In this audio interview, hear from Steve Kenyon, a grower from Alberta, Canada, as he discusses how he uses cover crops in his custom grazing operation without owning land or livestock, how he's transitioned tilled cropland into pastures with perennial polycultures, what his goals are, and more.

I recently spoke with three Ohio cover crop growers who have found an innovative way to incorporate manure using a dragline application. The dragline is also a unique tool for terminating their cover crops.

Farmers who make soil health a priority are more likely to rotate three or more crops and to graze livestock on cropland, according to a survey of producers in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. The survey examined why some agricultural producers prioritize soil health and how to encourage more producers to adopt these conservation practices, according to assistant professor Tong Wang of South Dakota State University’s Ness School of Management and Economics. Read more in this article from Newswise.

In 2016, Shawn Freeland to make a difficult decision. The 45-year-old Caputa, S.D., rancher attended a Grassland Coalition Grazing School. In addition to reducing his stocking density on rangeland, he no-till drilled a diverse cover crop mix on irrigated hay acres. Read more in this article from Farm Forum (Aberdeen, SD).

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.

Cover crops are planted in the fall and stay on fields over the winter, covering the ground with foliage and holding soil in place with their roots. These assets help to slow soil erosion and reduce nitrate leaching, thereby improving water quality. They also improve soil health and productivity and suppress weeds. Many farmers are seeking management advice about implementing cover crops into their corn-soybean rotations.