The Value of Red Clover Paired with Small Grain Production - Practical Cover Croppers
“On a year like this (2021) when nitrogen costs have gone through the roof, and we’re not sure how much we’ll actually be able to get, and what the price is going to be, the fact that we can use 50, 60, 70 lbs [N/ acre] less and raise just as good of a crop as everyone else is just money in our pocket,” explains Alec Amundson.
Rachel and Alec Amundson of Osage, IA raise oats and cereal rye for cover crop seed and often frost-seed red clover on their oat and cereal rye seed production ground. In this video, you’ll hear about their use of red clover and how using red clover and cover crops in general have increased financial resilience to fluctuating nitrogen fertilizer prices.
Check out the Amundson’s and others’ trial results on reducing nitrogen rates in this PFI research report: https://practicalfarmers.org/research...
This project is supported by The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research. Any reference to specific products or technology does not constitute or imply an endorsement by FFAR for those products or technology.