey, mixes feed. I manage the equipment and field operations.

____________________________________________________

Daryl and Amy Woldt

Woldt Farms LLC,

Brillion, Wisconsin

Calumet County

1,750 milking cows

When did you switch to cover crops, and what was the biggest reason behind the move? We switched over a majority of our acres in 2020 to cover crops, no-till and planting green. 2019 was such a wet year for us, and we knew something needed to change. Corn silage harvest was nearly impossible, as we were constantly getting stuck in the fields. Empty dump carts were having to push loaded ones, and we even had a bulldozer out in the fields to help push loaded carts. We had to dump on the roads pretty much all harvest season. It was a nightmare. After we made the switch to cover crops, our soils don’t become saturated like they used to. When it rains, the soil can dry up after a few days. Before 2020, we were practicing some cover crops, but only on a few acres. This year, 100% of our acres will have something growing on them over the winter.

When did you plant your cover crops this fall, and how many acres did you plant? We planted our cover crops directly after the corn was harvested, which was around Sept. 15. We planted about 2,000 acres to a mixture of wheat, rye and barley. We also planted 160 acres of straight rye for combining, 300 acres of straight rye to harvest as a spring forage and 360 acres of winter wheat.

What rotation do you use? Our rotation varies depending on the distance of certain fields from the farm. We primarily grow alfalfa, grass, corn, wheat and soybeans, but not in a specific rotation.

What lessons have you learned since planting cover crops? Every year is going to look different. We have had to change the way we do things multiple times because of soil conditions or the weather. We look forward to learning better ways of doing things and adapting to those practices.

What benefits have you seen from this practice? One huge benefit we have noticed is that our soil is a lot healthier. It is nice to see the surface of the fields covered with earthworm castings. We are excited to see how the soils improve even more as we continue these practices.

Tell us about your farm. We milk 1,750 cows and farm 4,000 acres. We run a double-16 parallel parlor and milk three times a day. Our milk is shipped to BelGioioso Cheese. We have 40 full-time employees for whom we have a lot of gratitude, as they really help to keep the farm running on a daily basis.