In this panel, farmers Skip Paul (Rhode Island), Jeff Frey (Pennsylvania) and Perry Lilley (Maine) share their experiences with cover crops, including their motivation for using them, successes and challenges, factors that play into decision making around cover crops, and advice for ag service providers who want to encourage farmer adoption of this vital conservation practice.
This session was part of Cover Crops for Soil Health, a three-day professional development workshop hosted by Northeast SARE and Delaware State University in March 2016. All session recordings are available online.
Find more practical information about cover crops in the Cover Crops Topic Room.
Jeff Frey is the owner/operator of Future View Farms in Willow Street, Pennsylvania where he grows 600 acres of corn and 200 acres of soybeans, and raises 4,000 finishing pigs. Frey is featured in SARE's Cover Crop Innovators video series.
Skip Paul, along with his wife Liz and son Silas, owns and operates Wishing Stone Farm in Little Compton, Rhode Island where they produce peaches, 35 acres of organic vegetables, eggs, honey, and value added products, which are all sold via CSA, wholesale and farmers markets. Skip has been experimenting with cover crops for over 30 years. The Paul’s growing methods mirror their commitment to sustainable agriculture and the protection of open space, while providing food for our local communities. They started their farm in 1983 as early adopters of the organic movement where they adapt to weather conditions, farming trends, and community interest.
Perry Lilley is the owner/operator of Lilley Farms in Smyrna Mills, Maine. Perry is a dairy farmer who grows corn silage, soybeans, alfalfa-grass and small grains and rotates some land with potatoes. He has been a no-till farmer for more than 5 years.
Complete session recordings
- Overview of Cover Crop Developments Nationwide
- Cover Crop Planting Dates and Seeding Rates
- Cover Crop Cocktails
- Establishment Methods for Cover Crops and Cash Crops in Grain Production Systems
- Fitting Cover Crops in Vegetable Rotations
- Managing Cover Crops for Ecosystem Services in Vegetable Systems
- Cover Crops: Current and Future Directions
- Evaluating and Improving Cover Crop Performance and Adoption
- Cover Crops as Part of an Overall Nutrient Management System
- Managing Soil Health With Cover Crops: Beyond the Basics
- Cover Crop Field Tour Recap and Debrief
- Farmer Panel on Cover Crops