A carefully crafted cover crop composition, manure management, precision agriculture and the right mix of soil additives can be a recipe for improved soil health. Cover crops require a thoughtful approach. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.

The middle to end of September is a good time to establish cover crops by broadcasting seeds into corn or soybean before harvest. Broadcast interseeding before harvest allows cover crops to capture more sunshine, growing degree days and rainfall than drilling after harvest. Read more in this article from University of Nebraska Extension.

Farmers are reporting crop damage from voles (field mice). Oval bare patches and burrows in soybeans or wheat fields indicate voles are present. Read more in this articles from the Delphos Herald (Delphos, OH).

Soil health has been defined as “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, within ecosystem and land-use boundaries, to sustain biological productivity, maintain the quality of air and water environments, and promote plant, animal, and human health.” The challenge with this poetic definition is that, while it does describe the functional abilities of soil, it does not provide quantifiable values or measurements. Read more in this article from the Alberta Farm Express.

How are you going to terminate the cover crop if it produces too much biomass? What timing will you use to terminate? Read more in this article from AgWeek.

Penn State researchers, in a recent study, were surprised to learn that they could take the exact same number of seeds from the same plants, put them in agricultural fields across the Mid-Atlantic region and get profoundly different stands of cover crops a few months later. The study came to be known as “‘farm-tuning’ cover crop mixtures,” noted researcher Jason Kaye, professor of soil biogeochemistry, who added that the findings are significant because they show the need to customize cover crop mixes to achieve desired ecosystem services, depending on soil and climatic conditions.

Cover crop adoption across the U.S. is on the rise, but Minnesota adoption has hovered around 2%. While Midwestern farmers understand the importance of soil health, adopting sustainable technologies that offer limited near-term economic returns is challenging. Read more in this article from University of Minnesota Extension.

It has been a very challenging summer when it comes to controlling weeds in fallow and wheat stubble fields. While timely rains have been great for fall crops, they have made staying ahead of the weeds very difficult. Read more in this article from the Hays Post (Hays, KS).

September is a great time to take a soil sample. The soil sample can be submitted to the University Extension Service for analysis. Read more in this article from the Pontotoc Progress (Pontotoc, MS).

It has been a very challenging summer when it comes to controlling weeds in fallow and wheat stubble fields. While timely rains have been great for fall crops, they have made staying ahead of the weeds very difficult. Read more in this article from the Dodge City Daily Globe.