How do I know if my soil is healthy and what are indicators of soil health? Plants thrive in healthy soils and are not overtaken by pests (weeds, insects, diseases). Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

Feed, especially during the wintertime, is the biggest cost of production for cow-calf operations. As cows are brought in from summer pastures and we enter the peak of the culling period, there’s still a window of time for southern and more mild regions to extend their grazing season to avoid the sale barn glut. Read more in this article from Hoard's Dairyman.

A trend with beef cattle producers in northwestern Alberta is growing annual cocktail blends for forage production, with those blends including cereals, grasses, legumes and brassicas. ‘There’s a lot of interest in the Peace Country about cocktails, and there are a lot of questions,’ explains Buthaina Al-Maqtari, research technician with Peace Country Beef and Forage Association (PCBFA). Read more in this article from The Stettler Independent (Stettler, Alberta).

There is no decisive answer about when it's too late to plant cover crops in the fall. But if you could tell me what the weather will be for the next six weeks, I would be confident in recommending the last date that would be worth the risk of establishing a cover crop. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.

Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have developed an important component of a new system that corn growers can use to adjust nitrogen fertilizer applications based on site-specific measurements of cover crops and soil organic matter. The development is notable because while the wide use of cover crops in rotations with corn in the last decade has resulted in reductions in nutrient pollution and sedimentation, the introduction of cover crops has muddled growers' decision-making regarding how much nitrogen fertilizer to apply to meet their cash crop demands. Read more in this press release from Penn State University.

Farmers can use a variety of practices to keep their soils healthy. Some of these practices include not tilling the land, planting cover crops between growing seasons and rotating the type of crop grown on each field. Read more in this article from the American Society of Agronomy.

For use as cover crops, sunflowers have a robust root system allowing them to scavenge nutrients and they are also good for mycorrhizal fungi growth in the soil. The loftiest blooms around attract numerous beneficial insects and can lead to excellent honey production in nearby beehives as well. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

An online survey of almond growers showed more interest in growing bee-friendly cover crops than in planting other pollinator habitat, and explored additional aspects of how almond farmers can boost the health of the insects that pollinate their trees. The survey, which concluded in February, collected information from 329 respondents who represented about 14% of California's 2019 almond acreage, with orchards from 1 acre to 49 acres in area. Read more in this article from the Daily Democrat (Woodland, CA).

An idea that started with the curiosity of an enterprising south-central Kentucky farmer is showing promise as another crop for Kentucky small grain producers, as well as a reliable source of Kentucky-grown cereal rye for bourbon distillers, bakers and millers. In a state long recognized for its progressive farmers, the Halcomb family of Walnut Grove Farms in Logan County are known as some of the most innovative. Read more in this article from the Sentinel-Echo (London, KY).

Research results from a study led by Extension specialist Fabian Fernandez at the Rosholt Research Farm in Westport, Minnesota show data from 2016 to 2019 for two cover crop systems: winter rye and Kura clover living mulch. The farm is in the Bonanza Valley and has an irrigation system. Read more in this press release from the University of Minnesota.