For untold years weeds and grass were the bane of farmers.
Initially they grubbed the invasive vegetation with primitive tools sporting cumbersome blades. When tractors became a staple a century or so ago, they were outfitted with cultivators that could do the work of several men — often boys and women, as well. The cultivators were fitted in a manner where several rows could be swept clean during each pass. The next improvement was herbicides which could help stop the growth of renegade weeds and keep the sub-soil moist.
More recently, another “advancement” has arrived: Cover crops that organically do what man, machine and chemicals did prior. From all appearances, the one that has settled prominently in our neck of the woods is ryegrass.
Layne Sterling is a fan.
Three years ago he seeded a field south of the family farm’s headquarters a couple of miles northeast of Humboldt with ryegrass. The rye shot up as expected and soon covered the field with the tall stalks.
For non-farmers, and even some with years of on-the-farm experience, the field looked like it was heaven for wheat. A closer study quickly defines differences between the cash crop and cover crop.
AMONG OTHER things, rye’s advantages is that it generates residue ample enough to prevent erosion along with keeping weeds at bay.
Sterling may have added to the area confusion that first year by cutting and baling the rye, which he stored in a long single-file row along the field’s edge. Having done his research, he was aware that his cattle and calves would find the rye tasty.
“When my cows heard me coming with a bale, they quit whatever they’re eating and came running.” Sterling said. Rye planted in the fall also gives farmers a grazing option before planting dates for corn and soybeans.
Rye is baled quickly after being cut to keep its moisture content high. “It’s usually 40 to 60 percent. The sweet spot is 50 percent,” Sterling said.
The high moisture content is similar to that of silage, whereas hay is allowed to season a day or two after being cut, to arrive at a moisture content of 15 to 18 percent.
The wetter rye also may be combined with corn, to make silage, a practice which some farmers have adopted, according to Sterling.
Sterling plants soybeans in his rye-prepped fields.
The beans-and-corn rotation is common in southeast Kansas.
Meanwhile, wheat here and in many other parts of Kansas is more an after-thought after being a go-to crop a few decades ago. Soybeans do not require fertilizing anywhere close to that of corn. Nitrogen is important to corn growth, right up there with rain and warm, muggy weather. Phosphate and potassium are other soil-enhancers that find their ways into local fields.
Nitrogen, derived in large measure from natural gas, is expensive, particularly today with the volatile atmosphere in the Middle East. Seed also is a financial burden to farmers planting corn, and soybeans.
