Cover Crop Roller Crimpers

As cover crops and regenerative agriculture become more popular the need for supporting technology also grows. Butler SWCD had the opportunity to test out for ourselves a cover crop roller crimper. The crimper gets its name from it's lawn roller appearance with the addition of crimping blades welded to the inner steel drum. Most commercially manufactured crimpers have the blades in a chevron pattern that helps the drum to roll easier and allows for more blade contact with the cover crop. Another feature is the ability to add liquid ballast to make the drums heavier. Both the weight and blade pattern of the crimper assists with the best possible termination method and avoids the use of chemical herbicides. Crimper blades are self sharpening, when and if they ever go dull kits can be purchased to weld new blades onto the drum.

Crimping is an effective way to reduce input costs associated with transitioning to a regenerative cropping. By rolling a cover crop into a mat that lays on top of the soil it acts as a weed suppressant, a home for beneficial insects, keeps the soil cool, and helps to conserve water during the growing season when plants need it most.

Butler SWCD has a video showing a crimper we were able to demo on our YouTube channel, you can watch it here.

Any general questions about cover crops reach out to Brady Smith, Rural Specialist, at (513)785-6663.