The following recipe provides an introductory approach to integrating a cover crop into a corn-soybean
rotation. Planting a cover crop ahead of a soybean cash crop is often the easiest way to introduce cover
crops into a rotation.
Planning and Preparation
• Planning — get educated. Start small. Be timely. Prioritize management based on purpose and objectives.

• Corn hybrid and planting — If possible, plant the preceding corn crop early and use an early maturity
corn hybrid. One strategy is to use cover crops on the field you usually harvest first, on sloping
ground, or on a field where it can be watched regularly, and to plant the earliest maturity hybrid on
that field.
• Residual corn herbicides — Cereal rye can be seeded and a successful stand will occur in the fall
following most of the spring-applied residuals used in corn. However, if cereal rye will be grazed or
fed to livestock, there are some restrictions.
• Seed purchase — Order cereal rye seed early. Named varieties can produce substantially more growth or
more predictable growth and maturity, but they are more expensive than VNS (variety not stated) seed.
Start with VNS seed with a good germination rate purchased from a reputable seed dealer. Note that this
means the seed has been cleaned, tested for germination, and has a seed tag even though it is VNS.
Source: Post Corn, Going to Soybean: Use Cereal Rye (Indiana Cover Crop Recipe series,
MCCC-100/AY-356-W)—available from www.mccc.msu.edu select states/provinces, then Indiana.