We are away for a weekend in Lancaster County, PA to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary and my birthday. Everywhere I see fields of what used to be corn, you can see the stubble in the fields, but they have planted something that is growing up in these fields now about 2 to 3 inches high and it’s green, from the road it looks like grass but I’m sure it’s not, what could this be?

Another crop? Something to help replenish the soil?

Winter wheat to hold the soil

Not sure what plant seed they planted but when you lime the fields in the fall it is common practice to mix in a winter cover crop seed like ryegrass, wheat, clover, etc to protect against erosion. It also provides feed for wildlife and helps aerate and enriches the soil a bit when tilled in for next year's crop.

Around here it is mostly winter wheat, but some plant winter rye.

I think it may have been clover?

Some cover crops (eg clover and winter peas) are nitrogen fixing meaning that they store nitrogen in their roots and release it when they die. You get the erosion prevention plus your soil is better prepared for heavy nitrogen users like corn.

Clover is a broadleaf plant so if it looks like grass I doubt it is clover. In my area I would say it is volunteer corn that sprouted from kernels lost during combining. In PA it might be too cold for the corn to germinate this time of year so maybe not. If deliberately planted I would guess a winter cover crop like wheat, oats, rye, etc. as others have mentioned.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Winter wheat to hold the soil

AKA, deer bait.

Yep, winter wheat. They they will harvest it off and plant no till beans in mid spring.