As producers finish up chopping corn silage, some consideration should be given to putting a cover crop on that bare ground.

There are many benefits to cover crops: environmental, economical and managerial advantages are a few.

Improved soil structure, reduced compaction, increased organic matter and reduced soil erosion are just some of the environmental benefits of cover crops.

When used in conjunction with a no-till system, cover crops provide plant growth nearly year round. They improve soil structure with biological action as well as increased earthworm activity. The worms feed on the decaying and regrowth of the cover crop.

This activity aerates the soil which increases water absorption and air flow to heat the soil providing a quicker planting opportunity come spring.

Structure and compaction are also improved and reduced by the root growth of the plant as well as the biological activity previously described. More often than not many producers comment about compaction in the field and blame deep compaction or plow-pans.

Although pans can develop and are found in some soil types, most compaction is found at the surface and is a result of equipment traffic across fields during less than ideal conditions.

This can include the daily hauling of manure, planting when field conditions were not the best and harvesting operations.

By planting a cover crop in the fall, when soil moisture is typically high, soil is easier to loosen up to regain and rebuild structure.

With the plant's fibrous root system, which can extend several feet, subsoil compaction can potentially be removed too.

Producers who apply manure throughout the winter can see multiple benefits. When manure is applied to bare ground nearly 50 percent of manure nitrogen is lost into the atmosphere. Through runoff, that's like buying a ton of urea and throwing half of it away.

However, when applied to a cover crop, the nitrogen is retained and come spring can be either killed or plowed under.

This will significantly reduce the fertilizer expense of the next crop.

Soil erosion is also reduced which in turn improves soil structure and soil organic matter. This fluffy, nutrient rich area improves water and air infiltration, and reduces the need for fertilizer and liming materials.

Producers have a whole host of crops they can utilize as living cover. The most common in crop production are rye, wheat and barley, with rye being the most common.

Rye is typically the cheapest and easiest to manage. Rye also has some allopathic properties which inhibit smaller weed germination a few weeks after killing.

Oats are another option for winter cover. It's a crop the winter kills, a benefit for producers who are pushed for time in the spring.

You should still see enough growth over fall and early winter to see benefits from planting the cover.

Other, more uncommon, covers include red clover and hairy vetch. These legumes will fix around 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre; the down side is most need to be seeded around August or early September to fully utilize the nitrogen fixing benefit.

To accomplish this, you can broadcast clover during corn side dressing or seed directly following oats or wheat.

Finally there are some incentives available through our EQIP program for producers who are currently planting a cover crop or are interested in trying them.

One-time incentives range from $20 to $50 per acre and are eligible on a field-by-field basis.

Producers are encouraged to contact our office to discuss trying or improving the use of cover crops in their cropping system.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.