800 acres of crop land in Scott and Le Sueur County are protected against erosion this winter thanks to the Scott Soil and Water Conservation District’s (SWCD) second year of aerial seeding cover crops.

In most corn and soybean operations, crop fields are left bare from late fall, all throughout winter, and into early spring. Fields are therefore left will little protection against erosion. Six farmers in Scott County mitigated this problem by aerial seeding cover crops into their fields on September 23.

The seeding happened at the perfect time, giving a 3-4 week advantage for the cover crops to get growing before the cash crops were harvested. A mix of species were planted to survive the winter, and will start growing again in early spring.

The Scott and Le Sueur SWCDs worked together again to hire Midwest Ag Air for the second year. Seed purchased from Strangler Seed was delivered in bulk to the Fairbault airport where the plane was loaded. Seeding cover crops in both counties at the same time saves producers time and money. As happened last year, the producers involved in the endeavor demonstrated fantastic cooperation, resulting in an efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable effort.

In addition to the 332 acres of cover crops that were aerial seeded in Scott County, producers working with the Scott SWCD have seeded over 1300 acres of cover crops in 2019 with a drill or interseeder.

Cover crops are an important part of soil and water conservation and these producers show that cover crops can work right here in Scott County. If you are interested in incorporating cover crops into your farming operation call the Scott SWCD office at 952-492-5425 to find out about financial incentives and to create a cover crop plan specific to your farm.