Wet planting conditions across the region
This planting season has had a large amount of rainfall in a not-so-large period of time. The rain is causing delays in planting, and you may not have been able to get your cash crops into the ground. Even if you did get your crops planted, the waterlogged soil might prevent it from yielding well. All this to say – you may have to get creative with your crop plan this year. If you have prevent plant acres, check out our Prevent Plant article for more details and product recommendations for prevented planting.
Make the most of wet acres
So, if it’s too late to replant or you’re not expecting your planted acres to perform well, don’t panic. There are lots of alternatives for your waterlogged or drown out acres. Planting a cover crop comes in at the top of our list, for many reasons. Need forage? Need to hold your soil in place? Need to get some water moving out of puddles and into the soil profile? There’s a cover crop for that.
If you have crop insurance, you can plant cover crops at any time and still receive 100% of your prevent plant payment*, as long as it didn’t contribute to your land being prevented from planting. Don’t just leave the ground bare. Grow a cover crop or forage this season to help control erosion, increase soil nutrients, and enhance your yield for next year.
Luckily, Renovo offers a variety of cover crop and forages – and there’s an option for any scenario.
What to plant
Some of our most popular cover crop blends are the Classic Trio or Nutrient Builder. These mixes can help with weed suppression, plant diversity, and nitrogen fixing while you’re taking a year off from your typical cash crops. Planted from mid-June to August, they will run you about $16 – $31/acre.
If your goal is to produce forage for grazing, we recommend Ranch Hand or Premium Graze. These are two diverse and high-yielding mixes that can be planted in June or July and will run you about $20 – $30/acre.
If your goal is to produce hay, we recommend Japanese Millet, HayMax Pearl Millet, or German Millet. These species are multi-cut, drought tolerant, and can be planted in June or July. They will run you around $19 – $24/acre.
Finally, If you’re looking to chop for feed, we recommend SorMax 85, Cow Conditioner, or RS 9000. These high-quality sorghum and sorghum-sudangrasses can be used for grazing or as a quick forage. They perfrorm great when planted in June or July, and they will cost about $20 – $30/acre.
If you’re looking for more cover crop options, you can use our Cover Crop Seed Selector to get a customized recommendation for your farm or ranch. Just answer a few simple questions and it’ll point you towards the cover crop mix that’s best for your acres.
*Final plant dates and prevent plant eligibility will vary. Check with your crop insurance agent for details.
For information on available options for your wet acres, give us a call at 605.627.1901
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