• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Plant Cover Crops

Learning about the benefits of planting cover crops.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Newsletter

Dave Robison

Mar 27 2014

New articles out on Cover Crops in the Upper Midwest

During the week of March 18-21 I spoke at the Legacy Seeds Cover Crop Meetings to over 150 people in three Wisconsin towns

Appin Turnips make an outstanding cover crop and forage crop too!
Appin Turnips make an outstanding cover crop and forage crop too.

about cover crops.  During each meeting I showed why folks should consider using cover crops (erosion control, nutrient management, compaction reduction, aeration/infiltration, etc…).  I also implored producers to be creative about applying cover crops (aerial application, Hi-boy type spreaders, maybe interseeding into short corn, etc…).  Lastly I showed how many farmers are reporting increased profitability by using  cover crops.

Many farmers attending the meetings had at least some experience with cover crops and those that talked to me personally had very good experiences.  It was fun to talk to farmers that are excited about both soil health and profitability.

At the meeting in Sparta, Agri-View Newspaper Crops Editor, Jane Fyksen was present and taking notes for a story she was writing for the publication.  Jane did a great job in her reporting of what I said.  I want to share those articles with you.  The first article is entitled “Finding a cover crop mix to fit every need” and the second one is entitled “Aerial and overseeding of cover crops: Making it work“.

I have conducted over 40 cover crop talks this year from Omaha to Ontario and from Syracuse, NY to Chippewa Falls, WI.  I am amazed how far this cover cropping idea has come.  I am also very excited to see what will happen in another 8-10 years.

I cannot wait for warmer temperatures so we can see what cover crops survived this past record setting-cold winter.
I cannot wait for warmer temperatures so we can see what cover crops survived this past record setting-cold winter.

 

 

 

 

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Aerial Application, Cover Crop Benefits, Cover Crop Meetings, Cover Crops in the Northland, Cover Crops in Wisconsin, Soil Improvement, Stand Establishment Following Cover Crops · Tagged: aerial application of cover crops, aerial application of cover crops into soybeans, Agri-View, Appin Turnips, cover crops, Cover Crops enhance profitability, EarthBuilder Cover Crops, Jane Fyksen, Midwest Cover Crop Council, PileDriver Radish

Feb 28 2014

Broadcast Recording Available from National Cover Crops Conference

Folks,
I was privileged to attend and also speak at this conference.  Please take some time to look in on the many awesome presentations that were presented in Omaha.  Dave
Broadcast Recording Available from National Cover Crops Conference

 

To meet some of today’s biggest challenges in agriculture, including rising food demand, a shrinking land base and climate change, farmers should be encouraged to adopt a holistic approach to enriching their most valuable resource – the soil – according to a panel of experts who helped open last week’s National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health.

 

“Cover crops to me are just the next natural step in trying to have a broader system, and I think the single biggest issue we have as farmers in this country is we don’t farm with a system in mind,” said panelist Howard G. Buffett, a philanthropist and Illinois farmer.

 

To learn more, watch a recording of opening sessions from the National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health, held Feb. 17 – 19 in Omaha, Neb. Joining the 300 farmers, scientists, and industry and government representatives who met in Omaha, approximately 6,000 others participated by gathering at more than 200 local soil health forums nationwide, where this recording was broadcasted live.

 

Also available online are presentations from breakout sessions and 10 short videos of innovative farmers describing their use of cover crops.

 

Conference organizers are developing a formal list of recommended actions to increase cover crop adoption based on discussions at the conference and local forums. To see it when it becomes available, keep an eye on www.sare.org/covercropsconference or join SARE’s mailing list.

 

The conference recording features a discussion of how cover crops can improve soil health and the major barriers to their increased adoption, and was led by Buffett and fellow panelists Jason Weller, chief of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Ray Gaesser, Iowa farmer and American Soybean Association president. Following them is a panel of farmers who are pioneers in the use of cover crops, no-till and other soil management practices.

 

Conference speakers addressed a wide range of ongoing challenges to cover crop adoption, including the need for more specialized seeding equipment, more advocacy by farmer leaders, more research on their economic benefits, and changes to insurance and conservation programs that better encourage their use.


Grants | Project Reports | Learning Center | Professional Development | State Programs
Events | Newsroom | About SARE | WebStore



Distributed by SARE Outreach for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). SARE’s mission is to advance – to the whole of American agriculture – innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education.

SARE Outreach operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Maryland to develop and disseminate information about sustainable agriculture.

Archives

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Cover Crop Meetings, Online Training Seminars · Tagged: Cover Crop Benefits, cover crop meetings, cover crop presentations, cover crops, Howard G. Buffett, Midwest Cover Crop Council, National Conference on Cover Crops & Soil Health, SARE

Feb 23 2014

Cover Crops- It is Amazing how much interest there is these days!

It is amazing how much interest there is in cover cropping these days!

Sarah Carlson from Practical Farmers of Iowa and I were discussing this fact in Omaha, NE earlier this week.  To think that there would be a conference like we attended in Omaha was almost a “dream” when we were attending some of the first Midwest Cover Crop Council Meetings less than 10 years ago.  Many thanks to Eileen Kladivko, Dale Mutch, Dean Baas, Tom Kaspar, Anne Verhallen, Alan Sundermeier, and others who set the pace and path and vision for sharing and researching the benefits of cover cropping.

Dave Robison
I had the privilege of speaking to over 1,000 farmers at the National No-Till Conference in Springfield, IL in January 2014. Being a long-time no-tiller; this was a highlight of my career.

So, where am I these days?  (kind of like “Where’s Waldo?)  Over the past seven weeks I have  spoken in many states (NY, OH, WI, NE, MI, etc…) and at Ridgetown, Ontario.  I have spoken to well over 2,000 producers these past 50 days.  I keep telling my wife I’ll check in as often as possible and I try to keep the kids aware of where I am and where I am going (I use this as great geography lessons!).  The interest in cover cropping is astounding.  I am excited to see so many producers that are using cover crops are excited about what they are doing…I am 100% confident this is NOT a fad.

I have a few more cover crop meetings to add that you might find very interesting.

On March 5 at 10AM I am speaking at the Yahara Pride Farms 2014 Watershed-Wide Conference: Building on our Progress at  Lake Windsor Golf Club  4628 Golf Road, Windsor, WI 53598  For more information contact: rachel@yaharapridefarms.org; 608-255-6329 ;  www.yaharapridefarms.org.

Starting on March 6 the American Society of Agronomy is conducting a number of Cover Crop webinars.  The speakers on the presentations are among the “who’s-who” in cover cropping research and practice.  Please register and watch these free webinars!

On March 13 I will be speaking at the Bay County  Soil Conservation District’s Soil Health and Cover Crop Meeting in Pinconning, MI.  This meeting involves some excellent speakers on soil health and also on local cover crop research.

Also in Wisconsin I am speaking at three Legacy Seeds Cover Crop Seminars.  Please contact the folks at Legacy Seeds at karen@legacyseeds.com to preregister.  Registrations starts at 9:30 and the meetings start at 10 AM.  Early order “discounts” will be available.  Lunch will be served at each location.

March 18 at  Jakes Northwoods 1132 Angelo Rd. Sparta, WI  608-269-5010

March 19 at the Eagles Club 2588 hwy. 53 Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 715-723-0172

March 20 at  Cobblestone Creek Dining and Banquet Center 740 West Ryan St. Brillion, WI 54110 920-756-3214

On April 1 Winnebago Soil & Water Conservation District and AgTech are sponsoring a Cover Crop Workshop in Durand, IL.  I am honored to speak at this event.  There is an optional field tour after lunch.  Preregister by 3-25-14.

On May 9 There is a Soil Health Field Day – Sponsored by Catawba SWCD in Newton, North Carolina.  I will not be attending this meeting but it sure sounds like a great day!   Thanks to Russell Hedrick for passing this along.

Also, sometime in April – Robison Farms (my brother Don and I along with mom and dad) hope to host a field day at our Greenwood, IN farm where we have 5 acres of replicated cover crop research.  More details will follow soon on this.

These are exciting times in Agriculture.  Remember to be thankful for those who have come before us and for those who share their knowledge and vision with us.  More importantly share your vision and knowledge with others.  Most importantly, be thankful to the God of Creation who gives us the responsibility to care for His creation.

 

Dave

 

 

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Cover Crop Meetings, Cover Crop Research, Field Days, Midwest Cover Crops Council, Online Training Seminars, Webinars · Tagged: cover crop meetings, Midwest Cover Crop Council, no-till farmer, Practical farmers of Iowa, Robison Farms

Dec 18 2013

Cover Crop Meetings Winter 2014

It’s been a while since I have posted on here as I have been quite busy speaking about cover crops at a number of venues.  Over the Winter of 2014 I will be speaking at a number of conferences.  If you are in the area of any of these meetings please stop by and introduce yourself to me; I’d love to hear your cover crop stories.

Here is a partial list of many of the meetings I will be speaking at:

January 7-8, 2014  – Southwest Ag Conference – Ridgetown, Ontario  http://www.southwestagconference.ca/

January 9-10, 2014 – Mid-Ohio Growers Meeting  Buckeye Event Center, Dalton, Ohio http://midohiogrowers.com/schedule

January 16-17, 2014  – National No-Till Conference –Springfield, IL http://www.no-tillfarmer.com/

January 18, 2014  – Corn Belt Cow-Calf Conference Ottumwa, Iowa “Using Cover Crops to Boost Profitability in Your Operation” and “Baleage—Making & Utilizing Higher Quality Hay”   http://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/2014-cornbelt-cow-calf-conference-focuses-profitable-expansion

January 22, 2014  – Empire State Producers EXPO, Syracuse, New York “Can cover crops benefit vegetable fields? YES!” –  http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=53

January 28, 2014 – Conservation Cropping Seminar , Mendota, IL 2014Mendota Agenda Contact Marty McManus -visit www.ccswcd.com to register ($20)

February 6, 2014 – Wisconsin Corn/Soy Expo, Kalahari Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells https://www.cornsoyexpo.org/

February 18-19, 2014  – National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health – Harvesting the Potential ,Omaha, NE https://sites.google.com/a/swcs.org/2014-omaha-cover-crops-conference/keynote-and-breakout-descriptions

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Cover Crop Meetings, Education · Tagged: cover crop meetings, cover crops, cover crops and profitability

Oct 17 2013

More Fall Cover Crop Field Days Coming

This fall there are more cover crop field days to attend in Iowa and Wisconsin.

 

For those in Iowa see http://practicalfarmers.org/blog/2013/fall-2013-cover-crop-field-days-scheduled

In Wisconsin there are two field days:

There will be opportunities to look in soil pits in Northern climates to see just what is going on beneath the surface of the soil.
There will be opportunities to look in soil pits in Northern climates to see just what is going on beneath the surface of the soil.

October 21, 2013 – 10:30am – Cover Crop Plot Tour
Hosted by Legacy Seeds’ Kris Tessar and Ag Ventures Shawano
Located at the farm of Paul McClone on Cty BE in Bonduel, WI
Dave Robison will be speaking – Lunch will follow the tour
RSVP to Ag Ventures at 715-524-8812
October 22, 2013 – 10:30am – Cover Crop Plot Tour
Hosted by Legacy Seeds’ Kris Tessar and ADM
Located at the farm of Ken Huber at 3848 Cty P in Oxford, WI
Dave Robison will be speaking – Lunch will follow the tour
RSVP to ADM (Perry or Sue) at 800-367-4057

I hope to see you there!  Dave

 

Written by Dave Robison · Categorized: Cover Crop Plots, Cover Crop Research, Cover Crops in Iowa, Cover Crops in the Northland, Cover Crops in Wisconsin, Education, Field Days · Tagged: cover crop field day, cover crops, cover crops in Iowa, Cover Crops in Wisconsin

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 32
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Adding Nitrogen to cover crops (1)
  • Cover Crop Benefits (75)
    • Breaking Up Compaction (18)
      • Cover Crop Roots (12)
    • Erosion Control (1)
    • Higher Yields (22)
      • Nitrogen from Cover Crops (12)
      • Planting Radish with Wheat (1)
    • Lower Inputs (4)
    • Manure management (6)
      • Slurry Seeding Cover Crops (1)
    • Soil Improvement (15)
      • Cover Crops and Earthworms (6)
      • Inoculating Cover Crop Legumes (1)
    • Water infiltration/percolation (3)
    • Weed Suppression (5)
  • Cover Crop Challenges (68)
    • Aerial Application (9)
    • Aerial Application into Soybeans (2)
    • Chemical Use and Cover Crops (7)
    • Cover Crops in Iowa (3)
    • Cover Crops in Wisconsin (6)
    • Crop insurance (4)
    • Delayed Spring Planting (8)
      • Planting into Tall Austrian Winter Peas (2)
    • Dormant Seed (2)
    • Establishing in dry conditions (2)
    • High-boy application (1)
    • Killing Annual Ryegrass in the Spring (7)
    • Misinformation and Myths (5)
    • Prevented planting (11)
    • Radish Smell (1)
    • Risk Management (5)
    • Seed Selection: What to Plant After… (11)
      • Corn (3)
      • Soybeans (2)
      • Wheat (7)
    • Seeding Rates (2)
    • Stand Establishment Following Cover Crops (5)
    • Timing of Planting (3)
    • Wild Radishes (1)
    • Winterhardiness (3)
  • Cover Crop Champions (1)
  • Cover Crop Wearables (1)
  • Cover Crops – Return on Investment (2)
  • Cover Crops & No-Till (1)
  • Cover Crops effect on spring Soil temperatures (4)
  • Cover Crops in Minnesota (4)
  • Cover Crops in the Northland (8)
  • Education (70)
    • Aerial Application Certification (2)
    • Cover Crop Meetings (9)
    • Cover Crop Plots (12)
    • Cover Crop Research (12)
    • Decision Making Tool (2)
    • Field Days (11)
    • Improved Varieties (6)
    • Midwest Cover Crops Council (3)
    • Midwest Cover Crops Field Guide (1)
    • Online Training Seminars (4)
    • Radish Plot (7)
    • Surveys (3)
    • Webinars (3)
    • YouTube Videos (13)
  • Frost Seeding (1)
  • Grazing Cover Crops (10)
    • Cover Crops for Forage (3)
    • Fall Grazing (3)
  • Lower Yields possible (1)
  • Terminating Cover Crops (1)
  • Types of Cover Crops (61)
    • Annual Ryegrass (10)
    • Austrian Winter Peas (9)
    • Cowpeas (2)
    • Crimson Clover (10)
    • Hairy Vetch (2)
    • Kura Clover (1)
    • Mustard (1)
    • Oats (4)
    • Radishes (24)
    • Red Clover (3)
    • Sorghum Sudangrass (1)
    • Sudangrass (1)
    • Turnips (4)
    • Winter Barley (1)
    • Winter Cereal Rye (12)

Newsletter

Cover Crop Resources

  • CISCO Seeds Cover Crops
  • Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative
  • Cover Crop Decision Tool
  • Midwest Cover Crops Council
  • Sustainable Crop Rotations with Cover Crops

Other Farm Resources

  • Practical Farmers of Iowa

Connect Online

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on RSS

Footer

Popular Videos

Pages

  • Blog
  • Why Cover Crops?
  • About
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Advertise Here
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2022 · Altitude Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in