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As soybeans started to blossom in Andy Lacey’s field west of Trent, another plant was in full bloom, sprouting clusters of white within the rows of beans. The white were the flowers of buckwheat — one of three cover crop species Lacey planted a week after his soybeans this spring. “The key is to capture the sunlight,” Lacey said.
He’s putting the power of the sun to work growing an array of beneficial plants in one field. Buckwheat helps recycle phosphorus. Sunflowers are in the mix as well, attracting pollinators to keep the population of soybean aphids in check. Lacey hopes he won’t have to spray. The third species in the mix is one Lacey hopes to be able to turn into a second cash crop. Cereal rye grew thick between the rows of soybeans. Rye doesn’t like heat, and it grew well in the shade of the soybeans. It will overwinter, keeping weed pressure down and soaking up excess moisture. That will help combat harmful cyst nematodes and white mold. Lacy gave a tour of his fields as part of a soil health field day hosted by the Moody County office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Aug. 1. This is the first year Lacey has taken on management of the field from his uncle. He hopes to take land that was tilled every year, restore soil health and grow a more diverse crop. This is the first year the field hasn’t been tilled. Cover crops will help him break out of a rotation limited to just corn and soybeans. In future years, he hopes to add small grains. “I wanted a cash crop and diversity,” he said. The cover crops will help prepare the land for small grains. They’ll cut down on the chemicals applied to the field, residuals of which can harm a small grain crop. Next to the soybeans, Lacey planted corn in 60-inch rows. The extra space allowed him to grow rye and other covers in between. Lacey worked with soil health consultant Cody Nelson of Soil Rx to strategize. This is a learning year, and it’s turned out better than expected. “A lot of fears I had have not happened,” Lacey said. One concern was that prolific sunflowers in the cover crop mix could become a weed. They were just 1% of the mix, and deer have been eating them to keep them from spreading.
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