Cover Crop Strategies Podcast: Recent Episodes
Cover Crop Strategies
In today’s episode, listen to a conversation with Iowa no-tiller and executive director of the Conservation Technology Information Center, Ryan Heiniger. Ryan is also joined by his son Matt Heiniger — who is a senior in high school — and the two of them discuss the new cover crop business they started together called Clear Water Cover Crops, as well as what it has been like to go from father and son to business partners.
In this final installment of the Cover Crops on the Road Podcast, we’ll finish up the road trip with a visit to New Park, Pennsylvania grower Paul McPherson at Maple Lawn Farms. His operation is unique from the first two visits for several reasons. Let’s hop in the car and head out to the farm to learn more
In today’s episode, come along on the road with me as I travel across parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania to visit 3 different farmers who are working with cover crops and no-till in unique ways. Our first stop in part 1 of this journey took us to Jim Hershey’s farm in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Last week, we met Cecil County, Maryland farmer Bryan Racine, who is relatively new to the no-till and cover crop movement, but is learning and innovating at a rapid pace. Let’s pick up where we left off with Bryan and head out into the field to see what he has been working on this year.
This week, let’s hop in the car and head to Cecil County, Maryland to visit Bryan Racine, who is relatively new to the no-till and cover crop movement, but is learning and innovating at a rapid pace.
In today’s episode of the podcast, come along on the road with Cover Crop Strategies Associate Editor, Mackane Vogel, as he travels to parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania to visit 3 different farmers who are working with cover crops in unique ways. The first stop in part 1 of this journey took listeners to Jim Hershey’s farm in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Let’s pick up where we left off on Jim’s farm and finish that conversation before heading out into the field.
In today’s episode of the podcast, come along on the road with Cover Crop Strategies Associate Editor, Mackane Vogel, as he travels across parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania to visit 3 different farmers who are working with cover crops in unique ways. The first stop will take listeners to Jim Hershey’s farm in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
In today’s episode of the podcast, brought to you by the National Strip-Tillage Conference, listen to a panel discussion on the state of soil conservation from the most recent Conservation in Action Tour that took place earlier this month in Sioux Falls, S.D. The panel is moderated by Lessiter Media’s own Mike Lessiter, and features manager of agronomy for Ducks Unlimited Brian Chatham, president of Field To Market Carrie Vollmer-Sanders as well as South Dakota grower and agronomist Brian Hefty. The discussion covers several hot topics in the world of conservation agriculture including cover crops, no-till, strip-till and much more.
In today’s episode of the podcast, brought to you by the National Strip-Tillage Conference, listen to a conversation with Lisa Kubik, an Iowa grower who grazes cattle and grows corn, soybeans and cover crops, while also working with growers through Agoro Carbon Alliance. Hear Lisa discuss her own farm operation, a recent Agoro Carbon cover crop case study where one farmer found success from accidentally planting green, and much more.
In today’s episode of the podcast, brought to you by Sound Agriculture, listen to a conversation with John Cussans, a UK based weed biology and management specialist with an organization called ADAS. Cussans addresses multiple confirmed cases of glyphosate resistance in the United Kingdom and how these cases differ and relate to confirmed cases of glyphosate resistance in the United States, as well as what role cover crops can play in cases of glyphosate resistance.
In today’s episode of the podcast, brought to you by Sound Agriculture, listen to a conversation between Rockwell City, Iowa grower James Hepp and Carlisle County, Ky., grower Joel Reddick, as they discuss their on-farm cover crop strategies during the Young Farmer Panel at the 2025 National No-Tillage Conference.
In today’s episode of the podcast, brought to you by Sound Agriculture, listen to a conversation with Rob Myers, director for the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at University of Missouri. Myers discusses timely cover crop considerations for spring such as species selection, termination timing, grazing options and much more.
In today’s episode of the podcast, brought to you by Sound Agriculture, listen to a conversation with Doug Fifer, Virginia no-tiller and president of the Virginia No-Till Alliance (VANTAGE). Fifer reflects on how his soil has changed for the better since implementing cover crops and no-till into his operation back in 2011 and what types of cover crop trials he plans to experiment with during the upcoming 2025 growing season.
In today’s episode of the podcast, brought to you by Sound Agriculture, listen to a panel discussion from the 2025 National No-Tillage Conference. This discussion, centered on cover crops and extreme weather conditions, features 4 growers from 4 different states who all have a wealth of experience using cover crops. Listen as No-Till Legend and former Ohio State Extension ag engineer Randall Reeder moderates this panel featuring Ray McCormick, Loran Steinlage, Barry Fisher and Allen Berry.
For this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies Podcast, brought to you by Sound Agriculture, we hear from Olivia Caillouet. She’s the soil health program manager at the University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and she’s here to discuss some of the newest and most exciting cover crop related projects she’s been working on as of late.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by GS3 Quality Seed, Washington State University agronomist Andrew McGuire discusses his extensive research on the pros and cons of using cover crop mixtures vs. monocultures. After he presents his findings, we’ll then hear from Jasper, Mo., farmer Macauley Kincaid and Rockwell City, Iowa farmer James Hepp as they unpack some of McGuire’s research and offer their own first-hand experience with using cover crops.
For this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by GS3 Quality Seed, I had the opportunity to travel to Jay Baxter’s farm in Georgetown, Del., and talk to him about cover crop seeding and termination methods, his opinion on multi-species cover crop mixes, the rich history of his family farm and much more.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by GS3 Quality Seed, I’m joined by Penn State University graduate student Megan Czekaj, as we discuss her research on best practices for applying residual herbicides when planting green. Her project focuses on cereal rye in soybean systems and delves into termination timing, cover crop biomass levels and lots more.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by GS3 Quality Seed, listen to a conversation with Deer Park, Wis., agronomist Joe Ailts, as he discusses everything from nitrogen for a following corn crop, best cover crop blends following small grain harvest, the most outside-the-box ideas he has encountered as an agronomist and much more.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by GS3 Quality Seed, listen to a conversation with Faulkton, S.D., grower Alex Frasier, as he discusses his unique practice of interseeding a cover crop mix into soybeans and how it has helped him save on fertilizer, fuel and other costs.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, listen to a conversation with Etienne Sutton, a PhD candidate at University of Michigan studying in the Soil & Agroecosystems Lab. She talks about her research on what factors affect cover crop biomass levels and how to improve cover crop performance overall.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, listen to a conversation with grower and cover crop seeding professional, Mike Unruh, as he talks about three different ways to seed cover crops and explains why he disagrees with growers who say cover cropping in colder climates like Minnesota is too difficult.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, listen to a conversation with cover crop expert Steve Groff, who farms in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Steve talks about how he first came up with the idea to grow his Winter King Hairy Vetch — a particularly winter-hardy variety of cover crop that is able to survive repetitive freeze-thaw cycles.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, listen to a conversation with Rory McDonnell, associate professor at Oregon State University, as he discusses his innovative research on combating slugs and snails in cover cropped fields using bread dough.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, listen to a compilation of audio clips from the 3 most popular episodes of the podcast released in 2023 featuring best practices for aerial seeding cover crops, tips for grazing cover crops, how to use a manure dragline to terminate cover crops and more.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, listen to a conversation with Ben West, executive director of Farmers for Soil Health, and Ryan Heiniger, a 4th generation farmer and executive director of Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), as they chat about all the details of the Farmers for Soil Health program and what cover croppers need to know about it.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, Marisol Berti, Endowed Professor & Plant Sciences Graduate Program Coordinator at North Dakota State University, discusses her multi-year research on nitrogen and cover crops and attempts to answer the question — can we count the nitrogen credits of cover crops for the following cash crop?
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, listen to a presentation from the Soil Management Summit in Alexandria, Minn., that features Anna Cates, state soil health specialist at the University of Minnesota Extension, and Minnesota no-tiller Tom Pyfferoen, as they discuss how cover crops can help combat drought and what Tom has learned from his on-farm cover crop trials.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, Marshall County, Iowa no-tiller Wade Dooley shares what he learned from his informal trial of seeding a rye cover crop every month of the year. As a 6th generation farmer, Dooley also shares why he believes communication is the most important thing when transitioning a family farm from one generation to the next.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, Morgan Jennings, field crops viability coordinator with Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), discusses PFI’s cover crop cost share program as well as her cover crop research on grazing corn residue in the spring.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, listen to Rob Myers, director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri, as he discusses 4 alternative cover crops and how to manage each one. Myers talks about buckwheat, millet, canola and sunflowers.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, listen to Gary Zimmer giving a presentation at his farm in Spring Green, Wis. Zimmer, who many refer to as the “father of biological farming,” talks about his farmer origin story and why rye is so important in keeping his soil covered.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Go Seed, a panel of 3 farmers discuss how they use cover crops with their varying tillage practices. Jim Stute of East Troy, Wis.; Tim Recker of Arlington, Iowa; and Jacob Bolson of Hubbard, Iowa, talk about their own trial and error periods of adopting cover crops and what they’ve learned through the process.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Go Seed, listen to a presentation from the 2022 National Cover Crop Summit featuring South Dakota father-and-son farmer duo Barry and Eli Little. They explain how their 2,500 acres of cropland and pastureland have improved by incorporating covers and ruminant animals on every acre, as well as how they use rotational grazing with their cattle and the economic benefits they’ve enjoyed from implementing covers and livestock.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies Podcast, brought to you by Go Seed, Oliver Peoples, president and CEO of Metabolix Yield 10 Bioscience company, discusses camelina, its benefits as a cool-season cover crop and potential incentives for farmers to grow camelina.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies Podcast, brought to you by Go Seed, listen to a popular presentation from a previous National Cover Crop Summit featuring Dean Sponheim. Sponheim, a fourth-generation farmer from Osage, Iowa, who has been aerial seeding cover crops since 2012, discusses how to handle common aerial seeding challenges, recommended rate of establishment for aerial seeding, which species of cover crops do best when aerial seeded and much more.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies Podcast, brought to you by Go Seed, Tyler Williams and Zach Larson, sustainable systems agronomists with Bayer, share details on a program called ForGround, which aims to assist and provide support to farmers who are adopting or expanding regenerative agriculture practices. Williams and Larson also chat about what factors they consider when providing advice to farmers in a variety of different regions.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies Podcast, brought to you by Go Seed, Charlie Morrey, a multimedia agricultural journalist with Agriland in Dublin, Ireland, talks about Irish regenerative farming practices, some of the biggest struggles that farmers in Ireland and other parts of Europe face and how U.S. farmers can learn from them. Charlie also talks about her experience growing up on an arable farm on the Isle of Man.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies Podcast, brought to you by the National Strip-Tillage Conference, Aries Haygood of Vidalia, Ga., talks about his unconventional path into the world of agriculture and how he first started learning about cover crops. Haygood also talks about what equipment works best for him as a grower of Georgia’s famous Vidalia Onions, which are known to have a very sweet flavor due to the low amount of sulfur in the soil in that part of Georgia.
While using herbicides to terminate cover crops is a common practice for many growers, some are looking for mechanical methods instead.In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, Scott Healy of Hartford, S.D., joins us for a discussion about his experience using a manure dragline to terminate cover crops. Healy also discusses the difference between oats and cereal rye as a cover crop on his farm, chopping corn silage and much more.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Mfg., Roy Pfaltgraff of Haxtun, Colo., talks about the unique cover crop strategies that he uses in his operation at Pfaltzgraff Farms. Roy grows 14 different crops with only 16 inches of precipitation, something he calls an arid region solution to the many challenges of cover crops.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Mfg., assistant editor Mackane Vogel sits down with Jeff Gaska, who farms outside of Beaver Dam, Wis. Gaska uses almost every soil health practice in the book to build healthy soil and farm profitability. He focuses on grazing and frost seeding, but he also does fall cover cropping, no-till and interseeding. Listen to this episode to find out why Jeff thinks it’s important to incorporate not just one, but all components of the soil health holy grail.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Mfg., Ryan Schmid, a research scientist and agroecologist at the Ecdysis Foundation in South Dakota, gives a preview into his upcoming presentation at the 2023 National Cover Crop Summit. His presentation features a “how-to” guide and background info on how Ryan turned tillage equipment into a roller crimper for terminating cover crops. He says if he can do it, anyone can.
No matter where or what you farm, your operation can benefit from cover crops. Planting covers improves soil biology, increases water infiltration, saves money and more. In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, Seth Watkins of southern Iowa joins us for a discussion about the benefits of incorporating cover crops into your operation specifically as a means to stay committed to improving soil health, conserving the land and keeping our waters clean.
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Mfg., Brian Ward of Clemson University's Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston, S.C., joins us for a discussion about maximizing the benefits of cover crops in vegetable and organic systems. Ward also discusses some of his research on organic watermelon growth and its relation to pollen and bees.
As 2022 comes to a close, we’re revisiting some of the most-played episodes of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE by Sound Agriculture. Listen in as we count down the top three most-played episodes of 2022, featuring insight the economic returns of grazing beef cattle on cover crops, the costs of cover crops compared to tillage and soil compaction, and reducing fertilizer use with cover crops.
On this week’s edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by SOURCE® by Sound Agriculture, Jim Denys of Parkhill, Ont., Dean Jackson of Columbia Crossroads, Penn., and Lucinda Stuenkel of Palmer, Kan., join us for a panel discussion about the benefits of incorporating cover crops into your operation — wherever you farm.
This week’s episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Source by Sound Agriculture, features an interview with Andrew Moore, the Executive Director at the National Agricultural Aviation Association.
This week’s episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast features John Wallace, an Assistant Professor of Weed Science at Pennsylvania State University. Wallace talks about why the V4-V5 stage of corn growth is the best time to put cover crops on 30-inch corn. That period allows for cover crop development before the canopy closes.
2022 Strip-Till Innovator award winner Bryan Ryberg farms 5,200 acres in Buffalo Lake, Minn. He was the first grower to strip-till sugar beets in Minnesota.Cover crops are everywhere on Ryberg’s farm. He’s particularly partial to cereal rye for weed and erosion control.In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, editor Michaela Paukner talks to Ryberg about his practices, including cover crops, about preserving soil health, and more.
On this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Source by Sound Agriculture, cover cropper and no-tiller Jesse Horn talks about his new approach, and about how expanded from a seed dealer into a full-service equipment dealer under the brand Big H Ag Supply, and more.
We’re taking the show on the road this week to Boone, Iowa, for a look at some of the cover crop equipment on display at the Farm Progress Show.
For this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, we’ll hear from APV-America’s Cameron White, Yetter’s Andy Thompson, Unverferth’s Andy Unverferth and Mandako’s Mark Lussier. They’ll showcase their company’s products and talk about the latest trends in the cover crop world.
Videos from the conversations in this podcast can be found on the Cover Crop Strategies video page.
Wisconsin dairyman Chris Conley was motivated to make mammoth changes on his farm after attending a Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Water meeting in 2018. Almost five years later he’s gone from full tillage to 100% no-till and planting green across his 120 acres in Neosho, Wis.
You'll be hard pressed to find someone who knows more about soil health than Jay Fuhrer. The soil health specialist spent nearly 40 years with the USDA and is now pushing the envelope at the Menoken Conservation Demonstration Farm just east of Bismarck, N.D.
In this edition of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Fuhrer shares some key observations from Menoken, in addition to breaking down the 5 principles of soil health: soil armor, minimal soil disturbance, plant diversity, continual living plant/root and livestock integration.
Myron Sylling farms over 1,600 acres with his brother, Mikal, in Spring Grove, Minnesota. Through various on-farm research trials, the Sylling brothers have been able to get an accurate read on the benefits of cover crops in their no-till system.
On this week’s edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Myron details how cover crops are paying off, from scavenging nutrients to increasing soil organic matter by 1%.
Myron also explains the importance of on-farm testing and shares a valuable tip that could help prevent yield loss when planting green with corn.
First-generation farmer James Hepp, of Rockwell City, Iowa, joins us for this week’s edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences.
In just his third year on the job, Hepp is already seeing several benefits from cover crops, perhaps none bigger than weed control.
Joe Hamilton was a mechanical engineer for 12 years before returning to the farm in 2015. He farms about 2,500 acres, growing corn and soybeans with his family in East Central Ind. For this edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Joe gives us the rundown on all the species that cover nearly 75% of his farm, including annual ryegrass, barley, cereal rye, oats, rapeseed and crimson clover.
For this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, we’re tapping into TJ Kartes’ knowledge about all things cover crops, from seeding tips to some of the biggest challenges his customers face. We’ll also get TJ’s take on equipment trends, potential regulations, cover crop myths and why farmers shouldn’t wait until the last minute to order seeds for the fall.
The Augustians are all in on cover crops. Aaron, along with his dad, Eddie, just built a 30-foot, 12-row interseeder to plant cover crops into corn. As far as they know, it’s the first interseeder of its kind.
For this installment of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Aaron tells us how the new interseeder works and breaks down the key to getting a successful cover crop stand.
We’re headed to Bardwell, Ky., where Reddick Farms recently won the 2022 Leopold Conservation Award. Fresh off capturing the prestigious honor, the father-son duo of Brad and Joel Reddick join us for a conversation about conservation. The Reddicks grow cover crops on every acre of their farm, and they’re considered pioneers in Western Kentucky when it comes to planting green.
A new cover crop, Nuseed Carinata, set to launch this fall in the south, should pique the interest of farmers looking to boost their bottom line in between main food crops.
For this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, we’ll get the scoop from Nuseed North American marketing lead Roger Rotariu and Nuseed Carinata communications director Colleen Shaw.
We’re headed to the great state of Ohio this week to catch up with Dusty Sonnenberg, owner and operator of Sonnenberg Farms and Jay Calf Ranch in Henry County.
Not only is Dusty a huge Buckeyes fan, but the Ohio State grad is also a big fan of cover crops. On this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Dusty shares how cereal rye, canola, rapeseed and oats are paying off big time in his operation, especially when it comes to dealing with dry spells in Northwest Ohio.
When Dusty’s not farming, you'll probably find him talking with farmers as a broadcaster and writer for Ohio Ag Net. We’ll get his thoughts and observations on the latest cover cropping trends.
On this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by La Crosse Seed, we go inside the aerial application business with Damon Reabe, owner of Dairlyand Aviation and Reabe Spraying Service in Waupun, Wis. The third-generation pilot identifies key factors that can greatly increase the odds of a uniform stand and what species are best suited for aerial application. Reabe also shares important advice regarding location, seeding rate, timing and explains why frost seeding is a great option.
For this edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by La Crosse Seed, managing editor Julia Gerlach sits down with Jim Stute, an independent research agronomist who’s been studying cover crops since the 1980’s.
Stute shares the latest analysis on Glyphosate resistant weeds (specifically water hemp, ragweed and marestail), including an on-farm trial that resulted in a 98% reduction in weed numbers.
Stute also discusses the key findings from his graduate study on yield response to different cover crop species.
Christie Apple, AKA CropScout Christie, joins us this week. The agronomy and soil health specialist is a farmer at heart. She’s also a self-proclaimed ‘soil nerd’, who works with growers to improve their soil health and plant nutrition.
When she’s not working with clients, Apple works on her own farm with her husband and 5 teenagers in central Michigan.
On this edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by La Crosse Seed, Apple details how cover crops have impacted soil health on her farm. She also shares success stories from various clients. Looking to plant covers this summer? Apple gives us a few options.
We're paying a visit to southwest Kansas no-tiller Nick Vos this week. Vos started using cover crops shortly after moving to the U.S. from South Africa in 2006.
For this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by La Crosse Seed, Vos explains how cover crops play a critical role in his operation, especially when it comes to overcoming moisture challenges in the Dust Bowl.
He also reflects on challenges faced and lessons learned over the last decade, and names his MVC (Most Valuable Cover).
This week we’re headed to Eastern IA, for a conversation about all things cover crops with Ryan Gibbs of Gibbsfield Farms. Ryan, and his wife Kristy, specialize in no-till cover crop and conservation farming practices.
His family experimented with interseeding several years ago. Former civil engineer Michael Vittetoe explains how that got the creative juices flowing when it comes to using diverse mixes for grazing. He also shares one valuable tip to consider when terminating covers.
This week we’re paying a visit to Starkey Farms, a seventh-generation family farm just outside of Indianapolis. Co-owner Mike Starkey’s been no-tilling since 1989. He started using cover crop mixes on his corn and soybeans in 2005.
This week we’re paying a visit to west central Illinois, where we find fifth-generation farmer Andrew Reuschel hard at work, wrapping up another long day of planting. His family has been experimenting with cover crops since the 1970’s. A true cover crop enthusiast, Andrew has tried about 30 different species over the past several years.
In this week's edition of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by La Crosse Seed, we’re headed to Lake Geneva, Wis. to catch up with Adam Lasch, AKA the Mad Scientist. Lasch is a first-generation farmer who’s never afraid to try something new.
Dr. Erin Silva, associate professor of organic and sustainable cropping systems at the University of Wisconsin, joins us on this week's edition of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by La Crosse Seed.
On this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by La Crosse Seed, we’re headed to Davenport, IA to catch up with Robb Ewoldt, who’s the president of the Iowa Soybean Association. Ewoldt fills us in how the prestigious role is allowing him to make an impact not just in Iowa, but all over the globe.
On this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by La Crosse Seed, associate editor Noah Newman catches up with the event’s organizer, Dean Weichmann, who shares his biggest takeaways from the day.
For this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by La Crosse Seed, contributing editor Martha Mintz talks with Wisconsin no-tiller Tom Burlingham about that discovery, and the overall impact cover crops are having on his farm. He tells us what’s working, and what key adjustments to make when something’s not.
For this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, contributing editor Martha Mintz chats with Dave about some of those benefits as well as the lessons he’s learned in his 45 years of using cover crops. Dave talks about how and why he went from using a single species cover crop to a multi-species mix, some of the unusual methods he’s used for measuring nutrient payback from covers, how they’ve helped him reduce fertilizer inputs by 80%, herbicides by 45-50% and fuel by 10-15%, the equipment he uses to plant green into 36,000 pounds of cover crop biomass, and much more.
This week’s podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, contributing editor Martha Mintz chats with first generation farmer Russell Hedrick from Hickory, North Carolina about how he has used conservation practices like cover crops and no-till to stop erosion, improve soil function and build soil aggregation by about an inch each year.
For this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, contributing editor Martha Mintz chats with Williamsport, Ind. grower Rick Clark about how he integrates cover crops in a seven-way crop rotation, how nutrients are cycling in his system, why he says weeds aren't always bad and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, we chat with independent agriculture consultant Bill Stangel of Madison, Wis., who joins us to discuss some of the ways farmers can minimize environmental impacts by focusing on developing healthy soils.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, features Steven Mirsky, a research ecologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. In 2020, he received the Arthur S. Fleming award for his outstanding achievements in applied science and engineering. Among his many accomplishments, he co-led the establishment of the Northeast Cover Crops Council and has been instrumental in developing the Cover Crop Decision Support Tool. For this podcast, Mirsky discusses some of the cover crop research projects he’s involved in, how cover crops increase the drought tolerance of cash crops, what he sees in the future of cover crop genetics, the impact of covers on herbicide resistance and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, features grower David Miller, Red Lake Falls, Minn. Miller will discuss how he utilizes interseeding, relay cropping and polycropping, what his goals are for no-till and cover crops, growing with only 20 inches of annual precipitation, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, features award-winning no-tiller Loran Steinlage, West Union, Iowa. Steinlage will discuss how growers are creating their own issues with weed resistance, what robotic options are out there for helping control weeds in cover crops, how he uses cover crops to mitigate weeds, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, features Chris Proctor, Weed Management Extension Educator, University of Nebraska. Proctor will discuss how cover crops help with weed suppression, how to incorporate covers into an integrated pest management program, the relationship between tillage, herbicide resistant weeds and cover crops, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Montag Manufacturing, features Jim Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services, Ohio. Hoorman will discuss the costs of tillage and soil compaction, cover crop costs, the dollar value of soil organic matter and more.
The Cover Crop Strategies podcast series is brought to you by Montag Manufacturing. Montag precision metering equipment is helping producers achieve their yield goals while saving on seed and input costs. For establishing cover crops, Montag’s family of seed platform equipment adapts to a variety of major brand delivery systems that will conserve seed and nutrients along with soil and water. Explore new options for your production and conservation goals with your Montag dealer, visit www.Montagmfg.com or call Montag at (712) 517-2775.
Grower Daniel Olson, Lena, Wisconsin, discusses how he utilizes cover crops as forage for his dairy, how he transitioned to using cover crops, how he’s overcome cover crop challenges, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Dan Smith, Southwest Regional Specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Smith will discuss the ideal seeding rate for cover crops when used for weed suppression, which cover crop species are better at weed suppression, how long covers should grow to be effective at weed suppression, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Alison Robertson, Field Crops Pathologist, Iowa State University. Robertson will discuss how seedling disease might be responsible for occasional yield drag in corn, how rye cover crops can contribute to that yield drag, trials she’s conducted evaluating the impact of cover crops on seedling disease, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features John Wallace, Assistant Professor, Weed Science, Penn State University. Wallace will discuss why interseeding might be better than fall cover crop establishment, cover crop establishment rates with interseeding, interseeding best management practices, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Dennis Burns, AgCenter Agent and Research Coordinator with Louisiana State University. Burns will discuss why 60-inch cotton is gaining interest, an experiment with corn, soybeans, and cotton in a 60-inch bed, how adding cover crops to 60-inch cotton had an impact, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Daniel Kaiser, Nutrient Management Specialist, University of Minnesota Extension. Kaiser will discuss soil pH values for both corn and soybeans, the range of pH values for optimum crop performance, how growers can adjust their soil pH, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Katja Koehler-Cole, Research Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska. Koehler-Cole will discuss how soil nitrates are lost in corn-soybean rotations, the role of soil microbes in the soil, what cover crops provide soil microbes, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Liz Ripley, Cover Crop Specialist with Iowa State University. Ripley will discuss how cover crops reduce nitrate losses from corn and soybean fields, cover crops and the 4Rs of nitrogen management, how growers determine the correct type of fertilizer to use, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Dean Jackson, a grower and dairyman from Columbia Crossroads, Penn. Denys will be a panelist during the upcoming 2021 National Cover Crop Summit: Fall Edition. He will discuss how his operation got started using cover crops, their success with drilling cover crops, his experiences planting green, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Jim Denys, a grower from Parkhill, Ont. Denys will be a panelist during the upcoming 2021 National Cover Crop Summit: Fall Edition. He will discuss his operation’s goals for using cover crops, how their soil has come to be swarming with earthworms, the challenges they’ve had planting green, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Marty Earnest, a grower from Columbia, Louisiana. Earnest will be a speaker at the upcoming 2021 National Cover Crop Summit: Fall Edition. He will discuss how he transitioned to using a no-till and cover crop system, how he drills his cover crop seed, how he grows cover crop seed, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Mike Brocksmith, a grower from Vincennes, Ind. Brocksmith will be a speaker at the upcoming 2021 National Cover Crop Summit: Fall Edition. He will discuss how his family’s operation utilizes cover crops to reduce soil erosion, how they seed their cover crops, his experiences planting green, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Anthony Bly, Soils Field Specialist with South Dakota State University. Bly will discuss the interconnecting relationship between water and soil, how cover crops fit into profitable cropping systems, the importance of minimal soil disturbance and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features CJ Blew, a rancher from Castleton, Kan. Blew will be a speaker at the upcoming 2021 National Cover Crop Summit: Fall Edition.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Jamie Patton, Senior Outreach Specialist, Nutrient & Pest Management, University of Wisconsin. Patton will discuss what soil health going into winter, why growers should invest in soil testing, when to conduct soil testing and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Jay Norton, Professor and Extension Specialist in Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming. Norton will discuss what soil management practices remove carbon from the atmosphere to permanently store it as soil organic carbon, why soil organic carbon is critical for agriculture, how plants fix carbon in their roots and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Katie Lewis, a Soil Chemistry and Fertility Specialist with Texas A&M University. Lewis will discuss why fitting cover crops into crop rotations is challenging, how growers can gain higher profits from using covers in crop rotations, why growers should devote time to planning their cover crops and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Humberto Blanco, a soil scientist with the University of Nebraska. Blanco will discuss a 16-year study he has done on cattle and soil compaction, soil ecosystem services, how the timing of grazing cattle affects compaction and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Miranda Meehan, North Dakota State University. Meehan will discuss current forage production levels and conditions despite drought conditions, how growers can prevent overgrazing, the importance of grazing fields at appropriate growth stages and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Bryan Young, Weed Scientist, Purdue University. Young will discuss the ideal seeding rate for cover crops used for weed suppression, how long covers should grow in the spring to help suppress weeds, which cover crop species are better for weed suppression and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Matt Helmers, Director, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Iowa State University. Helmers will discuss how planting covers after applying manure affects nitrate concentrations, how the timing of cover crop planting affects nitrate concentrations, how cover crops help nitrogen in the soil, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Amanda Kautz, district conservationist with NRCS. Kautz will discuss why silage is a good opportunity for growers to incorporate covers, how growers ensure good cover crop growth for silage, soil health benefits offered by covers after they’ve been harvested as silage, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Jason Cavadini, an agronomist at the University of Wisconsin Marshfield Research Station, in the second of a two-part series. Cavadini will discuss terminating interseeded covers, regrowth of cereal rye in the spring, how weather conditions affect cover crop establishment, and more.
The Cover Crop Strategies podcast series is brought to you by GS3 Quality Seed, the distributor of high-quality, trusted cover crop seed brands like NitroRadish, KB Royal annual ryegrass, SuperBee phacelia and TNT vetch. You can learn more about these cover crops and numerous other species at TilthPro.com, as well as find the nearest seed dealer distributing cover crop seed from GS3 Quality Seed.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Jason Cavadini, an agronomist at the University of Wisconsin Marshfield Research Station, in the first of a two-part series. Cavadini will discuss ideal timing for interseeding cover crops, how earlier interseeding can help with better cover crop establishment, how interseeding affects corn yields, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Brian Dougherty, Iowa State University Extension Field Agricultural Engineer. Dougherty will discuss ideal timing for applying manure to cover crops, how cash crop and cover crop yields are affected by manure application, how manure application affects water quality, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Richard Purdin, Ag & Natural Resource Educator with The Ohio State University. Purdin will discuss factors to consider when starting out with cover crops, the economic benefits of cover crops, the soil health benefits of covers, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Kevin Shelley, Farm Nutrient & Cover Crop Specialist with the University of Wisconsin Nutrient & Pest Management Program. Shelley will discuss planting cover crops after corn silage for spring forage harvest, setting up fall planted cover crops for success, managing cover crops for forage use, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by GS3 Quality Seed, features Axel Garcia y Garcia, Associate Professor of Agronomy & Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota. Garcia y Garcia will discuss how interseeding helps cover crops fit into a cropping system, different methods for interseeding cover crops, timing of interseeding covers into corn, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Augustine Obour, a soil scientist with Kansas State University. Obour will discuss using cover crops for soil health and forage in dryland systems, how cover crops use moisture in dryland growing systems, which cover crop species work best in arid climates, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Jason Mallard, an Ag and Natural Resources Agent with University of Georgia Extension. Mallard will discuss the difference between water infiltration and percolation, how cover crops improve water quality, how cover crops protect the soil, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Mike Henderson, Iowa State Agronomist with USDA-NRCS. Henderson will discuss how to prioritize cover crop goals when choosing species, which cover crop species can accomplish multiple goals for growers, how management preferences influence cover crop selection and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Michael Flessner, Weed Science Specialist, Virginia Tech. Flessner will discuss the how cover crops get rid of weeds without herbicides, which cover crop species provide the most residue for weed suppression, the best timing for planting covers when weed suppression is the goal, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Liz Stahl, University of Minnesota Extension Educator--Crops. Stahl will discuss the terminating cover crops before planting cash crops, growing biomass before planting green, additional cover crop benefits from planting green, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Miguel Garcia, Sustainable Agriculture Program Manager with the Napa County Resource Conservation District in California. Garcia will discuss the benefits of carbon farming, why growers should implement carbon sequestration practices, how farming operations transition to using practices that sequester more carbon, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Liz Bosak, an Extension Educator with Penn State University. Bosak will discuss when during the growing season to look out for slugs, how slugs damage cash crops and cover crops, the weather conditions slugs prefer, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Bob Larkin, a plant pathologist with USDA ARS based in Maine. Larkin will discuss which soilborne diseases are impacted by cover crops, which cover crop species are better at mitigating soilborne diseases, how geography affects how cover crops work against soilborne diseases, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Colin Walden, Rangeland Management Specialist with NRCS. Walden will discuss the soil health benefits of grazing, how cover crops can be part of a managed grazing program, what practices improve forage cover crops for grazing, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Meghan Anderson, Field Agronomist with Iowa State University Extension. Anderson will discuss why waterhemp has become so difficult to control in recent years, how growers can identify waterhemp, how cover crops can be leveraged against waterhemp, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Josh Lofton, Cropping System Specialist with Oklahoma State University. Lofton will discuss the timing of cover crop termination, differences in termination timing for various cover crop species, improper cover crop termination, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Saddle Butte Ag, features Michael Langemeier, Agricultural Economics professor, Purdue University. Langemeier will discuss how growers can fit cover crops into their cropping budgets, how cover crops can add revenue, what costs can be reduced by implementing covers, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, is the second in a two-part series featuring Mary Drewnoski, Beef Systems Specialist with University of Nebraska Extension. Drewnoski will discuss timing of grazing cattle on cover crops, financial benefits to integrating cattle into a cropping system, how cover crop seeding method influences grazing, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, is the first in a two-part series featuring Mary Drewnoski, Beef Systems Specialist with University of Nebraska Extension. Drewnoski will discuss what cover crop species are best for grazing beef cattle, what cover crops should be at when grazing cattle, how often cattle should be rotated when grazing covers, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features John Macauley, a grower from Groveland, N.Y. Macauley will be a speaker at the upcoming Spring 2021 National Cover Crop Summit. Macauley shares a sneak peek of his presentation, discussing roller crimping on his 100% no-till operation, using multi-species cover crops to increase biomass, and why each cover crop species is part of their 11-way cover crop mix.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Bill Buessing, a grower from Axtell, Kan. Buessing will be a speaker at the upcoming Spring 2021 National Cover Crop Summit. Buessing shares a sneak peek of his presentation, discussing how he adds various cover crop species to crop rotations as forage for his cattle and sheep to graze while building soil health and fixing valuable nutrients in the soil, which has allowed him to cut back on fertilizer.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Jimmy Emmons, a grower from Leedey, Okla. Emmons will be a speaker at the upcoming Spring 2021 National Cover Crop Summit. Ewoldt shares a sneak peek of his presentation, discussing the economics of using cover crops for grazing, how he uses covers to retain moisture, and the soil health changes he’s seen since implementing no-till and cover crops.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Robb Ewoldt, a grower from Davenport, Iowa. Ewoldt will be a speaker at the upcoming Spring 2021 National Cover Crop Summit. Ewoldt shares a sneak peek of his presentation, discussing how he transitioned to using cover crops, his cover crop goals, his experiences seeding covers with a helicopter, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Daniel Olson, a grower and dairyman from Lena, Wis. Olson shares a sneak peek of his presentation, discussing how he utilizes cover crops as forage for his dairy, how he transitioned to using cover crops, how he’s overcome cover crop challenges, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Gared Shaffer, Weeds Field Specialist with South Dakota State University Extension. Shaffer discusses how to utilize cover crops to make weeds less competitive, which weed species to watch out for, how temperature and moisture fluctuations can impact cover crops and weeds, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Aaron Daigh, Associate Professor of Soil Physics & Hydrology, North Dakota State University. Daigh discuss why deep tillage is never the answer to alleviate soil compaction, what visual indicators mean growers have soil compaction issues, the yield impact soil compaction can have and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Bill Johnson, professor of weed science with Purdue University. Johnson discuss how field management impacts weed problems, how herbicide applications influence cover crops and cash crops, herbicide antagonism and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Richard Ehrhardt, Senior Extension Specialist for Small Ruminants, Michigan State University. Ehrhardt discuss how grazing cover crops can reduce feed costs for livestock producers, which species of livestock are best suited for grazing covers, how covers can extend the grazing season for livestock producers, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Salvador Ramirez, Doctor of Plant Health and Postdoctoral Research Associate with the University of Nebraska and Fernanda Krupek, Agronomy Graduate Research Assistant, also at the University of Nebraska. Ramirez and Krupek discuss how the difference between soil quality management and quality soil management, strategies for measuring soil quality, and the economics of improving soil quality.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Mike Hamilton, Extension Irrigation Instructor with University of Arkansas Extension. Hamilton discusses how cover crops minimize evapotranspiration, the balance between cover crops taking water and retaining moisture, improving water infiltration, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features the second of a two-part series featuring Austin Carlson, Soil Health Technician with the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition. In part 2, Carlson discusses when interseeding should occur, interseeding a cover crop mix vs. a single cover crop species, environmental conditions that impact interseeding, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features the first of a two-part series featuring Austin Carlson, Soil Health Technician with the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition. In part 1, Carlson discusses choosing the best cover crop seeding method, finding and calibrating cover crop seeding equipment, choosing the right timing for seeding covers, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features an interview with Daren Redfearn, Nebraska Extension Forage & Crop Residue Specialist. Redfearn discusses how grazing can improve your bottom line, how cover crops can extend the grazing season, how weather patterns impact grazing cover crops, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features an interview with Nathan Johanning, Commercial Agriculture Educator, University of Illinois. Johanning discusses the soil health benefits provided by cover crops, challenges growers may encounter when using covers to improve soil quality, how cover crops enhance the physical and biological properties of soil, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features an interview with Victor Shelton, NRCS State Agronomist and Grazing Specialist for Indiana. Shelton discusses challenges growers must tackle when grazing cover crops, how to use cover crops to extend the grazing season, how growers can fit grazing into a crop rotation system, and more.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features an interview with Mike Witt, a field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension. Witt discusses several areas of cover crop research, including comparing 30 and 60-inch rows, interseeding cover crops, weed suppression, and grazing cover crops.
This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features an interview with Jeff Vetsch, a researcher at the University of Minnesota Southern Research & Outreach Center in Waseca, Minn., and Anna Cates, Minnesota State Soil Health Specialist. Find out how cover crops protect water quality, how covers can help stem nutrient and sediment loss, which cover crop species are best for improving water quality, and more.
The Cover Crop Strategies podcast series is brought to you by Yetter Manufacturing Co. With a tradition of providing solutions since 1930, Yetter Manufacturing Co. is your answer for tools and equipment to face today’s production agriculture demands. From many different designs of planter attachments for the different planting conditions you face, to several options of equipment for placing fertilizer, and products to meet harvest-time challenges, Yetter Manufacturing Co. delivers the return on investment and tools to meet your equipment needs and maximize inputs. Visit them at Yetterco.com.
Jon Stevens, a grower from Rock Creek, Minn., is looking to capture the value of cover crops by grazing cattle on a 30-acre paddock seeded with grasses and cereals. Find out how he intends to try to rotate in corn within 3 years to capture in-field nitrogen.
Joe Ikley, assistant professor and Extension Specialist with North Dakota State University discusses using cover crops for weed suppression. Find out why the timing of seeding cover crops matters, which cover crop species are best for helping control weeds, and how geography influences cover crop species selection and weed suppression.
Tong Wang, Advanced Production Specialist with South Dakota State University Extension, shares results from a study that looked at how growers in the Northern Great Plains adopt soil health practices. The study examined how growers value yield and profitability compared to soil health.
This week’s podcast features an interview with Justin McMechan, assistant professor for crop protection and cropping systems with the University of Nebraska Extension. Learn more about how to integrate cover crops into integrated pest management plans, common pests that can be affected by cover crops, which cover crop species are best for managing pests
Cover crops aren’t just limited to being used with traditional cash crops like corn and soybeans. This week’s podcast, from Hoosier Ag Today and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, discusses the types of cover crops to use with specialty crops, cover crop establishment and crop rotation.
This week’s podcast features three Indiana farmers as they discuss planting cover crops with sweet corn, how no-tilling works in different soil types, retaining moisture with cover crops, and more. This podcast is produced by Hoosier Ag Today and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative.
In this podcast from Stroud Water Research Center, host Scott LaMar discusses soil health with Lisa Blazure, Stroud Water Research Center soil health coordinator; Jim Hershey, president of the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance and Lancaster County, PA, farmer; and Steve Groff, cover crop expert and farmer, also in Lancaster County, PA.
In this podcast from Hoosier Ag Today, Purdue Extension Forage Specialist Dr. Keith Johnson and Forage Agronomist Greg Downing with Cisco Seed discuss harvesting cover crops as forage.
Voles can be an ongoing problem for farmers, but planting cover crops can actually help deter the pests, according to this week’s podcast from Hoosier Ag Today featuring two Purdue University masters students. Find out effective predators for naturally dealing with voles, why voles don’t like brassicas, and why to avoid nitrogen fixing cover crops.
Chris Reynolds, certified crop advisor and resource conservationist from Illinois discusses why species choice is important when analyzing covers, how to determine planting dates for cover crops, when growers should start thinking about covers in the season, and more.
Grazing systems can also gain from the soil health benefits offered by cover crops, according to Matt Poore, Extension Livestock Coordinator and Ruminant Nutrition Specialist with North Carolina State University. In this podcast, Poore discusses using annuals to improve soil health in grazing systems for livestock.
Interest in organic farming has grown in the past several years, and Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff discusses how strategic planning can make a big difference in outcomes. Groff talks about why weed control is the biggest challenge when it comes to no-tilling organic with cover crops. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
If you saw last week’s podcast, we were talking about planting cash crops into heavy covers. This week’s podcast is part 2 of that discussion! Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff talks about what equipment you need to plant into heavy covers, why residue cleaners are important during planting, what problems to expect when planting into heavy residue, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
If wet spring weather has kept you from being able to plant, you may end up planting green into heavy cover crops, according to Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. Dealing with heavy cover crop residues is doable, but your success depends on using the right equipment and setting it the right way. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Can manure be successfully used as fertilizer for cover crops? The answer is yes, but how manure is used depends on your goals and situation, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. A few considerations when applying manure to cover crops, particularly in the spring, includes application timing, the growth stage of the cover crop, application rate, application method, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
The new “Rooted Collection” from Wrangler Jeans are made from cotton grown on farms that use cover crops. Roian Atwood, Senior Director of Sustainability with Wrangler & Lee, talks about the opportunity for land stewardship in cotton systems, consumer pressure on corporate decision making, how grazing systems add value to natural systems, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Dealing with slugs can be a real nuisance for many growers. Dr. John Tooker, Penn State University, discusses how seed treatments influence predator populations in the field, how soybean yields respond when slugs are present in fields with both treated and untreated seed, why predator populations are important in your fields and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Retired engineer Bob Recker is an expert on wide row corn. In this week’s podcast, Recker explains how 60-inch corn rows can improve soil health and water quality, why research and development are happening every day on the farm, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Editor’s note: For clarification, there has been no research stating that using 60 inch wide corn rows adds significant financial benefit.
In this week’s podcast, crop insurance expert and Wisconsin farmer Ryan Stockwell with the National Wildlife Federation discusses why crop insurance regulations are outdated, why crop insurance eligibility rules are unfavorable to cover crops, how crop insurance will be evolving, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff says black oats have impressed him the past few years as a cover crop. The winter hardy Cosaque variety of black oats seems to be most popular and can even be used as a forage. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Using cover crops is a way to protect the soil and mitigate soil loss, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff, and that includes in vegetable production. Groff also explains how vegetable production can be done with no-till, how bare soil can lead to soil-borne disease in vegetable crops, how soil health and plant health are linked, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
In this week’s podcast, Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff discusses cover crop species that are best for planting in late winter/early spring. Find out why spring oats, field peas, red clover and mustard are good choices, why buckwheat is not the best species to plant in the spring, why peas do so well when planted early, and more.
Fall 2019 was extremely wet during harvest, leaving many fields with ruts. In this week’s podcast, Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff explains how growers can use cover crops, no-till and improving soil health to overcome extreme wet conditions at harvest time.
In this week’s podcast, retired John Deere engineer and farm consultant Bob Recker provides insight on ways to boost soil health without taking fields out of production. Doubling row populations in 60-inch corn allows growers to experiment with cover crops, companion crops, and grazing livestock.
In this week’s podcast, fifth generation farmer Rick Clark from Indiana shares tips on planting green, a practice he’s been using for the past 8 years. Clark has been no-tilling soybeans for 15 years, and no-tilling corn and using cover crops for 10 years. Find out how Clark started using cover crops, why he does not use treated seed, fungicide or insecticide, and why data is so critical to good decision making on the farm.
Seeing earthworms is one of the hallmarks of healthy soil, but Paul Reed Hepperly says that their role is much broader than previously thought. There are 7,000 different species of earthworms that provide valuable benefits, including improving soil quality and increasing crop productivity. Find out how tillage impacts earthworm habitats, how earthworms reproduce, and more in this week’s podcast.
Many growers use treated cover crop seed to kill pests, but Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff says there are valid reasons to consider planting untreated cover crop seed. In this week’s podcast, Groff discusses the side effects of using treated cover crop seed, how treated cover crop seed affects predatory insects, how untreated cover crop seed can help manage slugs, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Farmers around the world face different challenges, but North American growers can learn a lot from how farmers in other countries solve problems. Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares insights on how growers use cover crops to retain moisture in the soil in Australia, managing soil erosion in Tasmania, observations on soil types and structure in France, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff explains why growing two different species of crops—one cash crop and one cover crop--can be beneficial to your bottom line. Often, planting multiple crop species together can cause both species to grow better, especially if the cover crop is a legume. Find out more about this uncommon practice in this week’s podcast. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Negotiating with a landlord can be one of the most stressful conversations for a farmer, particularly if the landlord doesn’t show any interest or pushes back against the idea of using cover crops. In this week’s podcast, Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares tips on how to show the value of cover crops to a landlord, dealing with an absentee landlord, and discussion on landlords’ perceptions of cover crops. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff explains how to discuss with skeptical growers on why they should use covers, how to manage a controversial discussion, how economics fit into the conversation and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
If you have always wanted to try cover crops, but live in an area with a short growing season, this podcast is for you! There are many variables involved when planting cover crops in a short growing season, according to Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Using cover crops as forage for livestock is a profitable and effective way to make cover crops a win-win situation. Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff welcomes guest speaker Monte Bottens, a California crop consultant, in this week’s podcast to discuss how to choose the best cover crop mixes for grazing, how to scale regenerative agriculture, how cash cropping can mesh with grazing livestock, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Although cover crops are becoming more mainstream, there are still those growers out there who are resistant to the idea, according to Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. This podcast shares tips on how to have conversations with your neighbors and other farmers about using cover crops. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Cover crops are particularly impressive at controlling weeds in a vegetable production system, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this podcast, Groff explains how covers supply nitrogen in the soil for vegetable plants, why cover crops should not be used with early-producing vegetables, how pumpkins are cleaner when grown with covers, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff says that he’s learned to plant hairy vetch with cereal rye and triticale when it will be used for seed. In this podcast, Groff explains why you might want to grow your own seed, the limitations to growing your own cover crop seed, why growing your own cover crop seed may require special harvesting equipment modifications, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
While cover crops are being utilized across the U.S., in all 50 states, adoption has lagged behind a bit in semi-arid climates due to concerns about soil moisture being depleted.
After sharing some real examples of farmers from semi-arid climates that are using cover crops in part 1, Steve Groff leads a question-and-answer discussion in part 2 with farmers about the challenges of managing covers in low-rainfall areas. Groff and farmers discuss weather and timing issues, soil moisture considerations, nutrient management and cover crop species that seem to work best in droughty situations.
When you plant cover crops, of course, you want to maximize their benefits as much as possible while minimizing the costs, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. This podcast shares 5 things that can help growers achieve the ideal cover crop seeding rate, including checking the cover crop seed tag for germination rate, date the seed was tested, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Cover crops that winterkill are an excellent choice to plant with wheat, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this week’s podcast, find out how growing radishes with wheat can boost wheat yields by an average of 3-5 bushels per acre. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Weeds are the enemy of every farmer, and those growers who plant cover crops are no exception. However, cover crops can be part of the management strategy to overcome weeds that have become resistant to herbicides, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this week’s podcast, Groff explains which weeds are the worst offenders, how weed types change on the farm, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Farmers should not limit themselves to only growing corn and soybeans and should consider using small grains as a cover crop, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this podcast, Groff explains the benefits of adding small grains to crop rotations, such as building soil biology, adding diversity, increasing organic matter and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
While the idea might seem a little ‘out there’ in a typical year, 2019 was not a typical year in many states, with weather challenges causing planting, field work and harvesting delays. Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff says there are more opportunities than you think for getting something done in December. Groff will discuss which cover crops can be planted in December with a high degree of success and how growers can use slightly frozen ground to their advantage.
While cover crops are being utilized across the U.S., in all 50 states, adoption has lagged behind a bit in semi-arid climates due to concerns about soil moisture being depleted. In part one of a two-part podcast series on this topic, Holtwood, Pa., grower and cover crop innovator Steve Groff will share some real examples of farmers from dryland areas that are using cover crops, including one who proclaimed he has the lowest annual rainfall (no irrigation) of any farmer in the world who is still seeding covers. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Soils plagued with compaction, aggregation and/or poor water infiltration don’t have to be that way forever. Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff explains how cover crops can help to improve the soil through a process including evaluation, soil testing and strategic planning for that soil. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Buying cover crop seed should be a transaction that benefits everyone involved—the grower and the seed dealer. That means asking the right questions to get the product you want and need for your operation. Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares the top 5 questions to ask the next time you buy cover crop seed. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Like all aspects of farming, growing cover crops doesn’t always go as intended. Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff says that how cover croppers react to failure is critical for learning and doing better the next time. Groff shares ideas on how to deal with several areas where cover cropping can go awry, including weather, herbicides, equipment and management, and shares stories from his own cover crop failures. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Many cover crop species can be used as forage while also providing soil health benefits, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff, including hay, baleage and grazing. The type of cover crops to plant depends on your ultimate goal for those cover crops, as that goal can affect seeding rates, planting dates, and fertility. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Typically, double cropping done after small grains is planting soybeans in wheat stubble, but not always, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. Some growers plant a crop after barley, oats or other small grain crops, and cover crops are a viable choice for planting in late summer. The amount of precipitation is also a factor in deciding whether to plant cover crops after small grains. The type of cover crop planted can also play a role in helping increase yields the following growing year. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff says that in the past 5-10 years, soil health testing has grown in popularity, but they aren’t a silver bullet for detecting all soil health problems. In this podcast, learn about the different types of soil tests available, what they can measure and why each one is important. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Managing legumes as a cover crop requires smart decision making, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. From choosing the best nitrogen-producing species and planting legumes as early as possible to using winter hardy selections and planting into green legumes, Groff shares best practices for getting the most out your covers while using less nitrogen. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
There are other options for growers besides letting your best soil blow away in the wind, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. Planting into a standing cover crop can be handled in a variety of ways. Groff explains why your planter should be equipped with a roller crimper, how to evaluate your comfort or experience level with planting green, using the proper seeding rate and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Timing, cover crop seeding rates and application methods are the keys to maximizing manure management for cover crops, according to Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares key concepts for working with heavy clay soils, discusses why diversity of species is critical for this type of soil, and how cover crops and can be used in heavy clay soils for water management.
Because heavy clay soils tend to hold moisture, they can produce outstanding yields, so understanding how to manage some of the biggest challenges this soil type can offer is of the utmost importance. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Although most growers this year have been dealing with too much rain, there are areas and years when getting a cover crop established and reaping the benefit without draining soil moisture is a challenge. Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff says that growers using covers in a low-rainfall area should concentrate on feeding soil biology, keeping the soil cool and improve water management.
Executing these ideas will look different for each farmer, but all farmers can aim for diversity of species, keeping something growing in fields year-round and shading fields. Find out more in this week’s podcast. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is a critical number to know when planning for both cover crops and cash crops, according to Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. The C:N ratio affects decomposition rates for crop residues and impacts nitrogen cycling as well.
Understanding the C:N ratio helps growers be better managers in the context of overall soil health and fertilizer use. Groff shares why this often-overlooked aspect is critical to making good decisions when growing covers. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Preparation is important to succeeding with cover crop management and there are several areas of decision making that can have a significant impact, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Hungary is the destination for this week’s podcast, as Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares his observations from visiting the country for their first-ever soil health conference. Hungarian growers are just becoming more interested in cover crops and no-till, despite the fact that they plow up to 90% of their land.
Groff explains why it’s important to review the basics of cover cropping, why radishes are the best choice for a beginning cover crop, what lupins are, and much more.
Climate change is one of those hot-button topics that everyone has an opinion on. Regardless of the cause, science has shown that global temperatures are rising, and agriculture will have to adapt in order to continue feeding the world. Could cover crops be a tool to help reduce the affects of climate change?
Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff weighs in on this controversial topic, including how growers can make a difference in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, how cover crops sequester carbon, how well managed grazing fits in and more.
Determining the best time to plant covers is a critical element to their success. It’s important to know how late in the season you can plant covers to plan buying cover crop seed and working around potential fall inclement weather. Steve Groff, a grower from Holtwood, Pa., shares his thoughts on what has affected cover crop planting dates in the past 20 years, including no-till, mixed species covers, higher biological activity, winter hardiness of cultivars and new cover crop cultivars.
Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares his insights from visiting France and what American growers can learn from what is being done overseas. French growers are dealing with a ban on glyphosate, the impacts of organic agriculture, farming on steep slopes and more.
Have you ever considered growing your own cover crop seed? It can be done—and in ways that will not get you into legal trouble. There is a gauntlet of rules and regulations around growing your own seed, and this podcast provides tips on how to follow those rules.
Steve Groff, cover crop expert from Pennsylvania, discusses the differences in growing cover crop seed for your own use versus growing cover crop seed to resell, knowing the difference between a brand and variety, how to assign lot numbers, and more.
Planting is always a challenging process, but planting cover crops can take that challenge to the next level with different seed shapes, sizes and densities. Each type of cover crop requires that the planter be calibrated differently, and multi-species mixes make it even more puzzling to find the best calibration. Whether you use a drill or a planter can also impact your approach. Steve Groff, Pennsylvania cover crop expert, shares some different methods for calibrating drills and planters to prepare for planting cover crops. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
It's a bit more challenging to fit cover crops into a tillage system, but there are opportunities if you create them, says Steve Groff. The Cover Crop Coach and Holtwood, Pa., grower will share different ways row crop farmers and even vegetable farmers in the U.S. and overseas are getting cover crops seeded into tilled fields to control erosion and replenish soils.
When planting cover crops, there are three factors to keep in mind in the context of using herbicides to control weeds: the herbicide half-life, the amount of rainfall received and the amount of organic matter. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
More growers are increasingly becoming interested in raising organic crops. While food-grade organic crops merit a larger return on investment, they also require a high level of quality and present unique challenges in marketing those crops. This podcast is brought to you, courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators
Strip tilling with cover crops is taking off in many regions of the U.S. and is relatively inexpensive. Seeding cover crops can occur during fall strip-tilling but comes with its own challenges in the spring. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
The concept of planting cash crops into living cover crops is gaining more momentum among growers every year. But is your planter and management up for the task? (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Cover crops certainly produce a lot of benefits for growers in terms of soil health and nutrient management — but how, exactly, do you make them pay? Steve Groff says there are a several directions to go in that will build a solid foundation for economic benefits. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
The period after wheat harvest in many states provides a golden opportunity for growers to add some diverse cover crop mixes in their fields that provide numerous benefits. But which species are best suited for this planting window and what’s the best way to establish them? (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Mixing radish seed with cash grain wheat has led to yield increases of up to 12 bushels per acre in some areas. The synergy was discovered by accident by late no-tiller Ed Winkle of Ohio after a hired worker left radishes in a seed mixer. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
In the second part of a two-part series on this topic, Holtwood, Pa., farmer and Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff will discuss management decisions for rolling with or without using herbicides, the weed-control potential of rolled covers, using cover crop mixes in this type of system, and how to evaluate whether your planter can work effectively in rolled covers. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, we share a Q&A interview with senior editor John Dobberstein and Rob Myers, regional director of extension programs for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).
In the first part of a two-part series on this topic, the Holtwood, Pa., farmer and cover crop coach will discuss some strategies for succeeding with a roller-crimper system, including what realistic expectations should be for results, which cover crop species are best to roll and proper seeding rates. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Many grower avoid planting corn into fields where cereal rye has been seeded over fears that allelopathic issues from decomposing rye will stunt corn growth and ding yields. But Steve Groff believes allelopathy is often mis-diagnosed and yellow corn could be related to other management issues. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Herbicides can be tricky to work around when cover crops are included in the rotation. What do you need to know in order to maximize the effectiveness of cover crops? (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
In this podcast Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff will lead a discussion that defines what arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is, what it does for plant growth, and the factors that discourage or encourage AMF — including what cover crop species are hosts and those that are not. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
In this podcast the Holtwood, Pa., grower and Cover Crop Coach will discuss many factors that affect winter hardiness ratings, including planting date, temperatures, snow cover, wind chill, freeze-thaw cycles and more. And he’ll share some important questions to ask about winter hardiness when purchasing seed for your farm.
It’s often been said “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” But developing a reliable process to research the benefits and effects of cover crops on the farm, and produce information that is useful, can be a challenge for some growers.
Slugs can be the worst enemy for growers utilizing no-till practices and cover crops in certain regions of the U.S. as the creatures thrive in potentially cool, wet conditions as cash crops emerge. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
Unfortunately there are some years when fields just don't get planted to a cash crop. But this can open up an opportunity to plant a wide range of species of cover crops to make soils more productive in the future, says Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
One of the easiest strategies to getting cover crops seeded earlier in fields — and getting more growth, better erosion control, more nitrogen scavenging and the like — is utilizing shorter-season corn hybrids. Improved genetics available today can provide growers more options without sacrificing too much yield.
Every grower wants to know how to make cover crops pay off on their farm but there can be myriad challenges, including climate. One approach is interseeding covers into standing corn to increase the amount of growing time and benefits rendered by covers to farm operations.
Ag conservation consultant Dan Towery and Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff will talk about how to get started, equipment choices, the best time for interseeding, what cover crop species work best and issues with residual herbicides to be aware of. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)
The temptation with some growers starting out with cover crops might be to start reducing nutrient application rates right away in anticipation of a bump in nitrogen fixation and improved nutrient availability. But nutrient management with cover crops can be tricky and there are some precautionary measures to follow to ensure your cash crops don’t suffer.
Planting cash crops “green” into living cover crops is a concept gaining a lot of momentum among growers. But is your planter and cover crop management up for the task? Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff shares some important insights that will get you off to a successful start planting green. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)