Cover Crop/Soil Health Field Day April 18 near Falls City

Cover Crop/Soil Health Field Day April 18 near Falls City

A cover crop/soil health field day, previously scheduled for March 30, has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. April 18 at the Jon Keithley Farm northwest of Falls City. The event will be at 71475 650 Avenue.

Two cereal ryes in trials at J Keithley farm
Figure 1. Elbon cereal rye on the left and VNS cereal rye on the right at the demonstration site on the Jon Keithley farm northwest of Falls City.

As part of an NRCS Conservation Innovative Grant Project, cover crops were drilled into a plot of prevented planted acres in late August and early September, according to Gary Lesoing, Extension Educator in Nemaha County at Auburn. Several cover crop species and mixes were planted to provide opportunities for comparison and evaluation.

The field day will start with registration at 9 a.m. at the plots, one mile south of the Keithley house.  From 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. there will be discussion and field observations of the cover crop plots and a soil pit. 

Nebraska Extension and NRCS specialists will discuss cover crop and soil health issues.

  • Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension beef systems specialist, will review potential opportunities for grazing cover crops and discuss their forage value, even on Prevented Planted Acres. 
  • Gary Lesoing, Extension educator, will share soil health and soil chemical analysis data collected from the plots this spring. 
  • Paul Jasa, Nebraska Extension No-till Specialist, will share his experiences with no-till, cover crops, and soil health. 
  • Cory Brubaker, NRCS State Agronomist, will discuss soil health and cover crops.    

This is an opportunity to see how cover crops are being used in southeast Nebraska.  The Keithley’s have been using no-till for many years and have now added the use of manure and cover crops to further improve soil health on their farms.

Registration

In case of inclement weather, tour attendees should meet at the Keithley farmstead.

While registration isn’t required, it is recommended so we will be able to plan accordingly for handouts and refreshments.  To register, please call Gary Lesoing at Nemaha County Extension at (402) 274-4755.                     

Online Master of Science in Agronomy

With a focus on industry applications and research, the online program is designed with maximum flexibility for today's working professionals.

A field of corn.