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Cover Crops

Figure 1. This wheat field just off the Cedar River near Fullerton has 4-6 inches of sediment from spring flooding. Prevented planting and cover crops can help protect against soil erosion and provide feed for cattle. (Photo by Megan Taylor)

Prevented Planting and Cover Crops

June 21, 2019

This week when the USDA Risk Management Agency changed the deadline for grazing, cutting, or haying cover crops planted on prevented planting acres to Sept. 1, new options opened up for selecting cover crops to best meet the end use and to provide higher quality feed for cattle. Learn about what to consider when selecting cover crops and how your choices can affect prevented planting payments.

RMA Changes Haying, Grazing Deadline on Prevent Plant Acres Planted to Cover Crops

June 20, 2019

Farmers who planted cover crops on prevented plant acres will be permitted to hay, graze or chop those fields earlier than November this year, USDA announced today. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) adjusted the 2019 final haying and grazing date from November 1 to September 1 to help farmers who were prevented from planting because of flooding and excess rainfall this spring.

Andrea Basche in a field of cover crop planted into corn stubble

Cover Crop Research Team Receives Nebraska Environmental Trust Grant

June 3, 2019

Three agronomy faculty have been awarded a grant to develop a decision-support tool for the successful incorporation of cover crops into Nebraska cropping systems.

Figure 1. University of Wisconsin researchers studied drilling cover crops into V5 corn. (Source: University of Wisconsin Integrated Pest and Crop Management)

Interseeding Cover Crops into Corn or Soybean

May 23, 2019

In some years it may be difficult to well establish a cover crop after corn harvest. This article surveys current research on interseeding into an established crop, further considerations, and how to test this practice on your farm.

Nebraska cover crop selection tool

Nebraska Cover Crop Selector Tool Now Available

May 13, 2019

The Nebraska Cover Crop Selector Tool is now available, rating individual attributes for 47 cover crops and six mixes. The online tool is free and was collaboratively developed by Nebraska ag groups and the Midwest Cover Crops Council.

Figure 1. A mixture of warm- and cool-season cover crops. (Aaron Hird, NRCS)

Funds Available to Plant Severely Weather-Damaged Acres to Cover Crops

April 17, 2019

To help manage cropland damaged by Nebraska’s severe spring weather, NRCS is providing funds to plant cover crops on cropland acres. Cover crops prevent erosion, improve soil’s physical and biological properties, supply nutrients, and suppress weeds.

Cover crops and weeds in early spring — Figure 1. When using a burndown treatment to terminate cover crops and weeds this spring, planting intervals often may negate the use of many dicamba products prior to soybean planting. (Photos by Amit Jhala)

Which Dicamba Product Should I Use as a Burndown Before Planting Soybean?

April 16, 2019

Several growers have asked: Can dicamba products such as Banvel, Clarity, and DiFlexx be applied to terminate broadleaf cover crop species and broadleaf weeds immediately before planting soybean?

Figure 1. When making decisions for your farm, check out some of the on-farm research results from 2018 to see what other growers learned.

Extension Releases Results from 2018 Farmer-Conducted Research

April 12, 2019

An online database of results from the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network allows users to search and filter data from over 800 Nebraska on-farm research studies dating back to 1990.