Sioux Center, Iowa — Cover crops are a concept that appears to be taking hold in northwest Iowa, and a Field Day is coming up on Tuesday near Sioux Center where farmers can learn more about grazing cover crops and cover crops in general.
Practical Farmers of Iowa will host the field day on Tuesday, May 30, from noon to 3 p.m., near Sioux Center, at the farm of Matt Schuiteman at 3357 400th St., about two and three-quarters of a mile east of town.
Schuiteman says he has been growing a rye cover crop for more than 10 years. In addition to swine, he also raises 40 Shorthorn cattle. The rye provides forage to the cattle – either through grazing or fed as bales.
He says after they harvest and bale the rye, a few days later, they will plant a corn crop in that same field. He says since that crop will be planted late, they expect a little less yield, but in the end, it doesn’t concern him.
According to Schuiteman, they’ve seen benefits to growing a cover crop such as rye on both the environmental and the main crop yield sides.
He says their location, farming land that’s on top of a big portion of Sioux Center’s water supply, makes it important to be as environmentally-friendly as possible with their crop operation. Plus, he says, “It’s a way to get two incomes out of that same land.”
The event – “Grazing Cover Crops” – is free to attend and will start with a catered lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m. If you’d like a meal, you are asked to RSVP to Alisha Bower, alisha@practicalfarmers.org or (515) 232-5661.
