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Barron County Cover Crop Cost Sharing

Barron County Cover Crop Cost Sharing

Barron County has cost sharing available for cover crop establishment:

$25/ acre with a maximum of 40 acres.

Cover crops are a popular and emerging conservation practice that many farmers have recently started utilizing on their farms. The benefits of cover crops are impressive - cover crops can reduce soil erosion, add nitrogen through fixation (leguminous cover crops), combat weeds, cycle excess nutrients not utilized by the previous crop, and break disease cycles. Additionally, cover crops improve soil quality through increased porosity (reduced compaction), soil organic matter, water holding capacity, beneficial bacteria and insects.

Different scenarios have different seeding deadline dates:
1. Summer cover crops - After Snap Beans, Small Grains, and Sweet Corn. Should be planted as soon as possible to maximize growth and soil health benefits.

Radishes, legumes and barley or oats combination Aug 15.

Oats, spring barley, annual rye, cocktails Sept 1
2. Cereal rye or Triticale aerial seeded into standing soybeans or corn silage Oct 1st

3. Cereal rye or Triticale no-till drilled into corn silage or soybean residue Oct 15th
4. Cereal rye or Triticale manure slurry seeded with aerated injection Oct 15th
5. If there is another cover crop scenario that you would like to try, let us know.

The cover crop cannot be harvested for forage or tilled in the fall, but it can be harvested for forage in the spring in the case of winter wheat or rye as long as the 2018 crop will be no-tilled into that residue. Check with your crop insurance agent if harvesting forages from the cover crop. The cover crop cannot be harvested for grain.

You must sign a contract with us prior to planting the cover crop. Funds are limited so, stop in to the Barron County Soil & Water Department to sign up. Priority will be given to individuals with limited experience in cover crops. Call 715-537-6375 or email tyler.gruetzmacher@co.barron.wi.us and or justin.everson@co.barron.wi.us for more information.

Last Update: Jul 20, 2017 10:00 am CDT

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