Time to start planning cover crops.

Many farmers attend training seminars and spend the winter planning their cropping system for the coming year.  Summer is for scouting and field tours.  That is a good, but if you are interested in cover crops, now is the time to start planning what you want to plant and when for this fall. Ideal planting time for may cover crops is Mid-August to  Mid-September.  Some corn was planted in time to meet the deadline.  Some was not.  If you are not going to be able to plant after harvest, then alternatives will be needed.

• Can you do aerial seeding? 
• Can you find high clearance equipment?
• Should you try something that can be seeded later?
• Are you wanting to scavenge nitrogen?
• Do you want to build nitrogen?

One place to start your decision making process  might be the Midwest Cover Crops selection tool.  The tool can help you decide what cover crop will meet your management style and  cover crop goals.

Also keep in mind that now is also the time to figure out how you are going to kill that stuff in the spring or winter.