b'COVER CROP CORNERCover Cropping:Winter is a Great Time to PlanEffective cover cropping takes forward thinking. The winter months present a great opportunity to formulate a strategy for the spring.SUCCESSFUL COVER CROPPINGregardlessagain. Dont write off an idea without asking questions. of weatherstarts with proper planning. The winterWhat didnt work for them might work for you.months are the perfect time to be doing it. Having theThe internet is a great place to gather ideas, but you need plan in place before the busy spring season will take theto know where the information is coming from. We need pressure off come spring. information thats relevant to our area. Some concepts By having the winter season to plan, proper stepshave no location boundaries, but others are specific to local can be taken, like setting goals and researching speciesareas. Others have been tried in different areas, and they that could be used in your blends. If its your first run atjust need local adaptation to make them work.cover cropping, being able to talk to producers that haveJoining like-minded producers is another way to share KEVIN ELMY,experience, attend meetings, read books, and cruise theinformation. WhatsApp, X and Facebook are all good is founder of Coverinternet for information will help your decision-makingplaces to meet up with farmers. Ask questions, share Crops Canada. His book Coverprocess.experiences, help support others on their journey. These Cropping inIf you have grown a cover crop before, its time to assessgroups tend to have producers scattered over a large Western Canada is available throughthe effectiveness of the mix used. What species seemed toarea, with different levels of experience. As always, have Friesen Press,thrive? Which ones were difficult to notice? What statea context in mind. A plant may have a reputation for a Amazon, and digitally throughis the soil in? What goals still need to be accomplished?certain characteristic, but it will have other ecological Apple Books,What new goals are now apparent? Was it a normal year?properties that are overlooked.Kindle, and Google Play. For moreWhats forecasted for next year weather-wise, economics- Winter can also be the time to do some equipment info on Coverwise, and for your business model?modifications to help make seeding cover crops more Crops Canada visit covercrops.ca Soil health pioneer Gabe Brown said, If you do not haveefficient. It may be setting up your seeder to seed any mistakes on the farm, you are not trying hard enough.alternating rows of seeds in different tanks, getting a The absence of mistakes shows that there is little new on thesystem to seed cover crops, setting up liquid systems to farm. We need to take some of our acreage and experiment.get liquid products placed in the seed rows, or developing Trying something differentotherwise you do not knowa way to blend seed for cover crop blends on your farm. if what you are doing currently is the best practice.The idea would be making a system easy in-season; it Regenerative agriculture thought leader Steve Groffeliminates any excuse not to get the cover crop seeded. uses the five per cent ruletake five per cent of yourDo some research on any government or local producer acreage and experiment. These acres will be part of yourgroup programs that may be available to help with costs education. Looking at how to make your managementassociated with cover cropping. Watch the restrictions system better. Dont look at them as a mistake, but aand rules of funding. Ensure that their goals match yours. learning opportunity. This learning opportunity willIf things are compatible, funding can help stretch the strengthen your system in the future. budget allowing you to do more.When going through information itll be easy toOnce the plans and goals are developed, get the seed get confused and disgruntled with all the conflictinglined up. Getting the seed ordered early will ensure you information from around the world. How do you screenget the species you want and allows seed to be blended this information?and to be in place before you get busy. In-season can work The first step is to assess your own goals. What seems to befor acres that get added, but having the majority of the working? Where are the areas that need more improvement?projects planned makes life less stressful. Hard-sided seed Who are the people that are respected in that area? boxes are a good investment. They keep out the mice, are Getting only producers opinions can sometimes bewaterproof and easy to store.misleading. Some are excellent at having trials throughWinter can be a slow time of the year, but using the time multiple years and coming up with replicable results.to plan for the next season helps reduce stress during the Others may have tried something once and written it off,growing season. Plans may need to be modified in-season, even though it has merit. So, you need to ask context,but the heavy lifting is already done. All you need to do is conditions, reasons for someone not trying a practiceexecute the plan. 44SPUDSMART.COMWinter 2024'