Can winter field peas, planted in September and harvested the middle of the following summer (like winter wheat), work as part of the dryland cropping rotations? The question is being studied by the alternative crops breeding program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff.
In western Kansas, dryland cropping systems tend to have long fallow periods between cash crops. The original reason behind these systems is to basically “bank” moisture in the soil profile for the next crop, thus reducing the risk of a failure. Read more in this article from the Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, KS).
Craig Lehr along with his family, owns and operates Short Grass Ranches, a third-generation operation consisting of a 7,000-head backgrounding feedlot, 1,200-head cow-calf ranch as well as both irrigated and dryland farmland for feed and cash crop production. One of the ways Lehr is working to combat challenges due to drought is by using cover crops on irrigated land. Read more in this article from Alberta Farm Express.
Can we grow a cover crop that will provide many soil health benefits, including less soil water evaporation, higher water infiltration, better water holding capacity and weed suppression on only the moisture that would have been lost anyway? We can, if the cover crop mix is properly designed and planted and terminated timely. Read more in this article from the Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, KS).
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.