Practical Farmers of Iowa recently released a cover-crop app that’s designed to help farmers locate cover-crop seed, services and suppliers in time for fall planting. The “Find Cover Crops” app is free to download and use.
GS3 will maintain and build relationships with all current KB Seed Solutions dealers, while still contracting with the growers who produce cover crop seed for both organizations.
The new location in Iola, Kansas, also matched a good opportunity to fill the growing demand for cover crop mixes in the area, one that has grown tremendously in the last several years. Read more in this article from Farm Talk.
Cover crop acreage has increased significantly around the nation, and in some areas over 70% of farmland is “green” going into winter. The Mid-Atlantic region is leading the charge. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.
As small grain harvest moves along, some farmers will plant cover crops into those fields to do things such as improve soil condition, control weeds or provide fall grazing for livestock and wildlife. Before planting the cover crop seeds, South Dakota Department of Agriculture Plant Industry Program Manager Brenda Sievers reminds farmers to check the source of the seeds and to be sure a lab analysis has been done on them.
Following last fall’s record amount of acreage going into cover crops as part of USDA’s prevent plant program, farmers and ranchers need to be diligent when it comes to cover crop seed purchases this year, says Jerry Hall, director of research for GO SEED. “The market is definitely seeing some shortages in a few different crops like radishes, hairy vetch and annual clovers because prevent planting consumed a lot more seed than anybody had prepared for,” explains Hall.
In this video, learn more about why cover crop seed regulations are important, why cover crop seed requires labeling and seed testing, what cover crop seed certification is, and more.
The results from the first annual Cover Crop Strategies Benchmark Study found the majority of growers do not receive incentive payments to plant cover crops, while soil health benefits are their top reasons for growing covers.
With much of the cover crop planted last fall just starting its spring growth, it’s too early to tell if cover crop seed availability will be an issue after this season, according to seed dealer Arvin Vos. Delays in planting last fall could mean lower supply or higher prices for 2020. Read more in this article from Kenosha News.
The National No-Tillage Conference returns January 12-15, 2027!Build and refine your no-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 35th Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis, Jan. 12-15, 2027. Experience an energizing 4-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led No-Till Classrooms and collaborative No-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.
I'm in Yakima, Washington this week at FIRA USA where there's always lots of great ag technology on display. Why don't we go take a look at the newest edition of the Aigen robot. We'll hear from Kenny Lee, the CEO of Aigen.