Cover crops - Articles

Cover Crop Termination Affects Insect Populations

July 1, 2020 | Posted in Termination

Source: KMA Radio

It was a cold, grey day to be counting bugs. Still, that's what they were doing moving across a field of cereal rye from one trap to the next. It's all part of the work Illinois Extension Entomologist Nick Seiter is doing with cover crops. Read more in this article from KMA Land.

Cover Crops & Carbon:Nitrogen Ratios

July 1, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Lancaster Farming

These numbers can have a direct affect on our nitrogen use and can help us be better managers in the context of overall soil health. There’s more to it than just understanding the C:N of a particular cash crop or cover crop residue. That’s where microbes come in to play. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.

Cover Crops Lower Cropping Input Costs

June 26, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Environmental Defense Fund

Cover crops have proven benefits for soil health. A recent Iowa Soybean Association study shows that cover crops can also reduce the input costs associated with growing crops. Read more in this article from the Environmental Defense Fund.

Resiliency Despite Extreme Weather

June 26, 2020 | Posted in Economics

Source: Aberdeen News

The record wet year in 2019 left many acres in South Dakota unsuitable for planting, but on Doug Sieck's cropland near Selby, South Dakota, he was able to plant every acre he wanted to. He attributes that to decades of no till management and the years of cover cropping that have helped build healthy soil. Read more in this article from the Aberdeen News.

[Video] Applying Liquid Manure to Cover Crops

June 24, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Michigan State University Environmental Management Extension Educator Sarah Fronczak explains how cover crops retain nutrients in the soil, when liquid manure should be applied, the benefits of applying manure in the fall, and more.

Oklahoma Farmer Plants Vegetables With Cover Crops

June 24, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Oklahoma News 4

This year’s cover crop of barley and wheat is designed to put nutrients back into this plot of Western Oklahoma soil. Picking through a small box full of small seeds, farmer Jimmy Emmons points out, “There’s squash in here. There’s peas in here.” Read more in this article from Oklahoma News 4.

Farmers’ Biggest Challenge with Growing Cover Crops: Time

Growers want the soil health benefits of cover crops, but some say it’s a struggle to get them planted during short planting windows.

By Sarah Hill posted on June 23, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Using cover crops is not a short-term investment. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. Cover crops are an investment in the long-term soil health and a conscious decision to focus more on stewardship of the land rather than short-term profits.

Herbicides Still Most Popular Cover Crop Termination Method

By Sarah Hill posted on June 23, 2020 | Posted in Termination

As with all things related to cover crops, growers have a bevy of options to choose from, including termination methods. According to the results of the first-ever Cover Crop Benchmark Study conducted by Cover Crop Strategies, herbicides were the termination method of choice for a whopping 69% of growers in 2019.

[Podcast] More on Planting into Heavy Cover Crops

Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff talks about what equipment you need to plant into heavy covers, why residue cleaners are important during planting, what problems to expect when planting into heavy residue, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

June 23, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff talks about what equipment you need to plant into heavy covers, why residue cleaners are important during planting, what problems to expect when planting into heavy residue, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

More on Planting into Heavy Cover Crops

June 23, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

If you saw last week’s podcast, we were talking about planting cash crops into heavy covers. This week’s podcast is part 2 of that discussion! Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff talks about what equipment you need to plant into heavy covers, why residue cleaners are important during planting, what problems to expect when planting into heavy residue, and more.