Adding livestock to a cover crop system is considered the last step in bringing cover crops full circle in an operation. One Kansas grower and livestock producer shares insights from 35-plus years of no-till, 23 years of cover cropping and using livestock to increase his soil’s health and productivity while significantly reducing input costs.

Farmers around the world are keen to protect their most important asset: their soil. The soil supports and enriches their crops. But the relatively thin layer of topsoil can readily wash away into streams, carrying unwanted nutrients with it. Read more in this article from the American Society of Agronomy.

Soil conservation efforts can help maintain healthy soils for thousands of years, in contrast to nearly a fifth of soils worldwide that have less than a century of life in them, according to a new study. The major new report from a global collaboration of scientists, including the UK’s Lancaster University, found that 90 percent of conventionally farmed soils were thinning, and 16 percent had lifespans of less than a century. Read more in this article from the Fresh Produce Journal.

Dairy operations typically have one primary goal: make as much milk as possible, since that is the product they are paid for. Miltrim Farms, a dairy based in Athens, Wis., seeks to not just produce large quantities of milk, but also to be good environmental stewards of the land and water.

Corn and soybeans are the two most common crops grown in the U.S. But many growers who raise those crops might not know how to break the corn and soy cycle to include cover crops.

Cover crop utilization on cropland gained momentum during the period of high commodity prices, but adoption has slowed as producers are identifying opportunities to reduce production costs. Cover crops certainly have their place and the expense of planting, which includes the time required and capital investment, should be valued against soil loss and the overall cost of erosion in terms of decreased productivity. Read more in this article from the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY).

On Aug. 10, 2020, farmers in central Iowa experienced one of the worst natural disasters to ever affect agriculture. The 2020 derecho event flattened and destroyed corn fields in at least 36 counties. Read more in this article from the Globe-Gazette (Mason City, IA).

The benefits of planting cover crop mixtures include the potential for additional nutrients to the subsequent cash crop, improved livestock feed and improved soil health, among other benefits. Farmers adopting multispecies cover crops are also interested in learning about the yield response of the crop planted following a cover crop. Read more in this article from the University of Nebraska.

Many farmers planted a full season cover crop on their prevented planting acres or are out there now planting a winter annual, like cereal rye. This is a great management approach because you’ve either managed water in those fields similar to what you would have done with a cash crop or you will be managing water next spring with cereal rye planted this fall. Read more in this article from AgWeek.

The dry conditions throughout large areas of Iowa during 2020 reminds us of Iowa’s last significant drought in 2012 and the subsequent impacts on nitrate-N levels in subsurface drainage the following spring. There is a risk of elevated fall soil nitrate levels due to dry conditions this growing season. Read more in this article from the Aberdeen News (Aberdeen, SD).