Conservation Farming: Max Gustafson farms 450 acres of corn, soybeans, and forage with livestock in Chisago County, Minnesota. He raises 30 cow/calf pairs. For the past several years Max has
Cover crop mixes and plant diversity is critical in farming and ranching management to improve the soil health. Many commercial seed companies sell numerous species that can add plant variety
Environmental impacts on freshwater ecosystems persist due to inputs of excess fertilizer to agricultural landscapes. Conservation efforts, such as cover crops, are being encouraged to reduce nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) runoff from fields,
Winter Wheat is the predominant crop grown in the Central Great Plains. It is commonly grown either in a 2-yr rotation of winter wheat–fallow (W-F) or 3-yr rotation of winter
Soil erosion is a major problem in soybean production regions as crop residue is limited, leaving the soil with limited cover during the winter. Cover crops can provide protection to
Winter wheat is among the most productive and profitable crops grown in rainfed agricultural regions of the world. The mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers in the Pacific Northwest
The earlier over crops (CCs) are planted, the higher the probability of greater biomass accumulation in the fall, owing to a greater growing degree day accumulation. This is also true
Winter-sensitive cover crop (CC) species are frost-killed during winter, which limits their growth to the fall. Winter-hardy CC species can survive winter temperatures and accumulate biomass in the fall and
Cereal rye as a cover crop has been shown to have many benefits including weed suppression, improved soil aggregation and structure, decreased bulk density and compaction, and improved soil water
Cover crops provide many local benefits to farmers and can increase carbon storage in soils. In this study, cover crops are planted in all agricultural regions in North America to
Lack of attractive short-term economic returns to growers and limited time for cover crop establishment following maize and soybean harvest are major reasons for slow cover crop adoption. Therefore, alternative
Winter camelina and pennycress are both oil seed crops and cold tolerant species that require less pest management inputs than winter rye and can serve as an alternative cover crop.
In colder agricultural regions like the upper Midwest, the availability of cold tolerant cover crop species is limited, which also limits double-cropping practices, especially in maize-soybean cropping systems. Although double-cropping
Compost and cover crops are often used to add organic matter to the soil in frequently tilled, intensive organic vegetable production systems. The objectives of this study were to quantify
Zone tillage has recently risen in popularity as an approach for reducing tillage by tilling only areas directly where crops will be sown and leaving between-row regions untilled. This practice
Including cover crops in corn or soybean cropping systems provides soil cover, increases biodiversity and soil organic matter, utilizes available nutrients by preventing leaching, and may increase growth and yield
Many of the benefits of cover crops are known and their use is increasing, but more can be done to evaluate and improve their performance and adoption. In this session,
Many of the benefits of cover crops are known and their use is increasing, but more can be done to evaluate and improve their performance and adoption. In this session,
Many of the benefits of cover crops are known and their use is increasing, but more can be done to evaluate and improve their performance and adoption. In this session,
Weed infestation is one of the major agronomic challenges in row-crop production. Weed suppression can be achieved by cover crops (CC) due to several reasons including the amount of CC