FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Cameron Mills has been farming with no-till for 18 years

and has used cover crops for 10. Despite his experience, he admits there are unknowns

about each practice.

 

“It’s changed so fast, we’re not slowing down,” said Mills, who farms in Walton

in Cass County in north central Indiana. “There’s still a lot to learn. We’re still

playing with this.”

 

His farm has 3,900 acres, and he uses a corn, soybeans and wheat rotation.

 

“My dad grew wheat in the 1990s,” he noted. “We brought it back into the operation

about three years ago. We brought it back for diversity. It’s a pain, but diversity

drives where we’re going.”

 

Mills talked about his experiences with no-till and cover crops during the March

8 Economics of Conservation Farming conference in Fort Wayne.

It’s important to get cover crops seeded ahead of harvest, he said, adding he often

uses a plane for the job.

 

While some farmers may think the cost of a plane is out of reach, Mills said the

price is comparable to other seeding options, such as drilling. The plane costs

$12-$13 an acre, while drilling is $12-$16. Use of a high-boy seeder is $12-

$14, and double spreading is $10-$12. He said the seeding date is critical in

north central Indiana. On Aug. 25, the high temperature averages 82 degrees

Fahrenheit and the low, 61. By Nov. 1, the average high is 57 degrees and the

average low is 36.

 

“You want to maximize your investment, and that means not waiting until

after harvest (to seed),” Mills said. “There’s no such thing as bushels. It’s

all about rate of return – net dollars. The earlier we seed cover crops, especially in

soybeans, things only get better and better. We are putting in cover crops earlier

and earlier.”

 

Researchers are working to determine the actual economic value of cover crops,

said Wallace E. Tyner, a Purdue University professor of agricultural economics.

 

“It’s really hard to figure out what the economics are,” he explained.

To convince farmers to adapt, we will need better quantitative information on

the economic benefits.”

 

Information from research has shown cover crops almost always improve economic outcomes and that nitrate leaching is lower with their use, Tyner said.

 

“We do need more farmers to get a more robust set of data,” he noted. “We need a larger group of participating farmers to get reliable data sets.”

 

Last year, Purdue announced a study on the economic benefits of cover crops.

The goal was to sign up 35 farmers last year and 35 this year. Researchers are

still looking for farmers as last year’s goal wasn’t met, he said.

 

The study is looking at the economics of fields that have cover crops and those

that don’t. Producers will be asked to submit data on certain inputs and yields

but not on specific costs or prices received for their crops.

 

Thirty-seven counties in central and northeastern Indiana were chosen for the

three-year study because they have similar soil types and sloping, Tyner said. Producers in adjacent counties might be eligible if their farms have similar soil types.

 

For more information on the program and the list of eligible counties, contact

Tyner at wtyner@purdue.edu Use of conservation practices is important

because what farmers do on their land impacts neighbors and those farther

away, said Subbarao Yarlagadda, an agronomist with Helena Chemical Co.

 

“What’s good for the environment is also good for your pocketbook,” he noted.

“That’s the thing that people miss. It all bleeds green.”

 

Producers can make small changes, such as soil testing, use of strip till and

injecting manure, Yarlagadda said. “It all begins with you,” he stated. “It all begins

on your farm, and it all begins today.”