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managing your soil<br />
Gerlach said. “I was hoping to let the<br />
cows graze longer in the fall without<br />
having to feed them hay.”<br />
And so far, his plan is on track. One<br />
reason producers turn to cover crops is<br />
to keep cattle grazing as long as possible<br />
to avoid having to dig into harvested<br />
forages.<br />
“If I can go 30 days without feeding<br />
my cattle, I think it’s paid for itself right<br />
there,” said Gerlach, who has been farming<br />
since 1985.<br />
Benefits of cover crop grazing go<br />
deeper than the producer’s pocketbook,<br />
said Rick Bednarek, <strong>Iowa</strong> NRCS state<br />
soil scientist.<br />
It can improve soil health more rapidly<br />
than cover crops alone as part of a cropping<br />
system. The urine and manure from<br />
the cows also help to move the biomass<br />
into the soil.<br />
“It’s reminiscent of the way buffalo<br />
grazed and benefited our native prairies,”<br />
Bednarek said. “We want to see cattle eat<br />
half of the plant growth and then trample<br />
the rest, which will improve soil health.”<br />
When Gerlach began the practice<br />
eastern iowa farmer photos / brooke taylor<br />
Cattle on the Gerlach farm graze on the cover crops planted as an extra food source for the animals.<br />
From the<br />
to the<br />
shop<br />
field<br />
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kent@hostetlerprecisionag.com<br />
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spring <strong>2017</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 69
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