Introduction
The cover crops and following soybean crop did not do well in 2005. The rye plants were short and thin, and the vetch was short with a thin stand. The decision to plant before cover crop flowering because of dry soil resulted in the rye and vetch not dying as expected. The growing season was also short on moisture.

Methods
Cover crops of hairy vetch and rye were planted at various rates and combinations for seven treatments Aug. 25, 2004 as part of a randomized complete block design consisting of four replications. Two additional cover crops were planted Sept. 14, and a no cover crop control rounded out the experiment of ten treatments.

Treatments consisting of three treatments of rye (1, 2, and 3 bu/A), two treatments of vetch (30 lb/A), and three treatments of a cover crop mix (3 bu/A rye plus 15 lb/A vetch, 2 bu/A rye plus 20 lb/A vetch, and 1 bu/A rye plus 30 lb/A vetch) were drilled to soybeans. A single treatment of rye (3 bu/A) and a single treatment of vetch were seeded Sept. 14, and were planted to corn and soybeans, respectively.

Covers were rolled/crimped (R/C) May 23, 2005, prior to rye pollination and vetch flowering, in an effort to plant soybeans earlier. As a result, the cover crops continued to grow and stood back up. Poor cover crop kill resulted in a second R/C on June 16. The 2 and 3 bu/A rye only and corn treatments were not R/C a second time. The corn treatment and the 2 bu/A rye only treatment were flail mowed.

results
Vinton clear hilum soybeans (which traditionally yield up to ten bushels lower than newer varieties) were drilled into the covers May 24 at 220,000 seeds/A and were harvested Sept. 27. The no cover crop control treatment was rotary hoed May 31 and cultivated June 24 and 28, 2005.

Yields were much lower than in 2004, with the highest yields coming from the rye only treatments at an average of 20.3 bu/A. The cover crop mix treatment yielded an average of 16.3 bu/A. The vetch only treatments yielded 13.5 bu/A (early) and 5.8 bu/A (late). The cover-free control yielded 18.9 bu/A, while the corn treatment yielded an unacceptable 24.5 bu/A. Complicating the research process was a six-week drought, which reduced soybean yield (including conventional) throughout Southwest Michigan.