Field Check: Cover Crops and Farm Implement Safety

In this episode we “cover” planting cover crops including some of the ways to get cover crops planted and established. We also discuss some really important and often overlooked safety considerations to think about before hooking up a seed drill or any other implement.

A common farm activity such as hooking up an implement often can be among the most dangerous. So we want to provide a refresher on the safety of hooking up any implement on the farm. NDSU Extension Farm & Ranch Safety Coordinator Angie Johnson says it’s all too easy to forget how risky working with moving machinery can be, especially with multiple people around who may not always be on the same page.

“You need to have a plan in place, and it's really important, especially if you're working with your employee or your son or daughter, or even your spouse, who's helping you hook up this piece of machinery. We need to be open and clear with our communication. Where is it safe for you to stand? When is it safe for you to drop that hitch pin?...When we're working with growers, we really emphasize using the 11 universal hand signals to help operators be able to back up farm equipment, because you can't always hear the other person.” - Angie Johnson

There are resources for these safety measures available on the NDSU Extension website. They have both posters and window clings to serve as great training tools and reminders of these universal hand signals for farmers and their employees.

Dr. Abbey Wick continues our discussion by sharing a few things to keep in mind as you start this part of your soil health journey.

“With the backing up and using a drill, that's probably your best way to get a cover crop established because you're getting really good seed to soil contact. So as long as you hook it up the proper way you could get that cover crop seed out there…..lots of ways to get them in the system.” - Dr. Abbey Wick

Farmer Sam Landman discusses the SHARE Farm which he runs in collaboration with NDSU Extension. SHARE stands for Soil Health and Agriculture Research Extension (SHARE) Farm, and it’s designed for field-scale, long-term, farmer-driven research into soil health building practices. Between his work on the SHARE farm and on his own farm, Sam says once you start to see the benefits from these practices like cover crops, you only want to do more of it.

Follow the link www.NDFieldCheck.com to participate in our next question and answer segment to share your questions and get them answered by the experts!

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Soil Sense Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.