Cover Crops

Video preview. Links to full article.

Video: Cover Crops

If replanting isn’t an option after hail, adding cover crops in a poor stand may help you reap benefits in the current year and next year. Cover crops can take up applied nitrogen not taken up by the current crop and repurpose it for next year’s crop. They can also suppress weeds and provide late-season forage.

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Establishing Cover Crops for Grazing in Hail-damaged Crop Fields

The main economic factor resulting from wind and hail damage to corn and soybean fields is yield loss through elimination or reduction of grain production. In addition, much of the residue that would usually be available for erosion protection or winter forage is also lost.

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Infographic preview. Links to full article.

Infographic: Cover Crops

If replanting after a hail event is not an option, integrating cover crops into post-hail management practices may be an option. This infographic shares what you need to know about cover crops: benefits, interseeding, and selection.

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Cattle grazing in corn stalks

Farm Evolution to Focus on Integrating Crop/Livestock Systems

October 26, 2017
Incorporating cover crops and livestock grazing into a no-till system will be the focus of the 2018 Farming Evolution event Feb. 13-14 in Holyoke, Colorado.

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Chart depicting relationship between soil organic carbon and available water holding capacity in sandy soil.

The Water-Soil Health Connection

September 29, 2017
Cover crops, crop rotation, and other means for improving soil health are among the research areas pursued by the Soil Health Institute, a non-profit organization supporting soil stewardship and advancing soil health. Learn more about its work and the research it's spotlighting this week.

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Cover crop plots
Figure 1. Some of the six cover crop mixes featured on the Sept. 25 cover crop field day, each planted for a specific purpose. Diversity is important in cover crops to help feed the soil system. (Photo by Paul Jasa)

Cover Crop Field Day Monday, Sept. 25 near Lincoln

September 15, 2017
View six cover crop mixes seeded after wheat harvest, each planted for a specific objective, as well as how fertilizer affects biomass production. See also how planting date affects biomass production. Includes a no-till drill demonstration and various legume cover crops for nitrogen fixation.

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Bohling Farm
Figure 1. At the Rob and Trent Bohling Farm near Johnson a cover crop mix of oats, turnips, radishes, and volunteer wheat was planted after wheat and is being compared with an area with no cover crop. The experiment is to evaluate and compare crop yields and soil properties among three systems: cover crops, cover crops followed by grazing, and no cover crop. (Photos by Gary Lesoing)

Cover Crop Field Day and Tour Sept. 19 in Southeast Nebraska

September 14, 2017
Nebraska Extension, North Central SARE, NRCS, and the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition are sponsoring a Cover Crop Field Day and Tour Tuesday, September 19 in southeast Nebraska. View multiple cover crop mixes and hear from researchers studying various aspects of their production and use.

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Market Journal screen shot

Market Journal on Cover Crops and Weed Control, Drones, and Making Silage

September 8, 2017
View segments from the Sept. 8 Market Journal, including one with Nebraska Extension Cropping Systems Specialist Rodrigo Werle on cover crops and weed control.

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