Cover crops - Articles

Economic Impact of Cover Crops

January 3, 2020 | Posted in Economics

If you raise corn and soybeans, cover cropping could help you increase profits, but not right away, according to Rob Myers, regional director of Extension programs for the USDA-NIFA North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. Myers is with University of Missouri. He presented “The Bottom Line with Cover Crops: Evaluating Their Economic Impact on Corn and Soybean Production” as a recent webinar hosted by Purdue University Center for Food and Agriculture Business, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, American Farmland Trust, Wood Soil & Water Conservation District and IPM Institute.

[Podcast] How to Get the Ideal Cover Crop Seeding Rate

When you plant cover crops, of course, you want to maximize their benefits as much as possible while minimizing the costs, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

December 30, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices

When you plant cover crops, of course, you want to maximize their benefits as much as possible while minimizing the costs, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

[Video] Improving Soil Through Cover Crops

December 30, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

Grain farmer Jeff Frey has used no-till on his 700-acre farm in Willow Street, Penn., since the 1980s. Despite these efforts, Frey knew he needed to do more to protect his soil from erosion.

Include Cover Crops in Your New Year’s Resolution

By Sarah Hill posted on December 30, 2019

If New Year’s resolutions are your thing, I encourage you to include cover crops as part of that plan for your farming operation.

Residual Herbicides Could Hurt Cover Crop Establishment

December 27, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Ohio's Country Journal

Farmers who want to plant cover crops after corn and soybeans also want to control resistant weeds like marestail, waterhemp, and giant ragweed. Often the residual soil herbicides remain active and have a long residual or half-life that could hurt cover crop establishment.

[Video] No-Till Planting Into Rye

December 23, 2019 | Posted in Termination

If you are planning to plant into a rye cover crop, it's best to wait to do so until 10 days after spraying the cover crop, according to Kevin Shelley with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nutrient & Pest Management Program.

[Podcast] Get Increased Wheat Yields by Adding Cover Crops

Cover crops that winterkill are an excellent choice to plant with wheat, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this week’s podcast, find out how growing radishes with wheat can boost wheat yields by an average of 3-5 bushels per acre. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

December 23, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Cover crops that winterkill are an excellent choice to plant with wheat, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this week’s podcast, find out how growing radishes with wheat can boost wheat yields by an average of 3-5 bushels per acre. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Don’t Miss the Opportunities Offered by Covers

By Sarah Hill posted on December 23, 2019

What other opportunities do we miss in the agriculture industry, and in life, because on the surface, they may not look like they are worth taking? Cover crops are a perfect example.

Cover Crops Make Winter the New Summer

December 23, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Source: Frederick News Post (Frederick, MD)

For many traditional row crop farmers, winter is the new summer. In the winter, row crop farmers often have cover crops which require no maintenance.

Cover Crops: Insurance for a Wet Spring?

December 23, 2019 | Posted in Grazing

Source: Manitoba Cooperator

Joe Gardiner of Clearwater, Manitoba, has an insurance policy against a wet spring next year. Gardiner is one of a growing number of Manitoba farmers to embrace cover crops, having started the practice several years ago in an effort to increase fall grazing.