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PERENNIALS

A practice that was once a staple of intelligent crop rotation The beauty of ley crops in a crop rotation is that all these
prior to World War II was including a short term (five years benefits (greater soil fertility, better water availability, fewer
or less) pasture planting of perennial grasses, legumes, and weeds, fewer insect pests, fewer diseases, fewer nematodes)
forbs - what English agriculture terms a “ley crop”. Before come as free byproducts of the production of pastured live-
there was such a thing as cheap nitrogen fertilizer, herbi- stock on these acres. What would be the cost of fertilizer,
cides, or insecticides, it was considered almost an essential herbicides, insecticides, irrigation water, fungicides, and
practice to occasionally return cropland to pasture. This nematicides that are no longer necessary when a ley crop
practice had many advantages. First was to provide a pool is included in a crop rotation? Better yields with less input
of available nitrogen that could maximize the yield of a corn cost is a great strategy to maximize profit!
crop. Second was to restore soil organic matter and soil ag-
gregation. Third was to reduce the prevalence of diseases, Short Term Sod, Long Term Benefits
insects, nematodes, and weeds that afflict crops. The greater If the long-term goal is not livestock production on native
plant diversity and habitat found in a pasture attracts many perennial plants, but rather relatively fast soil improve-
insect predators, such as spiders, birds, and predatory in- ment at the least cost, then a short-term sod mix might be
sects to help control outbreaks of insect species that migrate the answer. This is a relatively economical mixture of fast
in from other areas, such as cutworms. growing perennial plant species that will grow for 3-5 years.
Grasses like orchard grass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass,
prairie bromegrass, or festulolium are good fits. Perenni-
al legumes, such as alfalfa, red clover, and white clover, are
good choices but will require some grazing management.
Non-bloating legumes like sainfoin and birdsfoot trefoil are
also good options. Forbs like chicory, plantain, and small
burnett should also be included as they establish quickly
and have relatively low seeding rates. The value of this ap-
proach is that it makes it much more feasible to get a high
percentage of the farm rotated to sod as soon as possible at
the lowest cost possible, so that as much of the farm as pos-
An example of a crop rotation that includes a ley crop might sible enjoys the soil improving benefits of a perennial sod
be four years of a grass & legume pasture, followed by corn crop. Generally, a perennial mix like this will run $60-$80
to reap the benefits of the nitrogen credit from the legumes, per acre which is $15–$20 per year if left in production for
followed by a rye cover crop, then followed by soybeans, then four years.
followed by wheat, followed by a sorghum-sudan pasture
crop, which is terminated in early September and the pasture
sod is re-established. If weeds have not become an issue and Photo by Brett Peshek
depending on the economics, this could go back to corn-
beans-wheat for a second rotation before coming back to sod.

Alfalfa, yellow clover, and red clover grow in harmony with perennial grasses in
this ley mix. Grass production will be higher due to the legumes and the high
nutritional content.

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