Jannie Keet shows off a mino early tillage radish that's as big as him! The South African farmer seeded it in the middle of spring with a no-till planter in the province of North West. It's part of his pollinator mix around the field, housing beneficial insects for pest control, Keet tells Cover Crop Strategies.

Annual forages or early summer cover crops can be a helpful alternative in late planting situations and often work well within the crop insurance system. There is no ‘hard and fast’ blanketed mix or species that can be recommended to all producers, as each grower is in a unique circumstance with a different production environment and goals, soil types and management techniques.

There were over 300 participants including beginning farmers and producers experienced with soil health practices. The conference hosted speakers from around Wisconsin and the Midwest to learn about subjects related to maintaining and improving soil health with cover crops.

Although about 20% of Illinois cropping systems are planted to continuous corn, it’s nearly impossible to find fields planted this way for decades at a time. Yet long-term experiments like one at the University of Illinois, including over 40 years of continuous corn under different nitrogen fertilizer rates, provide incredible learning opportunities and soil management lessons.

Dr. Bill Robertson, extension cotton specialist for Arkansas, offers 7 points of advice for growers to consider when planning cover crop strategies for the fall.

Small grains like barley or oats are often the first choice for establishing a cover crop on PP acres. The seed supplies of barley and oats are likely to be very tight and you may be looking far and wide to find some.

Researchers at Western Illinois University, Illinois State University, and several other institutions are in the midst of studying the viability of pennycress as a cash cover crop for farmers. Win Phippen, Director of the Alternative Crops Research program at Western, is excited about the progress they’re making.