Got into the field again on June 4 to plant beans. This field had been in corn last year, with a cereal rye cover planted right after harvest. Since we were getting a lot of rain the second half of May, there was a delay of three weeks to get the cover crop rolled and planted.
This was the first time that we have used the Rogue VT® roll cereal rye. Very, very pleased with the results! This machine is truly a very versatile vertical tillage tool!
The setup of the Rogue VT: tine angle – 2.5 degrees and the coulters were set to the deepest setting. This gives a very minimal soil disturbance, but will let any more rainfall soak in to the soil profile under the mulch, no erosion! We ran with just a little high in the front, so there was good pressure on the double rolling baskets to get a good “crimping” of the cereal rye. Examining the stalks, the majority were crimped in about six places from bottom to top. I will follow this field and keep you updated on how long it takes to for the cover crop to die.
Running the tines at the 2.5 degree angle, moves just enough soil under the “mulch” to give good seed to soil contact, and making it easier to close the seed furrow. With sharp no-till coulters and double disk openers on the planter, there were no issues getting the seed through the “mulch.” Also, there were no issues no matter which way the planter ran. The Rogue VT run here, is a fifteen foot model, while the planter is twenty feet wide. So part of the time it was running against the way the cover was laying, no problem.
Rolling down a cereal rye cover crop, with the Rogue VT, saves us a burn down. It also, helped pull some of the excess moisture from the soil. The conditions were almost perfect in this field. The plan for this field is to post apply herbicide in 2 to 3 weeks, including Foliar Opp®, for extra nutrients for the soybeans right before, or at blooming.
For more information on the Rogue VT, get in contact with me or our office.
My contact info: jviertel@soilserviceinc.com or 573-680-6951 (call or text)
Soil Service, Inc office: info@soilserviceinc.com or 888-313-2360
John Viertel