Cover crop planting by farmers in Door and Kewaunee Counties reads like a grocery list with some of the same goals in mind. Deer Run Dairy owner Duane Ducat has been experimenting with different cover crops over the years to reduce the amount of tillage in their fields and fostering healthier soils. One approach is planting multiple species of cover crops together in one field in preparation for a new crop going in or one on the way out. After planting about four different species of cover crops into his alfalfa field this year, Ducat says it will be interesting to see the effect they have on each other.

He adds that planting multiple species of cover crops in the same field allows them to see how the different root structures hold the soils and how the plants themselves correct other issues. Deer Run Dairy is hosting this month’s Conservation Conversation on Tuesday at 6 p.m.