Practices for Conserving Soil

Self Guided Tour-2018 Welcome! This is a self-guided tour of Manitowoc County agricultural fields whose producers are using cover crops

with no tillage or minimum tillage systems in their crop rotations. The purpose of the this tour is to provide individuals

who are curious about using cover crops with no tillage or minimum tillage systems the opportunity to see these

practices being used on the landscape. In sharing these first-hand experiences, the hope is that more farmers will

take the leap and incorporate these practices into their crop rotation. The increased use of cover crops with no

tillage or minimum tillage systems within Manitowoc County will positively impact the County’s soil health and water

quality.

Thank you for participating in the tour! Please contact Danielle Block, Resource Conservationist @ 920-683-4906

with any questions.

Why should I use cover crops?

Cover crops can provide many benefits for the soil in crop productions systems. Benefits include: Improve soil health/quality and maintain or increase organic matter content Manage excess nutrients in the soil Minimize and reduce soil compaction Promote biological nitrogen fixation Reduce wind abrasion damage Provide supplemental forage Reduce particle emissions Reduce water and wind erosion Provides a rotation effect for the following crop Improves soil moisture management Suppress weeds and break pest cycles

What is no tillage farming and why should I start?

No-tillage farming is a farming practice where the soil is minimally disturbed from planting to harvest. During the

planting process, the seed will be planted and then covered up. This method leaves ground surface intact, along

with the residues from the previous crop without aggressive tillage. Benefits include:

Improve soil health/quality and maintain or increase organic matter content Reduce sheet, rill, and wind erosion and excessive sediment in surface waters (soil erosion) Reduce tillage- induced particulate emissions Reduce energy use- lowest fuel and labor input costs Conserves soil moisture and improves water absorption- increasing precipitation storage and availability to

plants Preserve and improve microbial and earthworm health

Cover cropping and no tillage/minimum tillage systems have many great benefits for crop production and

environmental protection. These practices are a shift from the “norm” which is conventional farming practices. Cover

cropping with no tillage systems may require modification of planting methods/equipment and manure spreading

equipment. It takes time to realize the benefits of no tillage/minimum tillage systems and cover crops. Patience is

important. Soil needs time to regain its health and structure; this process will not happen overnight and may take

several cropping cycles for observable results. Some farms experience positive results within only a season or two.

Project Sponsors:

Site # Crop

Year

Cover Crop/Residue Cover Crop

Termination

Crop Planting

Method

Manure Application Method Years No-Till/Producer

Name

Site # 1 2017

2018

Corn stalk

Austrian Winter Pea, Cereal Rye & Oats

—————

Forage

Canadian Field Pea

Corn

No-Till

No-Till

Surface-7,000 gal/ac prior to Peas 10+ years

Dan Meyer Family Farms

Site # 2 2017

2018

Barley into Alfalfa residue

Winter Wheat into Corn stubble

Herbicide

Crop Harvest

Corn

Winter Wheat

No-Till

No-Till

Surface-8,000gal/ac on Barley

Low Disturbance Manure App.-Pending

3+ years

Robinway Dairy

Site # 3 2017

2018

Barely, Wheat, Berseem Clover

Winter Wheat

Herbicide

Crop Harvest

Corn

Winter Wheat

No-Till

No-Till

Low Disturbance Manure App. on cover crop

Low Disturbance Manure App. on cover crop

6 years

Soaring Eagle Dairy

Site # 4 2017

2018

Winter Wheat Stubble

Winter Wheat

—————-

Crop Harvest

Soybeans

Winter Wheat

No-Till

No-Till

6 years

Libertyland Farms

Site # 5 2017

2018

Winter Wheat and Barley

Winter Wheat and Barley

Herbicide

Herbicide

Corn

Corn

No-Till

No-Till

Low Disturbance Manure App. on cover crop 3+ years

Soaring Eagle Dairy

Site # 6 2018 Wheat Winter and Barely into Alfalfa

residue

Herbicide Corn No-Till 1 year

Triple F Dairy

Site # 7 2017

2018

Winter Wheat

Radish and Spring Oats

Crop Harvest

Winter Kill

Winter Wheat

Corn

No-Till

No-Till

15+ years

Waack Family Farm

Site # 8 2018 Corn grain residue —————— Soybeans No-Till 1 year

Bruce Klemm

Site # 9 2017

2018

Winter Wheat

Oats, Barley, Clover and Daikon Radish

Crop Harvest

Herbicide

Winter Wheat

Corn

No-Till

No-Till

3 years

Michael Slattery

Site #

10

2017

2018

Winter Wheat into soybean residue

Oats, White Clover, Tillage Radish

Crop Harvest

Winter Kill

Winter Wheat

Corn

No-Till

No-Till

6+ years

Schoner– Hugel Dairy

Demonstration Site Details When visiting the tour sites we ask that you safely park at each site; the majority of sites require parking on roadway shoulders or field entrances.

Look for a sign identifying the demonstration site and please reference the sign for field specific information. Be sure to take a good look at the soil

and crops!

Crop year: The time period between one harvest to the next harvest of an agricultural produce.

Site # 1

Site # 3

Site # 4

Site # 2

Site # 5

Site # 7

Site # 6

Site # 8

Site # 9

Site # 10