Agronomist Says Aerial Seeding Helps Establish Cover Crop

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) — Planes that typically fly fields to drop weed-killing and bug-fighting chemicals are increasingly being used to spread seed for cover crops.

Brookings-based conservation agronomist Eric Barsness tells the Aberdeen American News that farmers are using aerial seeding to help establish a cover crop even before corn is harvested. Barsness, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, says the process allows more time for growth before the first frost.

He says late August and the first two weeks of September provide the best time frame for seeding, and it's important to seed just before it rains.

Pilot Loren Greenhoff says the technique is much like spraying. The seed spreader attaches to the bottom of his airplane, and the seed in stored in the chemical tanks.

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