News

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: June 1, 2026

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:40:38 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

Warm Season Cover Crops Q&A
Cover Crop Crimping Ahead of Cotton
Cover Crops a Key to Diversifying Farm
Cover Crops and Water Quality
Cover Cropping

Cover Crops Bring Soil Back to Life in Dry Country

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — 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.

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 29, 2026

kdowning@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 29 May 2026 06:00:00 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

Cover Crops and their Ripple Effect

Warm Season Cover Crops: Green Cover Seed Podcast
Mixed Cover Crops, No-Till and, Farm Stewardship Webinar
Cover Crop Management Decisions, Soil Health and Microorganisms
Cover Crops and Nematodes

WinField Launches AI Tool Oz

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The AI-powered tool helps make near-instant agronomic recommendations, and new updates to its BioVerified designation, a vetted list of biological products that meet a set of criteria developed by WinField United research and agronomy teams.

Using Imagery to Measure Non-Fertilizer Nitrogen

kdowning@lessitermedia.com — Thu, 28 May 2026 14:45:33 -0400

Managing nitrogen remains a top priority for farmers as fertilizer prices have surged. Jackson Stansell, founder and CEO of Sentinel Ag in Ithaca, Neb., shares how new technology equips farmers with more precise nitrogen management tools.

Crop Plantings/Emergence Trends Point to Still Large Crop

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

USDA weekly Crop Progress report shows 86% of corn planted (flat year/year, (+3% vs. recent average) and 60% emerged (-5% year/year, +2% vs. recent average).

NRCS Announces $65 Million for Conservation Innovation Grants

Wed, 27 May 2026 13:08:22 -0400

USDA today announced the availability of $65 million this year for new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program.

NRCS Chief Talks Goals for Agency as Ag Tech Evolves

jdobberstein@lesspub.com — Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Buckley told No-Till Farmer Tuesday he will continue pushing to modernize the tools farmers have available through the NRCS and ensure the agency “gets back to basics” helping them succeed with their conservation goals.

Working-Farm Evidence Brings Commercial Cover Crops into Spotlight

Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The “how-to” guidance on cover crops is mostly built on agricultural station experiments. That work is valuable, but not always a good mirror of what happens on a busy working farm in-season.

CTIC seeking participants for new mentoring program

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Through Success from the Ground Up, Cargill provides financial support to soil health organizations focused on providing access to training and technical information that can help remove barriers for row crop farmers who want to rebuild the health of their soils, plant cover crops, and make better use of their water. 

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 22, 2026

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

Soil Health, Microorganisms, & Good Cover Crop Management Decisions for Your Operation
New Findings on the Effects of Cover Crops in Citrus
Cotton & Cover Crops — The Chris Braddy Way
A Broken Planter Just Cost This Farmer Precious Hours Off the Clock
This Farmer Just Planted the First Ever Crop on his New Field

Sand County Foundation Launches Learning Cohort for Farmers, Ranchers

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Sand County Foundation is launching a peer-based conservation learning cohort program for farmers and ranchers in four Midwestern states.

NRCS Chief Steps Down, ‘Youngest’ Leader in Agency History Takes the Helm

jdobberstein@lesspub.com — Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Colton L. Buckley, who was serving as associate chief, will take the helm as the youngest NRCS chief in history at the massive agency, which provides technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners across the U.S. conserve natural resources.

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 15, 2026

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 15 May 2026 06:00:00 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

Cover Crops Connect Farmers & Researchers to Build Healthier Soil & Waterways
Roller Crimping Cereal Rye for Pumpkin Production
Improving Soil Health From Theory to Practice
20 Years Without Fertilizer - How Is It Possible?
PepsiCo Continues to Lean into Regenerative Ag Initiatives

First Ever Opportunity to Share Case Study Results in No-Till Farmer

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The upcoming summer edition of No-Till Farmer's Conservation Tillage Guide will feature first-ever case study articles — an opportunity from the Editors of No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer & Cover Crop Strategies.

Pivot Bio Relocates Headquarters to Minnesota, Strengthening Midwest Presence

Wed, 13 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Pivot Bio recently announced it has moved its corporate headquarters to Minneapolis, Minn., relocating from its prior headquarters in Berkeley, Calif.

How Do Full-Season Cover Crops Affect Insect Populations?

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

A 2025 study in eastern Nebraska found higher insect abundance and diversity in cover crop areas compared to adjacent seed corn, including both beneficial species and potential pests.

Spring Is Here: Are You Ready to Fly Your Drone Legally?

Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Spring has arrived and drones are back in the sky. Before you launch, it’s important to make sure you’re operating within the law.

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 8, 2026

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

No-Tiller Sees Big Difference Just 6 Years After Ditching the Plow
How to Save a Farm
7 Reasons Why This Farmer Doesn't Grow This Popular Clover Cover Crop
Understanding the Purpose of Cover Crops
First Generation Farmers Are Doing Things Differently

Deadline Approaching to Sign Up for Conservation in Action Tour

Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Regular registration for the Conservation in Action Tour expires Friday. Learn more about America’s premier on-farm experience before rates go up.

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.

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 1, 2026

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

Growing Cover Crops to Build Healthier, More Resilient Soils
Stop Buying Fertilizer! This Cover Crop Secret Changes Everything
Knowledge Gap Slows Cover Crop Adoption in Brazil
No-Till Soybeans & Cover Crops
Keep an Eye on your Drones — 15 Ag Drones were Stolen and Recovered

U.S. House Passes Farm Bill 2.0, Pesticide 'Liability Shield' Removed

jdobberstein@lesspub.com — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The version approved Thursday removed controversial language that would have prohibited states and courts from, “penalizing or holding liable entities for failing to comply with requirements that would require labeling or packaging that is in addition to or different from the labeling or packaging approved by the EPA administrator.”

Jenna Kudrna Named 2026 Lessiter Ag Media Scholar

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Jenna Kudrna, Milton, Wis., was named the 2026 recipient of the Frank Lessiter Ag Media Scholarship.

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: April 24, 2026

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

Cover Crops & Double Cropping Play Expanded Role in Commodity Crop Rotations
An Entirely New Type of Cover Crop Roller…
Lessons Learned: Maximizing Crop Rotations With Cover Crops
Regenerative Agriculture from Start to Finish
Researchers Develop Dynamic Framework to Monitor Tillage Practices from Space

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: April 17, 2026

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

First Time Planting Soybeans into a No-Till, Cover Crop Field
The View on Conservation in Farming with Jim Hebbe
Cover Crops in the Midwest: From Slugs to Nutrient Stratification
Managing Cover Crops for Success with Ryan Wolf of Iowa Missouri Seed
Turning Cows onto Rye Cover Crops

No-Till, Strip-Till and Cover Crops Research Journal - April 2026

lessitef@lesspub.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

In this edition:

Conservation Agriculture: Helping to Return to Within Planetary Boundaries
Soil Structure Changes Under Reduced Tillage and Cover Cropping Enhance Carbon Mineralization in Mediterranean Croplands
Cover Cropping Increases the Abundance of Mycorrhizal and Endophytic Fungi Structures Associated with Ecosystem Functioning
Conservation Agriculture: A Review of Plant Residue use with Zero Tillage and Crop Rotation
Unlocking Climate Resilience by Exploring the Mitigation Potential of Improved Rotation with Cover Cropping

Important Deadlines Loom for Economic Assistance and Conservation Programs

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The USDA announced that Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) offers can be submitted during a second batching period that runs through May 1, 2026.

News

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: June 1, 2026

Top 10 Cover Crop Stories in May 2026

Cover Crops Bring Soil Back to Life in Dry Country

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 29, 2026

WinField Launches AI Tool Oz

Using Imagery to Measure Non-Fertilizer Nitrogen

Crop Plantings/Emergence Trends Point to Still Large Crop

NRCS Announces $65 Million for Conservation Innovation Grants

NRCS Chief Talks Goals for Agency as Ag Tech Evolves

Working-Farm Evidence Brings Commercial Cover Crops into Spotlight

CTIC seeking participants for new mentoring program

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 22, 2026

Sand County Foundation Launches Learning Cohort for Farmers, Ranchers

NRCS Chief Steps Down, ‘Youngest’ Leader in Agency History Takes the Helm

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 15, 2026

First Ever Opportunity to Share Case Study Results in No-Till Farmer

Pivot Bio Relocates Headquarters to Minnesota, Strengthening Midwest Presence

How Do Full-Season Cover Crops Affect Insect Populations?

Spring Is Here: Are You Ready to Fly Your Drone Legally?

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 8, 2026

Deadline Approaching to Sign Up for Conservation in Action Tour

Forage Matters: Cover Crops, Grazing & Nitrogen Fixation

Top 10 Cover Crop Stories in April 2026

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: May 1, 2026

U.S. House Passes Farm Bill 2.0, Pesticide 'Liability Shield' Removed

Jenna Kudrna Named 2026 Lessiter Ag Media Scholar

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: April 24, 2026

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: April 17, 2026

No-Till, Strip-Till and Cover Crops Research Journal - April 2026

Important Deadlines Loom for Economic Assistance and Conservation Programs