We know the work of a farmer is never over. 

Even before you’ve harvested the last field, you’re already prepping for the next growing season. But you shouldn’t be the only one working hard.

After the combine leaves your cornfield, there’s a significant chunk of time before the planter comes for a visit in the spring.

That’s the perfect time to put your field to work.

How? Let’s start with crop residue.

All that corn stover laying out in your freshly harvested field can actually do a lot of good. From controlling erosion and adding nutrients to building organic matter and providing grazing fodder, corn residue can provide your soil with many benefits.

Then there are cover crops. 

Cover crops are off-season crops planted in the fall and used to cover, sustain and build the soil while you’re not growing agronomic crops. From controlling erosion and adding nutrients to building organic matter and providing grazing fodder, cover crops can provide your soil with many benefits.

No… you didn’t just hear an echo.

Okay, maybe you did. 

Here’s the thing: standing alone, corn residue and cover crops bring a lot of the same upsides. But when you merge the two, you set your farm up for a bonanza of soil health benefits.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

You may think “synergy” is just a buzzword used at trendy conventions. But the truth is  when corn residue and cover crops convene, the synergy is real. Let’s explore just a few of the benefits these two provide, especially when they work together.

Erosion Control:

This is basic stuff from your high school ag class, but it’s still important. When you cover the soil, you reduce splash erosion and give rainwater more time to soak in before it runs off and takes your soil with it.

Moisture Retention:

In the Plains and Western Corn Belt, water availability is often the number one driver of farming decisions. Covering the soil holds in moisture just like that plastic wrap around Grandma’s cookie tray. In fact, a study by South Dakota State University noted that “fields with cover crop and crop residue showed significantly higher water retention capacity compared to the fields where the residue was removed and no cover crops.” In the same study, water infiltration rates were way up as well. Yeah… that’s synergy.

Nutrient Recycling and Additions:

Fewer inputs = more money in your pocket. Left in the field, corn stover can provide an impressive amount of NPK for next year’s crop. Throw cover crops into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for high-dollar success. Legumes add nitrogen to the soil, and other non-legume cover crops tighten up that nutrient cycle, making macronutrients more available for the next cash crop—saving you money on inputs.

Grazing:

Do you run a livestock operation alongside your agronomic crops? Grazing stover and cover crops may be a great option. Although it can present some challenges, grazing corn residue can be a cheap and efficient way to recycle stover and give your cattle abundant fodder. Pair that with a variety of cover crops in the field, and you’ll supply your cattle with a smorgasbord of roughage and nutrient-dense grazing material.

The Bottom Line

When the corn harvest is over, those leftovers may be the key to a better crop next year. And when corn stover links arms with cover crops, it’s a match made in heaven. 

Corn residue must be managed, and getting the right mix of cover crop species is vital. Need some advice? Reach out to your LG Seeds agronomist, so your reliable partner can help you make the best corn stover and cover crop decisions for your farm.