An expert on cover crops and cattle says the interest in grazing cover crops continues to grow. Karl Dallefeld, president of Iowa-based Prairie Creek Seed, says in addition to the soil health benefits, cover crop grazing makes economic sense. By feeding less hay, he says, cattle producers can greatly reduce their carrying costs for cows. “It depends on what kind of hay you’re able to find, but you can be at a cost of between $2.00 and $3.50 a head per day,” Dallefeld says, “versus growing a cover crop where—in Minnesota, we’ve had some producers that have put the dollars and cents to it and they’re feeding their cattle for 70 to 90 cents per head per day.
