Iowa Learning Farms recently released its 2019 Evaluation Report detailing the impact of multiple education and outreach initiatives throughout the year. Key statistics from the report include an up year in cover crop plantings – estimated to eclipse 1 million acres in Iowa. Read more in this article from the Bloomfield Democrat (Bloomfield, IA).

As more and more farms find different ways to utilize their land, one Minnesota farm is using soil health practices to help them out. Connor McCormick, who farms just outside of Caledonia along with his dad Kevin, said their first time using a cover crop – cereal rye – turned out pretty good. Read more in this article from the Caledonia Argus (Houston County, MN).

Winter rye can be used as a cover crop after corn silage to protect against soil erosion, and in parts of Wisconsin is recommended by conservation planners. Properly managed, it has multiple uses and benefits beyond conservation, including forage production, nutrient management and weed suppression. Read more in this article from Wisconsin State Farmer.

In 2019, a UN report laid out a bitter truth: The current food system is fueling the destruction of Earth’s forests — and humanity must overhaul how we grow and ship food to stop climate breakdown. But countries are struggling to keep farming sustainable while meeting the mounting demand for production — which must increase by between 25 percent and 70 percent by 2050 to feed growing populations. Read more in this article from Conservation International.

Cover crops are an investment in soil health, but what if they paid off as a cash crop as well? Researchers at the University of Minnesota are aiming for just that as they shape pennycress into a suitable food and fuel product that can fit in with the typical upper Midwest crop rotation. Read more in this article from The Courier (Waterloo, Iowa).

As farmers are preparing for the 2020 cropping season, the challenges of 2019 may still linger. There are basically three scenarios which will influence 2020 cropping practices. Read more in this article from Ohio State University Extension.

This article from Ohio State University Extension talks about common methods for terminating various types of cover crops.

Although I try not to pitch cover crops as some magic bullet for cost saving, my experience shows that the answer to the question — “Do cover crops pay?” — is a resounding yes. Often, we tend to focus on the potential for increased cash crop yields, and that may indeed occur, but probably not every season. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.

Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., introduced the Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2020 (S. 3479) to permanently remove the prohibition on harvesting or grazing cover crops on prevented plant acres prior to November 1.

With record precipitation across much of the Midwest in 2019, many fields went unplanted. Fields that were in a prevent plant situation last year may be at risk of fallow syndrome in 2020. Read more in this article from University of Minnesota Extension.