Farmers now have until March 15 to enroll in Farmers for Soil Health, a new cover crop cost share program that pays up to $50/acre over three years for new cover crop acres. Farmers who have planted cover crops previously are eligible for $2/acre.
In 2022, Olmsted County commissioners Mark Thein and Gregg Wright approached staffers in the local soil and water conservation district office and asked a seemingly straightforward question: How can we keep nitrates out of the groundwater?
A survey of farmers in four Northeast states, including New York, found that incentive payments encouraged participants to plant twice as many acres of cover crops as they did prior to receiving funds – a change that can both improve their farms and mitigate climate change.
Over the next 4 years, DU will work with their partners and private landowners to enroll acres into cover crop contracts with ADM. In return, the landowners will receive a $10/acre incentive payment, each year, for 4 years ($40 per acre total).
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.
Last week I had the chance to attend Randall Reeder’s Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference in Ada, Ohio. The event included a star-studded lineup of speakers who touched on no-till, cover crops and all things conservation. I had a chance to chat with retired professor and soil health scientist Warren Dick about his presentation, the conference as a whole and his contribution to no-till’s rich history.