Cover crops are widely viewed by the soil and water conservation community to be an effective means for reducing soil erosion and nutrient loss and increasing soil health, yet relatively
Pennycress can be used as a renewable biomass because its harvested seeds can be converted into biofuel, supplying, for example the aviation industry. Pennycress can be adopted as a winter
With the decision to adopt cover crops, a conservation practice that is becoming increasingly popular throughout the country, the economic picture can admittedly be hard to decipher at first. This
Cover crops are a key component of conservation cropping systems. They can also be a key component of integrated crop-livestock systems by offering high-quality forage during short periods between cash
Methods of improving soil health come back to the core principles identified by NRCS, including a greater diversity of plants, keeping the soil covered, having living roots in the soil
Integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) is an alternative that can help in intensifying food production while benefiting the environment. However, the assessments of the impacts of ICLS on the soil and
Maize stover is beginning to be used as a cellulosic biofuel feedstock in the Midwestern United States; however, there are concerns that stover removal could result in increased soil erosion
Cover crops are known to promote many aspects of soil and water quality, yet estimates find that in 2012 only 2.3% of the total agricultural lands in the Midwestern USA
Learn how Adair County farmer Dennis Lundy is promoting soil health through no-till alfalfa production.
Find out from Iowa farmers how cover crops can benefit your livestock operation.
Robert Zupancic, Natural Resources Conservation Service Grazing Specialist, and Jason Tower, Southern Indiana Purdue Ag Center Superintendent, discuss the management of grazing cover crops.
Two case studies evaluating impacts of grazing corn stalk residue with and without cover crops showed little to no effect on the following soybean and corn yields – even when
Cover crops provide a range of well-documented benefits to growers and the environment. However, no single species can deliver all of these benefits, and hence planting mixtures is gaining increasing
Ground beetles (Carabidae) are beneficial insects providing ecosystem services by regulating insect pests and weed seeds. Despite several studies conducted on ground beetles worldwide, there is a lack of knowledge
Nitrogen and Forage Value of Cover Crop Varieties Trialed at Mississippi State University
POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS OF COVER CROPS, LIVING MULCHES, AND PERENNIALS TO REDUCE NUTRIENT LOSSES TO WATER SOURCES FROM AGRICULTURAL FIELDS T.C. Kaspar, Plant Physiologist, USDA-ARS, National Soil Tilth Laboratory; E.J.
A two-year grazing study was conducted to evaluate forage quality and utilization of cover crops (CC) in dryland cropping systems compared to crested wheatgrass pastures (CWP). The CC mixture consisted
The cropping systems that offer the greatest chance of success for realizing fall forage production from a forage double-crop are those following wheat, hybrid seed corn, and corn silage. Planting
Fields that were hailed, flooded, wind-blown, or where planting was prevented this season need cover crops for all of these reasons since a growing crop isn’t achieving these purposes now.
In 2010, 2011, and 2012 we set up a replicated study where we planted different cover crop mixtures in a seed corn field in Merrick County. One goal was to