The Risk Management Agency of USDA recently announced changes to cover cropping restrictions on prevented plant acres affected by the widespread wet weather much of the country has been seeing over the planting season.

These changes allow the acres to be harvested Sept. 1 as opposed to the traditional Nov. 1, giving farmers more options when it comes to planting a cover on these acres.

NRCS in several states is even providing cost share. However, Pennsylvania currently is not proposing any new signups for this option.

While cost share is always a bonus if you have farms that couldn’t get planted to a commodity this year, planting a cover crop still makes sense and can be very cost-effective.

Summer mixes can be planted for around $30/acre to help cycle nutrients from fertilizer already applied to the field, fix nitrogen for next year’s crop, and control weeds which will grow unchecked for much of the year.

A diverse summer mix should include sorghum/sudan, millet as grasses, cow peas and sun hemp as legumes, buckwheat, sunflowers and rape as warm season broadleaves.

Our office can certainly work with you to develop a mix that will suit your needs and is a good way to turn idle ground into a production benefit next year.

Summer field day at Kellogg Farms

The PA No-till Alliance will host a summer field day at Kellogg Farms in Slippery Rock from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 30.

The event will feature Jim Harbach. He is a partner with Schrack Dairy, a large dairy operation near State College. Harbach’s talk will focus on the improved water infiltration they’ve seen on their operation with the addition of cover crops along with reduced fertilizer and other inputs as well as planting green.

Harbach has a passion for soil health and the improvements they’ve seen on the farm over the past 15 years and will provide a great educational talk. We will also tour several cover crop plots, and Derek Kellogg will discuss their herbicide and cover crop trials for controlling marestail in soybeans.

Kellogg Farms recently experimented with planting green and adjusting herbicide rates and timing, and the results are very intriguing.

NRCS experts and agronomist Justin Brackenrich with Penn State Extension will discuss agency highlights and conduct a general soil health discussion. Several cover crop seed companies also will be on hand to discuss the plots and how their products can help improve your operation.

The event is free if registered by July 23 and includes lunch. To register or for more information, contact our office at 724-482-5298.

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