Speaker 1: We’re talking now about cover crops. A relatively new concept in Oklahoma with Chad Godsey, our cropping systems specialist.Chad, tell me a little bit about what cover crops are, and what we see in this field here today.
Chad Godsey: Basically cover crops are grown for several reasons,but probably the biggest reason why we would grow cover crops here is to provide cover for the soil. To prevent wind erosion, water erosion during those fallow periods when we don’t have a cash crop currently growing. In this field right here, what we’re looking at is oil seed radishes or tillage radishes, sometimes they’re referred to. These radishes were planted last fall, roughly sometime in late September. Nothing was growing here from wheat harvest in June, until last fall when these radishes were planted. Basically directed seeded into the wheat stubble, then the frost in early December, first, second week of December terminated these radishes, and that’s what we’re looking at currently.
Speaker 1: Let’s talk a little bit about some of the other types of cover crops that could be used.
Chad Godsey: Cover crops can be broken down to 2 main categories. Legume cover crops which would provide nitrogen for a following cash crop. Then a biomass cover crop which basically is producing biomass. The tillage radishes here are kind of a biomass crop, and that’s one of the things we struggle with in our no till systems anyways, is accumulating that residue in that fallow period. That residue cover is really what drives the no till system is keeping that surface residue on.
Speaker 1: I’m sure that when people here about the benefits that it can have to their soil quality they get really excited, but it’s really not a cure all and there got to be some draw backs as well?
Chad Godsey: That’s true. The 2 big costs with any kind of cover crop is the loss of soil moisture. Of course it takes soil moisture to produce a biomass or the nitrogen, and then also the seeding cost. A lot of the benefits from cover crops are kind of, it’s kind of hard to put a dollar value on it. A lot of times we don’t really realize those benefits the next year, or immediately.
Speaker 1: At the same time if you’re willing to stick with it, I’m sure you can see some definite benefits down the road?
Chad Godsey: It really is improving the soil quality, building organic, and things like that. Those are things that really could potentially improve our yields in the years to come, but it is a slow process. One of the things, especially with these tillage radishes is, is the benefit of the tap root. If you have a fairly heavy textured soil, really, especially going into no till, this is a cover crop that may be beneficial to you. Basically you’re getting a benefit of tillage, with that that large tap root but without disturbing the soil at all. It’s things like that that are hard to quantify, or put a price tag on in a given year. Long term that’s definitely benefiting you.
Speaker 1: Where would a cover crop like these radishes that we see fit in with a crop rotation plan?
Chad Godsey: Probably the best fit would be in a long fallow period and we want to shorten that, but not take the risk of growing a cash crop. Also, specially the tillage radishes, an ideal time to use those would be if you’re converting from a heavy tillage or really intensive tillage system to a no till system. Like I mentioned previously, the tillage radishes you get those benefits of tillage but without disturbing the soil. It’s a good, it kind of makes that transition from conventional till to no till a lot easier.
Speaker 1: For someone interested in some of these newer farming techniques like cover crops, you have an up coming conference?
Chad Godsey: We do. February 1st and 2nd actually in Norman, and this will be our 4th annual state wide no till meeting. We have a lot of producers from outside the state attend as well. The titles No Till Oklahoma, but it really is a progressive farming conference I guess you could say. We’ll talk about cover crops, not only in no till, but conventional till too, systems. Also zone management, grid sampling, things like that. It goes beyond no till definitely.
Speaker 1: Chad thank you. For more information on that conference you can go to our website at sunup@okstate.edu.