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Cover Crops Replace Tillage

July 6, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices
Source: Lincoln Journal Star
Instead of cultivating corn, this year, Andy Lacey was busy the first day of June interseeding his 60-inch rows with a cover crop mix. “The cover crop is essential to protecting the soil from getting too hot and preventing the weeds from germinating,” he said. Read more in this article from the Lincoln Journal Star.
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Soil Degradation Becoming a Concern

July 3, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health
Soil health, as defined by a team of researchers in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University, is “the state of the soil being in sound physical, chemical, and biological condition, having the capability to sustain the growth and development of land plants.” Rajan Ghimire, a cropping systems agronomist at the Agricultural Science Center in Clovis, put it more simply: “Healthy soil leads to healthy human beings.”
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Dig Into Soil Organic Matter

July 3, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health
Source: Lincoln Journal Star
Steven Hall is dedicated to exploring how farmers can get the most out of their soil. Hall, an assistant professor with the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology at Iowa State University, runs a biogeochemistry lab where students look at the different factors that can effect soil health. Read more in this article from the Lincoln Journal Star.
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Grazing Livestock on Cover Crops: A Practice with Room to Grow

The majority of growers grazed livestock on less than 300 cover crop acres and most do not rent out their acreage for grazing in spite of the income potential.
By Sarah Hill posted on July 2, 2020 | Posted in Grazing
For growers who use cover crops, grazing is the next level of utilization if the proper opportunity presents itself. If a grower owns their own livestock, cover crops are an additional feed source, especially during winter months when hay and other forages are more expensive.
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Cover Crop Termination Affects Insect Populations

July 1, 2020 | Posted in Termination
Source: KMA Radio
It was a cold, grey day to be counting bugs. Still, that's what they were doing moving across a field of cereal rye from one trap to the next. It's all part of the work Illinois Extension Entomologist Nick Seiter is doing with cover crops. Read more in this article from KMA Land.
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Cover Crops & Carbon:Nitrogen Ratios

July 1, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health
Source: Lancaster Farming
These numbers can have a direct affect on our nitrogen use and can help us be better managers in the context of overall soil health. There’s more to it than just understanding the C:N of a particular cash crop or cover crop residue. That’s where microbes come in to play. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.
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Potassium Levels in Soil Decreasing

June 29, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health
Source: Rock Island Dispatch-Argus
Nationwide, there has been a major trend in soil test results — a drop in potassium. Andy Wycislo, an agronomist who works with Waypoint Analytical, said there is no identified root cause for why potassium levels are dropping over the last few years, and while some other nutrients have seen decreases over the past couple of years, this one stands out. Read more in this article from the Rock Island Argus Dispatch.
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Resiliency Despite Extreme Weather

June 26, 2020 | Posted in Economics
Source: Aberdeen News
The record wet year in 2019 left many acres in South Dakota unsuitable for planting, but on Doug Sieck's cropland near Selby, South Dakota, he was able to plant every acre he wanted to. He attributes that to decades of no till management and the years of cover cropping that have helped build healthy soil. Read more in this article from the Aberdeen News.
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The National Strip-Tillage Conference returns August 8-9, 2024! Build and refine your strip-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 11th Annual National Strip-Tillage Conference in Madison, Wis. Aug. 8-9, 2024. Experience an energizing 2-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led Strip-Till Classrooms and collaborative Strip-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.

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Make Farming Fun Again with Cover Crops & Regenerative Agriculture

Make Farming Fun Again with Cover Crops & Regenerative Agriculture

No-Till Legend Steve Groff says regenerative agriculture allows him to have fun with cover crop mixes and build soil health at the same time. Here’s Groff, waist deep in his cover crop field, to tell you a little bit more about his cover crop mix of hairy vetch and black oats and his regenerative ag philosophy.
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