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Fact Sheet: Weed Management in Organic Grain Systems
This fact sheet outlines a range of approaches to weed management in organic grain systems. It introduces the concept of using “many little hammers” by combining multiple strategies, including crop rotation, cover cropping, variety selection, fertility management, and cultivation. The resource also describes different equipment and techniques for managing weeds throughout the growing season and […]
Outreach in Action: Solving Problems with Cover Crops
This video demonstrates how conservation professionals can apply social science and behavior change principles to agricultural outreach. The Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District in Illinois shares its approach to developing soil health events around the specific problems and motivations of local farmers. A farmer describes how cover crops have helped address challenges on […]
Grazing Sheep in Christmas Trees
This guide was developed by Michigan growers for implementing weed control in Christmas tree plantations with Shropshire sheep.
Operation Soil Armor
This lesson introduces watershed protection through sustainable agriculture using a high-energy movement-based simulation, grounded in Manitowoc County's landscape. The game teaches students in grades 8-9 how cover crops, reduced tillage, and crop rotations act as "armor" for the earth. The following resources have been developed by Tara Wachowski in connection with this research:
Native Bee Habitat Management on Urban Farms in the Great Lakes Region
This pocket guide was designed to help urban growers manage pollinator habitat on farms in the Great Lakes Region.
Visual Grading Guide for Produce
Wholesale buyers expect consistent quality, but clear grading standards are surprisingly hard for local producers to find. Without visual benchmarks, many farmers learn through trial and error, leading to unexpected rejections and lost income on delivery day. To address this problem, regional food hub The Good Acre in Saint Paul, Minnesota, developed the Produce Grading […]
Filling the Gap: Identifying High-Performing Summer Forages in the Nebraska Sandhills
A group of Nebraska farmers has been evaluating summer forage mix options to improve forage production, feed quality, and soil health.
Quality Forage with Alfalfa-Corn Silage Intercropping
In Wisconsin, Hurtgenlea Holsteins has been working with an alfalfa-corn silage intercropping system for ruminant forage.
Utilizing Cover Crops in Wide Row Corn
Bob Recker has been planting multi-species cover crops planted between wide corn rows to help improve soil health, suppress weeds, and boost nutrient cycling.
Breaking the Cycle: Tackling Thistle and Compaction with No-Till
Sandy and Lonny Dietz used a SARE grant to identify which no-till methods could best support their diverse, organic vegetable operation.
Tunnel Systems Offer Regional Strawberry Growers a Path to Resilience
Researchers at Purdue University have been working to determine if tunnel-based systems and plasticulture could stabilize yields and improve profitability for local strawberry growers.
Battling Herbicide-Resistant Weeds with Cover Crops
Fall- and spring-planted cover crops could suppress weeds in wheat–sorghum–fallow systems.
Research Unearths Information about Soil Blocks
A team in Iowa explored an innovative way for farmers to reduce the need for plastic trays by creating planting media in a compressed block.
Cover Crops for Weed Control in the Semiarid Central Great Plains
Research in Kansas shows fall- and spring-planted cover crops could suppress weeds in wheat–sorghum–fallow systems.
Iowa Beekeeper Advances Beekeeping Education with SARE Grants
With support from SARE, Julia McGuire has been enhancing beekeeping education and promoting sustainable business practices in Iowa.
Resources and Case Studies for Implementing Prairie Strips Across the Midwest
Compared to other Conservation Reserve Program practices, prairie strips (CP43) offer many advantages. Prairie strips can be placed both within fields and along their edges. Planting 10% of fields to prairie strips can reduce sediment and nutrient loss. The practice is flexible, with the option of driving on strips when needed for farm operations. And […]
Introduction to Ecological Outcomes Verification: Short-Term Monitoring
This Michigan State University course is designed to teach the foundations of short-term monitoring through the use of Ecological Outcomes Verification (EOV). EOV is a practical and scalable soil and landscape assessment methodology that tracks outcomes in biodiversity, soil health, and ecosystem function (water cycle, mineral cycle, energy flow and community dynamics). EOV applies to […]
Rotational Grazing with Cover Crops Case Studies
Since rotational grazing of cover crops is not a common practice, to address some of the current questions from farmers in the upper Midwest, the Sand County Foundation of Wisconsin partnered with the Sauk Soil and Water Improvement Group and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to explore short-term agronomic and environmental costs and benefits of managed […]
Strawberry Chat Podcast
Strawberry Chat is a virtual discussion about strawberry production at small and diversified farms in Indiana and neighboring states. The hosts, Wenjing Guan and Miranda Purcell of Purdue University, invite guests to discuss activities that happen at the time of the year and cover different production systems. URL: https://anchor.fm/strawberrychat
Strawberries: Season Extension
This University of Minnesota publication shares the experiences of two farmer who tried growing day neutral strawberries in high tunnels using a table top system. It shares their experiences in the areas of production, yield and marketing, with a budget analysis. The farmers are Todd and Tracy Linbo, of Double T Acres, and Aaron Wills, […]