Fall Cover Crops in the Rat River Watershed

Article submitted by Emily Dufeck, Winnebago County LWCD

Fall is a season for cover crops, and the Fox-Wolf Farmer Champions in the Rat River Watershed have their cover crops planted! Lydell Pethke planted his cover crops with a no-till drill. The photo above shows his cover crop mix of cereal rye and tillage radish that he planted at the end of September, 2022. The seeds have sprouted and the roots are beginning to dig down deep into the soil. Lydell along with the other Farmer Champions, Dan Rieckmann and Larry Engel, are using fall cover crops to increase the water quality in the Rat River Watershed under a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance GLSNRP grant. The cover crops also benefit the farmers’ crops by reducing weed growth, pest and disease control, increasing organic matter, and increasing crop yields, just to list a few! Soil health progress is underway!