Cover Crops - Aerial Seeding

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Cover Crops - Aerial Seeding

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Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2573
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 24 3:22 pm Post subject: Cover Crops - Aerial Seeding

Interesting notice on community Facebook page this morning:

North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development

NORTH JERSEY RC&D has funding available for Fall 2024 cover crop through our AgAssist program. For Fall 2024 only, farmers within the Delaware River Watershed Basin are eligible to apply for up to 100 acres. NEW for 2024: higher rates for all cover crop categories and separate rates for small-scale cover crop fields!

We wanted to let our local neighbors and community know that airplanes will start seeding cover crops on September 3rd, weather permitting, for multiple farmers enrolled in the North Jersey RC&D-NRCS Aerial Seeding Initiative!

Multi-species cover crops are seeded with an airplane to create a living cover on the soil while there are still crops growing in the ground. Aerial seeding helps to get the best stand possible to create growth and strong roots to be held in place during the winter. Cover crops protect our topsoil and hold it in place while also providing added benefits like alleviating compaction.

Our pilots are experienced and in charge of the seeding. The seeding may occur until the middle of September. If you have any questions on the Initiative, feel free to reach out. Thanks and have a great day! #sustainableagriculture #hunterdoncountynj #warrencountynj

Cereal rye, annual rye grass and crimson clover, all non-GMO seed.,

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4630
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 24 8:21 pm Post subject:
Interesting! I would be worried about fuel use and the seeds landing in the crop above the soil - but cover crops are generally good and this avoids a heck of a lot of soil compaction by machinery...

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 24 10:45 pm Post subject:
What crops are normally grown in this region and when typically harvested?

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16006

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 24 7:26 am Post subject:

Seems like a good idea. The farm where I get my meat, which is a mixed arable and pasture farm, have been using what I learnt at school as 'dry' farming methods. The seeds are sown into the stubble of the preceding years crop, and as they come up before the winter, help to hold the soil together. Cover crops are another way if spring sowing is wanted. I suppose if the fields are vast then sowing by plane is a good idea, but agree it does sound like a waste of fuel.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6614
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 24 11:13 am Post subject:

It's a practice with history. Particularly well suited for areas growing a lot of silage corn for dairy cows. The corn gets harvested so late that there's often not enough time for good cover crop establishment before winter. It's not truly economically change when the grant funding runs out, so only areas of high concern for nutrient runoff tend to benefit from continued subsidy, if it gets continued at all, location by location.

Another approach is growing varieties with shorter days to maturity, but most farmers feel they'll get less overall yield of they don't maximize the days of the growing season with corn in the ground

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2573
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 24 7:49 pm Post subject:

Field crops, locally, are corn, soy beans, wheat, hay. Specialty crops are things such as pumpkins, evergreen Christmas trees, neither of which I believe, have cover crops sown one way or another.

King's AgriSeed company recommends: "Aerial seeding into standing corn should be delayed until the kernel milk line is at least 50% formed. For silage corn, do aerial seeding several weeks before cutting silage, when the corn is in early dent stage. Sowing into other standing crops should consider the current weather and temperature."

USDA mentions that: "Interseeding a cover crop into corn during the growing season allows a cover crop to be established and ready to flourish after harvest (also adds the option for grazing earlier in the fall), versus seeding a cover crop after harvest and having a shorter window for establishment before winter."

Pioneer mentions: " crops can have positive or negative effects on grain crop yields, depending on environment, cover crop species and management. In general, legumes and grass-legume mixtures are better suited than grasses prior to corn, and grasses are better suited than broadleaves prior to soybeans."

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 24 8:53 pm Post subject:
Interesting,i would imagine they up the normal sowing rate for aerial sowing as a good percentage of seed will be held on foliage not hitting the ground.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2573
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 24 1:54 am Post subject:
Possibly more than you actually wanted to know about aerial seeding https://www.northjerseyrcd.org/post/aerial-seeding

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16006

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 24 7:21 am Post subject:

Here the maize is cut by now, so the fields will be reseeded with something else which will germinate and start growing before the winter. In the UK I think we have varieties of maize that are faster maturing than in the US/Canada. They are sown quite late, and seem to be cut by now when spring wheat is still unharvested.

It wasn't grown in the UK when I was a child as far as I am aware, but think that there has been a lot of development of suitable varieties for the British climate over the years.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6614
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 24 9:49 am Post subject:

We have short day corn here, but at least in the northern parts of the Northeast not enough time to really get a good overwinter crop after it. At least that's the excuse some farmers use. I think we'd be well done by more growing shorter days to maturity corn and then winter cereals, though most of them would be grazing or chopping it as most farms here are not setup to handle grain. Then you have a new problem however... What can you get in after the winter cereal? It probably works best in a rotation where the next perennial hay/pasture crop is being frost seeded into the winter cereal, and to be honest, most folks are not roasting their forage ground very much

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2573
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 24 2:29 pm Post subject:
Perhaps what they need to invent is a machine that harvests the corn and simultaneously seeds the cover crop. Here's how field corn is harvested in November. Here's the machine - standing corn is cut, somehow corn is separated from both the stalks and the cobs, debris is chopped and spit out

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 24 10:02 pm Post subject:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=ICx7t4d6&id=C4EF42A6273741FBAFBAC2D9F91F23FC37720B47&thid=OIP.ICx7t4d6fFCB6G-fKoJnmAHaEK&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.ytimg.com%2fvi%2fJpFTnUp_PaQ%2fmaxres2.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.202c7bb7877a7c5081e86f9f2a826798%3frik%3dRwtyN%252fwjH%252fnZwg%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=720&expw=1280&q=First+Mounted+Corn+Picker&simid=608055679328598312&FORM=IRPRST&ck=B2F65FF49AF2698BDCC65921C804DE5A&selectedIndex=6&itb=0

Not the one i wanted,which was a Farmall with mounted header with a Lady driver at an event,but shows how agriculture has advanced.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6614
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 24 10:26 pm Post subject:
That's a combine harvesting grain corn. Corn for dairy is typically harvested with a chopper and ensiled

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16006

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 24 6:56 am Post subject:

This seems to be a different climate, different problems Slim. It is mild enough here for maize to be cut early if a short growing season variety is grown, then another crop planted afterwards and it will grow on enough to survive the winter. The winter temperatures aren't low enough to kill it. Winter sowing is common round here; in fact most of the farms have cut their winter wheat and resown now. Some spring wheat is still standing, and that may or may not be reseeded immediately. The very wet winter last year threw a lot of sowing out, so think that is why there is still wheat to be harvested.

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 24 11:22 am Post subject:

Maize grow here in the UK is mainly forage maize so is cut before it matures,the whole crop is chopped an ensiled,hence giving a bigger window for sowing a cover crop,many intersow once the crop has established for winter grazing.

Jam Lady`s link above was very informative,from it i can see the benefit of aerial sowing cover crops on large acreages,it shows a crop established with plenty of inter row for seed germination before the foliage as blocked out the ground.

With the size of modern tractors and the implements used aerial sowing would use far less fuel than a 6 cylinder 200hp tractor drinking diesel and saving the impaction issue on certain ground.

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