Editors' Picks

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: June 12, 2026

kdowning@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This Week's Lineup:

Transforming Soil Structure
Cover Crops or Dust Bowl
Cover Crops for Farm and Ranch Profitability
Understanding the Why and How of Cover Crops
Late Termination with Cereal Rye

Don't Start Planting Cover Crops Until…

kdowning@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

“The rejuvenation of your soil does not start with the implementation of principles but rather with the commitment to understanding the ecological functions,” Adam Daugherty says. Daugherty, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) District Conservationist for Coffee County, Tenn., says the common denominator of no-till and cover crop success stories goes deeper than just the practices farmers implement.

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: June 5, 2026

kdowning@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 05 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

Higher Diesel Prices, Higher Custom Rates

lessitef@lesspub.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Earlier this year, 205 custom operators and farm managers in Iowa responded to the annual Iowa farm custom rate survey that is coordinated by Iowa State University ag economists.

Growing On and Off the Farm

kdowning@lessitermedia.com — 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

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

Cover Crops & Innovation — Side by Side in the Thesaurus

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — 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

Ditching Common Sense Causes Local ‘Dust Bowl’

jdobberstein@lesspub.com — 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?

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.

Choose This Perennial Cover Crop Species to Mitigate Nitrate Leaching

mpaukner@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 23 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

New research assesses impact of cover crops on nitrate leaching in a 3-year cropping rotation with a small grain.

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.

Young Farmer Saves Soil, Crushes Weeds with Strip-Till & Rye

Mon, 18 May 2026 01:00:00 -0400

In Mt. Sterling, Illinois, young farmer Wade Yingling and his dad, Bruce, are capturing success with strip-till and cover crops, with a little vertical tillage mixed in as well.

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

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

I Am Coming to Visit YOUR Farm this Summer

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — 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.

Leading With Experience: Nitrate Reduction Strategies

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

For me, adoption of some conservation practices took a little nudge from nature.

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

Researchers Breeding Covers for Targeted Benefits, Specific Environments

lbarrera@lesspub.com — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

From cereal rye with higher levels of weed-controlling allelochemicals to hairy vetch that germinates in the first year, scientists are working to breed better cover crops

Editors' Picks

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: June 12, 2026

Don't Start Planting Cover Crops Until…

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: June 5, 2026

Higher Diesel Prices, Higher Custom Rates

Growing On and Off the Farm

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

Cover Crops & Innovation — Side by Side in the Thesaurus

Ditching Common Sense Causes Local ‘Dust Bowl’

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

Choose This Perennial Cover Crop Species to Mitigate Nitrate Leaching

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

Sand County Foundation Launches Learning Cohort for Farmers, Ranchers

Young Farmer Saves Soil, Crushes Weeds with Strip-Till & Rye

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

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

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

I Am Coming to Visit YOUR Farm this Summer

Leading With Experience: Nitrate Reduction Strategies

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

Researchers Breeding Covers for Targeted Benefits, Specific Environments