Cover crop options for corn grain in Wisconsin
Cover crop species recommendations change depending on whether you are in Northern or Southern Wisconsin. Northern Wisconsin Cover Crop Options Small grains / grasses Cereal rye is the only option for seeding cover crops after corn for grain in Northern WI but it should be planted by late October. Much later than this and rye […]
Cover crop options for soybeans in Wisconsin
Cover crop species recommendations change depending on where you are. The map below is divided between Northern and Southern Wisconsin – click one of the maps below to view the recommendations for that area. Northern Wisconsin Cover Crop Options Small grains / grasses Cereal rye is the most reliable option for seeding grass cover crops […]
Cover crop options for corn silage in Wisconsin
One of the most important times to use cover crops is after corn harvested as silage leaving very little residue and the soil vulnerable to erosion in the winter and subsequent spring. There are many ways to plant cover crops, please go to this page to look at planting recommendations. Cover crop species recommendations change depending […]
Cover crop options for Winter Wheat in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s short growing season doesn’t provide a lot of time for growing cover crops. However, the early harvest of winter wheat allows an excellent window for cover crops to grow, protect the soil and provide other benefits. Cover crop recommendations typically change depending on where you are in Wisconsin but because of the early harvest […]
Selecting Cover Crops
UW-Madison Extension experts discuss selecting cover crops and questions that you should be to ask yourself to help clarify your goals for using cover crops.
Why cover crops?
Cover crops can provide many benefits for the soil in crop productions systems. Benefits can include conserving soil and water as well as improving the soil. Reduced Erosion An obvious effect of growing cover crops is covering the soil surface, which can significantly reduce the potential for wind and water erosion. This is particularly true […]
Planting Methods for Cover Crops
Interseeding (Drilling or broadcasting early season into standing crop) Establishing cover crops after corn and soybeans is a challenge in Wisconsin due to the minimal amount of growing season left after harvest. Interseeding a cover crop during the vegetative growth of these crops provides Wisconsin farmers a cover crop establishment method earlier in the season. […]
Cover crop options for planting after winter wheat
Wisconsin’s short growing season doesn’t provide a lot of time for growing cover crops. However, the early harvest of winter wheat allows an excellent window for cover crops to grow, protect the soil and provide other benefits. Cover crop recommendations typically change depending on where you are in Wisconsin but because of the early harvest […]
Field Drying Forage for Hay and Haylage
If we understand and use the biology and physics of forage drying properly, not only does the hay dry faster and have less chance of being rained on, but the total digestible nutrients (TDN) of the harvested forage are higher
Sweet Corn Waste: Forage Quality and Fermentation Characteristics
Sweet corn is enjoyed by people across the United States. Some sweet corn is harvested and sold directly to the consumer (i.e. corn on the cob). The rest of the sweet corn is processed, packaged and/or combined with other food products through a processor. Sweet corn production produces byproducts that can be fed to livestock. They include sweet corn stalks (stalklage left on the field after harvest), sweet corn silage (from bypassed acres that were not harvested), and corn canning factory waste (sweet corn waste).
