Cover Crop Strategies editors encounter a variety of articles, social media posts, podcasts and videos that offer a unique look at various aspects of our great agricultural industry. Here is our favorite content from the past week:

Young Leaders Conduct Cover Crop Experiment

An Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders' idea grew into a 5-year project that helped farmers adopt cover crops. Knox County Farm Bureau partnered with University of Illinois researchers and West Central FS and the project was funded by the Illinois Farm Bureau Nutrient Stewardship Grant. Read the results of the study here, and watch an overview of the project in the video below.

Illinois Farmers Recognized For Conservation Efforts

Illinois farmer nominees were recognized at the annual meeting of the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts for the Farm Family of the Year award. Stu Ellis of WCIA News interviewed the nominees from across the state to hear how they have implemented no-till, cover crops, waterways and other conservation practices to improve their soil and preserve it for generations to come. Farmers credit their local Soil and Water Conservation Districts with guiding them to conservation success.

Cover Crop Economic Decision Tool

In the Innovative Agronomy Tools Series with Michigan State University Extension, learn how to use the cover crop economic decision tool. This tool by Precision Sustainable Agriculture assigns costs to labor, equipment, herbicide applications and other inputs that might be involved with cover cropping. It weighs the inputs against potential cover crop benefits and provides a financial overview to aid decision-making.

Long-Term Cover Crop Lessons

Junior Pfanstiel farms with his wife Katelyn and their four children near McLean, Neb. In this webinar series by Albert Lea Seed, Pfanstiel shares what has and has not worked so far with cover crops in his operation. After exiting the retail ag industry and being fed up with high input prices, he dove headfirst into regenerative farming practices. Junior is an agronomy enthusiast and started a business called Outside The Box Agronomy. His farm operation consisted of 330 acres, which is about 50/50 dryland/irrigated, all of which will be fully regenerative organic certified in July 2026. In 2022 he received the Lower Elkhorn NRD’s Sustainable Agriculture Award.

Using Cover Crops to Increase Grazing Opportunities

In this webinar from the Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association's Grazing School series, Jeff Duchene (State Grazing Specialist, NRCS), and Troy Salzer (University of Minnesota) discuss practical methods for increasing grazing opportunities and extending the grazing season. Topics covered include: high-density grazing, stockpiling forage, utilizing crop residues, incorporating annual forages and cover crops, and bale grazing. The presenters introduce the Midwest Cover Crops tool for planning ahead and discuss the benefits of moving winter-feeding areas away from farmyards to improve manure distribution and cut costs.

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