No-Till Case Study, Richter Farm: Cover Crop Cocktails in a
Forage-Based SystemWednesday, February 06, 2013 Regular hay and
silage cutting leads plant residues diminishing at the detriment
of soil health but a farming family in North Dakota profess to
have a solution, reports the National Sustainable Agriculture
Information Service. Brothers Marlyn and Patrick Richter farm
2,600 acres of cash grains and forages on their diversified
dairy and beef cow operation in Menoken, North Dakota, near
Bismarck. Their farm includes a feedlot for custom background
feeding of 450 beef cattle, a dairy operation of 120 Holstein
cows, and a herd of 160 Black Angus cow/calf pairs for beef
production. The Richters also raise their own dairy and beef
replacement heifers. At any given time, the Richters may have
750 or more cattle on their farm. The Richters use their
cropland as the main source of feed for their cattle, with most
of the cropland devoted to forage production, such as hay and
silage. About half of their crops are