Written collaboratively by Gared Shaffer, Paul O. Johnson, David Karki, Anthony Bly, Ruth Beck and Sara Bauder
In the last ten years, crop producers in South Dakota have shown increased interest in cover crops. South Dakota is a major producer of wheat (spring and winter) in the nation. One benefit of small grains is that harvest occurs early enough to allow sufficient time to grow cover crops in the same season. As farmers determine whether to plant a cover crop after wheat harvest, they must consider the potential impact the residual activity of the herbicide(s) used on wheat could have on the cover crop.