Benefits
What The InterSeeder™ Will Do For You
- Reduce costs for planting cover crops
- Simultaneously sidedress N and apply final postemerge herbicide while planting cover crops, all in a single pass
- Makes an ideal small grain drill for added versatility
- Increase corn yield from rotation effect
- Reduce N cost
- Increase forage production
- Provide cover and feed to wildlife
Cover Crops Provide Many Well Known Benefits
- Prevents soil erosion
- Enhances soil carbon
- Reduces drought stress
- Suppresses weeds
- Hold nutrients over winter
- Makes nutrients available for cash crops
- Provides supplemental forage
Corn & Biomass Yields
Corn Yields as Impacted by Cover Crop
Corn Yield and Cover Crop Dry Matter in 2011
| King Farm | Shunk Farm | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Corn Yield bu/arce) |
Fall DM bu/arce) |
Fall DM bu/arce) |
|
| 1 | Rygrass | 139 | 2016 | 2051 |
| 2 | Mixture | 162 | 2006 | 2489 |
| 3 | Untreated check | 151 | - | - |
| Mean | 153 | 2016 | 2070 | |
| LSD (0.05) | NS | NS | NS | |
HOW IT PAYS: Let's Run Some Numbers
The InterSeeder Saves Trip Costs
Typical Costs Per Field Trip*
| Trip for post emergent spray | $10/acre |
| Trip for sidedress N on corn | $10/acre |
| Trip for sow cover crop | $19/acre |
| Total for three trips | $39/acre |
| One InterSeeder™ trip | – $20/acre |
| Net Savings | $19/acre |
* Costs vary according to market conditions
More Calculations
Research shows corn yields can increase due to a rotation effect from planting corn into a grass/legume field, terminated prior to planting. Results will vary according to conditions.
| EXAMPLE |
|---|
| For corn planted into a prior healthy stand of cover crops, research consistently shows a 7 bu/acre increase at $5.00/bu
Potential $42.00/acre in added revenue |
| Nitrogen use can be reduced by 50lbs/acre with legume cover crops.
At 50 lb/acre and $0.65/lb for N:
Potential $32.50/acre in reduced fertilizer input costs |
| Increase fall forage from the cover crops
At 1 ton/acre and $100.00/ton
Potential $100.00/acre in livestock feed cost |
| Added Together |
| Reduced N input | $35/acre |
| Added corn yield (insert current $5.00/bu) | + $35/acre |
| Total for three trips | $70/acre |
| Now add the savings based on reduced trips | + $19/acre |
| Total added revenue potential | $ 89/acre additional per acre* |
*Based on use of the InterSeeder as described, weather, agronomic, and market conditions
