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. The Best of the Web This Week series is brought to you by Salford Group.
One of the reasons growers choose not to use cover crops is because they don’t think the practice is profitable. However, like with any crop, it all comes down to each individual choice by a grower as to whether covers will be successful.
Iowa Learning Farms recently released its 2019 Evaluation Report detailing the impact of multiple education and outreach initiatives throughout the year. Key statistics from the report include an up year in cover crop plantings – estimated to eclipse 1 million acres in Iowa. Read more in this article from the Bloomfield Democrat (Bloomfield, IA).
Source: By Carol Brown, Liz Juchems, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Cover crops are planted in the fall and stay on fields over the winter, covering the ground with foliage and holding soil in place with their roots. These assets help to slow soil erosion and reduce nitrate leaching, thereby improving water quality. They also improve soil health and productivity and suppress weeds. Many farmers are seeking management advice about implementing cover crops into their corn-soybean rotations.
The National Strip-Tillage Conference returns August 8-9, 2024!Build and refine your strip-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 11th Annual National Strip-Tillage Conference in Madison, Wis. Aug. 8-9, 2024. Experience an energizing 2-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led Strip-Till Classrooms and collaborative Strip-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.
Georgetown, Del., no-tiller Jay Baxter was planning on conducting a cover crop experiment with oats, but when Mother Nature got in the way, he quickly pivoted to another idea for a different type of cover crop experiment.