Iowa extends cover crop planting deadline

Deadline extended until Sunday, November 1st

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

In an effort to give farmers who are participating in state cost share programs more time to ready their cover crops for planting, the Iowa Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline to Sunday, November 1^st.

“We have seen significant growth in the number of farmers using cover crops and number of acres that they are used on.  There are an estimated 236,000 acres of cover crops supported by just state cost share programs.  Some crops were delayed by wet weather this spring and this extension will help farmers still be able to use this important water quality practice even if their harvest is delayed,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said in a release.

Farmers in northern and southern Iowa will receive cover crop planting deadline extensions.

Farmers north of Highway 20 will have until Sunday, November 1^st to plant, while farmers south of Highway 20 will have their deadline extended to Sunday, November 15^th.

Farmers who choose to plant cover crops must follow guidelines, which include:

• Cover crops will be seeded as soon as possible after the principal crop is harvested
• The cover crop must be winter hardy (cereal rye, winter wheat, triticale)
• The cover crop will be no-till drilled in crop residue
• Allow cover crop to add growth as long as possible in the spring prior to termination. Cover crops must be allowed to grow at least six inches for farmers participating in federal programs.

Join the conversation and tell us your thoughts about Iowa extending its cover crop planting deadline. Before the deadline extension, were you concerned about your cover crops going in on time?