Planting cover crops on prevented planting acres can be a good way to improve soil health after the excessive water this spring and can help with weed control on otherwise fallow land. The Extension Publication “Cover Crops for Prevented Planting Acres” (AY-355-W) discusses reasons for using cover crops and some general recommendations for their selection and use (attached) https://www.edustore.purdue.edu/item.asp?Item_Number=AY-355-W. This publication does not specifically deal with fields that have major problems with marestail, waterhemp, palmer, or giant ragweed; in those cases, a simple grass cover crop may be best, to allow use of broadleaf herbicides later in the summer. See articles in the Illinois and Ohio newsletters for more discussion of this option.
