Cover Crops

Learn how you can use cover crops to slow erosion, boost soil health, scavenge and hold nutrients, improve water quality, and control pests, weeds, and diseases. This section outlines the different types of cover crops as well as management tips for planting and terminating.

Adopting no-till and cover crops builds soil organic matter and shaves costs

One farmer's on-farm research showed that cover crops could help reduce chemical applications, cut nitrogen inputs, and eliminate the cost of cleaning buildups of eroded soil from waterways.

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Cover crop lessons from four Midwest farmers

At the Soil Management Summit in Mankato, Minnesota, farmers shared their mistakes and successes planting cover crops on their farms.

An Indiana farmer plants corn directly into his cover crops

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No-till and cover crop systems cut costs and save soil

No-till and cover crop systems are proving their worth, particularly via cost savings.

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Tools

Tools of the Year 2021: Shop Essentials

By Top Shops

We searched the latest innovations from manufacturers for a tool chest of necessities on the farm and ranch.

Shop essentials

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Agronomy Insider

Soil sampling after harvest

By Agronomy Insider

Soil sampling now can give you a leg-up on next year’s fertilizer management plans.

Two men in field pulling up soil samples

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Women in Agriculture

Bedtime reading with Christmas trees

By Women in Agriculture

These books focus on the growing of Christmas trees but also include a lesson relevant to the season.

reading bedtime stories

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Use the right tools on your farm to improve water quality

Cover crops, saturated buffers, and woodchip bioreactors are tools to implement on the farm that help reduce nitrate leaching.

control_structure

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Residual herbicides and fall cover crops

Corn and soybean growers are reaping the benefits of cover crops, but may find them a challenge to establish in the fall. Here's why.

Fall cover crops in field

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Cover Crop Seeding Methods

If you haven’t already, it’s time to get your cover crops seeded. There are several ways to do it, and pros and cons to each method.

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Choosing A Cover Crop Species

You’d like to try planting a cover crop this fall but not sure what kind. Learn the basic principles to choose the right species for your operation.

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New Pandemic Cover Crop Program helps farmers receive premium benefit

Pandemic Cover Crop Program is available to farmers with coverage under most crop insurance policies.

A close-up of cover crop roots.

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Productive planting weekend for many Iowa farmers

Planters were rolling in Iowa over the weekend as farmers pushed to get crops in the ground ahead of rain forecast for this week.

Planting into green cover crop

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News News

ICYMI farm news highlights | Friday, January 21, 2022

3 Big Things Today | January 21. 2022

White House puts politics ahead of protein, claims trade group

Agriculture has ‘unfinished business’ in Sino-U.S. trade, says Vilsack

Crop Talk