Through the Taylor County Water Quality Initiative (WQI) Project, producers throughout the county are seeding down their side hills, improving their overall Return on Investment (ROI), and protecting their soil.
Due to our side hills, multiple soil types in a single field, and thin soils soil erosion is common in our fields. without implementing soil health and conservation practices, such as waterways, no till, cover crops, or farming only suitable acres, our fields will continue to wash sediment into our streams and rivers.
Livestock is an important part of Taylor County. Hay, pasture, and cover crops are essential to our livestock farmers.
Producers have the option to construct summer terraces. This allows a summer cover crop to be planted to protect the disturbed, bare ground. A cover crop could be considered as an additional forage supply to livestock.
Taylor County producers utilize spring grazing after planting rye in the fall. Grazing cover crops provides rest for permanent pasture, reduces hay usage, provides additional fertilizer on fields, suppresses weeds, reduces pathogens for newborn calves, and provides high quality feed.
Rye flown on corn stubble with fall growth and grazing.
Spring mowing some fall-applied-rye for livestock use.
Using the Bedford airport, a tender truck is filling an airplane for rye aerial application for cover crops.
