Cover Crop Strategies

Growing On and Off the Farm

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:45:55 -0400

Hi! My name is Kendra Downing and I am working as the editorial intern for the Lessiter Media grower division this summer! I’m excited to work with the Lessiter team, provide quality information to farmers and grow as a writer!

Cover Crops Bring Soil Back to Life in Dry Country

Sat, 30 May 2026 01:00:00 -0400

“For the first shovel out of the ground to find an earthworm, that’s just unheard of in Arizona,” Robert Boyle says. Editor Noah Newman shares more observations from his visit with the Strip-Till Innovator in Coolidge, Ariz.

Ditching Common Sense Causes Local ‘Dust Bowl’

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

So here’s a thought — why not invest in a no-till system and cover crops that are appropriate for the climate and KEEP SOIL IN PLACE? And improve nutrient cycling and water infiltration while you’re at it?

Cover Crops & Innovation — Side by Side in the Thesaurus

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Growers who use cover crops are, by nature, constantly looking for other ways to innovate & trailblaze with new ideas on the farm

Forage Matters: Cover Crops, Grazing & Nitrogen Fixation

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Legumes do have the ability, when conditions are right, to fix large amounts of nitrogen, no doubt about that. To capture the most of that fixed nitrogen, the legume should be cycled back into the soil through plant decay or by grazing and cycling through the animal and back to the soil.

What are YOU Using to Seed Cover Crops? Join the Discussion...

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

My question — and the responses that come from it — are going to be used for a story about cover crop seeding methods.

I Am Coming to Visit YOUR Farm this Summer

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

I am coming to visit your farm this summer. Well, okay not ALL of your farms. But, once again I will be heading east in June to visit some family in Baltimore and Virginia and while I am there, I plan to make a handful of farmer visits across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia.

A Solid Foundation for Cover Crop Success

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Dr. Mark Licht highlights the part of our discussion focused on cover crop adoption and advice to farmers on achieving cover crop success.

Growing the Game — Helping Landowners Understand Benefits of Cover Crops, No-Till

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Driving back from Indianapolis to Milwaukee after attending a very unique event at a no-tiller's home, I couldn't stop thinking about one sentence that I heard.

Reflecting On 8th Annual National Cover Crop Summit

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Here's hoping that the 9th annual National Cover Crop Summit is even bigger and better than this year's event. And thanks as always for watching, listening and reading.

White House Orders Increased Glyphosate Production — What’s Next?

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:48:53 -0500

In case you missed it, President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order mobilizing the Defense Production Act to, “protect domestic production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides.”

Cover Crop Adoption Rates — Where Do We Stand?

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:48:35 -0500

Cover crop adoption rates continue to be a hot topic among growers and researchers alike. Earlier this week I attended the Midwest Cover Crop Council meeting in Dubuque, Iowa and on several different occasions I heard the same question asked — how do we get more farmers to plant cover crops?

The Agriculture Crisis Letter Gets the Diagnosis Right But Misses the Cure

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The question is not whether we can afford to invest in regenerative agriculture. The question is whether we can afford not to.

The Disappointingly Slow Adoption Rate of Cover Crops — What Gives?

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Most of us can agree that we would like to see cover crops being adopted at a quicker rate and across a wider scale of farms across the nation and even globally.

First Two Speakers Announced for Can’t-Miss 2026 National Cover Crop Summit

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

So who will be speaking at the 2026 National Cover Crop Summit year’s event, you ask? Drum roll please…

Study: Soil Health, Crop Yields Important Benefits of Cover Crops

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Purdue Univ.’s Ag Economy Barometer polling on cover crops shows 5 years of stability in cover crop use, according to a survey of leading full-time farmers using covers.

Where is Our Generation’s 'Farm Aid'?

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Our government hasn’t adequately adapted to the changing realities of global trade. There needs to be more serious discussion in Washington about what practices our government chooses to incentivize.

Top 3 Highlights of Agritechnica 2025 So Far

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

With over half a million total attendees and nearly 3,000 exhibitors this year alone, it’s impossible to see everything the event has to offer in just a few days. But after walking more than 20,000 steps per day so far, several products and conversations stood out from the rest.

Planting Green: A Force Multiplier on Your Farm

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 10:51:25 -0500

It’s been truly amazing to watch the march of technology in agriculture, as cutting-edge concepts that seemed like a crazy ideas at first become valuable practices that save labor and improve performance and profitability.

Combatting Weed Pressure On the Farm with… Vegetable Oil?

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

I keep coming back to one product in particular that stood out to me as something that was really outside the box. The product in question is a weeding robot from Tensorfield Agriculture that uses heated vegetable oil to target and spray weeds.

Technology in Agriculture — Growing Faster than the Weeds On Your Farm

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

It’s time to get out my notepad, and take note of the latest and greatest in agricultural technology as I hit the road to attend two of the best ag-tech events in the world.

Regenerative Farming: Finding Your ‘Why’ and Ensuring the Game Continues

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

If you’re a conventional farmer, or even a no-tiller reaching a plateau with your farm operation, I’d invite you to read this article and reflect on where you’re headed and the “why” behind your farm management.

Do We Need to Re-Evaluate Our Motivations for Using Cover Crops?

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Examining motivation for planting cover crops is something we ask farmers in our own annual Cover Crops Operational Benchmark Study. According to our survey, most farmers are not focused on the profitability of cover crops.

Cover Crops Can Stretch No-Till Water Use

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As growers in numerous areas of the country tackle serious drought concerns, it’s a good time to look at the water-saving benefits to be gained with cover crops.

Our Tribute to Amy Johnson, an Amazing Co-Worker

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

A dedicated and valuable member of the Lessiter Media family, Amy earned the respect of hundreds of folks she worked closely with from around the world.

Are Cover Crops a Good Fit for Vineyards?

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

What I’ve noticed in the last calendar year is that viticulture and conservation agriculture seem to be finding their way to each other more often than before.

Are Biologicals All They’re Cracked Up to Be?

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Biological products are one of the hottest topics in regenerative ag — but recent farmer-led trials from Practical Farmers of Iowa show the results aren’t as clear-cut as the hype suggests.

Peggy Noonan on Work, Immigration Priorities

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0400

While standing up for ‘contributing’ immigrant labor, Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Nooonan shares gems on the long-forgotten ideals of work.

‘Soil Wastage’: A Peek at What Soil Erosion Looked Like 90 Years Ago

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Ever been frustrated when you couldn’t convince a neighbor to start no-tilling, or just stop plowing as much? Tired of seeing soil and nutrients wash into the ditch or waterways? Or reading about dust storms popping up again? You aren’t alone. This battle has been fought for nearly a century.

A Meeting of the Minds — Conservation Ag Style

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

NACD's Annual Summer Meeting moves around from city to city each year but with our home court as the location for this year, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get together with like-minded conservation ag-focused folks and see what the week had in store.