Links to the past can be found in more places than the Granzow family line. Bill and Rick strive to farm in a manner that respects the effective lessons of tradition while remaining open to innovations that will support their operation. One such tradition on this Herington farm is the use of sweet clover as a cover crop for building soil and providing forage. Even though earlier farm programs penalized farmers who used legumes through loss of base acres, we continued to do what we thought was right by the soil. We have rotated legumes like sweet clover over our ground several times through the years, and the benefits are many.
Sweet clover improves tilth, and provides nitrogen.
But, soil conservation cannot be overlooked. Our use of sweet clover over the years has proved time and again that soil that is protected with a cover will not wash away. And we have also found that a soil that has been in a rotation with a legume like sweet clover will soak up rainfall better and not let it run off as fast. Bill Granzow became interested in sweet clover when he came across a 1957 article on the crop in The Successful Farmer magazine. Both Bill and Rick have tried other cover crop legumes like hairy vetch and Austrian winter peas.