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:

Project 101: Planting a World Record Cover Crop

Ever since Kansas farmer Tyler carved his niche as the "Cover Crop ROI Guy" years ago, he has strived to push the limits of what conventional wisdom deems possible with his multi-species cover crop blends. It is now standard practice for Tyler to have at least 25 species in his cover crop blend and last year he planted a 55-species cover crop blend. That did not satisfy his curiosity. This year, it wasn't on a whim...it all came together. Tyler planted 101 different species of seed!

Drone Seeding Trial

In central Nebraska, Todd Weller broadcast cover crop seed with a drone on September 10th. Todd scouts the four plots with varying mixes and application rates a couple of weeks later to check on the cover crops' establishment. The video ends showing results of a cover crop trial that was broadcast with a drone in June. 

Cover Crop Financial Incentives and Managing Risk

What does risk look like on the farm when interest rates are high, margins are tight and every input decision matters? Bill and James sit down with Scott Weber of Heartland Bank and Chris Nelson of TWFG Fortress Insurance to talk farming, finance and risk management from the banking and insurance side of rural Iowa. They cover interest rates, equipment purchases, crop insurance, land values, cover crop incentives and the financial pressure farmers are navigating right now. They also talk about why trying a new practice can feel especially risky in a tight year, and how cost-share programs and simpler cover crop options can help lower the barrier to getting started.

Creating a Future for Farmers Through Cover Crops

Farmers for Soil Health is helping farmers explore the benefits of cover crops and no-till practices and what they could mean for their soil and their operation.

Boosting the Bottom Line by Grazing Cover Crops

Tim Daly is a 4th-generation farmer in Dubuque County, Iowa, who is no stranger to cover crops. He has farmed for over 40 years, introducing cover crops in 2005. His 600-acre corn, soybean, and alfalfa operation is 100% no-till and 100% planted in cover crops. The profit gained from grazing cover crops covers the seed cost and improves Tim's bottom line. The cows leave fertilizer behind and clean up the fields, making Tim's no-till fields easy to plant into in the spring. In this video, he discusses the benefits and profits from grazing cover crops and his future cover crop grazing plans.

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