Showing 1-20 of 28 results
Battling Herbicide-Resistant Weeds with Cover Crops
Fall- and spring-planted cover crops could suppress weeds in wheat–sorghum–fallow systems.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
Organic Field Crop Production Videos
The following videos walk farmers through sustainable concepts and practices for organic weed control, including crop rotations and cultivation techniques. The videos highlight farmer perspectives on these topics and are part of a larger organic field crops course, available at https://courses.organicagronomy.org. Designing a Crop Rotation The concept of crop rotation is not new to organic […]
Experimenting with Camelina: A Farmer-Led Look at Rotation, Oil, and Opportunity in South Dakota
In South Dakota, Art and Jennifer Walker have been exploring winter camelina as a sustainable rotational crop alternative.
South Dakota Innovators Build Affordable DIY Roller-Crimper
Ryan Schmid with the Ecdysis Foundation worked with farmers in South Dakota on a do-it-yourself guide and videos for repurposing a disc into a low-cost roller-crimper.
Cedar Valley Innovation Advances Wide Row Cover Crop Practices in Iowa
In Iowa, Bob Recker has been comparing cover crop vigor in wide (60'' or 90'') row corn plots versus traditional (20'' or 30'') row plantings.
Exploring the Potential of Cover Crop Grazing in Kansas
Cover Crop Grazing: temporary electric cross fencing was used to control grazing areas and was moved regularly in an on-farm cover crop grazing intensity study in Kansas. Photos courtesy of Logan Simon.
Video Series Highlights How Different Field Practices Impact Moisture and Temperature
Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a multi-year study using soil moisture and temperature sensors to compare the effects of conventional tillage, no-till, and no-till with cover crops on field conditions.
Producer Partnerships Demonstrate the Benefits of Integrated Systems: Increased Profits and Soil Health
A recent North Central SARE Research and Education grant in Kansas demonstrated how integrating crops, livestock and cover crops could help some producers offset revenue loss and failing crops.
Pollinator-Friendly Cover Cropping for Vegetable Producers in the Upper Midwest
Growers are increasingly interested in adding cover crops to rotations to improve soil health, break disease cycles, and provide ecosystem services. In addition to these benefits, cover crops present an opportunity to add crucial floral resources and habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects on the farm. However, identifying appropriate cover crop species and management […]
Using Cover Crops to Reduce Plasticulture
Dana and Karin Jokela are working to reduce their use of plasticulture with cover crops.
Spring-Grazing Cover Crops with Nebraska’s Knuth Farms
When a fourth-generation farm in Mead, Nebraska began to diversify their primarily cash crop operation in 2012, they gave some thought to cover crops and livestock. Knuth Farms didn’t want to buy cattle or become beef producers, but they did want to diversify their income stream, capture some of the soil benefits of cover crops, […]
Illinois Farmer Builds Precision Seeder to Maximize Cover Crop Advantage
Ralph “Junior” Upton is no novice when it comes to no-till and cover crops. His grain farm in the northeast corner of Hamilton county Illinois is 100% no-till with 1,800 acres of corn, beans, and wheat, and approximately 1,200 acres in cover crops. Upton has been farming more than 50 years, and the farm has […]
Cover Crop-based Reduced Tillage for Fall Production of Cabbage,Cauliflower and Broccoli Using a Roller-Crimper and No-Till Planting Aid
Cover crops can reduce erosion, improve soil health, slow weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, control pests, and offer other benefits to vegetable producers. After vegetable grower, Thomas Ruggieri, planted cover crops on his farm in rural Clay County, Missouri in 2004, he noticed dramatic improvement in soil fertility and plant health. Ruggieri and Rebecca […]
Economics of Grazing and Haying Cover Crops in North Central Kansas
Grown on an estimated 10 million acres across the country, cover crops are becoming an indispensable part of crop rotations. To maintain this momentum, the development of reliable information at the local level—how to craft a diversified rotation that pays—needs to keep pace with growth in farmers’ interest. That is what motivated Josh Roe to […]
The Economic Analysis of Cover Crops, Soil Health, the Role of Livestock and Impact on Moisture
May 2015 was the wettest month in history in the United States according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, and many communities in Nebraska saw record levels of rain and accompanying flooding. In 2014, three farm families in Nebraska and Iowa received a $22,378 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant to study a variety of economic […]
Cover Crop Termination
Farmers use cover crops to slow erosion, improve soil health, enhance water availability, smother weeds, help control pests and diseases, and increase biodiversity on their farms. Although cover crops can be partially grazed or used as forage, they are usually terminated before planting production crops. While row crop producers tend to prefer using herbicides to terminate, most vegetable/horticulture crop producers employ tillage as their primary means of termination. Some organic no-till producers use roller-crimpers to kill the cover crop and leave the mulch on the soil surface to conserve water. NCR-SARE has supported various research projects that have explored the advantages and limits of various cover crop termination strategies.
Utilizing Cover Crops to Increase Productivity, Health and Vigor on Tame Grass Pasture
Donnie Feiring owns and operates Feiring’s Cattle Co. in Beach, ND, a 120-head registered Black Angus cow calf operation. They also run 35 head of commercial yearling heifers. Feiring wanted to improve the health, vigor and productivity of 50 acres of tame grass pasture - tame pastures are cultivated fields planted with introduced (non-native) grass […]