At Clear Springs Cattle Company near Starbuck, Minnesota, the Wulf family widened its corn rows to 44 inches.
That spacing was not the first plan. The family initially tested a 30-60-30 skip-row arrangement before settling on a more consistent width that left room for cover crops to grow alongside the corn. On an operation that relies on about 700 acres of cropland to help feed a 300-head cattle herd, the goal is straightforward: produce feed while getting more use from the ground between cash-crop seasons.
The approach was first featured in the 2025 Drovers case study, “Making Every Acre Pull Double Duty.”
Clear Springs was established in 2011 by Jim and Twyla Wulf and their sons, Travis and Brady. The family raises registered Simmental and SimAngus cattle and manages its cropland and pastures with soil health in mind. According to the ranch, its cropland is entirely no-till, and the family tries to keep something growing throughout the year, whether that is a cash crop, pasture or cover crop.
For the Wulfs, cover crops are part of the feed system, not a separate conservation project. The wider corn rows create space and sunlight for additional plants. Those plants can protect the soil and provide forage for cattle, allowing the same acre to contribute to both crop and livestock production.
That combination can change the economics of a cover crop. University of Minnesota Extension notes that grazing cover crops can reduce reliance on stored feed while returning manure and nutrients directly to cropland. Managed grazing can also support soil biology, nutrient cycling and water infiltration. The result depends on the crop mix, weather, stocking rate and timing, so the management details matter.
The Questions Behind the Practice
A photo of cattle grazing a green field shows the result. It does not show every decision required to get there.
A producer considering a similar system may want to know why the Wulfs chose 44-inch rows, how the spacing affected corn performance, which cover crop species established well under the canopy and when the field was ready to graze. Other questions involve fencing, water access, compaction, herbicide restrictions and how much forage must remain to protect the soil.
Those are difficult questions to answer with a general recommendation. The useful answer often comes from a producer who can explain what happened in a particular field during a particular year.
That does not mean another farmer’s system can be copied acre for acre. Clear Springs has its own soils, cattle, equipment and goals. The value of the example is that it gives other producers a more specific place to start. Instead of asking whether cover crops “work,” they can ask what row spacing, species mix and grazing plan might work on their own operation.
Keep Comparing Notes
Field days and case studies give farmers a look at what others are trying. The free ConnectedAg Community from Trust In Food gives those conversations a place to continue.
Farmers can use the mobile app to ask about practices they are considering, share what they have learned and compare approaches with other producers. A discussion about the Clear Springs system could begin with the 44-inch rows, then move into seed selection, forage value, grazing timing or the first adjustment another farmer would make.
No single post can tell a producer what to do on their farm. A useful conversation can help them identify the next question, avoid a preventable mistake or find someone who has already tested a similar idea.
Join the free ConnectedAg Community to connect with farmers and keep the conversation going. Sign up: www.trustinfood.com/community
This article was adapted from the Trust In Food Case Study in Conservation, “Making Every Acre Pull Double Duty,” originally published by Drovers.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under agreement number NR233A750004G096.
