Latimer, Iowa (north central) | We have eliminated pre emerge on fields with a good stand of cereal rye. Never could do that with an airplane. The rye seems to improve water infiltration rates so much that there is minimal ponding even after the 5 inches of rain. With less water to run off, along with the rye to hold soil in place erosion has been greatly reduced. Even after this last rain, there was basically nothing running off the rye fields unless it was also running into the fields from across the fence. Was vary stark this time. I do try and get mine planted a bit smaller than the O.P. Glad that is working for him, I like to be planted when it is around 2 foot high and before it heads out.
I started doing covers and no-till to save money and labor but now we are pretty passionate about the soil and environmental benefits too. Hence why we are building a oat mill to get a market for a small grain in our rotation. Will post below some costs and will have no idea how the formatting will look for lines being straight.
On a soybean program, cost side, $/acre:
Air seeder planting cereal rye: 20
Cereal rye @ 45 lbs: 8.89
Radish/turnips @ 5 lbs: 5.95
Bare Soybean seed E3 beans @ 125,000: 30.35
Planting: 26.00
Chemicals
(burndown)Roundup @ 28 oz: 4.55
(burndown)Complete: 0.97
(post) Roundup: 4.55
(post) Enlist one: 12.62
(post) Dual mag: 7.44
(post) COC: 2.09
(post) AMS: 0.80
2 passes sprayer (pull type, multi-use tractor): 8.00
Fertilizer
3 tons cattle compost: 45
HarvestComplete to bins): 51
Insurance: 15
Misc and cost of money: 30
Cover crop offsets
Practical farmers cover crop cost share: 10
NRCS/CSP/EQUIP: 28
Total non land costs of: $235.21
Plug in a land cost of $425 per acre and a yield of 60 bpa and need about $11.00 to break even. If we can keep our break-evens at this level I feel like we can be financially successful and also protect our natural resources at the same time.
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Planting green and laying it down
