Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage
for Soil Erosion Control on Cropland
No-till seedings - Establishing Birdsfoot Trefoil or Crownvetch as a Living Mulch
No-till seedings can be made with any no-till drill that places the seed about 1/4 inch deep. No-till seedings are preferred where soil erosion is likely before the cover crop becomes established. The best cover crop stands have been obtained when seeded into soybean or silage corn stubble where there is little crop residue. The more weed and crop residue there is, the more difficult it is to get a good cover crop stand.
If winter-annual or other weeds have invaded the field, clean them up with Roundup or Touchdown at 1 quart per acre before planting the cover crop. Doing this may require a delayed seeding, since the weeds should be 6 to 8 inches tall before they are treated with Roundup or Touchdown. Cover crop seedings using a no-till drill are best made before the corn is planted because there is less harm done by disturbing the cover crop seeding when planting corn than by disturbing the corn planting when seeding the cover crop.