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MIDDLEBURG -- Corn silage and horticultural crops have been or will be harvested right now. Soybeans will be harvested soon as well. Regardless, the Snyder County Conservation District strongly urges planting cover crops when cash crops are not growing.
Cover crops help farmers do many things. Cover crops armor the soil from the autumn rains, winter snows and spring showers. Cover crops trap manure and fertilizer nutrients from leaching that would enter our surface and ground waters. Cover crops feed beneficial microbial life during times when cash crops are not present. Legume cover crops supply nitrogen for the next cash crop. Other advantages include reducing soil compaction, building soil organic matter and improving weed control.
PA regulatory requirements state that cover crops must be planted, at minimum, on portions of harvested corn silage and low residue fields 100 feet from any streams or waterbody.
For more information about cover crop selections, mixtures, and rates, contact a reputable crop consultant, professional agronomist, reliable seed dealer, nearest Penn State Extension office, the local USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office or your county conservation district office.