Benefits of cover crops at forefront

By Steve Ferris Eagle Staff Writer

July 23, 2021 Last Updated: July 23, 2021 08:52 PM Digital Media Exclusive

Penn State doctoral student Emma Rice (right), Titusville area farmer Monica Kerr(left) look at a cover crop test plot during the Pennsylvania No Till Alliance's field day conference at Thiele Dairy Farm in Cabot. Area farmers attended the farm day to learn about no till farming practices designed to maintain soil fertility and manage rain runoff. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 07/23/21

CABOT — Making soil more productive for farming by planting cover crops after harvest was discussed and demonstrated Friday at a No-Till Alliance field day and annual meeting at the Thiele Dairy Farm.

Cover crops — buckwheat, flax, oats, sunflowers, radishes, rapeseed, rye and warm- and cool-season grasses — prime soil with nutrients that benefit corn and other summer crops, protect soil, inhibit grubs and allow earthworms to thrive, said guest speaker Rick Bieber.

Bieber is a 30-year farmer from South Dakota who spends half the year traveling out of the country talking to farmers about caring for their precious soil.

“We need to have our soil functioning properly,” Bieber told the gathering of more than 100 farmers, including some who traveled from Illinois, New York and Ohio for the field day.

“Soil is the skin of the Earth,” and it should be protected with cover crops and worked gently with no-till planting, he said.

Planting multiple species of cover crops, he said, adds a dynamic array of nutrients and more nutrients than fertilizers provide.

A portion of this story is shared with you as a digital media exclusive. To read the full story and support our local, independent newsroom, please subscribe online.

Farmer Rick Bieber describes benefits of different cover crops in order to maintain nutrients in soil and prevent water runoff during a field day with the Pennsylvania No Till Alliance at Thiele Dairy Farm in Cabot. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 07/23/21

A buterfly rests on a flower in a cover crop test plot at Thiele Dairy Farm. Along with preserving soil nutrients, cover crops benefit polinators and insects in fields that aren't being actively farmed. Pennsylvania No Till Alliance farm day at Thiele Dairy Farm in Cabot. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 07/23/21

A cricket rests on a plant in a cover crop test plot at Thiele Dairy Farm. Along with preserving soil nutrients, cover crops benefit polinators and insects in fields that aren't being actively farmed. Pennsylvania No Till Alliance farm day at Thiele Dairy Farm in Cabot. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 07/23/21

William Thiele (center) of Thiele Dairy Farm in Cabot answers a question during a panel discussion on no till farming techniques with fellow farmers, Matt Ulmer (left) and Dave McLaughlin. Farmers from around the region spent Thursday at Thiele Dairy Farm learning about no till farming techniques through a field day with the Pennsylvania No Till Alliance. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 07/23/21Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 07/23/21

Natural Resources Conservation Service representative Andy Gaver explains no till cover crop planting benefits with a demonstration on a rainfall simulator showing how water runoff can better managed to maintain soil nutrients. Farmers from around the region spent Thursday at Thiele Dairy Farm learning about no till farming techniques through a field day with the Pennsylvania No Till Alliance. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 07/23/21