Transitioning to organic, Noah Wendt and Caleb Akin are closely planning for success in three areas: nutrients for the following crop, weed control and grazing opportunities. In this article, from the Practical Farmers of Iowa, Noah and Caleb talk specifically about summer covers and a few new practices they're testing on their farm.

As feed costs move higher, cattle producers continue to look at alternative options that can keep cows and calves maintaining or gaining weight. Many have turned to cover crops.

Andrew Rees started to question the grassland management at Moor Farm, Haverfordwest, where he farms with his wife, Vicky, and mother, Jean, three years ago. Since then, he has cut nitrogen use by more than 60% and planted herbal leys or cover crops across a fifth of the farm.

Researchers went out about 2-3 weeks after farmers started grazing a cover crop field to measure standing and post-grazing cover crop biomass, and soil health before, the day after, and 2-3 weeks after grazing. One big factor determining profit was the number of times the cover crop could be grazed, and the quantity of grazed biomass consumed.

The two-year research project, based at MSU’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Coastal Plain Branch in Newton, established row crops and cover crops that encompassed a variety of species suitable for grazing that led to increased livestock weight gain.

Cover crops are typically used by producers in dryland no-till cropping systems to improve soil health, reduce soil compaction, enhance nutrient cycling, improve soil structure, and improve water infiltration. Producers may be able to realize some income from cover crops by grazing or haying them. But is this a good idea or will it cancel out any benefit the cover crops would otherwise have on soil properties and residue cover?

University of Nebraska educators offer a bevy of tips on how to evaluate alfalfa stands, manage winter injury and navigate through drought conditions.