It’s Not Too Late to Add BiOWiSH^® to Your Cover Crops This Fall

How to Improve Success and Minimize Potential Yield Loss When Transitioning to Cover Cropping Systems

By: Alex Susko, Agronomy Product Manager

While recently attending the Farm Progress Show in Iowa, I was able to bring fresh soybean samples dug up from a cover crop research trial at a nearby Iowa State University (ISU) research farm. These Control and BiOWiSH^® samples sparked valuable conversations with Midwest growers regarding cover crops and the value that fertilizer enhanced with BiOWiSH^® can bring to a new cover crop system.

Among those I talked with, some were not convinced about the benefits of cover crops or didn’t think the practice is economically viable. These concerns are valid, as cover cropping entails added technical challenges that need to be understood to be successful.  With cover cropping, it’s important to accurately assess the expectations of a system change, understanding that it’s a multi-year process which should be viewed as a long-term investment rather than one for immediate gain. However, there are things that can help bring immediate benefits to the forefront, aid in the transition, and help farmers realize a return on investment more quickly.

As I walked farmers through how we test interactions between our BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement and a multi-year cover crop trial – including our recent data showing a 7.9% yield increase in corn relative to a cover crop Control – reactions became more curious.  There is a natural fit between what the BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement is designed to do and what cover crops are intended to do, which makes them well suited for use together.

Click on the article link below to get a glance into the resurgence of cover crops along with their benefits and challenges, and how adding the BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement can lead to economic success – even in the first year.