Cover Crops

Cover crop demonstration plots at the Rogers Memorial Farm
Cover crops help suppress weeds as shown here with a grain sorghum cover crop growing in wheat stubble on the left compared to no cover crop on the right. If you don’t grow something, Mother Nature will. The field day will show some of the benefits of using cover crops to control weeds, including marestail and Palmer amaranth.

Cover Crop Field Day Sept. 13 at UNL Rogers Memorial Farm

August 30, 2019
This tour will feature cover crop cocktails that serve specific functions as well as cover crops growing in wheat stubble, cover crop recovery after simulated grazing, and row crops growing in the residue from cover crops.

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Hailed corn field
Figure 1. Severely hail-damaged corn field where the ears are the top-most part of the plant. Following severe hail damage, cover crops can offer a variety of benefits from using available nitrogen to aiding weed control. (Photos by Jenny Rees)

Cover Crop Considerations Following Late-Season Hail

August 29, 2019
Late-season hail has impacted fields across Nebraska. Growers may want to consider the value of cover crops for weed management, excess nitrogen uptake, and forage options.

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Figure 6. University of Nebraska-Lincoln winter wheat variety trial (25 entries/varieties) on July 16 in Washington County hosted by Hoegermeyer Farms, southwest of Herman. (Photo by Nathan Mueller)
Figure 6. University of Nebraska-Lincoln winter wheat variety trial (25 entries/varieties) on July 16 in Washington County hosted by Hoegermeyer Farms, southwest of Herman. (Photo by Nathan Mueller)

A Review of the 2018-19 Eastern Nebraska Winter Wheat Growing Season

August 15, 2019
Nebraska Extension educators review the wheat production season in eastern Nebraska and factors affecting it, from a rough start with cool, wet conditions to a good finish.

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Aug. 1 Deadline for MFP Aid for Planting Cover Crops

July 26, 2019
Producers affected by natural disasters who filed prevented planting claims may be eligible for a $15 per acre payment for planting MFP-eligible cover crops by Aug. 1, 2019. This can be used in conjunction with the NRCS cost-share program.

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New SARE Resource Examines Economics of Cover Crops in Row Crops

July 16, 2019
A new publication from USDA Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE), Cover Crop Economics: Opportunities to Improve Your Bottom Line in Row Crops, looks at the economics of cover crops in corn and soybean rotations to help farmers answer that big question: When do cover crops pay?

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Farmer field testing two cover crop management options

Farmers Find Solutions Through Nebraska Soil Health Initiative

July 11, 2019
How can we manage cropland to improve soil health? To test and encourage adoption of soil health practices, the Soil Health Demonstration Initiative was launched as a collaborative effort of growers, UNL and NRCS. Now a network of farm research sites is providing valuable information from in-field studies.

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Field of diverse cover crops
Field of diverse cover crops

Cover Crop Use and Implications for Cropland Lease Arrangements in 2019

July 8, 2019
Cover crops were planted on almost 750,000 acres in Nebraska in 2017, the last year of the USDA Ag Census. A recent Cornhusker Economics reports cover crop acreage by county as well as how to consider their short-term costs and potential long-term benefits when negotiating crop land leases.

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Cover crop mix in the field

Deadline Extended to Apply for Funding to Plant Cover Crops on Flooded Cropland Acres

June 28, 2019
NRCS announced today that it is offering a later EQIP sign-up for farmers in Nebraska who could not plant their crops because of flooded or wet fields. The deadline to apply is July 19, 2019.

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