Advanced Cover Cropping Insights from Farmer Experts

2017 National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health

SARE Outreach
2017

National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health logo

Session recordings on this page include:

Great Plains Perspective

Hear from a Nebraska farmer who will share his insight and experience integrating cover crops into his 2,500 acre farm. Session highlights include:

  • Insights gained in working with thousands of customers across the western Corn Belt and High Plains
  • Successes, failures and emerging trends in cover cropping

Keith Berns, Green Cover Seed and Nebraska farmer (PDF)

Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska (PDF)

See Keith Berns & Paul Jasa video, above.

Central Corn Belt Perspective

Your strategies for planning, implementing, and terminating cover crops depends on your region. The central Corn Belt perspective will provide those in that region tips on the following:

  • Species selection based on goals and resource concerns of the central Corn Belt cover cropper
  • Species selection, seeding and terminating tips based on Midwest weather, soil, and conditions
  • Resources and rules specific to central Corn Belt states

Jamie Scott, Indiana farmer (PDF)

Dan Towery, Ag Conservation Solutions (PDF)

Eastern Perspective

It takes overcoming a lot of uncomfortableness to cover crop and plant green. This session will discuss planting green and the trials and tribulations over the last 10 years. Session highlights include:

  • Tips and tricks for successful termination of cover crops like annual ryegrass, cereal rye, and legumes
  • Understanding timing, method and the current weather situation to maximize cover crop benefits and cash crop establishment
  • Finding balance in how green and how much biomass is a good balance to attain high yields
  • Developing processes that help the farm system as a whole (e.g., putting rape in the cover crop to help pollinators early in the season)

Trey Hill, Maryland farmer (PDF)

Steve Groff, Pennsylvania farmer (PDF)

The following session recordings are available: