This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, features grower David Miller, Red Lake Falls, Minn. Miller will discuss how he utilizes interseeding, relay cropping and polycropping, what his goals are for no-till and cover crops, growing with only 20 inches of annual precipitation, and more.

This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, features award-winning no-tiller Loran Steinlage, West Union, Iowa. Steinlage will discuss how growers are creating their own issues with weed resistance, what robotic options are out there for helping control weeds in cover crops, how he uses cover crops to mitigate weeds, and more.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending program flexibilities to Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) and agricultural producers until June 30, 2022 or later. Originally, these flexibilities were expiring this month.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing several new and expanded opportunities for climate smart agriculture in 2022. Updates include nationwide availability of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Conservation Incentive Contracts option, a new and streamlined EQIP Cover Crop Initiative, and added flexibilities for producers to easily re-enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Read more in this press release from NRCS.

Researchers in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, are studying the use of both annual and perennial cover crops called “living mulches” in cotton.

How much cover crops cost to implement and whether they can make you money is a subject of heated debate. Costs are obvious: seed, time and fuel to plant and terminate them. Read more in this article from University of Minnesota Extension.

Funding for farmers and landowners implementing conservation practices on working lands was included in the Build Back Better Act passed on Nov. 19 by the U.S. House of Representatives. One of the programs established by this legislation is payments for cover crops to farmers and landowners.