Manure Nutrient Utilization & Water Quality - Rick Juchems, Iowa Pork Producer, from the 2017 Iowa Pork Congress, January 25-26, Des Moines, IA, USA. More presentations at http://www.swinecast.com/2017-iowa-pork-congress

1. COVER CROPS
Rick Juchems

2.  Farming in Butler & Bremer Counties since 1979
 470 acres of corn and soybean
 Finish 5,000 hogs annually
 Butler County SWCD
 North Central Region -Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (SARE) Administrative
Council
 Butler County Farm Service Agency Board
 Iowa Soybean Association Region 3 director
 VP Northeast Iowa Research Farm, Nashua
Me & our farm

3.  470 cover crop acres
 Started cover crops in 2003
 Other conservation practices:
 Grass waterways
 Buffers along creeks
 Terraces
 CRP windbreaks
 No-tillage
 Terrace on rental acres
 Custom farm 80 acres with CRP
waterways and bird habitat
installed
 Shallow wetland area
Conservation on our farm

4. What are Cover Crops?
Cereal Rye Research Strips at Juchems’ Farm
PFI

5.  Reduces wind & water erosion
 Keeps soil and nutrients out of
the streams, lakes, rivers and
structural conservation practices
 Builds soil health: increases
organic matter levels and water
infiltration and storage capacity
 Fixes N and can reduce fertilizer
rates and costs
Cover Crop Benefits on My Farm
NRCS
Steve Berger
ISU

6. Additional Potential
Cover Crop Benefits
NRCS
 Can suppress weeds by
providing competition,
shading & allelopathic
characteristics
 Encourage beneficial
biological activity/microbial
life in soil, discourage
disease
 Encourage beneficial
insects, prey on pests
 Reduce need/cost for
herbicides & pesticides

7. Additional Potential
Cover Crop Benefits
NRCS
 Can suppress weeds by
providing competition,
shading & allelopathic
characteristics
 Encourage beneficial
biological activity/microbial
life in soil, discourage
disease
 Encourage beneficial
insects, prey on pests
 Reduce need/cost for
herbicides & pesticides

8.  Provides opportunity
for producers with
livestock to graze or
hay
 Provides winter food
and cover for birds &
other wildlife
 Opportunities for
Iowa businesses
Additional Potential
Cover Crop Benefits
PF
plantcovercrops.com

9. Additional Potential
Cover Crop Benefits
NRCS
 Enhancing the nutrient
system (P & N)
 Plant & residue conserve
soil moisture
 Reduces compaction
 Improves yields

10.  Provides opportunity
for producers with
livestock to graze or
hay
 Provides winter food
and cover for birds &
other wildlife
 Opportunities for
Iowa businesses
Additional Potential
Cover Crop Benefits
PF
plantcovercrops.com

11. Wildlife has
returned with the
use of cover crops

12.  Before Corn:
Oats – 38 lbs/ac (1bu/ac)
Radish - 2lbs/ac
 Before Soybeans:
Rye - 56 lbs/ac (1 bu/ac)
Radish – 2 lbs/ac
Cover Crops Used &
Fall 2016 Seeding Rates

13.  Aerial applied when
beans showed first tinge
of yellow and corn was
almost at black layer in
September
Drill during harvest
Cover Crop Application
PFI

14. Fall Seeded Rye

15. Aerial Seeded In September
Top left: October 2015
On right: March 22, 2016

16. Aerial Seeded In September

17.  Non overwintering cover crops:
 Oats & radishes were killed with a good frost
 Overwintering cover crops:
 Glyphosate Herbicide for cereal rye
 Tillage
Cover Crop Termination

18. 2016 Rye cover showing the effect of 2014 fall applied manure

19. Drilling into standing rye one day after spraying burn down

20. Fall Applied Manure 2016

21. Environmental Quality Incentive Program
(EQIP)
Flat rate per acre
Payment varies by cover crop species used
The same acres every year for a maximum of
three consecutive years
Three seeding date zones
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
5 year contract, annual payments
Payment for existing conservation system
plus payment for enhancements to existing
conservation system
Continuous cover crops and cover crop
mixtures CSP cover crop enhancement
options
Cover Crop Assistance

22. State Cost Share- $25/ac with a max of 160
acres
Sometimes watershed project specific
funding available
Cover Crop Assistance