PARM

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Planting cover crops in rotation between cash crops — widely agreed to be ecologically beneficial — is even more valuable than previously thought, according to a team of agronomists, entomologists, agroecologists, horticulturists and biogeochemists from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. “As society places increasing demands on agricultural land beyond food production to include ecosystem services, we needed a new way to evaluate ‘success’ in agriculture,” said Jason Kaye, professor of biogeochemistry. “This research presents a…

Join us for a webcast on using cover crops and other conservation systems to improve water quality in agricultural landscapes. Cover crops are plants used to protect and improve the soil on farm fields, especially at times when cash crops such as corn, wheat and soybeans are not being grown. Cover crops can reduce nutrient losses to watersheds by scavenging nitrates that would otherwise be lost to leaching. In addition, cover crops reduce sediment and phosphorus losses to nearby waterways…

As regulations are being considered, the agriculture community is launching a proactive, responsible commitment aimed at the long-term improvement of Lake Erie’s water quality. Harmful algal blooms in the Great Lake and other bodies of water in the area have been on the rise the past five years, leading to increased water treatment costs and negative impacts on fishing and tourism. Farmers have taken many actions to improve soil health and reduce fertilizer runoff, but nutrients leaving fields and entering…

The North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) has recently funded an eight-state study to identify and prioritize future research needs on the use of cover crops in soybean production systems. Part of this project is to get a sense from soybean growers in Wisconsin, and from those that advise soybean growers in some capacity, if they are using cover crops before or after soybean. Our goal is to get input from all soybean growers and consultants, not just ones currently…

EAST LANSING, Feb. 21, 2014 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended the cut-off date for Michigan farmers to submit applications for the first 2014 round of Environmental Quality Incentives Program funding to March 21. The program provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forestland owners for adopting a wide range of conservation activities. The March 21 cut-off date gives farmers an extra 30 days to submit applications to their local USDA Service Center. Conservation activities receiving financial assistance…

Indiana’s Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative will host four workshops this  month focused on cover crops and advanced cropping systems for farmers and crop advisors – all of which will include sessions by Purdue Extension specialists. Program dates and locations: * March 11: Advanced Cover Crops, Brocksmith Farms, 678 S. Hickory Corner Road, Vincennes. * March 12: Advanced Cover Crops, Huffmeyer Farms, 4937 W. County Road 650 N., Osgood. * March 18: Advanced Cropping Systems, Jasper County Fairgrounds, 2671 West Clark…