It's certainly shaping up to be a good harvest season so far. We have a lot of silage coming off, some beans and most importantly beautiful weather.

Last year we had more than 9 inches of rain in the month of September, while this year we've recorded only a little over 2 inches, and to be honest though we need a good inch or two, we'll take the good weather to get crops off in a timely manner.

For those who have beans coming off it's not too late to follow up with a cover crop.

A good fall mix may consist of annual ryegrass, rye/wheat, crimson or balansa clover, buckwheat and some type of brassica.

If you want more information on which cover crops will work for you, feel free to contact our office.

With the passage of the new Farm Bill last year we have recently changed our ranking system and are moving to a planning-based process. The middle of October historically signaled the cutoff for applications.This sign-up period has been extended and those interested in barnyard projects, cover crops, waterways, grazing systems or any conservation practice should contact our office for more information and an application to sign up.Congress wants more details of how conservation funds are being allocated, so the ranking will generate a list of resource concerns and conservation practices that would address those concerns.The farmer can then pick and choose which he would like to implement. The more you implement, the better chance of funding.Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.