Usda - Articles

It Always Comes Back to the Land

May 6, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Wayne Fredericks walks out into a cornfield on his northern Iowa farm and points out the first bits of spring growth of a cover crop shooting through the cornstalks. “We didn’t use cover crops years ago,” he says. “In fact, when I first started farming in 1973 … we didn’t treat the land very well.” Read more in this article from the Rock Island Dispatch Argus (Davenport, Iowa).

Much to Learn About Soil Microbes

May 6, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Aberdeen News

Results of a three-year soil health study focusing on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi proves there is still much to learn about soil microbes. “This is the purpose of research,” explains Mike Lehman, soil microbiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agriculture Research Station (USDA-ARS) in Brookings, S.D. Read more in this article from Aberdeen News.

[Video] Protecting Soil Health with Cover Crops

May 4, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices

A Tennessee farmer discusses why he uses cover crops to keep his topsoil on his farm, scavenge nutrients, and erosion control.

Cover Crops Provide Pollinator Habitat

April 29, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Ohio's Country Journal

A good deal of attention has been given to honey bees and other pollinators the last several years. Honey bees first began to draw notice back in 2006 when concerns over Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) first emerged. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

SARE Asks Cover Crop Growers to Participate in Survey

March 26, 2020

Once again, the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program (SARE) is sending out a national cover crop survey to farmers. They are asking farmers to complete the online survey by April 12.

Economic Incentives of Soil Health are Growing

March 23, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Farm Talk

As soil health takes on a higher profile with food companies and consumers, various avenues are emerging for farmers to collect environmental incentives. The growing number of soil health programs can seem overwhelming, but one farmer and soil health advocate believes it’s a case of more is better. Read more in this article from Farm Talk.

USDA Launches Pilot Program for Prairie Pothole Producers Planting Cover Crops

February 28, 2020 | Posted in Economics

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced a new pilot program that enables farmers in the Prairie Pothole region to receive payments for planting cover crops on their land for three to five years. The new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP) pilot is available to producers in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

USDA Investing $56 Million to Improve Water Quality

February 17, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Hoosier Ag Today

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest $56 million this year to help agricultural producers improve water quality in more than 300 high-priority watersheds across the country. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is continuing two of its successful landscape-level water quality efforts, the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) and National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI). Find out more in this article from Hoosier Ag Today.

Third Set of 2019 MFP Payments Coming This Week

February 3, 2020 | Posted in Economics

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the third and final tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments. The payments will begin to show up in farmers’ bank accounts by the end of this week.

[Podcast] Less Fertilizer Needed for Vegetables When Grown with Covers

Cover crops are particularly impressive at controlling weeds in a vegetable production system, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

January 22, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Cover crops are particularly impressive at controlling weeds in a vegetable production system, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this podcast, Groff explains how covers supply nitrogen in the soil for vegetable plants, why cover crops should not be used with early-producing vegetables, how pumpkins are cleaner when grown with covers, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)