WOOLSTOCK, Iowa — For six months of the year much of Iowa’s soil is bare, which can result in erosion and leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus, said Sarah Carlson, research and policy director for ...

Most people sow forage radishes in the fall and allow the winter’s cold weather to terminate the crop without manual intervention. However, you can sow these as winter cover crops in February as long ...

Put your garden to work over winter by planting a cover crop this fall. Covering the soil with plants that are turned into the soil or smothered and allowed to decompose in spring provides many ...

This spring, you may have passed farm fields that are green and lush with new growth. They starkly contrast with the dark brown, tille fields that have yet to be planted. What’s growing are cover ...

Kansas State University researchers have found that grazing cover crops can improve soil health in no-till dryland cropping systems, addressing a key concern for producers in water-limited ...

Maybe after you finish your vegetable harvest, you mentally say, “I’m done this year,” and wait to start again next year. But a cover crop could benefit you in several ways. By researching now, you ...

A study led by researchers at the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign quantifies the soil organic carbon (SOC) benefits from cover crops in ...

Although cover crops -- mixtures of wheat, root vegetables and grasses that provide benefits to soil -- have been around for decades, Friday was the first time a field day was devoted to them at ...

WAUKON, Iowa - Kerry Troendle, of Waukon, had drilled cereal rye, wheat or a wheat-rye mix into 20 acres of soybean ground after harvest for three years for soil conservation and to provide additional ...

To gain a better grasp on the growing interest in cover crops, the National Cover Crop Survey, in its seventh year, checked in with growers from across the country. Of the 795 respondents, 561 said ...

Farmers who planted cover crops in 2020 are eligible for a premium benefit from most crops insurance policies, as part of the Pandemic Cover Crop Program, offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency. All ...

Michael James is the Water Quality Initiative Coordinator at the Soil and Water Conservation District in Polk County. This spring, you may have passed farm fields that are green and lush with new ...