All-Purpose Oat CC Mix
A versatile cover crop mix that provides many desired soil improvements. Additionally, All-Purpose Oat CC can provide high-quality forage, allowing growers to “double crop” the field as a winter pasture, if desired. The mix includes a combination of FractureRadish (improved daikon radish), rape, crimson clover and winter triticale. The formulation was specifically designed to to break soil compaction, scavenge and hold nutrients, provide erosion control, produce nitrogen and provide high-quality forage, all at an economical price. All-Purpose Oat CC mix is best suited for the southern tier of the U.S.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Excellent
Seeding Rate: 20 lbs/acre
All-Purpose Triticale CC Mix
A versatile cover crop mix that provides many desired soil improvements. Additionally, All-Purpose Triticale CC can provide high-quality forage, allowing growers to “double crop” the field as a winter pasture, if desired. The mix includes a combination of FractureRadish (improved daikon radish), rape, crimson clover and winter triticale. The formulation was specifically designed to to break soil compaction, scavenge and hold nutrients, provide erosion control, produce nitrogen and provide high-quality forage, all at an economical price.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season, Broadleaf
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Excellent
Seeding Rate: 20 lbs/acre
Browser Rape
Browser rape is an improved forage rape. Although bred for increased forage quality and production, the vigorous growth, large leaves, strong taproot and cold tolerance lend itself to being a very good cover crop product. Additionally, because of their low per-pound price and low seeding rate, rape and turnips are generally the most affordable cover crop options.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season, Broadleaf
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Medium
Seeding Rate: 4 lbs/acre
Forage CC Mix
Forage CC is a versatile mix of warm-season and cool-season species, designed to provide cover crop benefits and forage production for dryland or irrigated operations. The mix can be planted after soil temperatures reach 65 degrees F in the spring and can be established throughout the summer months. Forage CC excels in the northern tier of the U.S. where cooler summer temperatures allow for all the mix’s components to excel. The combination of oats, legumes, brassicas and BMR sorghum-sudan provides excellent grazing opportunities for cattle operations.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season/Warm-season Hybrid Mix
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Excellent
Seeding Rate: 15-20 lbs/acre
Daikon Radish
Daikon radishes have become popular as a cover crop. The deep roots and large tubers effectively break up soil compaction as deep as 5 feet. The massive root systems can absorb and store significant amounts of “left over” nutrients that are later released into the soil, along with adding large amount of organic content after the plant is terminated. The leafy top growth is also effective at suppressing weed growth. The dead and decaying radish matter in the spring also absorbs and/or generates heat, which can heat the soil temperatures by as much 8 degrees F over fallow soil. This can result in faster-germinating crops that show more rapid growth during the cooler temperatures of spring. FractureRadish is an improved daikon radish developed to provide the maximum benefits as a cover crop. For more information on FractureRadish, click the tech sheet link.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season, Broadleaf
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Excellent
Seeding Rate: 4-6 lbs/acre drilled, 6-10 lbs/acre broadcast
Graze-It CC Mix
Designed as a multi-use summer cover crop option, Graze-It CC provides many cover crop benefits and is also an excellent forage mix. The mix includes HighYield BMR Dwarf sorghum x sudangrass and cowpeas. The grass/legume mix loves heat and is very tolerant of dry conditions. Graze-It CC provides erosion control, can increase organic content, includes a nitrogen-fixing legume, and more. The combination of the BMR sorghum-sudan and cowpeas provides an exceptional grazing option, with average daily gains on beef cattle as high as those produced from grazing cool-season grasses and clovers.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Warm-season, Broadleaf
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Medium-Excellent
Seeding Rate: 17 lbs/acre
Economy CC Mix
Designed to be as affordable as possible, while still providing excellent cover crop benefits, Economy CC mix is great product. The 100% broadleaf mix includes FractureRadish, Forager turnip and rape, all of which have relatively low per-pound prices and low seeding rates. The result is a great, affordable mix with a seeding rate under 5 lbs/acre. The mix provides many benefits, including breaking soil compaction, increasing organic content, scavenging and holding nutrients and providing erosion control. The mix can also be used for winter grazing.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season, Broadleaf
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Medium-Excellent
Seeding Rate: 4.4 lbs/acre
Forager Turnip
Forager turnip is an improved tankard-type forage turnip. Although bred for increased forage quality and production, the vigorous growth, large leaves, tankard-type tuber and cold tolerance lend itself to being a very good cover crop product. Additionally, because of their low per-pound price and low seeding rate, rape and turnips are generally the most affordable cover crop options. Forager’s tankard type root (more elongated than round) may provide additional shallow soil compaction relief.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season, Broadleaf
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Medium
Seeding Rate: 4 lbs/acre
Hairy Vetch
Hairy vetch is a cool-season annual legume. While it has traditionally been used for erosion control and occasionally in forage mixes, it has become a popular legume (nitrogen producer) option for cover crops. It works best in sandy or sandy-loam soils, and as with many legumes, performs best in a soil pH above 6.0. VitaVetch is an improved hairy vetch developed to provide the maximum benefits as a cover crop. For more information on VitaVetch, click the tech sheet link.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season, Legume
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Medium-Excellent
Seeding Rate: 10-15 lbs/acre drilled, 15-20 lbs/acre broadcast
N-Plus CC Mix
N-Plus CC mix is designed for produce and store a maximum amount of nitrogen for the subsequent cash crop. The composition of the established stand is designed to be approximately half legumes (hairy vetch and crimson clover) and half tubers (FractureRadish and Forager turnips). The cold-tolerant legumes can produce substantial amounts of N, especially if they overwinter. Since the nitrogen is highly mobile and “leachable,” the radish and turnips products scavenge existing and newly produced nitrogen and hold the N until the cover crop is terminated. The mix provides many other benefits, including breaking soil compaction, increasing organic content and providing erosion control.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season, Broadleaf
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Excellent
Seeding Rate: 8 lbs/acre
Ryegrass, Annual
Annual ryegrass is a cool-season, annual bunch grass. It produces high yields and has exceptionally high forage quality. Additionally, it provides numerous benefits as a cover crop. Annual ryegrass is fairly cold tolerant and can over winter up to the southern tip of the Great Lakes region. Easy and quick to establish, annual ryegrass can be used for cool-season forage throughout its adaptation zone. For cover crop purposes, cold-tolerant annual ryegrass products, such as Perforate, can produce remarkably deep root systems that break soil compaction, virtually eliminate soybean cyst nematode, provide erosion and weed control, and add organic content. It is one of the most affordable cover crop products. Perforate is an improved annual ryegrass developed to provide the maximum benefits as a cover crop. For more information on Perforate, click the tech sheet link.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Cool-season, Bunch Grass
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Excellent
Seeding Rate: 20 lbs/acre
White Mustard
White mustard is often used as a cover crop, and it is very popular with organic producers or those with pest/disease infestations. White mustard is a natural biofumigant and is most recognized for its ability to suppress various nematodes. Fumigate white mustard is most effective when established at least 45 days prior to a killing freeze. Just prior to a freeze, or when the plants are in the early flowering stage, mow/chop/shred the cover crop and work the soil. The better the mustard is shredded, the more effective its biofumigant properties can be. The shredded white mustard matter releases glucosinolates, which can kill nematodes, some insects and some weed seeds. Do not plant a cash crop into the field for at least 15 days after incorporating the mustard into the soil.
Cover Crop Type: Annual, Brassica
Total Cover Crop Benefits: Medium
Seeding Rate: 15-20 lbs/acre