Soil Health

[Podcast] Greater Cover Crop Growth Means Less Nitrate Leaching

This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Matt Helmers, Director, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Iowa State University. Helmers will discuss how planting covers after applying manure affects nitrate concentrations, how the timing of cover crop planting affects nitrate concentrations, how cover crops help nitrogen in the soil, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Matt Helmers, Director, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Iowa State University. Helmers will discuss how planting covers after applying manure affects nitrate concentrations, how the timing of cover crop planting affects nitrate concentrations, how cover crops help nitrogen in the soil, and more.
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Break Up Rotations, Reduce Erosion with Covers

An Iowa farmer is breaking up his rotation, reducing erosion and providing additional forage benefits for his cow-calf operation by planting cover crops. Aarik Deering, who farms near Postville with his wife, Haley, tried a unique sequence of cover crops on an 11-acre field near his home. Read more in this article from the Waukon Standard (Waukon, Iowa).
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[Podcast] Cover Crops After Silage Prevent Erosion

This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Amanda Kautz, district conservationist with NRCS. Kautz will discuss why silage is a good opportunity for growers to incorporate covers, how growers ensure good cover crop growth for silage, soil health benefits offered by covers after they’ve been harvested as silage, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Amanda Kautz, district conservationist with NRCS. Kautz will discuss why silage is a good opportunity for growers to incorporate covers, how growers ensure good cover crop growth for silage, soil health benefits offered by covers after they’ve been harvested as silage, and more.
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Rotational Crops After Potatoes Improve Soil Health

"Instead of controlling one disease versus multiple, we do the integrated way by using different crops as a nutrient input and also as a disease suppression strategy,” says Jay Hao, Professor of Plant Pathology for the University of Maine. Read more in this article from WAGM.
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Cover Crop Standpoint

‘Getting Paid’ to Help Offset Climate Change

The carbon market system is a Wild West right now, says no-tiller Trey Hill. But carbon-smart farming and balancing carbon-to-nitrogen ratios in your fields starts with cover crops.
I think folks who are into the cover crop movement and no-till are really starting to think about sustainability a little differently.  


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Cover Crops Build Strong Orchards That Can Withstand Droughts

At the Petty Ranch in southern California, where it sometimes rains less than 5 inches per year, covers are an effective line of defense against dryness.
Lemons and avocados aren’t your typical cash crops accompanying cover crops. But Chris Sayer’s family successfully uses covers in their lemon and avocado orchards on Petty Ranch in Saticoy, Cal., which they’ve owned for 130 years. 


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‘Zone Approach’ with Cover Crops Boosts Sustainability at Vegetable Farm

On his Minnesota vegetable farm, Ryan Pesch uses cover crops to lighten and enrich heavy soil and improve production prospects.
Building soil nutrients is one of the major benefits of using cover crops, and it’s the benefit of choice for Ryan Pesch and his family. Pesch has used cover crops on his farm since he and his family started Lida Farm in 2004.


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Cover Crops: The Final Piece of the Water Quality Puzzle

Growers share how widespread cover cropping has helped reduce water quality problems in Kansas’ Black Vermillion River watershed.
On a clear, late November day 60 years ago, 11-year-old Maurice Buessing was out getting the cows home from pasture on the family dairy operation near Baileyville, Kan.


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The National No-Tillage Conference returns January 9-12, 2024! Build and refine your no-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 32nd Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. Jan. 9-12, 2024. 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.

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