As Washington County is one of Iowa’s leading counties for adopting cover crops, ISU Extension and Outreach provides some guidance on how to navigate those crops while preparing for the upcoming planting season.

Extension Field Agronomist Rebecca Vittetoe recommends farmers have a plan for their cover crops this spring, “If we’ve got a cover crop ahead of corn Iowa State’s recommendation would be to terminate that cover crop 7-10 days ahead of planting that corn. Some people based off of their experience they might push that window a little bit more but based off of the research that we’ve done terminating it 7-10 days before we plant corn would be our suggestion. And then ahead of soybeans really you could terminate that cover crop the day you plant or shortly after you plant. We haven’t seen much of an impact on the timing of terminating that cover crop with soybeans as we have with corn.”

Vittetoe also advises to keep weather conditions in mind when planning to spray cover crops. She says it’s ideal to spray herbicides on a sunny, at least 50-degree weather day. That is when the cover crops would be actively growing and applicators will get a better kill. She adds that it’s also important to have a Plan B as well as a Plan A when it comes to terminating cover crops before planting cash crops, as mother nature can always change plans.