Cover Crop Field Walk on April 26 to focus on winter survival

Dean Baas<baasdean@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension, and Brook Wilke, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station - April 17, 2018

The second field walk of the season in Hickory Corners, Michigan, will focus on cover crop winter survival.

Participants tour cover crop research and demonstration plots during the Nov. 7, 2017, field day at Kellogg Biological Station.

The Michigan State University Extension cover crops team is hosting a series of informational Cover Crop Field Walks in 2018 looking at different cover crop species and how they work in different cropping systems. This is an opportunity for producers and agricultural professionals to visit cover crop field sites in various locations throughout Michigan with MSU Extension educators to observe and discuss cover crop use, management, benefits and challenges.

Walks are scheduled on Thursdays from 5 – 7 p.m. The second field walk of the season on April 26, 2018, will take place at the MSU W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, 9693 N. 40th Street, Hickory Corners, MI 49060. Participants will see cover crop plots that were highlighted at the Nov. 7, 2017, field day. Cover crops interseeded into standing corn at V3 and V6, mixtures after wheat, small grains for forage after silage and plots of various species will be toured to evaluate them for how they overwinter or winterkill, providing an opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of each and how they might fit into a cropping system.

For more information about this field walk, contact MSU Extension educator Dean Baas at baasdean@msu.edu or 269-967-9672.

Join the MSU Extension cover crop team members and farmers at one or several Cover Crop Field Walks scheduled throughout the 2018 growing season (see the tentative schedule below). The field walks will be in-field opportunities for group discussion and hands-on learning. As dates get closer, visit the MSU Extension Cover Crops page for the most up-to-date location details (cancellations or changes).

Tentative schedule for 2018 Cover Crop Field Walks

April 26, 5 – 7 p.m., W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, 9693 N. 40th Street, Hickory Corners, MI 49060
May 10, 5 – 7 p.m., Bear Lake, 3217 Schoedel Rd, Manistee, MI 49660
July 12, 5 – 7 p.m., Oceana County (vegetable focus)
July 26, 5 – 7 p.m., Clinton County (planting demo)
Aug. 9, 5 – 7 p.m., Kent County (fruit focus)
Aug. 23, 5 – 7 p.m., St. Joseph County
Sept. 6, 5 – 7 p.m., East Lansing Student Organic Farm
Sept. 20, 5 – 7 p.m., Lapeer County
Oct. 4, 5 – 7 p.m., Lenawee County
Oct. 18, 5 – 7 p.m., Isabella County

Cover crop information and resources are available through MSU Extension’s Cover Crops website and the Midwest Cover Crops Council, or Dean Baas at baasdean@msu.edu or other MSU Extension Cover Crop Team members. 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.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).