Get 10, 100 or 1,000 farmers together who believe no-till and cover crops are the right way to farm. This question will come up: How can we get more people to change their attitudes about no-till and cover crops?
With Tim Kruithoff's wife Christine, sons Justin and Colin and daughter Madelyn, Kruithoff has grown his operation to 2,800 acres, concentrating on no-till corn, soybeans and wheat with the goal of increasing conservation tillage.
"The use of cover crops in modern Midwest corn-soybeans systems is in its infancy. However, strides are being made to make cover crops an economical part of agriculture."
Mark Kingland, who farms nearly 1,800 acres throughout Winnebago County, Iowa, with his brother, Tom, seeded several hundred cover crop acres for the first time in fall 2023 and used his new drone to broadcast the seed.
Weeks of 100-plus-F temperatures in the West in 2023 made headlines in the U.S., but Europe had a super-heated summer, too. Likewise, flooding swamped farmers in the U.S. Northeast and in Germany over the summer. The rising severity of weather and climate impacts on the global food system became the focus of a panel held at Agritechnica 2023 in Hanover, Germany.
Cover Crop Strategies editors encounter a variety of articles, social media posts, podcasts and videos that offer a unique look at various aspects of our great agricultural industry. Here is our favorite content from the past week.
It’s imperative that soil be protected and conserved as much as possible because the simple fact is that we no longer have the luxury of leaving our degraded soils in the dust as we go in search of new ground. We must take care of the soil if we have any hope that it will continue to provide for us.
Agricultural producers often base their land management decisions on the living things they can see above the ground – crops, livestock, forage, weeds, insects, wildlife, etc. However, new research is showing they should also consider life found in the soil.
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.
The 2024 National Cover Crop Summit takes place online from March 12 to 14 and features a stacked lineup of 7 different sessions on all things cover crops. Check out this preview of Missouri agronomist Rob Myers’ presentation on cover crops and how they should be managed during a drought vs. during an especially wet season.