Cover crops - Articles

[Video] Cover Crops Species for the Winter Months

September 3, 2020 | Posted in Grazing

This video from University of Arkansas Extension discusses various cover crop species that can provide soil cover, nitrogen production and weed suppression through the winter and into the spring. Find out which species would work for your operation.

[Podcast] Combining Cover Crops & Specialty Crops

Cover crops aren’t just limited to being used with traditional cash crops like corn and soybeans. This week’s podcast, from Hoosier Ag Today and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, discusses the types of cover crops to use with specialty crops, cover crop establishment and crop rotation.

September 3, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Cover crops aren’t just limited to being used with traditional cash crops like corn and soybeans. This week’s podcast, from Hoosier Ag Today and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, discusses the types of cover crops to use with specialty crops, cover crop establishment and crop rotation.

Comparing Cover Crop Research Results: 3 Takeaways

By Sarah Hill posted on September 3, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Cover crop experience, seeding covers with cash crops and termination methods are areas where farmers share both similarities and differences according to two recent reports.

Research Confirms the Soil Health Benefits of Cover Crops

By Sarah Hill posted on September 2, 2020

Without the soil, no farming would exist. Growers should be fixated with maximizing every inch of soil and improving the various factors that impact soil health.

Canadian Growers Can Do Better with Cover Cropping

September 2, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Alberta Farm Express

Farmers in Western Canada received good marks for increasing organic matter in their soil but a grade of D when it comes to cover cropping. The Soil Conservation Council of Canada released its first national soil health report card this spring — the first attempt to evaluate the state of Canada’s soil since the 1980s. Read more in this article from the Alberta Farm Express.

What to Know Before Planting Cover Crops

August 31, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: The Daily Review (Towanda, PA)

We all hear the benefits touted about cover crops- less erosion, having a living plant in the ground at all times, alleviating compaction, retaining nutrients for the next crop, giving food and shelter to microbes in the soil, and so on. It is a great list and will do some miraculous things to the soil. Read more in this article from The Daily Review (Towanda, PA).

Annual Cover Crops an Additional Forage Source

August 31, 2020 | Posted in Grazing

As a result of a challenging fall harvest and a considerable precipitation deficit, ranchers are considering options to increase their forage supply. "Recent precipitation in portions of North Dakota impacted by drought may make annual forages and cover crops viable forage options for hay production or grazing," says Miranda Meehan, North Dakota State University Extension livestock environmental stewardship specialist.

Cover Crops, No-Till Could Slow Climate Change

August 31, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Source: The Lane Report

Cover crops combined with no-tillage systems can increase soil organic carbon, which could help slow climate change on farms, according to a recent study by University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment scientists. Located at UK’s Spindletop Research Farm in Lexington, the plots are only one of a few sites in the world that have been continuously in no-till agriculture for more than 50 years. Read more in this article from The Lane Report.

Dryland Cropping Systems & Cover Crops

August 28, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Dodge City Daily Globe

Can we grow a cover crop that will provide many soil health benefits, including less soil water evaporation, higher water infiltration, better water holding capacity and weed suppression on only the moisture that would have been lost anyway? We can, if the cover crop mix is properly designed and planted and terminated timely. Read more in this article from the Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, KS).

[Video] The Basics of Cover Crop Seed Regulations

August 24, 2020 | Posted in Grazing

In this video, learn more about why cover crop seed regulations are important, why cover crop seed requires labeling and seed testing, what cover crop seed certification is, and more.