Cover Crops for Dry Weather

In 2020, we faced many challenges we won’t soon forget, including in agriculture. In North Dakota, there were crops from 2019 being harvested in July, and several areas had 50-60% of ground not planted at all in 2020. However, I think we can all agree the year ended on a positive note with the 2020 harvest wrapping up on time and leaving us more prepared for planting in 2021.

While 2020 started out wet, many areas were completely dry by fall, maybe even too dry. If the lack of moisture this winter so far is any indication of what we can expect for 2021, there will be a different set of challenges to face this year. Planting cover crops in dry conditions can help you preserve moisture and add organic matter to soil to increase water retention in your soil for the future.

Pulse USA has over 50 plant species in our warehouse for mixing cover crops and wildlife mixes. With all these species, I wanted to give you some options to consider using alone or in a multi-species cover crop mix when dry weather is a concern.

Cowpeas are a good choice for a legume in low moisture situations. They will add nitrogen to your soil, help suppress weeds, and can be used as a forage crop. Buckwheat is drought tolerant once established. It has white flowers that attract pollinators like bees and other beneficial insects, is fast growing, and helps make phosphorus more available in your soil for future crops. It can also help shade out weeds with its broad leaves.

Millet: Several species of Millet provide great options for drought conditions, hot temperatures and light sandy soils. German Millet has a fine stem, high tillering capacity, and can be cut for hay in as little as 60 days. It usually only produces one cutting for hay, but produces more tonnage than what other Millets produce in multiple cuttings. Siberian Millet is a good option for late season planting as it matures on average 7 days before German Millet and is good for one hay cutting per year. Pearl Millet has a high leaf to stem ratio, making it a great option for hay and silage production. It is moderately tolerant of saline. Pearl Millet can provide multiple cuttings, especially if planted early.

Piper Sudangrass is an annual grass that requires little moisture, tolerates heat and saline soils. It has fine stems and makes for high quality forage materials. It’s best to cut around 30” to get the most protein for forage. It has an extensive root structure that helps increase soil biomass. Piper Sudangrass is a good option for both low and high moisture conditions. GW 475 BMR Forage Sorghum is an economical, quality alternative to corn silage. It requires less water to grow than corn silage. This variety is an early maturing, dry stalk variety. It has the BMR 6 gene with reduced lignin levels provide better palatability and digestibility.

Everleaf 114 Oats** is our most drought tolerant variety of oats. The heading stage is delayed and much of its biomass and quality comes from its extended maturity. This variety pairs well with forage peas. Rapeseed is a brassica that is highly palatable to livestock and well equipped for grazing and cover crop mixes. It has a fibrous root structure and deep tap-root. It is tolerant of saline soils and is fairly drought tolerant. It grows well into the fall, making it a good choice for late-season grazing.

These species are good for cover crops, pollinator mixes, and wildlife food plots. As with any cover crop, be sure to consider your goals and future plans as you decide what species to plant. I would be happy to help you create a custom cover crop mix to match your goals and future plans.

**Unathorized Propagation Prohibited – PVPA 1994 – U.S. Protected Variety. To be sold by variety name as a class of Certified Seed.