Cover Crop Termination

By James Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services, adapted from Green Covers

This spring has been warmer than normal, but Ohio’s subsoil moisture has been dry due to last year’s drought.  Recent rains may have helped depending upon how much rain actually soaked in.  Last year, adequate subsoil moisture allowed farmers to get decent yields, however; what about this year?  According to the National Weather Service, there is a 83% chance for a transition from El Niño to La Niña during April-June and a 62% chance for La Niña to develop by June-August.  Typically, El Niño years are drier while La Niña years tend to be wetter in the Midwest. 

For Ohio, the 60-day weather forecast is for temperatures to be above normal in our area but perhaps drier than normal conditions around the Great Lakes. April may be wetter, but May is expected to turn dry. Farmer’s may be planting earlier than normal depending upon the weather.… Continue reading