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This spring, Wagner Farms Inc. no-till planted alfalfa into a winter rye cover crop following corn silage.

The alfalfa was seeded on May 18, with the rye cover crop terminated after planting.

By establishing alfalfa with no-till, the farm is working to maintain soil cover, minimize soil disturbance, suppress weeds, and build soil organic matter.

Considering no-till alfalfa establishment? A few key factors can help improve success:

Residue management – Consider residue levels from both the previous crop and the cover crop. Excessive residue can make seed placement and stand establishment more challenging. Wagner Farms seeded winter rye at 20–25 lb/ac, helping provide soil cover without creating excessive residue.

Soil conditions and moisture – Adequate soil moisture and favorable temperatures are critical for successful germination and early growth.

Scout for pests – Monitor fields regularly and utilize Wisconsin pest monitoring resources to stay ahead of potential issues throughout establishment.

Establishing alfalfa by no-till planting into a cover crop may not fit every field or every farm, but when conditions are right, it can be an effective way to establish a productive forage stand while supporting long-term soil health goals.

Brown Star Farms planted a rye cover crop at 120 pounds per acre last fall for grazing this spring.

Fast forward to today, and the heifers and dry cows are grazing the cover crop.

Planting an overwintering cover crop helps maximize soil cover, one of the soil health principles.

By integrating livestock, the farm adds another layer of soil health benefits and utilizes the forage supply of the cover crop.

Grazing cover crops is one way farmers can incorporate soil health practices while supporting livestock feed needs!

Mahoney Farms continues to evaluate corn row spacing to determine how it impacts yield on their fine sandy loam soils.

Finding the right row spacing for your management system can help reduce competition for nutrients and light while improving weed suppression.

How was the plot set up?

On May 13, 2025, corn was planted in strips of 20″, 30″, and 40″:20″ alternating row spacings.

The corn was no-till planted into a cover crop mix of 20 lb wheat, 2 lb radish, and 15 lb peas. The farm used both 30″ and 20″ planters to establish the treatments, with each row spacing replicated twice.

All field applications were made perpendicular to the planting direction to limit variability caused by application direction.

Based on first-year plot results, the 30″:60″ alternating spacing was excluded in 2025 due to lower performance.

The results?

For the second year in a row, the 40″:20″ alternating row spacing showed promising results, yielding equal to or greater than 30″ spacing in 5 out of 6 replications across two years. The 20″ row spacing consistently yielded lower than the 30″ spacing.

Mahoney Farms plans to continue this trial for a third year to further evaluate these results.

In 2025, Brown Star Farms interseeded cover crops between 30″:60″ alternating corn rows using a modified grain drill.

The goal? To establish cover crops for grazing while maintaining a protective living cover before corn harvest; reducing soil erosion and limiting nutrient losses throughout the season.

This is not a new approach for Brown Star Farms; instead, the objective of this demonstration was to evaluate corn yield and cover-crop grazing potential compared to the farms past interseeding practices.

How did the farm set up this interseeding demonstration?

Planted forage soybeans in every skipped corn row during corn planting on May 12, 2025.

At corn stage V3–V4, interseeded a multispecies mix; including clover, buckwheat, and sorghum, between the corn and forage soybean rows.

Harvested corn silage around September 9th, cutting it high to retain the interseeded forage for grazing.

The results? Corn yield remained comparable to traditional silage yields, and the cover crops supported 125 cattle grazing for 6 days off just 10 acres!