Cover Crop Root Pits Reveal Plenty

One of the joys of working with farmers is the excitement I see on their faces when they "get it" about soil health.  There were several excited farmers again this spring.

During the first week of April I was in several root pits in northwest Indiana and boy did we find plenty of interesting factoids! I was assisted by Eileen Kladivko from Purdue University on one day and Barry Fisher, Indiana NRCS State Agronomist, on another day.

What We Found in the Cover Crop Root Pits . . . → Read More: Cover Crop Root Pits Reveal Plenty

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Grazing Cover Crops

Cattle grazing Forager Mix

These cattle have a great body score as they graze on December 6, 2011 in northern Indiana.

In early December, 2011 I visited two farms in Kosciusko County Indiana (NE IN) where producers had intentionally planted cover crops after their wheat was harvested for the purpose of grazing cattle and improving soil.  One of . . . → Read More: Grazing Cover Crops

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Cover Crops in the Great Plains – a view from a long time cover crop user- Part 2

In this cover crop post I again quote Paul Conway from Kansas, who is giving his input on cover crops in the Great Plains. In this article, Paul shares his experience with Austrian winter peas, field peas, chickling vetch, and hairy vetch.

Dave,

Austrian Winter Peas: I have limited and disappointing experience with Austrian Winter . . . → Read More: Cover Crops in the Great Plains – a view from a long time cover crop user- Part 2

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Grazing Cover Crops in the Winter

Over the past 9 years I have worked with Ed Ballard from the University of Illinois on grazing cattle over the winter.

During the first 4-5 years I was much more concerned about the “above ground” aspect of the cover crop and weight gain by the animals.

However, these past 4-5 years have shown me the . . . → Read More: Grazing Cover Crops in the Winter

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