Ames, Iowa – Iowa Learning Farms (ILF), a conservation education and outreach program from Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach, announced the launch of its multi-faceted Beyond the Basics: Advanced Cover Crop Series. The new program offers deeper exploration of advanced cover crop topics through a variety of resources and a new dialogue-focused webinar series that will promote candid conversations among experts on advanced cover crop topics.
“We are taking a different approach to the Beyond the Basics webinars that moves away from a single topic presentation to a more conversational model where the guest and host can dig down on ideas and emerging research while also responding to audience questions,” said Matt Helmers, webinar host, ISU professor and director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center. “We’ve seen some tremendous conversations and debates among farmers and ISU experts during our live Conservation On Tap events, and we hope to capture some of the same enthusiasm and engagement with the live webinars.”
In addition to the monthly webinars, Beyond the Basics includes new infographics and guides, quarterly field days across the state as well as virtual field days. The program grew out of regular conversations with farmers about cover crop adoption and is designed to address both anticipated benefits and challenges across a broad range of topics including ongoing soil health improvements, weed suppression, nutrient cycling and plant-disease interaction. Beyond the Basics also builds on lessons learned about farmer and landowner cover crop perceptions and motivations from the 2025 Reimagining Cover Crops study conducted by ILF, as well as conversation and interactions with farmers and landowners at field days and outreach events across Iowa.
“A primary goal of this program is to stimulate action by providing farmers who are already pretty familiar with the practice a chance to shape the conversation, press the experts with questions and we hope, reignite interest in expanding their cover crop acres,” continued Helmers. “This is not just another lecture series, we really want to get to the root issues and questions that might be holding back adoption, and offer tangible and actionable information that responds to these needs.”
Upcoming Beyond the Basics: Advanced Cover Crop Events:
- Feb. 18, 2026 – Inaugural Live Webinar featuring ISU cover crop expert, Mark Licht
- March 24, 2026 – Cover Crop and Plant Disease Workshop
- March 25, 2026 – Live Webinar with field crop pathologist, Alison Robertson from ISU
- April 15, 2026 – Live Webinar with ISU weed scientist Wesley Everman
To learn more about upcoming Beyond the Basics: Advanced Cover Crop webinars, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org/webinars , or check out the ILF events page and blog. You can also follow ILF on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
