The Indiana Farm Management Tour was held in central Indiana, in Hendricks County, where soils tend to be flat and wet. But Jack Maloney and other hosts sang the praises of cover crops. They've become an important part of their operation.
Roger Wenning, Decatur County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor, has become so enthralled with cover crops that he's trying to infect anyone he can with the cover crop bug. He's been conducting cover crop trials on his farm east of Greensburg for roughly three years now, holding numerous field days.
His next field day is next week, on Tuesday, August 17. It's slated to run between 9:30 am and noon, EDT. The farm is located at 1512 N, Co Rd 80 East, Greensburg. You can call the Decatur County SWCD for more specific information and directions at 812-663-8685, ext 3.
Lunch will be sponsored after the field day discussion by local businesses;. For count purposes, you're asked to reply by this Friday, August 13, if you plan to attend. However, don't expect anyone to be turned away at the farm drive. Wenning is all about promoting cover crops to whomever has time to listen.
This particular field day features Hans Kok, of the Conservation Cropping Initiative underway in Indiana, discussing where cover crops fit in conservation tillage systems. Ron Althoff of Bio-Till, Scott Jones of MidWest Grass and Dave Robison of Cisco, another seed provider, are scheduled to speak. Dan Towery, an independent consultant with Ag Conservation Services, also involved in the Conservation Cropping Initiative, will round out the discussion.
Expect this to be a nuts and bolts session, since seeding season is just around the corner. Most of the cover crops that will be discussed, including wheat, rye and annual ryegrass, do best if seeded early in the fall. That often means in September. The results are often better if the cover crops are aerially applied into standing corps. However, the potential for early harvest of corn and soybeans this year may open up opportunities for establishing cover crops by more traditional methods.
Bring your questions and come on out to Wenning Farms on Tuesday, August 17.