If you planted cover crops and have coverage under most crop insurance policies you are likely eligible to receive premium support of $5 per acre. But time is running out to sign up.

A 2021 study by Iowa State University scholars entitled “Developing farmer typologies to inform conservation outreach in agricultural landscapes” groups farmers into four typologies or personalities depending on their approach to conservation. Read more in this article from Iowa Learning Farms.

For the 2022 crop production year, eighty-four Nebraska crop budgets, including two cover crops and a pasture budget, were prepared by crop specialists and extension economists at the University of Nebraska -Lincoln. Higher fuel, fertilizer and pesticide costs are the main drivers of projected production cost increases for crops produced in 2022. Read more in this article from the University of Nebraska.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers are leading a study of how a targeted restoration of perennial grasses amid cropland could bring about a variety of benefits, ranging from reduction in water and fertilizer use to expansion of wildlife habitat to encouragement of new bioenergy industry. The four-year, $4 million project will be conducted on University of Nebraska research plots and 12 to 15 on-farm sites in the Republican River Basin in west central and western Nebraska, said Daren Redfearn, the Husker forage systems specialist leading the work. Read more in this article from the University of Nebraska.

In 2019-20, Nebraska Healthy Soils Task Force (HSTF) conducted a survey to learn about producers' motivation and challenges in cover crop (CC), nutrient and other soil health management practices across the state. A total of 275 people participated in the survey of which 64.0% (n=176) were producers, 4.7% (n = 13) were landowners, 10.9% (n = 30) were crop consultants, 16.4% (n = 45) were from the university, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and state agencies, and other attendees were 4.0% (n = 11). Read more in this article from University of Nebraska Extension.

A precise approach to selecting and planting cover crops that considers variability within a field will produce better results for farmers, according to South Dakota State University assistant professor Ali Mirzakhani Nafchi. “Currently, we plant a cover crop seed mixture at a uniform, flat rate across the field, but when we have tremendous variability within a field, this is not logical,” said Nafchi, who is also the SDSU Extension precision agriculture specialist.

South Dakota State University study recommends selecting cover crop varieties based on goals, environmental factors for better results.

Cover crops have become more than just a practice to receive a payment. Grazing, haying or ensiling has become very popular. To make it work well, planning is necessary. Read more in this story from the Midwest Messenger.