Laura Barrera

Killer Tips for Rolling Your Covers

Thorough cover crop termination with this equipment requires using the right plant varieties and carrying out operations at the right time.

By Laura Barrera posted on August 3, 2022 | Posted in Termination

“When conditions are right, rolling cover crops and not using herbicides can work about one out of five times,” says Holtwood, Pa., no-tiller Steve Groff, who’s been rolling and crimping covers since 1995. “One out of five times it’ll be a disaster, and three out of five it’ll be in the middle. That’s the realistic expectation.”

Fine-Tune No-Till Drills for Better Cover Crop Seeding

Whether it’s getting cover-crop mixes seeded properly, or determining the right planting depth, equipment experts and no-tillers themselves offer tips on improving cover-crop seeding with no-till drills.

By Laura Barrera posted on June 15, 2022 | Posted in Seeding Practices

From airplanes and helicopters to highboy seeders, spreaders and planters, there are plenty of options for seeding cover crops. But many no-tillers prefer to use the tried-and-true no-till drills to seed covers.

Boosting Soil Function by Adding Cover Crops in a Strip-Till System

Mike Verdonck has learned that by adding wheat and interseeding to his strip-till system, he can improve his soil while still providing an ideal seedbed for corn.

By Laura Barrera posted on April 21, 2022 | Posted in Soil Health

Mike Verdonck thought that after a decade of no-tilling and strip-tilling, his cropland had good soil structure. That was until he saw the structure of the soil in his fence rows.

Rolling Covers, Planting Non-GMOs ‘Green’ Leads to Efficient, Thriving No-Till System

By relying on good farm data to improve their operation, Rick Clark and family are capitalizing on the non-GMO crop market while cutting costs, building soil health and stabilizing yields.

By Laura Barrera posted on May 5, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

Yield doesn’t drive Rick Clark’s no-till system. Instead, the fifth generation no-tiller intensely focuses on building soil health as the driver of his family’s 7,000-acre operation near Williamsport, Ind.

How to Get Effective Cover Crop Termination with Roller-Crimping

Roller-crimping is a simple task, but thorough cover crop termination with this equipment requires using the right plant varieties and carrying out operations at the right time.

By Laura Barrera posted on March 2, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health, Termination

When it comes to terminating cover crops, many growers rely on herbicides to get the job done.

Curbing Nitrogen Runoff in the Chesapeake Bay with Data, Precise Placement

With over 10,000 acres of cover crops, Trey Hill explains how he’s updated his equipment for better fertilizer placement, while data from Encirca helps him decide on nitrogen amounts.

By Laura Barrera posted on March 29, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

In an effort to curb nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland farmers have been met with strict regulations on when, how and how much fertilizer they can apply to their fields.

How Embracing Soil Biology Leads to Better No-Till Profitability

Ray Archuleta explains why soil biology is so important to crop production and how utilizing soil life more aggressively can boost no-till performance.

By Laura Barrera posted on December 28, 2018 | Posted in Soil Health

Ray Archuleta has more hope for the soils affected by the 1985 Chernobyl nuclear power-plant explosion than he does for most agricultural fields in the U.S.

Saved Sediment, Covers, Worms Bring No-Till ‘Gold’ to the Surface

Dwight Clary says seeding covers have revved up his Ohio farm by suppressing weeds, taking up nutrients and building organic matter.

By Laura Barrera posted on July 29, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

An interest in conservation hit Dwight Clary early in life. When he was 13 years old, one of his 4H projects won a County Conservation Award. The prize? A week at Conservation Camp. That was when he learned about a new practice called “no-till.”

Finding a Weed Control Plan that Won’t Hurt Your Covers

Environment, herbicide chemistries, cover crop species and timing of herbicide application and cover crop seeding all play a role in herbicide carryover to covers.

By Laura Barrera posted on June 10, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

Environment, herbicide chemistries, cover crop species and timing of herbicide application and cover crop seeding all play a role in herbicide carryover to covers.

Online Extra

Evaluating Herbicide Carryover on Cover Crops

By Laura Barrera posted on June 10, 2017 | Posted in Seeding Practices

To get a sense of which herbicides can be used before a specific cover crop species and which can’t, Purdue University weed scientist Bryan Young compiled research from the University of Wisconsin, Purdue University, University of Missouri and Penn State University, as well as commercial research conducted by retired University of Illinois Extension agronomist Mike Plumer.

Articles by Laura Barrera

Killer Tips for Rolling Your Covers

Fine-Tune No-Till Drills for Better Cover Crop Seeding

Boosting Soil Function by Adding Cover Crops in a Strip-Till System

Rolling Covers, Planting Non-GMOs ‘Green’ Leads to Efficient, Thriving No-Till System

How to Get Effective Cover Crop Termination with Roller-Crimping

Curbing Nitrogen Runoff in the Chesapeake Bay with Data, Precise Placement

How Embracing Soil Biology Leads to Better No-Till Profitability

Saved Sediment, Covers, Worms Bring No-Till ‘Gold’ to the Surface

Finding a Weed Control Plan that Won’t Hurt Your Covers

Evaluating Herbicide Carryover on Cover Crops

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