Covering All His Ground: For Rob Stout, short-term conservation goals led to long-term benefits.
Rob Stout knows conservation practices help him leave the land in better shape than it was before. And he knows planting cover crops on 100% of his acreage is one method to help accomplish that.
“My idea is to do as much conservation as I can and to leave the ground in better shape,” says Stout. “I think using conservation practices accomplish that goal.”
A longtime proponent of no-till, Stout first brought the conservation practice to his corn, soybean and hog operation nearly 40 years ago to assist with erosion control and save fuel and labor costs. Stout says buffer and prairie strips help him better manage the soil and water on the crop acres he farms. The veteran farmer relies on cover crops to protect the soil, enhance its nutrient profile and suppress weeds.
Covering All His Ground
Foremost, Stout says he can focus on erosion control since 100% of his acreage is planted to cover crops.
“It keeps a crop growing on that ground nearly all year because we’re planting it just almost immediately after the combine, and then we’re terminating it about the time we start planting,” Stout says. “There are very few days where there isn’t something growing on each acre of ours.”
In a 10-year study with Practical Farmers of Iowa and Iowa Learning Farm, Stout says cover crops helped improve soil health in his fields. Through the study, Stout says Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa covered the costs of the seeding and all the research testing, soil health tests, infiltration tests and earthworm counts.
“We found the CO2 respiration and the infiltration of the soil were both better,” Stout says. “We had strips with and without cover crops for 10 years. We had less water standing on the fields.”
Stout adds that increased microbial growth was also noted through the study, which is good for turning cover crop residue into organic matter and fertilizer for the next year’s crop.
“We’ve been able to lower amounts of synthetic fertilizer we use because of that,” he says.
Stout adds the research required additional time, but the results he received from the study were priceless.
A bonus to planting cover crops for Stout has been a reduction in weed issues on his crop ground.
“Because we don’t terminate (the cover) until we start planting, that really holds down the weeds,” Stout explains.
Often, cereal rye is his go-to on corn and soybean ground, but Stout has found success seeding it with a legume into corn ground because of the nitrogen-fixing capabilities the mix delivers.
“Our organic matter level has gone up about 1 ½ points since we started using cover crops about 14 years ago,” Stout says. “So, we’ve gained quite a bit of organic matter, and every percent of organic matter gives you more nutrients that are available for your crop.”
While there’s no magic recipe for which cover delivers the best soil health results, Stout says a lot of trial and error has helped him find the best mix for his operation.
Consider Cost Share
Stout says cost-share opportunities are a great way to help growers get started using conservation practices like cover crops.
“I think cost-share programs are good,” he explains. “They help people get started that maybe are on the fence about whether they want to commit to a practice or not. If there’s some cost share, they can do the practice and not have a whole lot of money out of pocket.”
For Stout, conservation methods like no-till and planting cover crops help ensure he’s doing his part to preserve the land for future generations.
“I think these practices do make you a better steward of the land,” he says. “We all just need to do our part.”
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