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This Week

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: September 25, 2026

By Kendra Downing posted on September 25, 2026

This Week's Lineup:

Feeding the Soil
Seeding a Cover Crop Following Barley
Cover Crop Economics
Interseeding Cover Crops
Making Conservation Farming Practices Affordable

Higher Diesel Prices, Higher Custom Rates

By Frank Lessiter posted on June 5, 2026 | Posted in Economics

Earlier this year, 205 custom operators and farm managers in Iowa responded to the annual Iowa farm custom rate survey that is coordinated by Iowa State University ag economists.

New Iowa Learning Farms Initiative Aimed at Reigniting Cover Crops Interest

February 16, 2026 | Posted in Investing in Regenerative Ag

The new program offers deeper exploration of advanced cover crop topics through a variety of resources and a new dialogue-focused webinar series that will promote candid conversations among experts on advanced cover crop topics.

Cover Crops Provide an Often-Overlooked Reduction in Soil Carbon Erosion, Study Finds

April 5, 2025 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Iowa State University

Planting ground cover in fields between cash crop growing seasons is an effective way to prevent farmland from losing soil carbon from erosion, a factor that’s underestimated in considering the carbon sequestration potential of cover crops, according to a new study by an Iowa State University ecologist.

CIG Partners Develop 3D Technology to Help Farmers with Weed Suppression

Through a Conservation Innovation Grant, NRCS partners are using 3D imagery to map cover crops and weeds with precision, helping farmers make informed decisions on how to control resistant weeds on their operations.

December 20, 2024 | Posted in Product Innovations & Introductions, Soil Health

Source: USDA

Through a Conservation Innovation Grant, NRCS partners are using 3D imagery to map cover crops and weeds with precision, helping farmers make informed decisions on how to control resistant weeds on their operations.

Researchers Seek to Reduce Emissions from Growing Soybeans

December 2, 2024 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: WORLD-GRAIN.com

Researchers from Iowa State University have shared modeling that could reduce emissions from growing soybeans by one-third while reducing yields.

Cover Crops Help Southwest Iowa Farmer Improve Soil

By Jeff DeYoung posted on December 19, 2023 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Ag Update

Jon Bakehouse didn’t jump right into planting cover crops. Instead, he did a lot of research before finally giving it a try several years ago.

Northeast Iowa Field Days Demonstrate Grazing Winter Annuals

April 13, 2022 | Posted in Grazing

Source: Iowa State University Extension

Denise Schawb, Iowa State University extension beef specialist, says the farmers hosting the 3 April field days will share their experiences with growing and grazing annual forages. Extension staff will also share yield data from research trials and management tips for grazing winter annuals.

What “Type” of Cover Crop Farmer Are You?

March 7, 2022 | Posted in Economics

Source: Iowa Learning Farms

A 2021 study by Iowa State University scholars entitled “Developing farmer typologies to inform conservation outreach in agricultural landscapes” groups farmers into four typologies or personalities depending on their approach to conservation. Read more in this article from Iowa Learning Farms.

[Podcast] Reducing Fertilizer Use with Cover Crops

February 11, 2022 | Posted in Seeding Practices

This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, features strip-tiller and cover crop advocate Wayne Fredericks, Osage, Iowa. Fredericks will discuss how he transitioned to using crops on 100% of his acres, his cover crop goals, how using covers has helped him reduce fertilizer use, and more.