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Spring Cover Crop Field Day to be held at two sites
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This is what is left of a tillage radish after winter. (Photo supplied)
MONROE - The Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Green County Land and Water Conservation Department are organizing the Spring Cover Crop Field Day to answer questions regarding cover crops and soil health.

The Field Day will be held at two sites Tuesday. One of the topics covered will be residue that may tangle up in equipment, with the need to do tillage.

Randy and Chad Kesler are hosting the morning session from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at their farm, N3256 County SS, east of Monroe. Last August, they planted oats, radish, crimson clover, berseem clover and Austrian winter peas as a cover crop after winter wheat. They selected the mix for the best chances it would winterkill and not have any added management this spring. Although from the road, the residue cover left from cover crops looks really thick, walking in the field reveals that there's not as much there as it seems.

The afternoon session from 1 to 2:30 p.m. will be at the Ron and Ryan Syse Farm, W9248 County H, east of Blanchardville. The variety of cover crops planted in August include annual ryegrass, daikon radish, oilseed radish, crimson clover, spring peas, hairy vetch, purple top turnips, spring peas, sunn hemp, pearl millet and winter peas.

The spring cover crop field day is a good chance for farmers to revisit a site seen during a fall field day, to compare the differences of plant material left after winter. Soil surface management is the key to soil health and cover crops provide many benefits.