Cover crop field day hosted at Kellogg Biological Station
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EmailJoin the discussion and tour cover crop research and demonstration plots on Nov. 1, 2018, in Hickory Corners, Michigan.
While many farmers know of the benefits of cover crops, it’s not always easy to know how to incorporate cover crops into their operations. Challenges include determining what species to use, how to terminate the cover crop and what plants can serve a dual purpose as cover crop and forage. Cover crops keep the bare ground covered and live roots growing for as much of the year as possible. These, along with many other reasons, are why producers should use cover crops on their land. Other benefits include preventing erosion, adding organic matter, suppressing weed growth and retaining nutrients in the soil.
Michigan State University Extension encourages producers to plan cover cropping into the post-harvest activities this fall. To assist farmers in this decision-making process, MSU’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, Michigan, is hosting a Fall Cover Crops Field Day on Nov. 1, 2018, from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. to share research being conducted at the Kellogg farm on cover crops in grain, vegetable and grazing systems for producers in southwest Michigan.
Location: MSU W.K. Kellogg Farming Systems Center, 9702 North 40th Street, Hickory Corners, MI 49060
Program
9:30 a.m. – Registration
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Wagon tour of projects related to cover cropping in grain and vegetable systems, including the following specific projects listed below. Experts will be available at each stop to talk about each particular project.
- Interseeded cover crops in grain corn
- Cereal rye and hairy vetch cover crops prior to organic vegetable crops
- Intermediate wheatgrass (Kernza) as a grain and forage crop
- Red clover frost seeded into wheat
- Cover crop species demonstration plot
- Winter cereal forages following corn silage
- Winter barley trials including double crop systems with winter barley and soybeans
- MSU cover crop variety trial
12 – 1 p.m. – Pizza Lunch at the Kellogg Farming Systems Center
1 – 2:30 p.m. – Optional walking tour of annual forage crops being grown to complement a rotational grazing system based on perennial forages, and field scale cover crops.
Visit Fall Cover Crops Field Day at KBS to register and find additional details about the day.
Cover crop information and resources are available through MSU Extension’s Cover Crops page and the Midwest Cover Crops Council, or contact Dean Baas at baasdean@msu.edu. Information about activities and research at Kellogg Biological Station and the farm is available at the Kellogg Biological Station website or by contacting Misty Klotz at klotzmis@msu.edu or Brook Wilke at wilkebro@msu.edu.
This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program 2017-70006-27175 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
