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| Like Va Veg said Md does have a cover crop program to keep N out of the Chesapeake. $30-50 per acre for cover crop depending on date planted and $20 per acre for harvest. Catch is no fall fertilizer and no fertilizer until March 1. With high wheat prices many are choosing to keep and harvest their cover crops this year and won't get a payment so the tax apyers will get the water quality benefits for free.
I've aerial seeded rape for the last 2 years because it's cheaper to apply ($10-13/ac) and the seed is cheap $.80/# with 10#/ac. Wheat, barley, or rye had been costing $18-22 per acre to fly on plus the cost of seed. Md requires 25% extra seed for aerial seeding so 150#/ac for wheat or barley. Success with aerial seeding is highly dependent on adequate fall moisture. A year ago I had good stands of rape and this year they are poor. I only have one farm with a decent stand and the only thing different is that this farm received a 1/2" rain a day or two after seeding that the other farms didn't get. The same thing can happen with any of the grains. Luckily, in Md if you follow the rules and have the documentation you get paid. I aerial seed only because all my cover crop goes behind double cropped beans and it would be too late to drill after harvest. Aerial seeding isn't consistent so if you're paying the bills or absolutely have to get a stand it may not be the way to go. I've never seen anyone who drilled or broadcast and disked the seed in fail to get a stand.
One final caution is that you've got to deal with the cover crop in the spring. I found rape to be very hard to kill with herbicides. Maybe my dwarf essex is contaminated with RR canola. I did try a small area of forage radish and it winter killed, just as I was told it would. Only problem is that the seed is $2/# but that may be a small cost compared to rising herbicide costs.
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Cover crops
