6 Prevented Plant Field Scenarios: Lessons Learned in 2019 1. Seeded to cover crops; left standing through winter. • Optimizes soil structure and health. Great seeding environment for no-till cropping. • Provides optimal seeding conditions for spring cash crops after control of any surviving cover crop species. • Provides soil armor, erosion control, soil structure and organic matter improvement, plant and root diversity, improved water infiltration, nutrient cycling, and soil carbon capture from increased photosynthesis—all work together for higher soil health benefits. • Avoid tillage this spring as that leads to platy soil structure, reduced water infiltration, and nutrient uptake. Be patient and reap Mother Nature’s benefits of healthier soil with more stable aggregate and structure formation. 2. Seeded to cover crops; grazed, baled, or chopped for feed...

Situation: Excessive rainfall and wet, cold soils are preventing some farmers from planting their crops, and the crop insurance deadline is upon us. What are the options, and best advice for cover crops? 1. There are numerous options, so contact your crop insurance agent well before you make any decisions. Know the final plant date for the insured crop: May 25 or May 31 (depending on the county) for corn; June 10 for soybeans and June 15 or June 20 for sunflowers. Be sure to understand your policy structure, APH units/changes, added acres, crop rotation, previous Prevented Plant claims, enterprise units, and the potential of eligible acres/crops within your county -- as all these factors could impact your coverage.

Situation: Tire or track ruts exist in a field. What is best advice to smooth them out before planting? 1. Assess the damage: How deep are the ruts; how large is the affected area? All ruts deeper than planting depth should be leveled. In locations where soils were fully saturated (soil pores were filled with water), compaction may not be as bad as perceived. Therefore, just leveling the ruts themselves may be all that is necessary to get the field in planting condition. In the rut area, soil structure has been damaged. In no-till fields, where ruts are often shallow, many growers choose to let nature, not steel, rebuild the ruts. Living roots, improved biological activity, and the freeze/thaw/wet/dry cycles with natural heaving, will help level the compacted areas...

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