conservation practices

New Tool Helps Farmers Make Conservation Decisions

By Natasha Parish posted on December 11, 2024 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: University of Wisconsin Extension

Using datasets from large numbers of farms, Dr. Jef Hadachek created a model that allows farmers to input their own costs to see how their bottom line would be affected if they implemented specific conservation practices.

News Release

Survey: Farmer Compensation Top Barrier to Adopting Conservation Practices

April 11, 2024 | Posted in Investing in Regenerative Ag

New research released by McKinsey & Company reveals that while 90% of US farmers have an understanding of sustainable farming, the uptake of practices remains low.

Ray McCormick Named No-Till Farmer's 2024 Conservation Ag Operator Fellow

Initiative aims to broaden the practical understanding of how growers can find economic and sustainability success through Conservation Ag practices

February 19, 2024 | Posted in Investing in Regenerative Ag

No-Till Farmer has selected Ray McCormick of Vincennes, Ind., as its 2024 Conservation Ag Operator Fellow.

This Week

Cover Crop Strategies' Best of the Web: Nov. 25, 2022

November 25, 2022

Cover Crop Strategies editors encounter a variety of articles, social media posts, podcasts and videos that offer a unique look at various aspects of our great agricultural industry. Here is our favorite content from the past week. The Best of the Web This Week series is brought to you by Salford Group.

Cover Crops Reduce Crop Insurance Claims While Increasing Biodiversity

By Sarah Hill posted on February 9, 2022

Should crop insurance be encouraging growers to utilize cover crops? A white paper by the AGree Economic & Environmental Risk Coalition, a group that advocates for federal policies to drive the adoption of conservation practices, found that cover crops can reduce yield risk, and as a result, file fewer crop insurance claims.

Better Cover Management

January 26, 2022 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: KMA Radio

Cover crops are widely seen as one of the most promising conservation practices, improving soil health while also removing carbon from the atmosphere. But while the number of Midwestern farmers planting cover crops has increased markedly in recent years, 2017 USDA Census data show only about 5% have adopted the conservation practice. Read more in this article from KMA Land.

Conservation Tillage Supported in Build Back Better Legislation

November 23, 2021 | Posted in Economics

Funding for farmers and landowners implementing conservation practices on working lands was included in the Build Back Better Act passed on Nov. 19 by the U.S. House of Representatives. One of the programs established by this legislation is payments for cover crops to farmers and landowners.

USDA Seeks Grower Input on Carbon Markets

Growers have until Nov. 1 to submit their comments to the federal agency.

By Sarah Hill posted on September 29, 2021 | Posted in Economics

The USDA is looking to create a set of pilot projects that provides incentives to implement climate smart conservation practices on working lands and to quantify and monitor the carbon and greenhouse gases associated with those practices. The pilot projects could even expand or develop new and additional markets.

Rental Arrangements on Cover Crop & Adopting Conservation Practices

August 18, 2021 | Posted in Economics

Source: University of Illinois Extension

Cover crops reduce nitrogen effluent in water and increase soil carbon over time, thereby providing environmental benefits, which may also translate into longer-term economic benefits. However, the costs associated with cover crops in the initial years usually exceed benefits accruing directly to farmers and landowners. Read more in this article from University of Illinois Extension.

Tile Drainage Boosts Cover, Cash Crop Yields

By Sarah Hill posted on March 30, 2021

Tile drainage is one of those topics where there are a lot of opinions. A recent update on a 35-year study at Purdue University confirmed that tile drainage enhances the value of cover crops and no-till.