Great concern exists over the long term health and “resiliency” of our soils. On sandy soils, and with wheat production problems, more and more growers in Elgin County are going to shorter rotations of mainly only corn and soybeans. There is excellent research that organic matter additions in these rotations are extremely low, and result in declining soil health. Cover crops seeded into maturing soybeans or immediately after soybean harvest may be one way to overcome this decline in soil health.
This project will evaluate various cover crops seeded close to soybean harvest for their ability to establish, fall growth, and impact on subsequent corn yield.