What is the Ideal Fall Planting Date for Cover Crops?

It’s August, and farmers are preparing for harvest, which for some includes planting cover crops. What is the ideal fall planting date and seeding rate for planting cereal rye or clover cover crops in Illinois? Nathan Johanning, Extension Educator with the University of Illinois, has been conducting field trials across the state to answer these questions. These trials aim to identify the optimal planting windows, seeding rates, and termination timing to maximize overwintering, biomass production, and the following crop’s stand, growth, and yield.

Watch the video to see Johanning’s first year results. This project is funded by the Illinois Soybean Association Checkoff program.

This research is led by Nathan Johanning, Extension Educator in Commercial Agriculture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The team also includes Dr. Talon Becker, Extension Educator in Commercial Agriculture at UIUC; Luke Merritt, Research Specialist at UIUC; Dr. Giovani Preza Fontes, Assistant Professor and Field Crops Extension Agronomist at UIUC; and Greg Steckel, Research Agronomist at UIUC.

To learn more about this project, visit ILSoyAdvisor’s Research Hub.

About the Author: Kelsey Litchfield

Kelsey Litchfield is the Agronomic Outreach Specialist for the Illinois Soybean Association. In her role, she manages Field Advisor's media platforms and assists the agronomy team with events and field days. A native of Rio, IL, Kelsey earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2017 where she double majored in Agricultural Communications and Broadcast Journalism.