Mackane Vogel here, with this week’s cover crop connection. I chatted with associate professor at Oregon State University, Rory McDonnell, about his innovative research on combating slugs and snails. Cover croppers and no-tillers often have an especially hard time managing slug and snail pressure, and McDonnell just might have found the bread and butter for knocking out these pests.

At last week’s 32nd Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis, I caught up with USDA’s soil health specialist for the state of Indiana, Amanda Kautz. Check out this simulation of a heavy rainfall, and how a conventionally tilled field responds to the rainfall compared to a field with no-till and cover crops.

Mackane Vogel here, with this week’s cover crop connection. I had the opportunity to visit with Brandon, Minnesota farmer John Ledermann and check out his unique strategy for planting cereal rye and corn. 

Our editors made the trip to Decatur, Ill., for the 2023 Farm Progress Show to get the latest info on all the newest cutting-edge technology and cover crop advancements. Check out our top picks.