Fertilizer - Articles

Feed the Microbes to Restore Soil

March 4, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Our soils are in trouble. Over the past century, we’ve abused them with plowing, tilling and too much fertilizer. Read more in this article from the Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN).

[Podcast] Less Fertilizer Needed for Vegetables When Grown with Covers

Cover crops are particularly impressive at controlling weeds in a vegetable production system, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

January 22, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Cover crops are particularly impressive at controlling weeds in a vegetable production system, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this podcast, Groff explains how covers supply nitrogen in the soil for vegetable plants, why cover crops should not be used with early-producing vegetables, how pumpkins are cleaner when grown with covers, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Using Manure to Fertilize Cover Crops

September 24, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

Timing, cover crop seeding rates and application methods are the keys to maximizing manure management for cover crops, according to Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. Groff recommends that growers plant covers before applying manure and try to do both as early in the season as possible to get the most days with warm enough weather to help the cover crop stand get established. Applying manure to covers can be an efficient way to restore nitrogen in the soil.

Nutrient Management With Cover Crops How Much Fertilizer Can I Reduce

February 28, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

The temptation with some growers starting out with cover crops might be to start reducing nutrient application rates right away in anticipation of a bump in nitrogen fixation and improved nutrient availability. But nutrient management with cover crops can be tricky and there are some precautionary measures to follow to ensure your cash crops don’t suffer.

[Video] 60-Inch Corn: Fact or Fiction?

September 17, 2018 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Researcher Bob Recker explains the benefits and challenges of planting, fertilizing and harvesting 60-inch corn, along with considerations for combatting weed pressure.

Shipping Out, Part 3: Moving Bushels South at 3 MPH

August 12, 2010

Barge design and positioning affect efficient movement on the Mississippi River. But when aging infrastructure brings barges to a standstill for as long as 12 hours, all the design in the world can't save what amounts to $100 million in delay-related costs. If the U.S. is going to move twice as much grain to market 20 or 30 years from now, we'll need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to update the river's ancient system of locks.